Shootin' Down Hollows

Crack! A tear slowly opened at street level, a black gaping maw devoid of any light: A Garganta. Once it fully opened, a figure stepped out of the darkness of the tear and into the light of the sun, revealing a wolfish form. The tear, grudgingly, collapsed inward into nonexistence once the wolf was outside of it, leaving no trace that it was ever there. The wolf had a coat that was gray and red, like a mixture of ash and blood, and was quite large, standing at around seven feet in height while on all fours. Her tail was thick, but dexterous, and her legs were hardy and strong. On her face, she wore a bone-white wolf mask; there were two eye sockets that revealed two glowing orbs of amber. Save for her height and mask, Alma could rightly be confused for a wolf one could find in the land of the living. However, she was far more than a simple wolf. She was a trained killer of nature; a huntress that lived and breathed the hunt of life. Where others saw fear and death, she saw opportunity and a meal. That was her calling in life as a Hollow; to maim, tear, and kill others deemed prey in the great scheme of the hunt.


On that day, the wolf wore a harness fashioned out of white, but durable silk; its strength did not lie in its material but in the way it was woven together, fiber crossed over fiber. The color of the harness matched her fur, which thus allowed her to maintain her stealth if needed. Along either side of her harness, there was a pouch, which held a number of things. On the right side’s pouch, there were general care items, such as a mirror and other body care products. On the left side, there were a few medical products; pieces of meat, water, and other supplies that tended to come in handy when needed. While all this gear looked to be useful and well thought out, Alma could care less about it. It was not her decision to wear this uniform of hers, but her master Lucian had insisted upon her wearing this while under his authority. Of course, she had no place to dispute his decision on the matter, but it did not mean she had to enjoy wearing this outfit of hers. She had to at least be thankful that he fashioned this harness to fit her frame specifically; carrying things, otherwise, would be quite difficult considering she had no hands.


With the portal closed, the first thing the wolf did was look straight up into the sea of blue and white that was the sky. Amber eyes squinted slightly at the powerful rays of the sun; how long had it been since she gazed upon this orb of warmth and light? She had lived so long in the depths of darkness that she had almost forgotten what it was like to be in her birthplace. The whole scene of warmth, peace, and light made her feel… sick with disgust. Now she remembered why she preferred to hunt in the darkness; the sun did nothing but diminish what advantages a hunter possessed. Their stealth was reduced, as was the opportunity of catching a sleeping prey. No, the moon in Hueco Mundo made a better friend than this sun could ever be. With her gaze fixed before her again, she took in the surroundings of the area. There was a paved street of concrete, three lanes wide, with numerous cars of different sizes stopped at both the front and back of her. The light above Alma turned green, and both sides of cars let their engines growl louder as they proceeded forward; threatening to hit her.


They were slow, however, when compared to her, and she had already been warned about things to expect in the Land of the Living by other Hollows in the Escudo before arriving. These machines were nothing more than attempts of humans to overcome their innate disposition as prey in the world. Pathetic attempts of becoming more than flesh and bone. With a quick flex and pull of her legs, she bounded upward a few meters in the air before landing on the roof of one of the passing cars. The roof caved in, as she quickly leaped onto another roof, and then another, until she finally landed on the sidewalk of the street. The cars she had used as stepping pads veered drastically off their lanes, their drivers either dead or injured, and crashed into other passing cars. Crash! Clang! Bam! A few seconds later, there was now a pile up of cars in the intersection Alma had moved from; cars from both lanes were in this crash, and people were just stumbling out of the wreckage to question what had happened.


Though the answer seemed obvious, no one thought to blame Alma for the cause of the crash. Namely, because no one could see her in this world; no one except those who were spiritually gifted, or so she had been told. It made her task in the Land of the Living that much simpler in retrospect: the Escudo had sent her there to survey the area for Hollows, and then recruit those she found. A simple task, really. But what her superiors had failed to take note of was that Alma was selfish and self-serving to her very core. Her master, Lucian, might not agree, but then again, he had not sent her there, others did; others who she had no loyalty toward except for him. For that reason, she saw this mission of hers in a different light. In her eyes, she was there to find Hollows… and eat them. Along with any other humans or beings she came across. They were all nothing more than prey to her, their one goal in life to die as nothing more than food to those stronger than them; the great hunters of life.


Other humans began to crowd around the massive car wreck, asking questions and throwing blame around as to whose fault it was exactly that caused this accident. Many had shopping bags and trinkets in their hands, from the nearby stores that lined the street. The wolf could not ask for a better appetizer before she began her search. Cold and meticulous, with all the traffic ground down to a halt, she stalked forward toward the crowd. While the wolf moved forward, she scanned the throng of thirty or so people looking for a prime target. Moments later, she found it; a relatively tall man, in a business suit that looked to be at the prime of his life. Perfect. Immediately after setting her sights on him, she broke off into a run before leaping forward and tackling the man down with her front paws. Her claws, six-inches long, dug into the soft flesh at his chest, like twelve simultaneous knives. He died almost instantly. His suit became soaked with blood, and he died, never knowing what brought his life to an end. Alma ate well all the same, she tore open his chest with a few cuts and began devouring his insides; it did not take her long to find the soul hidden underneath, and eat that as well.


