Vandenreich S.A.R. - Chapter 2 [Solo Training]

[Sieglinde P. Krantz]

Tap. Tap. Tap. Pause. Tap. Tap. Tap. With the clacking of heels against the hard floor beneath her feet, she couldn't help but ponder on everything that had happened thus far. To think that her entire life had been turned practically upside down just the span of a few short days. Ever since she'd received her Schrift, that title, her new abilities... Everything had been changing. Not for the worse, no, quite the opposite, but it was change that she couldn't quite wrap her head around. Part of her had liked that normalcy that she'd originally held.

Though, that was normalcy that she was never getting back. It was normalcy that had no hope of ever showing its face again. It was normalcy that was no longer, well, normal. Instead, she knew damn well that this - everything gifted to her by His Majesty in the short span of a couple of days - was her new normal. It was a normal she was going to have to get used to. And more importantly, a normal that was never going to change. Part of that excited the Stern Ritter. Part of it scared her. But above all else, it fueled a desire within her to live up to His Majesty's expectations. To perfect the divine power that she'd been gifted. To push it far beyond what others could've dreamt of.

She knew damn well she needed to push herself. And she knew damn well how that needed to be done.

Stepping into one of the darker corners of her quarters - on the left side of her bed, where a slight shadow peeked out from the corner no matter the time of day - The Stern Ritter took a deep breath. Placing one foot into the shadow, and channeling the slightest bit of reiatsu into the shadow itself, the world around her quickly enveloped into an inky blackness as the girl travelled through the shadow itself. Just as quickly as her vision resulted in that primal darkness, it quickly cleared from the ground outward, revealing the inverse of her own quarters.

Similarly to how Silbern sat in the shadow of the Seireitei, so too did this world within the Stern Ritter's own quarters. From the icy, though stylized room she frequented day and night, this new, much larger area made itself present. As she glanced around, smiling softly to herself, she'd felt an almost familiar connection to the world she was standing in. Illuminated from the perpetually-golden evening sky, a massive field stared back at her. Lush, green grass, a horizon of trees that almost threatened to eclipse the ever-setting sun, and fauna as far as the eye could see. Such a place felt like home to the girl.

She felt almost sad knowing what she was here for; the disruption she was going to cause to the world, if she wasn't careful. Regardless, however, she was here to train. She was there to learn how to utilize, and how to maintain the powers that His Majesty gave her, and she'd be damned if that wasn't going to be done by the time she left her eternal wilds.

Stepping forward, away from the shade of the tree she'd been underneath, the Stern Ritter walked toward toward the open plains before her, keeping as far away from any wildlife as she could comfortably manage. Last thing she wanted was to accidentally take a life when she wasn't looking to hunt. That would come soon; for now, however, she needed to see just what His Majesty had bestowed upon her.

Taking the opportunity to stretch her legs, working her joints to reach a more limber state, she looked around the area. If nothing else, the place was truly beautiful. If left relatively undisturbed by the time she was done, she knew she'd have to come back here far more often. Even if just to relax, this place was quite amazing. Though, she didn't want to waste any more time in her own thoughts. She was here on a mission.

Taking a deep breath, the Stern Ritter held her arms out to her sides. She didn't bother manifesting her bow; such a tool wasn't needed while she was going to embrace His Majesty's gift to her. Feeling reiatsu surge around her, she found herself quite aware of the fact that whatever this was - this reiatsu quickly building up around her - this wasn't her own. The silver-blue hue to the spiritual aura that surrounded her was much different from her own, bright red Reishi. She couldn't help but smile.

As this aura quickly began to build, and she felt the ground leave her feet, she looked down. Seems she was no longer touching the grass; she was floating. Looking forward once more, she exhaled the breath she took a few moments ago. As she did, the Stern Ritter was quickly engulfed in powerful silver-blue light. A thick, burning pillar of reiatsu shot from the ground, piercing into the sky like a stalactite as the Quincy Zeichen formed at the very tip. As this light began to singe and sear her form, though bringing the girl no pain, she felt... changed.

Shortly after the light had begun to fade, evaporating from the ground upward, the Stern Ritter took a few steps forward, trying to get used to her new form. She found herself clad in new clothes; instead of the Vandenreich uniform she'd grown to love so much, she was instead dressed in hunter's leathers, covered head to toe in protective garb. Her shoulders, wrists, chest, waist, and shins were covered in light, but sturdy metallic plate. Seemed this was her new form; His Majesty's gift to her. The gift of Vollstandig.

A soft smile slowly starting to grow across the Stern Ritter's cheeks, she held her hand out almost instinctually. As she did, a rather realistic-looking bow formed from Reishi, then took manifest in a very physical way. In her left hand sat a rather sturdy longbow, comprised of what looked to be wood, but remained as solid as any material she could hope to utilize. Seemed His Majesty knew what she'd needed. She couldn't help but find herself incredibly appreciative.

