Meeting of Outcasts (DP-R-SS)

[Rafael]

Thread Title: Meeting of Outcasts
Participants: Rafael & Camila
World: Soul Society
Death Setting: Damage Permanent
Rating: R
Location: Rukongai District 79 Western
Special Conditions: None
Circumstances: Rafael has just got to the Rukongai looking to trade for supplies when he comes across an individual that may have more in common with him then he realizes. What will happen when the Beast comes across an individual that possesses something perhaps even more wild.

[Rafael]

This really was starting to get repetitive thought Rafael as he moved throughout the massive forest that he had entered into roughly thirty minutes prior. He had started to move to the Rukongai in order to get further supplies for his pack in the last few weeks. Instead of making a simple trip to the area of the human souls that seemed to hate him as much as he hated them, he was now going out there once a week. Something that he personally didn’t want to do, but the surge of happiness that he experienced when he knew that the girls were happy was more than the negativity that filled his heart while he interacted with the humans. The major issue right now was that he had started to realize how damn frustrating it could get when the trip to reach even the first Rukongai was two days.

He was spending the majority of his time now traveling back and forth between his home and the Rukongai. Sure it kept his legs strong, but he wasn’t spending much time on anything other than a bit of training now and constant movement. It all just made the panther come to the decision that he’d have to figure out how to reach there much faster. He wasn’t anywhere near as fast as Zadora, but as swift as his friend happened to be, her stamina betrayed her. He had decent stamina, but he had a feeling if he could reach her speed naturally then he wouldn’t last any longer than her anyway. So there had to be something else he could manage. Perhaps that gate, hole thing he had done the year prior. It had been a pain to get back into the wilderness after accidentally ending up in the human world, but maybe he could figure out how to make it work for something a bit different.

Fed up with the tall trees around him Rafael squats down, bending his legs and then jumps from the ground causing a minor shockwave from where he had been standing disturbing the ground yet launching himself high into the air. Not seeking to get above the tree line, but from the grasp of the forest Rafael soars through the trees knowing that he could push himself forward a bit as he moved past a close by tree and did everything he could not to slam into one. Light was something he couldn’t claim knowing that his weight would definitely result in a tree figuratively heaving in pain if he managed to slam into one at his current velocity.

Either way it didn’t matter for more than a minute or so as the panther escaped from the forest. He’d land a count hundred feet away slamming into the ground as his feet literally pushed through as if the ground were mud. “Finally.” Rafael exclaimed as he could see the buildings of the Rukongai meaning that he only had a bit longer to go. Of course this outermost section didn’t normally have much as everyone here lived worse than the Beasts out in the wilderness they believe to be below them. Either way though Rafael wasn't looking to interact with anymore of them then he absolutely needed to in order to get what supplies he was looking for as he now entered into the village of poor, horribly structured shacks.

[Deleted]

Making her way back into the Rukongai was something Camila never thought she'd be doing again; at least, not under these circumstances. Donning a shihakusho for the first time in months, Camila began to make her way through the lesser districts of Soul Society after having snuck her way inside. After all, maintaining the capabilities of other Shinigami certainly came in handy from time to time, even if it was just to get back inside one last time before changing her permanent residency.

She couldn't help but sigh as she made her way through the western slums of the Rukongai. All of the suffering and impoverished people of this realm continued to remind her of the exact reason she had left in the first place; the entire Soul Society was filled to the brim with corruption. People didn't deserve to live like this. Nobody deserved any of this, especially while in the afterlife! While sure, it was a somewhat naïve point of view, that was more or less how Camila was when it came to these kinds of things.

As she had been walking through the streets, she'd spotted a woman sitting down with her back turned against a building, and looked as though she was in awful condition. She couldn't help but feel bad for the woman. As such, Camila pulled out whatever bit of Ryo she had on her person and gave it to the woman. She obviously needed it more than she did, and it wasn't like she wasn't able to get more down the line. For right now, though, one less person in the world that was suffering was good enough.

That being said, Camila hadn't been aware of what could've potentially happened to the entire district she was in, if not solely for her rather distressing reiatsu signature. Due to her situation, her once fully shinigami signature was starting to be plagued with that of hollow reiatsu; a grim reminder to the girl that she wasn't who she used to be, and that even now Albin had been a serious threat for her. For some reason, he'd been growing more and more aggressive as of late, and there was little she could do to stop that for the time being. Thus, the exact reason she was here; to find someone who could.