The crowd that at had once formed to take in the scene of the crash now had another spectacle before them. A man, perfectly healthy moments before, had suddenly been knocked down by an invisible force, and now lay dead on the street. Of course, there were those who screamed and began calling out for help, but there were also those who took out their phones and walked closer to the body to take a better look. Humans were amazingly gullible as prey. It made hunting them less enjoyable, but food was food. With the soul of the man devoured, Alma lunged at the nearest bystander, a woman near the end of her time. Alma cut her life short, or long, depending on how cruel your sense of humor was, and dug into her body as well. It took her a few seconds to find her soul as well and eat that as well. By this point, the throng of people finally got smart, now realizing that they were spontaneously dying there. The smartest, or cowards as Alma liked to think of them, were the first to break off screaming, going over cars and shoving others as they did so. The braver ones stayed back, frantically yelling into their phones for help to come.


And help did arrive, for all it was worth. Two cars, with stripes of blue and the words PD painted at their sides arrived; the sounds coming from their sirens annoyed the wolf to great lengths. She would have to do something about them. As the human, dressed in blue opened his door only to stop, mouth gaping at the two bloody carcasses on the ground, Alma made her move. Before he even had time to close his door and rush over, Alma darted to his side and gave a forceful swipe with her claws at near the roof of the car. The motion served to accomplish two things: the first, was to sever the officers head clean from his shoulders – the man gave a final OOF! before he died staring at pavement; lastly, the tip of her long claws caught the rim of the flashing sirens, breaking the circuitry and stopping the sounds. The wolf was about to commence her meal of the man until gunshots started sparking against the metal of the police car. BAM! CLANG!


The other human in blue was cursing loudly, his eyes wide with craze and confusion. In his hands, came to the answer to Alma’s questions about what was being fired at her. Although the policeman knew something was wrong here, and that he could not see it, it did not make his aim any better. His friend had just died in front him and there was nothing in sight in which to handcuff or take down. No, all he could was fire blindly into the car, not really knowing what he was shooting at in the first place. While others would commend the man for his bravery, and maybe they would after all this was done, it did not change the fact he was going to die. For his part, he managed to get off another shot after the first few that distracted Alma moments ago before his legs came off from under him. Literally. He found that his legs simply gave way from under, severed at the thighs. The upper portion of his body hit the ground hard, and he gave heart-filled scream before his throat was torn open. By this point, everyone had evacuated the area and Alma was left to finish with these last two meals. She knew she would have to move on and find food elsewhere, now that people were wary of nearing that street. Even the shopping stores nearby were devoid of noise and clutter.


The wolf destroyed the sirens on the second car, like she did the first, and began opening up her latest kills. The officer with the gun was the first soul of the two that she ate, since he was the closest to her. The second officer, the one who had been beheaded, came second. By the end of both her meals, the entrails and limbs of both men were scattered on the ground. Blood dripped from her muzzle, as well as strings of flesh. Digging for souls within the bodies of freshly killed humans was a messy job after all. Four humans had met their ends in the span of about ten minutes, but Alma had not had her fill. She needed more; much more. With that in mind, she began padding away, in search of more humans to kill and devour; no doubt, she would have to search much farther away if she were to have a chance of catching another prey unawares. As she walked away, her paws left bloody trails on the concrete of the street leading from the bloody scene of her meal. Not even an hour back in the Land of the Living, she had begun eating others. Oh, how Master Lucian would be proud of her, or so she thought.


“Stop right there!” A voice called out, coming from her right side. She turned, and found another human dressed in a white over coat with silver badges and chains strapped here and there on his person. His head was shaved, and his skin was a light bronze. In regards to age, he looked to be in his early twenties with all the vigor and muscles that came naturally at that age. However, what set the man apart from the others, at least in Alma’s eyes, was the glowing, blue-white bow in his left hand. More than that, it was aimed at her. Immediately after turning, the man released his pulled back arm, and a bolt of light was released from his weapon. Alma was about twenty meters away when he fired, and the arrow moved even slower than the bullets of the policeman’s gun. Her instincts and speed were more than sufficient enough to avoid the arrow with ease. She leaped to the side, causing the arrow to impact the ground where she had stood previously with a THUD. It did not take her very long to realize where he had hoped to hit: her mask. That was why he had called out to her, to get her to turn around.


