American Vampires In Japan [ R / Closed ]

[Luke Clyburn]

This is a Social or Joint Training (depending how it goes) between Luke Clyburn and Leon Strife.

A loud thwack sounded out across the training hall as the wooden sword collided with the chest of the approaching aggressor. Letting out a pained yelp, the twenty-something-year-old man was thrown back to the ground. His beanie hit the floor a second later after being knocked completely from his head. He let out a pained gasp as he started pushing himself back up, only to stop when a wooden sword was thrust into his face. The man gasped, mouth held open before his eyes trailed up the length of the sword to the man holding it in front of him. ”And you’re dead. Again.” the swordsman said with a sigh that did not try to hide his disappointment. Luke’s amber eyes looked down at the man at his feet, glazing over with boredom, before scanning the training area at the four other Bounts, who were also moaning and groaning in pain.

”Come on. Five-on-one shouldn’t be going this badly for you. None of you are getting anywhere at all.” Luke exclaimed at the Bounts, groaning in pain, pulling his wooden sword out of the other man's face and taking a few steps away. The other man, another Bount, grasped at his chest before pushing himself to his feet. ”We wouldn’t be having any problems if you just let us use our Dolls.” he whined back at Luke, prompting the man to stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder. Luke sighed again before turning around completely and resting the sword on his shoulder. ”It’s all well and good if you want to rely on your Dolls to take care of any trouble you find yourself in, but you’re never going to be anything better than a third-rate fighter like that. I told you, if you actually want to get stronger, you need to be able to handle yourself without your Dolls.” Luke explained for the umpteenth time, with some frustration mixing alongside his words.

This was his job for the day. Since agreeing to ally with Aura, Luke had been trying his hand at training other Bounts. The results had not been as great as Luke had been expecting. As he thought, many of these Bounts, while able to handle any Hollow or low-class Shinigami, weren’t really impressive. He had sensed their reiatsu when he first entered the Citadel and looked at the training ground. Aura was the only Bount that he sensed that was impressive at all.

Aura’s plan was to infiltrate the Soul Society to obtain information related to the Bounts. To do that, a team that could fight if the need arose was needed. Right now, the only Bounts that could fight were him and Aura. But even Aura was nowhere near as strong as he was. Luke believed himself strong enough to fight at least two Captains. For the operation to be successful, more fighters had to be trained. They needed to at least reach Aura’s level at a minimum. But looking at the Bounts he was currently training, Luke wasn’t sure. From their brief few engagements as they trained, Luke started to pick up on a few things. These kids he was training just didn’t have the drive. Sure, they wanted to get stronger. But it wasn’t a need. Looking at them, Luke knew that these Bounts he was training were probably already at their peak if something about their mentality didn’t change.

The one with the beanie had gotten back up, even putting his hat back on, and started circling around Luke again. He readied his fists as Luke lowered his sword down from its resting position. The man lunged at Luke and, in with speed faster than the blink of an eye, Luke’s sword struck his neck. He started coughing right after he hit the ground. ”Too many openings. Dead. Again.” Luke said with a sigh and shook his head. As he strolled away to go check on another one of his temporary students, the coughing man glared daggers at the back of Luke’s head. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an ornate silver dagger with a wolf symbol engraved in the hilt. The Bount grit his teeth together, looking at the knife and then at Luke, and opened his mouth to say it. ”Ziege-” but before the incantation could be completed he froze. Froze in fear.

The man thought he was being slick, but Luke knew what he was about to do. The sound of Luke’s footsteps had stopped. He looked over his shoulder at the other Bount. His amber eyes were glowing like hot embers as Luke glared down with hawk-like intensity at the Bount. Terrifying intimidation emitted from Luke’s presence as he utilized Verteiten to scare the other Bount. ”What do you think you’re doing?” Luke asked, amplifying the effect of his technique a bit to really drive the fear into the Bount like a nail being hammered directly into his brain. His face was covered in so much sweat that it looked like he had just jumped in a lake. The intense expression on his face melted, though, as Luke rolled his eyes and toned down the technique. ”Go on. Get out of here. Done with ya’ll for the day.” he ordered, and, like rats, the other Bounts scurried off.