[Rafael]

Walking throughout the district Rafael was determined to find someone that would have the necessary supplies. He knew that at least one or two of them were going to have the more common things that Zadora would want in order to test out on her new hobby. As for Lolth though he wasn’t so sure that this district was going to have anything for her beyond the scraps of clothing that these people wore that quite honestly weren’t much better than the lion cloth currently around his waist. The sun high in the air Rafael could tell it was midday now which meant he still had enough time to get what he had come for a start the trip back to his home. If he hurried than the trip that usually took two days might be a bit shorter and he could relax a bit.

That didn’t seem to be in the cards though as Rafael walked up and down the main street of the district that had all of the stands where the humans sold their merchandise. What he was looking for didn’t seem to be here. This meant Rafael would have to decide on one of two different actions. He’d either have to continue going further towards the Shinigami stronghold or just return home. He knew he could go in a different direction as well in order to get to some other district in either the North or South, but doing so would mean increasing his distance from home with no guarantee that district would be any better than the one he was currently in now.

Standing in the street thinking about what he could do Rafael felt something strange in the area. It was a sensation that seemed to run along his spine warning him that there was something near him to be wary towards. This sensation usually only came when Rafael was near a foe. Someone willing to harm him or with that specific intention. He could still remember the first time he had experienced the sensation which had warned him of one of the Roach Beasts. Although it hadn’t helped him and he’d suffered more wounds in that first battle than perhaps any other since. Regardless of the past though Rafael’s attention shifted now away from what he had come for towards what could possibly be dangerous out here in the slums.

Everyone out here was a weakling that couldn’t afford any real weapon nor did they possess the physical or spiritual might to be a threat. So why was he feeling this way? He’d begin to walk throughout the district sniffing the air hyet finding no clue as to what could be the cause. All he did realize was that these souls were far more foul than he had ever believed. Truly ignorant if they believed themselves his superior just due to his nature as a Beast. After a bit more time Rafawel came around a corner finding his answer as he saw the uniform of a Shinigami.

This one much like the others was a female, small and appeared young. Rafael was starting to believe that perhaps the majority of the Shinigami were female. He’d only ever come across two male yet this was the fifth female. Regardless though if there was a Shinigami here it meant there was a good chance something was going to happen. Rafael despite his dislike for humans wasn’t going to intentionally make their lives worse, this living environment was already bad enough. Last time just being spotted by a Shinigami was enough to start a fight between them so Rafael turned and moved back yet unaware of the fact a young man had been following close behind him.

Rafael had been so absorbed in his curiosity to find the cause of his sensation that he hadn’t realized that one of the young souls was following him. Rafael couldn’t be sure why this boy had been following him so close that now he was laid flat on the dirt ground. All Rafael knew as he looked down was that any chance he had of getting out of here without the Shinigami noticing him was gone now. The reason being that the boy screamed as loud as his little lungs possibly could and with the positions of them both it would appear as if Rafael had just pushed him on the ground. His luck really was bone dry.

[Deleted]

The screaming of a child as well as a somewhat noticeable reiatsu signature from behind had immediately alerted her. Turning herself around and taking up a defensive stance, she saw what looked to be some sort of panther that had just pushed a kid to the ground. Having been effectively on a hair-trigger as of late, Camila wasn't going to take shit like that; not to mention it seemed like he was stalking her, and she wasn't about to get ambushed.

She'd dealt with Beast-Clansmen before, and had known what they were capable of. They were incredibly skillful fighters, and truth be told, she was rather interested to see what this one in particular could do. In order to minimalize the damage of the surrounding area, Camila simply pointed a finger at the panther, and stared him in the eyes. "I've no clue who you are, but trying to sneak up on me like that was the wrong move." As she finished speaking, a wordless bolt of lightning shot from her fingertips and straight for the panther.

Due to the rather large buildup of reiatsu around her fingertips, it shouldn't have been hard to tell that an attack was coming. If nothing else, Camila more meant it as a warning shot than anything; a heads-up of sorts, before any real engagement actually began. After launching the attack, she unsheathed her blade, and held it out in front of her. "Make them Bleed, Buveur de Sang." With those words, her weapon had become enveloped in her own deep red reiatsu, as it seemed to reforge in a matter of seconds into a longsword with a deep red blade, serrated all the way around.