Despite the attempt at her life, Alma made no sound; a hunter never made a sound when on the hunt for prey. It was a sign of inexperience; a sign of weakness. Instead, as the man notched another arrow in his bow, and Alma just stood there, watching him as he did so. Obviously, the weapon the man employed was not a machine used by regular humans; no, they used to cold metal and bright fire to make their weapons. This man used a bow of light, like the hunters in the arctic where she grew up while she was alive, to make his attacks. More than that, the arrows he fired were fashioned from that very same light as his bow. The wolf would need to be wary about taking this man down. “Die in the name of Der Kaiser, vile beast!” The man yelled, before firing another bolt of light. However, like before, Alma simply sidestepped as the arrow passed by, hitting a nearby car. She would have made her move by then, but the man had disappeared. Shocked, Alma focused in on her surroundings, scanning everything, until she caught the sight of the glowing bow to her left. On instinct, she darted backward, catching the sight of a streak of light pass in front of her face.


The man had somehow moved faster than a regular human could in less than a second. Although this might have surprised other Hollows, it did not disturb Alma all that much. The reason being, she had already seen a method for Hollows to do the same: Sonido. Using this method of movement, an Arrancar could attain speeds unparallel in their previous forms. Somehow, this human had a method of movement similar to her kind, and weapon stronger than human weapon. Despite this, the wolf was not afraid. In fact, she relished the fact that she would finally have a worthy prey to hunt and kill. The only thing now was to strike when the man was open; and after seeing him fire a few arrows already, she knew when to strike. Again, the bow-wielding human disappeared from sight, but Alma soon spotted him on top the roof of a car near her back, arrow notched. This time, she sprung forward into a run, toward him. The man fired his arrow, the bolt of light streaking toward her, but Alma leaped again, leaving the arrow to pass by underneath her legs. When she landed, the wolf was about a meter away from the car the man was firing from.


That was when he made his mistake; instead of using his movement technique to escape, he had tried to notch another arrow. In reality, he needed a way to strike Alma without her evading, which was quite difficult given her speed, so he had decided to fire at point blank. However, he had overestimated his rate of fire, in this case, the speed in which he could notch back another arrow, as Alma leaped forward, claws going wide. Before the man even realized it, his right arm had been severed and fell limply onto the car. He screamed and pulled something out of his belt, a metal hilt of which soon released a blade of light, but dropped that a few seconds later as soon as another wave of pain hit him. The wound where Alma had severed his arm was bubbling and fizzling blood. Like an infection, the skin near the wound began to be eaten away in pieces by some unseen force. Steam was pouring out of it but the acidic effect soon halted after a few seconds. The wolf, for its part, noticed this effect she had on the man, which was quite different than was experienced by regular humans, and used that opportunity to make her attack.


Before the man could reach down and retrieve the silver hilt on the ground, his head was already rolling next to it. Hesitantly, his body slacked crumpled forward, toppling over the side of the car. The expression on his severed head was that of shock, his mouth wide and his eyes hysterical. The wolf paid no notice of this however as she neared his body, he glanced over the whole thing, her expression stone still, before tearing into the flesh. The white coat turned scarlet with blood, and by the time she reached his soul, his entire body had been carved open. The only thing that would let anyone know who the body had belonged to would be the severed head near it. Alma, for her part, had relished the meal of another successful kill; this soul was much tastier than the humans she had eaten earlier. It was rich in flavor and texture which left an impression in the pit that was her stomach. She would need to find out where to get more souls like these upon her return to the Escudo base. Maybe she could ask her master Lucian about her venture and get some advise?


With her fur sticky and soaked with blood, Alma turned her head and caught the sight of someone new. Whoever it was, they had just arrived to see Alma already finished with the meal before her. Would it be another creature like before, one with a delicious soul, or would this new arrival be another human. Either way, she was still hungry, and her body was brimming with the lust to make another kill to satisfy the burning hunger that tore at her insides. She stepped away from the body, and began circling this new arrival, making sure to keep her around him. Alma was about ten meters away from this person and she kept her pace slow and even. After just coming out of a battle, the wolf could not be too careful when it came to her prey now. Especially, when they made such a big fuss over trying to kill her. Then again, it made the hunt that much more enjoyable, and pleasurable in the end when her prey resisted the inevitable. That was it was all about; and that was exactly what this new arrival would realize in attempting to confront Alma.





(OOC: Four NPC Humans killed and one Quincy.)