Holding the bow out, the Stern Ritter did what she could in order to locate a nearby target. Utilizing that eyesight of hers, she quickly settled upon that of a deer not two hundred feet away from her. Placing her right hand toward the bow itself, and drawing the strings of reiatsu that she'd generated, the Stern Ritter pulled back on the bow as a silver-blue arrow of reiatsu shimmered into reality. An arrow that didn't shine with her own reiatsu, but once again that of His Majesty. This wasn't an arrow that was going to tire her out; no, this was from His Majesty's own reserves.

As she released her right hand, allowing the arrow she'd drawn to soar through the air, flying at speeds even she struggled to comprehend toward the end, the Stern Ritter watched as the arrow itself pierced directly through the deer. Squinting her eyes in order to observe, she kept her gaze pinned on the animal as it seemed to almost... stand there. For a second, it was unmoving. Then two seconds. Then three. At the four-second mark, the Stern Ritter found herself shocked as she watched the animal slump over, evidently dead as soon as the arrow pierced its flesh.

Truthfully, she couldn't believe it. A shot like that would've taken her not only ages to line up properly, but from where the arrow fired through the deer's shoulder? She wouldn't have even come close to a kill. Sure, it would've otherwise injured the animal, but such a shot would've required much more work on her part. But, to fire an arrow from such a distance and score a direct hit like that? This newfound power was potent. It was something she was going to need more time testing.

Finding yet another deer, this one much closer, the Stern Ritter took aim once more. This time? The arrow was primed for the animal's eye. Given the proximity, such a shot was practically guaranteed to kill her prey, provided she could land such a precise shot against something so agile. Though, what choice did she really have but to try? Keeping that in mind, she let another arrow fly.

And just like before, she'd made her mark almost instantly, with how fast the arrow travelled through the air. This time, as the deer took the arrow to the face, it slumped over immediately, evidently blown back by the sheer force that was exerted from the arrow impacting its head. She knew quite well it had no chance of survival; such a thought brought a smile to her face. She was going to eat well when she left this place.

Walking over toward the kill she'd just gotten, the Stern Ritter took a moment to examine the damage she'd dealt. As the shining blue arrow seemed to remain pierced through both animals, she let out a soft sigh. This was certainly a power that was going to take some time getting used to. And she was what, only partway done? She hadn't even begun to push this form to the limit yet. Though, she was excited to do so, if nothing else. Especially given everything that she'd heard about this form from her research into the Stern Ritters of old.

Rather interested in what she was going to be able to do, she fired an arrow down toward the grass from where she stood. As she did, the arrow quickly began to take shape, shifting and growing into a much larger, much more powerful beast than herself. Within a few mere moments, the girl store down a very real-looking bear, not unlike one that might've been found out in the expanse of trees before her. Such was normal for her abilities, but this bear seemed... different. Stronger. She'd have to see what that meant.

As another deer trotted out of the woods, and into the plains that she'd been standing in, the Stern Ritter needed only point toward the deer. She didn't feel the need to say so much as a word, and immediately the bear she'd summoned found itself upon the deer. Moving lightning-quick, the monster of an animal lunged for the deer, striking faster than it could hope to run from. Much like a predator to prey, the bear swiped its massive claws against the deer's body, leaving it bleeding profusely within a short instant. It wasn't going to last much longer after a blow like that.

Fairly shocked at the animal's abilities, the Stern Ritter simply allowed the bear to dissolve, much like that of a standard reiatsu construct, despite not appearing like one at all. If she needed another later on, she'd summon it. For now, though, she'd gotten a fair taste as to what that animal was capable of. If nothing else, she'd learned quite a bit about her own powers; His Majesty's powers. Powers that still had the potential to grow, and a potential that she was going to be damned if she didn't figure out by the day's end.

As she slowly began to walk back toward the center of the field, she found herself lost in deep thought. Something... didn't quite sit right with her. Almost like her own identity was something that was coming into question with her new abilities. If she relied so heavily on a power that wasn't hers, just what did that mean about her? Was she still her own being at that point? Of course I am, she thought to herself, something like this doesn't change that in the slightest!

But, just how true was that? Sure, she told herself that was the case, and largely shrugged it off for the most part, but how much truth was there to something like that? This was another situation she had to figure out before she left this place. A Stern Ritter was in no place to simply ignore some sort of emotional crisis like that; she'd need to get it situated before she left. If nothing else, to make sure she could fight for His Majesty as best she possibly could, without having to worry about the consequences of doing otherwise.