Holding this blade in front of her with one hand, she did what she could to keep her eyes on the panther. He'd caught her by surprise once, and didn't want that to happen again. She'd need to fight smart if she wanted any chance of being able to come out on top; there was no way she'd be winning a physical encounter with another Beast-Clansman; from what she'd been taught, and what she'd experienced, they were heavily reliant on their own physical prowess.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Camis Stats & Skills}Strength: 100
Speed: 200
Spiritual Pressure: 400 [800]
Reiatsu Strength: 350
Light Aura: 80
Dark Aura: 20
Instinct: 100
Senses: 50
Energy Sensory: 0
Healing Expertise: 0

------------------
Skills

Weapons - European Swords: 2
Charisma: 2
Mental Incantations: 2
Strength of Will: 2
Pain Tolerance: 2

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool & Blood Counters}Reiatsu Pool: 7,950/8,000
-50 for Byakurai

Blood Counters: 9/10
+9 for releasing at 90% reiatsu

[Rafael]

Staring down at the small boy that had been following him who was now laid out on the ground meeting his gaze back up for a moment. Rafael didn’t know what to do, like a babysitter dealing with a child either not listening or getting hurt ibn some random way. This just isn't something that the large panther had dealt with in the past and right now it was a horrible situation. The boy screamed in terror as Rafael looked down at him as if at any moment the large Beast in front of him was going to stomp on him, ending his existence. The rumors of Beasts attacking anyone they come across had obviously infatuated this boy, but now he was staring at one of them and his fear had taken hold of his heart.

Almost as if Rafael knew exactly what this meant the large Beast stood straight and turned around to see the Shinigami that he had found now staring at him. Just like he had gathered from the viewpoint he had available that Shinigmi was on the smaller side and female. The shinigami didn’t waste any time though pointing at Rafael literally. He could tell based on her facial expression that she viewed him as a threat and the boy on the ground was obviously something that he had intended to do. So working anything out between them in Rafael’s opinion was out of the question.

“Who claims I was sneaking?”

Almost as if he was getting an answer from the Shinigami he managed to pick up on the way she was extending her finger. Rafael had seen the very thing from a different Shinigami on multiple occasions. It was one of the spells that they all seemed to favor. Siding to the side Rafael evaded the small bolt of lightning that fired from the finger of the Shinigami. “If she’s like the other one this’ll be quite boring, but at least no one around will get hurt.” Rafael thought to himself knowing that the Shinigami girl he’d fought twice at this point was decent, but didn’t have the raw power to place everyone around him right now in danger. He could only hope this one was similar in raw power.

“You attack me!”

Rafael still couldn’t handle the blind authority that these Shinigami seemed to bestow upon themselves. How easily they always seemed to attack him and other Beasts just for being in an area that they didn’t like. The only difference now was Rafael was confident in his training, the hundreds of hours that he had put into his martial arts, paired up with the new strength he had been blessed with as a Beast. He wasn’t going to allow anyone to push him or his pack around ever. This Shinigami had jumped to conclusions on what had happened and now she had made an enemy.

The Shinigami though it seemed had no issue with facing down someone so much larger than herself as she drew her sword and then transformed it. Rafael had seen this enough now that it wasn’t a surprise. Although this was the first time he’d seen a sword turn into a different sort like the one this Shinigami was now holding. It looked nasty, definitely a weapon that would cause a lot of pain should it cut into him. It’d be enough to tear through his flesh and cause a bit of damage to his bones that much Rafael could tell just from looking at the blade. This gave him what he needed to know to make the decision.

This was always the most irritating part of a battle. The first move was annoying, engagement being something that Rafael personally didn’t enjoy. He’d much rather counter whatever attack was coming his way then to be the one to strike first, but against a Shinigami’s sword he knew he had to take charge. They possessed magic that he didn’t know which sometimes was worse than facing off against someone with monstrous strength. So closing the distance between them in two forward steps Rafael makes the first move with a low sweeping kick from his left meant to strike the shin of this Shinigami hard enough to take her off her legs. (300 Strength, Full Speed)

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength: 375 (750)
Speed: 365
Spiritual Pressure: 300
Reiatsu Strength: 50 (25)
Light Aura: 75
Dark Aura: 25
Instincts: 250 (500)
Senses: 200 (100)
Energy Sensory: 0
Healing Expertise: 0

Muay Boran: 2
Acrobatics: 2
Battle Focus: 2
Pain Tolerance: 2
Strength of Will: 2
Battle Analysis: 2

[Deleted]

Knowing that an attack was coming and being able to get out of the way of an attack were two completely different things. And, for the girl, unfortunately she'd be suffering from the latter. The panther had easily been able to out-speed her, and she didn't want to resort to using one of her mobility tools quite yet. She'd have to take the attack head-on, and that'd inevitably lead her to fall straight to the ground. Thankfully for her, though, having poured almost every last bit of her training over the years into perfecting her spiritual prowess came with one super nifty "retaliation" trick; Cutback.