The new arrival raised his arm, a bow materializing in place as he did so, and notched back an arrow. From his appearance and his method of attack, he seemed to be another being like the one the wolf had just dispatched. Her body was brimming with excitement and anticipation; she relished the thought of another challenge and meal. No matter who it was, the hunt always provided her with entertainment at times like this. It seemed Alma would have a bit more fun that evening than she originally thought. As the man prepared to fire, so did the wolf prepare to lunge to either side in response to another bolt of light. However, as it were, the man did not fire directly at her, but to the wreckage of machines far to her side. The streak of light penetrated one of the machines, causing the latticework of broken metal to combust into flames. Like her hunger, the fire spread and spread, engulfing the nearby cars and buildings. The shops closest to the fire became pyres of smoke and ember. Even at their distance, both the Hollow and the other being would be able to make out the strangled screams of terror and pain from within the fire. Obviously, a few people were still stuck in the wreckage, unable to leave their cars, while others, who once hid in the buildings nearby, were trapped in their own funeral pyres.


Nonetheless, however strong the other man felt about his conviction, he would realize that trying to save any of those victims was an unattainable goal. With his speed, by the time he made it there, those people were as good as dead. Even if he could somehow get close, there was nothing to stop Alma from tearing at his back while he tried to help the others. No, they were basically dead if the man stopped to analyze the situation. Fire, as the saying went, had no master; he should not have expected the fire to stay contained within the wreckage, not when so many cars were damaged and so many flammable decorations were left on display on the walls of most shops. Though, for his part, the man had nonetheless succeeded in obscuring the section of street both combatants were in with black smoke. It clung low to the ground, suffocating what light there was in the depths of its darkness. Alma, after the fire commenced, sidestepped a few meters in the opposite direction of it. Fire was just another vile mechanization employed by the weaker species in this world. It served no purpose other than to disfigure the capable hunters in its tendrils and make the weaker prey that much harder to catch. It was the bane of hunters, and she had no love for it.


As she moved to the side, with her vision still obscured by the smoke leaking from the other section of the street, a bright light peeked its way out of the darkness. Like the light at the end of the tunnel, it tore through the screen of smoke, barreling at Alma’s direction. However, given how dense and black the smoke was, firing at Alma with any accuracy based on the make out of a shadow through the smoke was pure luck at best. She reacted on instinct, and easily sidestepped out of the path of the arrow, which was not hard considering the attack was not dead center at her and her movement was short and quick. The arrow instead penetrated a wall to her back, the glowing shaft making a soft thud against the brick. The wolf did not feel comfortable being shot at without having a proper gauge on her prey, so she leaped through and out of the smoke. On the other side of the smoke, she noticed something very interesting. The man had disappeared. She was thus left with two ideas to go by: the first, was that the man in white had simply run away in fear, like all true cowards naturally did; the second, was that the man had taken cover somewhere out of view. Given how eager both him and the other man in white had been in trying to kill her, she doubted cowardice in this situation.


In light of all this, she would need to track down the man’s location, if she were to have any fun with this hunt. Again, she was left with two options: she could either use one of her tracking abilities, thus finding the man quickly in less than a second, or she could do things the fun way and track with skill alone. A grin touched the sides of her mask; things were going to be fun after all. The street both the hollow and the man were in was relatively clear of cars, save for the ones parked at the side of the road. Most drivers had enough sense to avoid the general area of the Main Street now, so traffic had gone down. Still, there were plenty of parked cars, and going by each one was a tedious task indeed. Alma, however, had a better idea. With a start, she bounded to one of the sidewalks of the street and leaped once she came close to the wall of one of the stores. With her claws, she cut into the wall, latching on, and quickly made it to the top in a few seconds. Once on the one-story tall roof of the shop, she scanned around the street, taking note of any possible hiding spots the man could be behind. With her keen eyes, she began narrowing down where the man could be, as she was now above most of the cars and could thus see, to a degree, over their sides. Of course, he could attempt to fire at her when she was climbing, but considering the range and angle of the shot, it was likely she would simply evade the arrow and find out where he fired from at the same time now that they were away from the smoke.


After a few seconds, she narrowed down the possible places where the man could be hiding. The most obvious of which was a parked van, about fifteen meters away, that did not allow her to see completely over its size given its height. It looked to be sufficient enough in size to hide the glow of the weapon he used as well as cover his body completely. More than that, the other parked cars on the road presented little cover for him when compared to the van itself. In this situation, she had used her analysis and learning capabilities in surmising the best choice of cover and the likelihood of man’s decision, given what she had seen. It was enough to go by, in this case, but Alma was not a hundred percent sure, not without using a tracking technique of hers. For that reason, she decided to play a bit with her prey. It had been a long time since she felt the thrill of life and death course through her veins and thus fill her with ecstasy. Even if she could easily kill the man, it was not the point; far from it in fact. She valued a good hunt that could test her mantle. And given how well the other man in white had performed against her, it was safe to say this new person could give her a bit more pleasure as well. From the rooftop, she called out, her voice obviously directed at the van. “Come out and play, human. Our night has just begun; no need hiding when we could be enjoying ourselves.” She grinned maliciously.