Finding a bench on the training grounds to sit at, Luke drank some water as his mind once again searched for the answers to the questions he was asking himself. How could he help train the Bounts? Why was he so much stronger than the rest of them? Were there any that actually had the potential to reach his level? He had been frozen, regenerating, for three years, and yet there hadn’t been a Bount that had gotten to his level of strength in all that time. As Luke thought, he sensed a reiatsu signature approaching him before he heard the rather loud footsteps. ”I told you I’m done with ya’ll to-” Luke started to say before turning to look at who had approached him. It was someone different.

”Oh, sorry. What is it? Can I do something for you?”

[Leon Strife]

He was restraining himself.

This was the lesson that the Dolls were pushing onto the Bount ever since that day. It did not matter as to how noble a life the Bount was attempting to live if it meant he was going to get himself killed. Was there a reason for why he wanted to get stronger? The night with Shizuka gave a lot of food for thought, gourging himself to the extent that his head was going to explode. All of the matters regarding the spiritual world, and the beings that he was going to have to face now were placed in front of him. That session at the night presented much dismay to Leon, knowing that he was going to have to change his mindset entirely. "All of this is crazy." What was really crazy about any of it? Weeks ago, out on the open field on the outskirts of Karakura, the Bount had to tango with an ebony wolf creature. Something that he could have sworn he saw in a movie once about a war between Vampires and Lycans, was something that came to reality.

All of it was insane.

Leon sighed, seeing that his new reality was one that he thought he could manage with what he had, by far was not the case. What the man sought out for himself was redemption. A life that yearned for forgiveness, something that he had not come to realize. A life that could wash away the blood, the guilt, away from a past life that was full of mistakes. His eyes were closed with but a single focus. That focus was what guided his actions to the day that his views were opened, shining light to entirely new aspect of life. Once with a life that was only for himself, living and eating with only to care for himself, now became a life with those he had to care for. A life that he wanted so desperately to protect and guide. A new life that he did not have, to start with himself. This was a life that he came to take away on a daily basis without realizing it. God did not give him such a blessing, so why should he take it away?

Looking around the deep chasm that was the Citadels living areas, Leon could see the new life that had begun here. People frolicking, growing, yearning to expand, this was what Leon wanted to see. The liveliness and peace within the Covenant gave a sense of normality despite the nature of its inhabitants. It was a foreign and yet familiar atmosphere merged into one. This was a community that was created by the lying, cheating, killings that Aura and the other Bount were willing to commit. All the bad that was done they did was for the community's benefit, and not for themselves. This was how Leon saw it. Evil with intention for good, and for the sake of it. Leon understood it, but could he accept it. Did it match what he wanted for himself? The consist looping of ideals passed the time needed to arrive to where he needed to. Physical training was what the man was best suited for in providing aid to the Covenant, although it was more or less blowing off steam, and to clear his head. So, the training area was what was the direction that he headed, for the sole purpose of clearing his head.

That was the idea anyhow.

"Gotta be kidding me. Who does he think he is? I know right. If we could use 'em, then it would've been a different story. Show off. Bitch." The back and forth banter of childrens talk flooded the staircase while on its descent. Groups of Bount would come and go in similar fashion at a time from what Leon saw time to time. He did not think it weird at first, at least not when Aura or Eris gave the order to issue training sessions for new operation teams. It was a typical thing to introduce Bounts to their abilities, and hone their skills for whatever they wanted to train on. However, now the sessions were more frequent, growing in number, and with more salt added on with what came out of their mouths. The group that Leon passed down his climb were particularly spewing salt, like damn, the man believed he could have salt a steady supply for an entire year. "Looks like someone gave them a beating."