While he certainly wasn't in as bad a position as some others she's fought in the past, the damage likely wasn't going to be pretty. That being said, considering he was far stronger than she was physically sturdy, that kick was likely to leave some nasty bruising on her leg, and likely leave her in a position that wasn't fun to walk through. The moment she made contact with the ground, Camila did what she could to scramble to her feet in order to create a bit of distance between the two of them though likely leaving her self open for retaliation, keeping as little weight on her now injured foot as she could.

"I attacked you because you attacked that kid!" she shouted toward the panther, "I'm not going to sit idly by and let a transgression like that go without retribution!" As she spoke, she held her hand out toward Rafael, as reiatsu once again began to circle in on the area around her palm. Taking shape as an orb of lightning-charged reiatsu, Camila didn't hesitate to mentally utter the required incantation to power up the spell; Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!

As those words mentally finished, a massive flash of lighting burst forth from her hands, looking to decimate everything in the immediate vicinity; Rafael, buildings, even passersby. Seeming quite hypocritical in her previous word choice, Camila had no qualms with removing that kid, or any nearby who couldn't defend themselves from the Soul Society's census. If it happened, it happened. After all, it wasn't really her problem anymore, as she'd belonged in the Rukongai about just as much as Rafael did to begin with.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool & Blood Counters}Reiatsu Pool: 7,700/8,000
-150 for Raikoho

Blood Counters: 9/10

SPOILER: Click to show

{Raikoho - 350 RS +25% = 437 RS w/incantation}Technique Name: Hado #63: Raikōhō (Thunder Roar Cannon)

Class: 4

Technique Type: Kido

Technique Element: Thunder

Technique Description and Effects: This spell is an advanced lightning-based technique, far larger than basic spells such as Byakurai, and its destructive force is increased as well. Upon release, this spell fires an enormous blast of electrical energy in a concentrated blast that devastates all before it.

How to use technique: Speak the spell and point hand towards the target.

Incantation and Effect: “Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!” With the incantation, this spell gets a 25% increase in Reiatsu Strength (i.e. if Reiatsu Strength is 100, this is treated as 125 with incantation).

[Rafael]

Rafael managed to close the distance between himself and this shinigami right away and could tell based on the appearance of her face and the language of her body that she wasn’t fast enough to stop him. She was more than likely a fighter that knew how to wield her blade, but hadn’t trained enough or experienced facing off against enough individuals that could outright blitz her. This was likely going to be her downfall and frankly what would make this fast. Rafael wasn’t holding out any re4al hope that this shinigami would prove to be a fun fight after finding out that his current strength was enough to overwhelm the majority quite easily only a few weeks prior.

What Rafael wasn’t expecting though was the moment that his foot clashed against the shin of this Shinigami he felt more than just her body giving way. Sure he’d managed to knock her off her balance and onto the ground. All the same through the large panther couldn’t follow up with his own attack. What was meant to follow into a pattern of strikes which would leave this shinigami more than likely unconscious never even really started. Instead Rafael groaned in pain as he felt the impact of his own strength ricochet back onto his left leg. This wasn’t something that normally happened, but Rafael took a step back making the distance between the both of them now about eight feet.

It was enough that this Shinigami wouldn’t be able to slash him with her sword and any spell she might try to cast would have enough time to counter his opinion. He had to think for a moment though his mind processing faster than a supercomputer in the world of the living searching through the memories of his experience facing off against Shinigami since starting his life as a Beast. Had he ever experienced this sort of phenomenon? It took little more than two full seconds for Rafael’s eyes to narrow as he understood what must have happened. This Shinigami was one that possessed a massive reserve of energy which acted like a defense to his physical assault.

“Direct attacks won’t work on her. Guess I won’t need to worry about that sword of hers then though.” Thought Rafael came to the conclusion that in order to beat this Shinigami he would have to rely more on the techniques that he had learned and manage to craft himself. Of course he could also fall back on the shockwaves that he was able to physically cause, but they were typically straightforward and wouldn’t bring down anyone of significant experience. Rafael though was pushed to make a choice as the Shinigami got back up and lifted her arms making it clear that she was going to cast another one of the spells that Shinigami were so fond of.