Remaining Reiatsu: 200/200

Posts until 'Shadow' Evacuation: 28

When the man revealed himself from behind the van, loosing an arrow as he did, and began running across the street, Alma became ecstatic with joy; things were going to get fun for her after all. Given her vantage point above the street, she could easily surmise where the man was going; the fact that he was making a straight run toward the building, instead of trying to take an indirect route, made it that more obvious. Nonetheless, he had made a grievous error in this situation; tactically, it would have been better for him to maintain his location behind the van and make Alma come to him. He obviously had range on her, and if he could somehow restrict her movement, then things would undoubtedly be to his advantage. However, he had chosen to break out into the openness of the street, where there was relatively little cover to be had; what made it worse was that Alma had the high ground, and she could easily take advantage of all this as it happened. The other man had not taken into consideration the possibility of Alma cutting her off, or intervening in some way. Which, as it were, was what she intended to do in this situation.


She leaped from the rooftop of the shop, avoiding the arrow as it trailed its way past her former position. However, as the man ran desperately toward the building for refuge, he would have a rude wake up call. Alma leaped from the rooftop, using that motion to dodge the arrow, travel across the street, and make a pass at the man as he ran. She was a little over three times faster than him, and given that he was running in the opposite direction of her, it made the Hollow’s pass connect that much faster. Given that he had just loosed an arrow at her, and had not made any attempt to prepare another shot, firing at her as she passed him would not be possible. Even if he reached for another weapon of some kind, he would not be able to draw it out in time to counter the speed of Alma’s attack. As it were, the man in white, in all his hurry, would find his left leg slack from underneath him; a number of deep gashes were streaked across his white pant leg, turning the material red with crimson blood. What made things worse, however, was that as soon as the cut was made, another wave of pain would hit him, thus interrupting any counterattack he had in mind. All around the wound, his blood would begin to steam violently, and the skin would turn a deep shade of scarlet and begin withering away slightly, as if an infection was spreading through him. However, after a few seconds, the burning would stop, giving him some respite at least.


Given the affect Hollow’s had on his kind, his body would experience an acidic affect that ate away at any point of contact made between the two species. She had seen this effect before with the other man in white, and had thus taken that into account as she made her attack. She had swiped with her claws, her left leg going a bit wide as she passed the man. Her claws had dug fairly deep into the thigh of the man, tearing some muscle out as they tore themselves away. The man would find that using that leg would be difficult, even with his Pain Tolerance. Moreover, the acidic effect Alma had on the man served to add to his pain, and make countering that much more difficult. After Alma had made her pass, she did not move in for a second one. Why? Her prey had probably been weakened severely by the blow, which would make countering a second attack even more difficult, but she chose not to act on this. Instead, as she was to the man’s back now, about five meters away, she simply laid down on her chest, paws spread out before her. By this point, she expected to the man to take a hint and turn his attention toward her. The wolf's expression, as it were, was one of curiosity and bewilderment; it looked as if she actually found the man interesting, if only to quench some innate lust for control in her as a hunter.


She would tell the man, her voice feminine, almost seductive, “You’re not like other humans; you certainly taste better.” As she said that, she lowered her head slightly and licked at the new blood at her claws, her eyes never wavering from the man. If he paid to look at her, he would find that much of her fur was still sticky with the blood and gore of the humans she had eaten before. There were even bits of stringy skin and muscle dangling from the sides of her mouth. “I’m curious,” she admitted, “What are you; who are you? She would listen patiently through whatever answer he gave her, if he gave her any; Alma’s expression never wavering from the curious, almost innocent one she currently had on. The man in white could probably notch another arrow during this time, but doing so might prove problematic for him; at that range, if he missed, or threatened her enough, it would be likely that that arrow would be the last he fired. After whatever answers he chose to give her, she would rise from her prone position, her height easily bringing her above the head of the man. A seductive grin touched her mask, and her bloody fur bristled with excitement. “Lets keep playing our game, what do you say? She would begin backing off at that point, giving the man a few more meters of distance. It was flight or fight; could he make it to the church in time before Alma caught up? Or would he make his stand there and try to fight her until his help would arrive?


Remaining Reiatsu: 200/200

Posts until ‘Shadow’ Evacuation: 26

Alma, to say the least, was quite displeased over the reluctance of the man to answer any of her questions. He had flat out ignored her. A mere human had shunned the huntress above all others. Rightly, she felt quite upset over this; she had offered the man a respite from his injuries instead of pouncing on him when he was so obviously weakened. If the man actually paused to evaluate the situation, he would notice that the Hollow was trying to keep him alive for as long as possible, if only for her amusement. But he was not helping at all. Instead, he backed himself up against a wall, shutting down a potential lane of retreat by doing so, thus making him into a prime target. Moreover, with his mobility limited by his current wound, Alma had to literally force herself not to take advantage of the situation. But what had that gotten the huntress? Nothing but a cold shoulder and a stomach that threatened to engulf her in its spreading flames. The game would be nothing more than a chore if the man did not carefully evaluate his circumstances and try to fight in regards to that.