Another thought that Leon did not put two and two together, at least not until a bit later after it had occurred. The stone doorway was left opened, shuffling himself through without a body in sight down below. A two story training field that consisted of a upper area, serving as a observational balcony in conjunction to sparring, with the lower level as a larger, open space for groups. Not a soul in sight without an intended pun, at least until a single silhouette stood out. A silhouette that he did not recognize for the life of him. "A new face?"

Leon tugged on the collarless ring of his tank-top, ringing out the creases of his shirt as he approached the unrecognizable face. There were times that a member of the Covenant would be introduced to the Citadel, often with escorts or someone from the living quarters showing them around. An attendent of sorts would be the exact idea that Leon thought about, displaying all that the Covenant had to provide, and where all was at. But, this guy seemed to know his way around given the level of comfort he expressed in his stay on the bench. Not a single bead of anxiousness came from him, and certainly not from his expression either. "Well damn, that's how you treat everyone who comes lookin'?" Probably the same way that Leon would respond if someone came walking in his direction to be honest, even gaze a surprising response to follow it up. "Don't sweat it. Came here lookin' to shake some thoughts loose. But-" Leon glanced out and about to empty arenas.

-looks like no one else is lookin' to get off a good sweat here." the Bount sighed, waltzing out and back into the open space. Fingers ran across the buzz cut that left much of the mans scalp with evenly cut stubs of hair. Grazing the tips of his fingrs against stiff leftover hair, Leon glanced back at the stranger nonchalantly, "Mind helpin' shakin' some of those thoughts out?" Leon called back out, rolling the individual digits into a balled, clenched fist.

[Luke Clyburn]

Well, at least he wasn’t offended by Luke snapping at him like one of those overly aggressive rat-sized dogs. Maybe it was thanks to him apologizing so quickly. Luke blinked at the man who had approached him. He had something to say to Luke nearly biting his head off but didn’t seem to have any problems with it. The bronze-eyed man looked tough and a bit bigger built than Luke was. But what’s more, when Luke extended his Energy Sensory to get a feel for the man he was rather surprised to find that this guy had something to him. The level of power Luke felt coming from this guy wasn’t amazing or anything, but he was actually a few leagues above most of the other Bounts Luke had been interacting with. He certainly wouldn’t call slapping a few greenhorns around without passion training.

”Shake some thoughts out, huh?” Luke asked, wondering what might be bothering the other Bount but deciding against prying into personal matters. This dude was also a Bount if that hadn’t been mentioned. Luke had confirmed the similar reiatsu type as his own when he felt the other man out with his energy sensing. Luke twisted the tip of the wooden sword into the ground a little bit as he weighed his options. He very well could have just told the guy to buzz off. Especially since he was still rather bummed out about the last few greenhorns he had been sparring with. But Luke didn’t care for that option. Luke was getting a pretty good feeling about this guy. Maybe it was cus he had some actual potential, or maybe Luke just liked his confidence.

With a slight smirk, Luke got to his feet and rested the wooden sword against his shoulder. ”Yeah sure. I don’t have anything else going on at the moment. There’s a bit more to you than those last couple of losers.” Luke commented as he paced about fifteen feet away from Leon. Luke took notice of the way he balled his fist and seemed to lack any noticeable weapon. No weapon? Then he might be a reinforcement type. Luke thought to himself. If what Luke was sensing was accurate this guy didn’t have very much reiatsu at all. What’s more, the strength of that energy indicated to Luke that Leon didn’t have phenomenal reiatsu output either. He was weak in the spiritual department. But Luke could feel that he wasn’t a complete pushover. This meant that this guy had to be a physical fighter, someone who reinforced his body and speed.

Luke’s direct opposite.

Wasn’t like Luke ever skipped leg day or anything, but he wasn’t ever able to achieve the superhuman abilities he saw some achieve. He couldn’t throw cars. He couldn’t destroy entire blocks with one strong stomp. It just wasn’t where his talents lay. Rather, instead, his reiatsu volume and output were insane. He was a reiatsu type, and this man seemed to be a physical type. I need to match my reiatsu with his so he doesn’t explode like a tomato if he actually manages to hit me. Luke thought to himself as he consciously lowered the Cutback threshold to Leon’s level. All of this was done in the brief moments of Luke pacing to his starting point fifteen feet away from Leon.