Rafael’s mind analyzing the placement of her hands, the reiatsu that converged on the point, what sort of appearance it was causing and what he had seen her do with the small kido she had cast just a moment prior. All of these things gave Rafael the information that he needed in order for his instincts to give him the conclusion. She was going to cast a large mass of lightning at him that likely wouldn’t stop at just putting a hole through a crappy shake. Inhaling as the Shinigami spoke her incantation the few moments passed until both of them made their move at one another.

The moment that the massive torrent of lightning was cast at the panther the Beast himself lashed out flinging his head forwards and roaring at the Shinigami sending out a large shockwave through the use of the technique Howlburst. The shockwave wasn’t the typical that would cause damage to anything that it managed to hit, but instead this one would push everything backwards similar to the gale of a hurricane. The torrent of lightning met the shockwave in a clash between forces that would result in the lightning bending before being flung backwards dancing across the area, scorching the ground and igniting a small amount of shakes.

As for the Shinigami well she’d have to deal with the fact that the shockwave was still coming at her, but even if she did nothing all it would succeed at doing with its current strength remaining is pushing her over while sending her backwards a few dozen feet at most. A useful technique that would succeed in saving the lives of an unknown number of random souls that Rafael didn’t even care about. As for the large Beast himself well his left leg was definitely in a bad spot. The shin was broken with several fractures throughout it and the majority of his flesh was bleeding. He’d gotten pretty good at accessing his own wounds and this one was pretty bad.

Almost like a human taking a sledgehammer to the leg. The only difference being that Rafael could handle the pain for the most part and that his broken shin wasn’t protruding out through his flesh. “Do I really want to show my hand yet though?” Rafael asked himself knowing full well that his left was essentially useless now as he couldn’t put weight on it. He was fighting off the pain that it was causing him yet didn’t need to. He would handle the wound easily, but wounded if this Shinigami really was worth showing everything or if he could handle her and then handle it. He didn’t know how often he’d have to handle the Shinigami from now on, but didn't want them getting too much information on his ability.

Injuries: Broken shin bone, left leg heavily damaged.

SPOILER: Click to show

Technique Name: Howlburst (Proficient)
Class: 4
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Beast-Clan
Technique Element: Wind/Sound

Technique Description and Effects: A variation of the Howlrazer Ferality, Howlburst is an attack that focuses on raw damage rather than striking at something's hearing. A common tactic from an animal to cause intimidation is to roar, something that the Beast Clan know all too well about. Howlburst is used when someone has gotten too close for comfort and the Beast wants to make some distance. Using this technique, the Beast Clan roars and releases a sound wave from their body, pushing anything away from them. The wave is equal to their Strength stat, throwing back anything that has less strength than them.

How to use technique: Take a deep breath, build Reiatsu in the throat, and release it with a scream or howl of some sort.

Technique Drawbacks: Obviously, this technique cannot be used by mute characters. This technique also targets everyone except the user, including allies. This technique costs no reiatsu, due to being a physical feat. If used this technique can only be used three times within the span of ten posts since the first use, otherwise the character will lose their ability to talk for fifteen posts.[/spioiler]

[Deleted]

Camila scoffed as her ears were subjected to a rather interesting roar coming from the panther before her; one she really couldn't say she expected. It wasn't too too loud, but naturally that wasn't the overall goal of the technique, as Camila soon found out. Within seconds, the massive bolt of electricity that she'd fired off in an offensive attempt was seemingly negated, having been sent almost entirely backwards before fizzling out.

As for the Shinigami, however, she'd be suffering a similar fate. Being bombarded with a shockwave that was quite strong, while something she'd been subjected to on numerous occasions, wasn't something she particularly enjoyed dealing with. Taking the blow head-on, Camila quickly lost her footing once again, and was whisked off into the air from the blast. She needed a way to ground herself, and rather quickly at that.

Doing what she could to shift her body to come close to a nearby building, she'd rammed her blade into the side and held tightly in order to further dampen the momentum of her body, and in turn allow herself to come to a halt in the air. While she was by no means a physical fighter, she definitely possessed enough strength in order to hold herself up via just her blade wedged into the side of a building. Still, it was far from an optimal position to be in.

When she was finally stable in the air, she pulled her blade out from the wall, and slid along the side of the building to safely reach the ground with minimal injury, aside from those that came from the blast, as well as her now-lame leg she'd just landed on. Due to the lightning she'd launched being sent almost straight back toward her, a part of her left arm - the one she'd used to fire the spell - had a bit of light scarring from burns caused from her own attack. She couldn't help but sigh.