Alas, he tempted the huntress yet again with the allure of another opening; oh, if only he knew how attractive he was in her eyes… as a meal. He raised his arms, forming another arc of brilliant light as he did so, and discharged another arrow. However, he was overestimating himself here yet again; his rate of fire was still unchanged, and in the time it took him to form the bow, then the arrow, pull back the bolt, line up a shot, and then fire, Alma would have her jaws clamped down on his throat. She was only about five meters away – a little over fifteen feet – and bridging that distance in the time left for her would take nothing less than a few running strides with her large form. Even if the man could fire off an arrow in that time, haphazardly at that, focusing on a quick end through her mask while she charged, like the embodiment of death itself, would be unlikely, and he would probably hit her body at best once she moved her mask out of the line of fire; one arrow would not be enough to end this battle if it came down to it. She was far too conniving for that.


Nonetheless, the man loosed his arrow, the brilliant bolt of light heading straight toward the Hollow. Expectedly, she knew when danger was afoot once the man raised his arms and formed the bow, and gave a short leap to her right. Her paws skidded along the concrete of the road, the claws at their ends leaving a trail of sparks behind. The shaft of light passed harmlessly by, the shaft hitting the wall with another familiar thud. His attacks were far too predictable and telegraphed to be a danger to her when employed like they were. The wolf, as it were, needed to teach this pup how to play her game better; if not, then he would lose all interest in her eyes, and fall prey to the whiles of her gnawing stomach. The fact that she had avoided the arrow by moving to the side meant that she kept her attention fixated on the man; she did not interrupt him in forming a second bolt of light, in fact, she encouraged it! The fact that he thought ahead to prepare for a counter attack meant that he still had some hope of providing her with entertainment.


She was now a bit farther away from the man now, meaning if he attempted to fire a second shaft, it would likely not do any better than the first one did. No, it was best not to leave anything on chance in his case. Instead, Alma, her voice seductive and alluring, reached out to the man. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Here I thought you were a gentleman who could treat a lady with respect. Instead, you tempt me with your body.” She grinned, her crimson stained fangs etching an outline to her expression. “But a woman can never let herself be so easy.” Her voice grew perceptively more forceful, blunt almost, much of the former allure disappearing, as she ordered, “Stand up.” Short and crisp, she continued, “Our game requires that you live long enough to entertain me, not die at any whim. Move. Run if you can. Crawl if you must, but move. I will teach you the way of the hunt; the thrill of the fight; your blood will run wild tonight, either by adrenaline or my fangs; it shall be free. Show me if you are hunter or prey. Now move.” There was no telling how long Alma would hold back, but if he did not heed her warning, he would at least heed her claws.


Remaining Reiatsu: 200/200

Posts Until 'Shadow' Evacuation: 24

“Quincy…” Alma said to herself, a wide grin plastered on her face; that was what this man was, a Quincy. For the first time, her opponent had made a blissfully pleasing decision and had released what seemed to be his true power. Now the hunt could truly begin. The wolf no longer had to nurse this small pup before her, not when it finally knew how to stand for itself. Her legs spread a few inches to either side of her, the movement serving to give her more traction and stability. After a moment, veins of reiatsu begin circulating in her blood, pumping her muscles full of vigor. At the same time, her claws extended as well, doubling in size in fact as she prepared her body for the fight ahead. The wolf no longer needed to hold back her killing intent now that her prey was so magnificent a meal; his radiance was like a beacon, serving to beckon her jaws to find another taste of his blood; the only thing left on her mind was the thought of severing his wings and bringing the man tumbling down into the bowls of her stomach. This was truly a glorious day for the hunt.


With the man cloaked in plate armor, the wolf would play her game a bit coyer now. Instead of wasting her strength grinding down his protection, she would strike at the chinks of his plate. The joints were obviously unprotected by plate, as the man had to move obviously, and if that failed, the neck would also serve as a good candidate for attack. If things proved difficult, then she could always find a way to latch onto him and bring the corrosive properties of her skin to bear wherever his flesh was exposed. Like a pack of wolves scavenging a dead body for morsels of meat, her mind went this way and that analyzing her opponent. Oh, how she hoped he would not fall so soon now that they were finally having fun; no, she wanted to savor this fight for however long she could before giving the man his reward for playing. The wolf called out, her amber eyes glowing with lust and excitement, “Prepare yourself, Quincy. There can only be one hunter at the top, not two.”