[Sieglinde P. Krantz]

As she did what she could to calm herself down, the Stern Ritter took a second to slow her breathing. In, out. In, out. Given the fact that she found herself currently in her holy form, she knew first hand that she didn't have a whole lot of time to simply muck about. By the time the form dropped, she knew damned well that she was going to be exhausted. So, it would've been better for her to simply capitalize on the opportunities she had while still maintaining Vollstandig. That did, however, include pushing it to the next level.

As she made her way back toward the open field, away from the deer she'd taken care of earlier, she looked around one last time and simply took in the environment to the best of her ability. She wasn't sure just how much of that environment was going to be remaining by the time she finished pushing herself to the limit, so on the possibility that something like that wasn't going to end up restoring itself? She wanted to have memory of it.

Taking a deep breath once more, the Stern Ritter took a moment to figure out just what she might've been able to do in order to push herself even further. Truth be told, she wasn't quite sure as to what she could've done. It seemed that His Majesty's power carried her into a separate state of being altogether; was there really a place for advancement? Could she carry this holy form even further? Truthfully, she wasn't sure. Though, she'd be damned if she wasn't going to try. But the question still remained... How?

As soon as she asked herself that, she immediately had an idea. Closing her eyes, and placing her hand to her chin, the Stern Ritter found herself deep in thought on the matter. She'd remembered learning about something a fair while back, from her time with Amalia. The question remained though... Just what was it that she was talking about so long ago? Something that unleashed the true potential of one's Vollstandig... She felt right on the cusp of innovation, but couldn't quite figure out just what needed to be done.

That's when it struck her! While the name currently escaped her, she remembered what needed to happen in order to enter that state. Amalia made it clear the dangers of doing so long ago, but she was more than willing to throw that to the wayside. After what had happened at Uzaki Enterprises? She was going to make the lot of them pay for Aia's capture. She was willing to sacrifice what she needed to in order to attain greater power by all means necessary, if that's what was needed of her. Not only for Aia, but for herself as well.

Curling her hands into fists, the Stern Ritter took another deep breath, as she prepared for what was to come. Instead of neglecting her Quincy Cross, she knew full well she needed to make use of it for what was to come. Cautiously drawing in reiatsu from the atmosphere around her, the girl was met very quickly with a powerful burning sensation, coating her entire body. With a shout in pain, she fell to her knees almost immediately, dropping her cross on the plains beneath her.

Just what the hell was that? She thought to herself, that was... agonizing! After an experience like that, no matter how short it was, she realized almost immediately that this was going to be a very... painful process. It wasn't going to be something she enjoyed at all, and that much made itself painfully evident. What other choice did she have other than to suck it up and deal with it, though? The option frankly wasn't there.

Scooping up her cross, and standing back up, she knew she needed to try again. Though, was there something she could've done to mitigate the pain she was feeling? She didn't think so, unfortunately. And truthfully? There really wasn't. It was something she was going to just have to deal with, if she could help it. The thought horrified her, knowing full well that what she was going to go through wasn't going to be anything less than utter hell, but she supposed that was the fate to be met by those that defiled His Majesty's holy form for their own gain.

With another deep breath, the Stern Ritter began to absorb reiatsu through her Cross once more. Though, instead of doing so cautiously, she simply ripped the band-aid off, and took in everything around her at full-force. And lord, was it agonizing. Screaming out into the void in sheer agony, the girl felt herself want to begin to crumble. To stop, and never pick this up again. Though, she didn't have that luxury. Not after having made it this far. She was going to see this through; to attain a new level of power she only dreamt about, or die trying in the name of His Majesty.

She had no plans to die today, however. As Reishi from the world continued to funnel into the girl's cross, and in turn into her own body, her very being quickly began to burn and slowly started to almost rot away. As her fists found themselves clenched tightly, every fiber of her being telling her to stop, and simply ignore the potential for advancement, she knew she couldn't. She knew she needed to keep pressing forward, even as her once fair skin began to shift.

From the hand she held the cross in, and slowly creeping up that arm, her skin began to fade in color, turning a shade of grayish-blue: not unlike that of a corpse. Feeling herself lose physical capability, she dropped to one knee, beginning to feel a struggle just to keep herself up. She wasn't going to be put down so easily, however. Not by something like this; not when there was so very much riding on the line otherwise. As the cells making up her own body began to tear and die, she continued to press on.

As time went on, and with each pained shout she let out, the girl started to look more and more like that of a corpse. Not quite dead, but not quite alive either. As the change continued to creep up her arm, eventually spreading toward her torso, she made distinct note of the fact that her clothing and armor had changed color as well; instead of the blues and golds it once held, it was now darker; silvers and blacks made themselves prominent, as though a corrupted version of her gear had replaced what she'd once been wearing.