"Gotta say," she said, stretching out her shoulder, "that was a pretty cool attack you've got there. Mind if I launch a few back?" Holding her hand straight out, Camila once again began to mentally "speak" an incantation. Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens.

As she finished, a rather large orb of pale-white flame fired from seemingly nowhere in front of her, headed straight for the panther. Not a second later, another had launched as well. She'd smirked as her hopes began to rise that these would find their mark as they barreled through the district, seeming to sear the very air they soared through. Due to the distance there was a pretty good chance that they could've been dodged, but that didn't stop her from firing the attack anyway.

As she did launch the spell, though, she kept her eyes on the area around her. Her goal through the attack wasn't to try to hit accurately, but to see how the beast would dodge. In her mind, seeing how he dodged would've been the best way to determine whether or not she'd be able to make proper use of another trick she had up her sleeve in order to use his own vitality against him. Only time would really tell.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool & Blood Counters}Reiatsu Pool: 7,300/8,000
-400 for Soren Sokatsui

SPOILER: Click to show

{Soren Sokatsui - 350 RS + 30% = 455 RS w/incantation}Technique Name: Hado #73: Sōren Sōkatsui (Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down)

Class: 3

Technique Type: Kido

Technique Element: Fire

Technique Description and Effects: This spell is, in all practicality, a doubled version of Hado #33, Sōkatsui. When released, this spell fires with the potency of not one, but two Sōkatsui orbs, creating an enormous blast of blue fire that can easily consume a target as it envelops them. Even glancing hits can cause first-degree burns with ease.

How to use technique: Speak the spell and point hand towards the target.

Incantation and Effect: “Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens.” With the incantation, this spell gets a 30% increase in Reiatsu Strength (i.e. if Reiatsu Strength is 100, this is treated as 130 with incantation).

[Rafael]

Rafael continued to gather every bit of information he could on the Shinigami that stood against him now. She had been taken off her feet by his roar which was expected, but it didn’t accomplish anything of significance as she was able to keep herself from toppling over like a ragdoll. She managed quite well to keep herself from harm while the force of the shockwave grew less and less the further away she was pushed. By the time she had stopped moving Rafael had picked up an important aspect about her sword. She’d used it to brace herself against the force which meant she needed it when her physical strength wasn’t enough and it didn’t possess any sort of ability that could work just off immediate contact with anything.

He was certain that if she managed to cut him something was going to happen, these Shinigami clung to magic so much that even their damned swords were infested with it. As for the environment though it seemed her blade didn’t have any sort of effect. Although not the most important piece of information it was still something that Rafael collected through sight alone. He could feel the blood swelling in his left leg, this wound was going to be a problem. Rafael grinned as he realized that even after everything he still gave wounds a second thought. Something like this would have crippled most including Zadora or Lolth, but unlike his friends, he knew that his body was invincible. Confidence in his resilience was something that Rafael placed above all else including his speed, strength, even his mind.

The Shinigami stretched and then spoke which Rafael reacted by narrowing his eyes in a sign of disapproval. “So she’s one of those.” Rafael hated this, not only was this Shinigami one that favored spell work, but she spoke during combat. No that wasn’t quite right, Rafael had spoken during combat towards others such as the muscular guy with the bone mask, that redhead bitch Shinigami as well. No it was just something about spell caster that rubbed Rafael the wrong way. The panther only knew of a single individual that relied on spell work that he actually could get along with and call an ally. Although it had been quite awhile since he had come across Skoll, that damned wolf was still an interesting guy who was fun to face down in a fight.

Extending her hands out again Rafael felt his patience evaporate, this was going to get repetitive really quick, something that he hated. He picked up just like the last time with his instincts that this spell was going to be flame based. It was definitely more powerful than the last one, but if he relied on Howlburst again he was confident he could accomplish the same result. “Boring, no fight should ever be boring.” Rafael squatted down bending his right leg while lifting his left off the ground in some weird looking stance as he waited for the spell to be cast right at him. He didn’t have to wait long, but acted right away jumping off the ground with his right leg and tail!

The extra appendage acting like a replacement for his left leg allowed Rafael to gain considerable height in the air, enough to evade the fireball of light blue coloration. The spell that this Shinigami had cast to burn him continued past where Rafael had been standing incinerating several of the shacks. It possessed the strength to envelop more than a hundred feet. Rafael though wanted to do something worse than just harm this Shinigami. She believed herself better and him lower, nothing more than a dumb aggressive animal to be shackled. He was going to crush her strength and show her just how much stronger than her, this big dumb animal is.