Immediately after saying that, the wolf pounced upward, her feet finding leverage on thin pads of reiatsu as she moved toward her prey. The sky was filled with these particles of life; it was only natural for a hunter to make the best use out of their environment in times like these. Now that the Quincy could fly, Alma needed to level the playing field as well by using the Air-Ground around them. Nonetheless, the wolf bounded up, faster than the man had seen her do before. Her muscles were now imbued with her reiatsu, and she was no longer holding back when it came to her speed. As she raced toward him, the wolf suddenly darted right, circling the man in midair until she was at his back. That’s when she closed in. Her left leg edged out, its claws darting forward. They aimed to strike at behind the Quincy’s right knee, the gap between plate pieces. However, as she attacked, she did something a bit curious; as she moved forward, both her right legs began to bend ever so slightly, almost as if she was leaning if someone looked closely. Whatever she intended on doing, the Quincy would have to try and avoid her attack, lest his entire leg be taken from him this time.


Remaining Reiatsu: 125/200 (-50 for Razor, -25 for Swift Foot)

Swift Foot Posts: 1/3

Current Speed: 188

Current Claw Length: 12 inches

Posts until ‘Shadow’ Evacuation: 22

The Quincy had a made a miscalculation in his choice of defense; if he knew the trajectory of her attack, it would have simply been wiser to avoid her all together. The wolf lived on tearing her enemies at close range, and acquiring a new burst of power did not make someone better adapted to the quick life or death movements of that sort of fight when they were so used to fighting at long range. Nonetheless, the man had decided to block her attack with one of his wings, which also served to lower his altitude a few degrees. The choice of defense, while well intended, had one unmistakable flaw that served to setup another attack by Alma. The wing had blocked off her intended target, but it also cut the field of vision for the Quincy as well. Since it was meant to block her charge, it would have to come up and over his shoulder and into his front, obscuring much of Alma as she closed in. By itself, this did not seem like too bad of a dilemma. Not until the wolf made the most of the slight opening the man had created in his defense. Without knowing which side she would move to as she charged, and with the wing obscuring much of that, this next move would come as a surprise.


The right legs that she had been leaning toward slightly as she ran hit the face of the wing, and the muscles at that side uncoiled their tension all at once. Though he was stronger than her, it did not mean her force could be negated so swiftly without sufficient effort. So, the Quincy would find himself suddenly pushed backward by the force of that movement. However, that is not where the danger came in. Instead, using that wing as a pseudo kickboard, the wolf kicked off the wing, into a slight flip over the Quincy. Given the force of the kick knocking the Quincy backward somewhat and her superior speed, the man would find that attempting to cut at her as she passed overhead would not be a feasible option. In that movement, the wolf was over the Quincy and at his back; she formed a few platforms of reiatsu on her left side as she passed overhead, and kicked with her left side back in the direction of the Quincy. She used that kick from that side to redirect her momentum into one aimed at the back of the Quincy. The fact that the man had his vision obscured by his wing as it came over his back and into his front, meant that seeing this sudden redirection of movement by Alma would be difficult to make out, even with his senses, as he could not properly see her. And since her kick at him pushed him backward, it meant that her attack would connect that much faster. The man could not hope to compete with her speed at such close quarters when he was moving toward her now.


Now, she made a pass at his back, more specifically, the back of his neck. Her right foot’s claws aimed to sever the trunk of his neck through the gap in the man’s armor at that location. And with her claws now a foot in length, they would easily meet and sever the flesh at that delicate area. They would cut completely through in fact, as his neck was not even near a foot in diameter. Even a passing glance of contact would expose the man to the effects of her corrosive skin again, and burn him severely; a mere touch with his body was all it would take. Despite his instinct and senses, he was now competing with her superior speed at close quarters, which was a mistake of doing. As she made her pass though, her body was moving underneath the left side of the man, downward, below his arm. With the wing at the front, there was nothing blocking her way, and making a movement with that sword arm downward at her would be awkward and against the movement of his elbow joint. Besides, with all that the man was dealing with at the moment with trying to figure out, see, respond, and meet her attack, it would be quite difficult to even attempt to make a pass at her himself as passed downward lest he give up hope of even surviving. He had his own problems to worry about with the impending slashing damage and burns on their way. With her pass complete, the wolf would then rush to circle the man again, preparing another pass if needed.


Remaining Reiatsu: 100/200 (-25 for Swift Foot)

Swift Foot Posts: 2/3

Posts Until 'Shadow' Evacuation: 20

As the radiance of the man dimmed down, the wolf could only speculate that his power was fading as well with the light; a shame, the hunt seemed to be drawing to a close. The street, which had become shrouded in darkness during their exchanges, save for the licks of light coming from the far off embers, began to descend into a deeper shadow. Like the flicker of a candle against a strong breeze, her patience with the man to get a grip on himself was fading as well. The Quincy seemed sluggish now, more than likely do to the pain of her attack, and seemed to be having trouble maintaining his form. In spite of this apparent opening, the wolf held back; she paced patiently around the man, waiting for him to salvage this state he was in. Around the cusp of her mouth, saliva mixed with a tang of blood oozed out, coating the nearby fur sticky. She was hungry – starving, actually – but she held back all the same. The hunt meant more to her than an easy meal. Even if it pained her to untold measures, Alma bid her time and lust for his flesh.