”Just two rules, alright? Don’t kill one another, and no Dolls. This is just a workout not a death match.” Luke declared, lowering his wooden sword off his shoulder and adopting a casual but ready position. ”What’s your name, by the way, soldier?” he asked with a smirk.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}

• [Weapon: Swords] {3}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Strength of Will] {4}
  
  
• [Pain Tolerance] {3}
  
  
• [Anti-Stealth] {1}
  
  
• [Charisma/Leadership] {1}
  
  
• [Battle Focus] {3}
  
  

Skill Points: 19


Luke | Leader

Strength - 100 - 50 Points

Speed - 300 Points

Spiritual Pressure - 400 - 800 Points

Reiatsu Strength - 500 - 1250 Points

Light Aura - 70 Points

Dark Aura - 30 Points

Instinct - 300 Points

Senses - 100 - 50 Points

Energy sensory - 100 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Total SP: 1800 Points

[Leon Strife]

So, he was the one that they were talking about. Right away Leon put two and two together, seeing that the bruises that were left behind, and the flailing in attitudes meant that the man was going to have his hands full already. Leon was no push over in the area of physicality, but comparing to what he had to endure with his tussle with Shizuka, then there was more to it than he first believed. Spiritually, the man was a failure. There was no sugar coating the failings that he had as a Bount, despite his Human self being able to care for itself. But there was more to it than that. Leon had to push both sides of himself. He had to embrace the weapon, the monster aspect that Aura refers themselves as. So, what better way to do that than to dig deep, and push.

Removing the sleeveless shirt, the man stretched the sides of his abdomen to pull away those obnoxious kinks in his body. His body was still recovering from his last training session with the Fullbringer, so it was a good thing that the man was issuing boundaries. "Sure." he responded non-chalantly. A casual tone in his voice as he felt a level of comfort despite settling in to go against a complete stranger. Was he actually comfortable? Yeah, he felt like he was. Fighting without powers was Leons bread and butter, like knowing the back of his hand. No lasers involved, no tricks, and let alone no invisible punch or something that comes up to hit him from out of no where. Cutback was what Aura referred to it as, and was something that he had to take into consideration in every fight he got himself into. Leon had to give his sixth sense a try, peeking a bit as to what to expect.

Well damn If the man was not hiding it, then there was a clear difference in terms of spiritual shenanigans. Eris once explained it to him before regarding mass amounts of reiatsu, or spirit power. When dealing with someone with overwhelming spirit force, then expect to get hit with Cutback. It was better to test the waters in his case with all things considered. So - What’s your name, by the way, soldier?” Huh? "It's Leon. Yours?" From first being a bit of an ass to that of being chill, definitely something that he would do in similar circumstances. A red bandana came out, pulled from the back pocket to tie around the forehead. Now he was setteled in, especially after grabbing hold of the mans name in return if presented. Leon was ready.

Fifteen feet of distance. No powers. No Dolls. Just man to man. First things first. Both arms were raised, bending them at the elbows to be paralleled to each other at an angle. A single foot was pulled back bent at the knee, and ankle. Leon did not waste time to close the distance between the two. What was that of fifteen feet of space quickly became inches as the two men were now engaged within each others personal space. A single push from the cranked right foot was what started the whole scenario, seeming if Luke had no backed away, Leon intended to take him on directly. Yet, the advancement was not all that came at Lukes face. A single forward thrust came about, shooting straight ahead with a solid right jab at the chin line. Controlled and remaining within his own space, Leon took the initiative to start thinngs off.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Leon}

Type: Weapon Master


Strength: 150*75 = [262.5]

Speed: 200*75% = [350]

Spiritual Pressure: 310/50% = [155]

Reiatsu Strength: 50/50% = [25]

Light Aura: [50]

Dark Aura: [50]

Instinct: [100]

Senses: [50]

Energy Sensory: [50]

Healing Expertise: [0]


SP Total: 910