Focusing his reiatsu in the center of his chest the pitch fur began to move, invigorated by the reiatsu and then rapidly growing outwards. In mere moments the fur expended growing and surpassing Rafael in size. Afterwards as the panther began to fall downwards the fur rushed outwards right at the Shinigami. If she managed to catch sight of Rafael or the fur rushing at her from above she’d pick up on the detail of the fur. The front took shape matching that of Rafael’s facial features yet enraged, almost like a pitch black skull rushing towards her. Whether she had taken notice of it yet or not wouldn’t matter much as the massive torrent of fur roared with Rafael’s voice right for the Shinigami.

The intention being to slam into the Shinigami smashing her against the ground hard enough to break her body, leaving her in a large crater, where she’d be unable to fight further. The fur possessed all of Rafael’s strength and now he was going to expand all of it on her. If she evaded in some way the fur would act the moment Rafael picked up her new location from above. Moving towards her new location with the same intention of slamming into her similar to a massive moving train. “Try and cast fast enough to handle this Shinigami.” Rafael spoke to himself knowing based on everything she did so far that she wasn’t the fastest of casters and would be unable to counter the speed of the mane. This was the main of a wild Beast!

Remaining Reiatsu: 2600/3000
Wild Mane of the Beast: {-400}

SPOILER: Click to show

Technique Name: Wild Mane of the Beast (Learned)
Class: (3)
Technique Type: Other
Usable By: Beast-Clan (Mammal)
Technique Element: Hair

Technique Description and Effects: This technique like many of the other hair based abilities that the beast-clan possess allows the beast in question to use their hair as a type of weapon. The technique begins by focusing reiatsu on a specific area which results in hair rapidly growing from that spot. Instead of taking the shape/form of a weapon the hair in use actually takes on the appearance of the beast's face. The hair can then be used as a long range type of offense by biting down and attacking in other manners. It should be noted that the hair somehow is able to replicate the same vocal sounds as the actual beast meaning that it can roar.

How to use technique: Focus reiatsu throughout the hair while concentrating on the direction desired.

Technique Drawbacks: The hair in use only stays active for two posts after activation. Once the post count has been reached the hair that was grow dies and falls off the body of the beast. The hair has durability linked to the dominate offensive stat of the beast this making it follow the same breaking rules as a zanpakuto. The offensive power of this technique though is linked to the strength of the user.

[Deleted]

Seeing Rafael take to the air was something that excited Camila, especially considering he'd likely need another way to move due to his leg! Seeing him easily escaping her attack was something that started to get her blood pumping; she was incredibly excited to continue with the fight, especially against someone physically imposing. Most of her opponents as of late had been physical fighters, and had gotten increasingly more difficult to deal with. Celes especially; that girl was far stronger than she could've hoped to be, and it seemed Rafael was no different.

While he was in the air, Camila took the time to focus a large portion of the spiritual pressure she'd been constantly exuding around her arms. It seemed that Rafael had been looking for yet another physical skirmish, and she was happy to oblige in this situation. After her fight with Celes, Camila had forced herself to learn a new skill in order to further keep up with those who liked to keep things physical. Usually they were faster than her, so there was no way for her to keep distance on them. In turn, she looked to adapt.

As his hair began to grow and expand, Camila planted her blade into the ground. She held her hands up to guard her face as a skull of fur was launched toward her, likely looking to crush her. She wasn't going to deal with that if she didn't need to. As such, while her fists and arms had a faint red glow around them, she reeled her right arm back, and looked to collide with the skull at full-force (800 effective strength), her punch being backed by a speed of 2000 thanks to the well-timed use of Shunpo Karin. 

She wasn't necessarily looking to destroy the hair before her, merely hold her own against it to the best of her ability. That being said, that wasn't to say she was going to just sit idly by and clash with the hair monster; no, she had another trick up her sleeve. One she made use of against Celes, and one she was going to make use of here, just based off of how useful the interaction could've been. Thanks to the years she'd spent practicing and mastering a lower-level Kido, she had a new way to use it.

As her punch clashed with Rafael's fur, Camila immediately casted a rather weak, but hopefully semi-effective spell from the point of contact. A small bolt of lightning had been effectively fired from her fists without the need of any kind of verbal requirement, and straight into the hair. It was hard to tell where the point of origin was; that is to say, where Rafael was within the skull, but that wasn't necessarily her goal. She wanted to see what would've happened if the hair had taken a hit like that.