Within the span of around five seconds, her entire body had taken on that same sickly color, her clothing and armor fully-converted as well into this new coloration and shape. To say that she didn't feel healthy, however, would've been an understatement. The girl felt plagued; almost unable to function. Barely strong enough to keep herself standing, given the damage that she'd done to her own body. But she had to keep pressing onward. She had to keep striving to fight. She couldn't afford to do otherwise.

Taking advantage of some of the reiatsu she'd been taking in from her Cross, the Stern Ritter began to forcibly pump it through her arteries, looking to strengthen her very being. Utilizing another power of His Majesty in order to keep herself alive and functioning, the Stern Ritter allowed his blood to aid her in being able to stand; to fight. She wasn't going to be put down so easily. She was going to continue to fight through the pain; through the damage she'd been dealing to herself.

As she stood tall once more, she forced herself to slow her breathing. A breath in, held for a few seconds, then a breath out. Repeat. Within a few moments, she'd calmed herself down to a point where she could function normally. That was good; really good, even! Pushing the pain aside wasn't easy, but the more it went on, the less she felt herself needing to worry about it. It wasn't a wonderful feeling, but truthfully? She'd experienced worse when fighting against Kitai. This was nothing; or at least, that was what she told herself for the time.

After standing normally, she began to try to work her joints as best she could. Walking around, trying to get a feel for her weakened state. She needed to get used to fighting like this as quickly as possible; adjusting to such a state was going to be key, and this was the time she needed to take in order to do so. If she didn't, and forced herself to fight in this state? She'd fall apart, no if ands or buts about it. So, spending this time was crucial to get her ready and able to combat those damned Humans at Uzaki's.

After walking was a non-issue, she transitioned into a jog. Something to continue to get her legs moving, and functioning as necessary. That much was a necessity, given being able to fight at a sprint was going to be very much needed. In time, jogging wasn't an issue. Minutes later, she found herself able to move at a sprint. And after that? Jumping about, and functioning as normal came relatively easy to her. She was making progress, and making progress quickly. With a soft smile on her face, she continued to push herself.

After movement became easy to her, it was time for combat trials. Slowly drawing her bow, and allowing His Majesty to power her arrows much like she had before, the Stern Ritter loaded up another set of arrows onto her bow. Before firing, however, she made immediate note of the difference of color; the reiatsu she once used from his Majesty was much different in color; instead of blue and white, this was purple and black. Corrupt, and no longer a holy symbol. Instead, a heretical display that she felt unsure about.

Despite the apparent coloration though, she'd have to see if these arrows were going to strike with the power she hoped for. If they didn't, then this entire process was all for naught. She wasn't going to let that occur if she could help it. Releasing her hold on the spiritual arrows, and allowing them to fly, the Stern Ritter made immediate notice of the inky-black trail of reiatsu that seemed to permeate from her shots as they soared forward. Something interesting, sure, but not exactly something she could capitalize on.

After they reached a suitable distance, the Quincy allowed her arrows to explode. And, lord was she surprised from the results that quickly followed thereafter. As each arrow condensed, and quickly burst outward, the residual energy felt like that of a bomb detonating with intense force behind it. And, given there were five of these arrows? To say she was blown off of her feet would've been an understatement. Within seconds, she found herself on the ground, mostly in a fit of laughter.

Truth be told? She was thrilled at the results! Such powerful explosions from her own arrows wasn't something she was ever expecting, but by no means was she complaining. It'd have to be something that she got used to, sure, but that was going to come with time. This was power that felt important for her to have, and she was going to reap it for all it was worth. If she could help it, she was going to make sure that it was put to good use. Given the heretical connotation with such a form, she needed to make her time with it count.

After a period of time, the form - both Sklaverei and Vollstandig for that matter - eventually faded away. And with it, left a girl still forced to question her own identity. If she was going to rely so very heavily on His Majesty's power, so much so that her own identity hadn't even mattered all things considered, did she have any reason to keep her own name? She'd been given a pseudonym by His Majesty alongside her Schrift, and since that moment she'd been forced to consider just what to do with such a title.

If nothing else, her mind finally felt somewhat clear. If nothing else, this form of hers helped to clear her own thoughts on the matter. Priscilla wasn't a lost identity, per se. No, quite the opposite; she was still very much Priscilla, but to a greater extent. Instead of simply staying as she was, she'd almost evolved, thanks to His Majesty. It was a name she felt she needed to keep, but one that would remain a secondary to how His Majesty desired her to identify.

"I am Stern Ritter H, Helena Krantz; The Huntress. And that, that is the name that shall tear through the walls of Uzaki Enterprises, to tear such a place down brick by brick. All in the name of His Majesty."

[Jeff Franklin]

I count 46 Paragraphs giving you a total of 230 TP!