By this point, the Quincy, after what seemed like years to the wolf, finally managed to muster his strength, visible by the resurgence of light around his form. He turned to Alma, who, only a few moments before, had stopped to make herself a better target for him. The Quincy was obviously distraught and in shambles, both mentally and physically, despite the shroud he wore around his figure. Disillusioned, the man had thought the wolf to be smiling at him, or at least grinning like before, but that was not the case; she had a solemn tinge over her features, the looks of pleasure, lust, and malicious craze erased from her expression. In truth, she was mourning. Alma mourned for the opportunity of the great hunt; she had expected so much more from her prey, but he had fizzled out before she could be really tested. Amidst the sadness, she felt cheated as well. Why had this Quincy boasted about being the great hunter he was only to have this to show for it: obnoxious sobbing and bleeding wounds.


And then he charged at her with all the recklessness and inconsideration that went into a decision of a madman. He screamed for Alma to kill him; to end his misery and ease the weight on his soul. His attack was straightforward; a headlong charge with no apparent flare or tactical precedence. Was he mocking Alma with such a crude method of attack, or had he lost his mind all together? Nonetheless, in his current mental and physical condition, the Quincy would not be able to notice the way the wolf seemed to slack; her muscles eased their tension, almost as if she had given up. In fact, she did give up. More exactly, she gave up on the prospect of the man giving her the great challenge she had once thought he could. How could he hope to compete with her now that he had fallen from the graces of sanity? Automatic. That could be one way to describe the movement of the wolf as the Quincy closed in for his attack. It was unsympathetic, for Alma no longer wished to prolong the inevitable. The Quincy no longer entertained her like he once had, but had now become a nuisance.


Alma waited for the Quincy to close in, taking the time to keep her body relaxed, even as her veins pumped reiatsu into her muscles. Just as the man closed in to slash out with his twin swords, the wolf dove into the movement of his right blade. As that sword slashed outward to cut at her, the wolf followed and matched the movement of the blade. She was faster than the Quincy, and with such a telegraphed, headlong attack, she easily predicted the trajectory of the attack with her Battle Analysis. Therefore, she moved parallel to that blade of light, matching pace with it and keeping out of harm’s way, and thus used that movement to get around into the back of the Quincy once again. The wolf was at the right side of the man, at his back, and so very close now. The left blade of the man would have to trail around his body if he wanted to hit her with it, and to use the right blade, he would have to fix his arm to make another swing at her, which meant that he could make no immediate counter. His joints restricted his limbs from cutting at her now that she was at his back, and she could strike faster than he could possibly turn to meet her. Unlike before, however, the wolf no longer felt like giving the man an opportunity to collect himself.


In that movement she used to get at the back by matching the speed and direction of his sword, the wolf clamped her teeth around the back of his right knee, the one which had not been damaged so far, and gave a jerk. She did not stop moving, as any hesitance could buy the Quincy a chance to react, so she simply took the lower portion of his leg, below the knee, with her. Alma had bit at the unarmed gap behind that knee, and used her momentum and continuing motion to take the man’s lower leg with her. Of course, muscle tore, bone was cut, and sinewy tendons and fibers came out like confetti as the lower right leg was separated from its host. She did not really care to fathom the magnitude of pain the Quincy would have to deal with now. The wolf had just taken a piece of his limb, which would obviously lead to massive bleeding, inexorable pain, and maybe shock; all of which would be magnified as the Hollow poison burned at the raw flesh and gore. Alma doubted whether the man would be able to stay conscious after this, let alone continue the fight in his current condition.


The wolf would land on a nearby building, ironically some sort of butchery, with her prize still in her mouth. The light and armor from the leg faded away as it no longer had a source of reiatsu to feed on to maintain its form, leaving it bare again of protection. Alma lay on her belly, allowing for a better grip of her morsel, and mashed the entire piece of leg with her razor sharp teeth in a few bites before swallowing it. “Scrumptious,” the wolf whispered to herself, fresh blood and gore dripping from the sides of her mouth. “I love a man who can take care of a lady,” she called out to the Quincy, soft and tender – seductive even— whether he was conscious or not. The grin that etched her face, however, faded away soon after that, as she grew more solemn. Her voice became harsh, callous, and blunt. “The game is over now; you have failed to entertain me, my pup, and you have lost. Rest assured, however, that you would not be alone where you are going. As your bones are ground down into powder, and your flesh is mashed and mangled, you will nonetheless become a part of me; the huntress of life and death.”


Remaining Reiatsu: 75/200 (-25 for Swift Foot)

Swift Foot Posts: 3/3

Posts until ‘Shadow’ Evacuation: 18