Upon hearing the panther's words, Camila scoffed. "Yeah? How's that for speed-casting?" she sassily responded, pulling her blade from the ground and taking a short jump back. Once again, she planted her blade into the ground, and assumed a defensive posture. She wanted to see just how far she could push herself in hand-to-hand combat like this before it got to be too much for her. She was rather interested to see what the beast was capable of in close proximity, too.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool & Blood Counters}Reiatsu Pool: 6,650/8,000

-100 for Shunpo Karin
-525 for Combat Cutback
-25 for Byakurai

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stat Adjustments}Strength is set to 800 because of Combat Cutback.

1/3 Long-Term Stat Boosts in use.

Combat Cutback posts: 1

SPOILER: Click to show

{Combat Cutback}Technique Name: Combat Cutback

Class: 4

Technique Type: Reiatsu

Usable By (Technique is available to which races?): Anyone with 300+ SpPr

Technique Element: None

Technique Description and Affects: Persons with high spiritual pressure are known for their large reiatsu pools, but they also tend to be known for their weaker reiatsu strength, which means they have a ton of reiatsu, but not that much to actually use it on. This techniques entire purpose is to take that sheer volume of reiatsu and turn it into a viable, dangerous weapon.

The user builds up a pool of reiatsu internally, increasing the internal pressure, before channeling it towards a set of limbs, such as the hands or feet, discharging it as a weapon. By doing this the user can harness their reiatsu into physical striking power, allowing them to match a physically stronger opponent blow for blow, or possibly even beat them. Upon initial use the user pays 75 reiatsu per 100 strength, maxing out at their spiritual pressure, but afterwards the per post upkeep drops to 25 per 100. The amount of force generated can be changed once per post, going down merely drops the upkeep, but going up, the user must pay the initial upkeep as well as an additional 75 reiatsu for every 100 strength they add to the technique.


How to use technique (How is it activated?): Building up internal reiatsu before focusing it on a set of limbs such as hand hands or feet (or other applicable appendage like a tail). Before mastery of this technique only a single limb, such as one hand or foot, may be selected at a given moment, after master is obtained both may be used at once.

Technique Drawbacks (Limitations, repercussions for use, etc): Besides a fairly large initial cost and a moderate per post upkeep this technique only has one major drawback; reiatsu burns. When using this technique the user is forcing a large amount of reiatsu to be funneled through a relatively small area, so extended use can be dangerous. 1st degree burns begin to form after about 3 posts, 2nd degree after 5, 3rd after 7, and finally after 9 posts the chosen limb becomes borderline useless and the technique can no longer be used in that area. Healing, specifically of the burns, will reset the timer of this technique.

[Rafael]

As he was flailing Rafael still had a good view of the Shinigami managing to control the mane to attack her was easy while he could see her although his proficiency with the technique was still that of a novice. This was a technique that Rafael had learned knowing of his limitations against certain fighting styles such as those that may employ spell work or firearms. Although he hadn’t faced down against a Shinigami or anyone else that had used weapons like that he wasn’t going to ignore the possibility. This technique took a large portion of his reiatsu to utilize and in truth he wasn’t the best at controlling it yet which is why this was the first time he had actually utilized it in a fight.

From his vantage point above even as he constantly fell the panther could see the shift in this shinigami. Her arms began to glow the color of her reiatsu and the eyes of the Beast took notice of what sort of effect she was blessing upon her own limbs. “So she can enhance her physical attributes by funneling her reiatsu.” Thought Rafael as his mind analyzed what he was seeing and formed what sort of ability she was using in order to face him. So it seemed her intentions weren’t to overwhelm or whittle him down by constantly casting spells. From what he saw it seemed she was going to do her darndest to finish him off in a single, unexpected punch.

The mane continued on its path slamming into the fist of the Shinigami. The mane was knocked to the side the offensive might of the Shinigami surpassing that of the mane and Rafael’s own by a small margin. What the Shinigami may not realize though was that she just gave Rafael everything he needed to know. Now he didn’t just know that she was enhancing her arms, but also just how powerful she had managed to push them. It was commendable something that Rafael couldn’t hide a grin from yet it wouldn’t be enough to break him that much the panther was certain. The lightning bolt that was fired at the mane wouldn’t accomplish much as it burned through a small portion of the fur yet didn’t pierce through. It would vanish from sight to be unseen until its completion, the mane was tough not just powerful.

Punching upwards above his head hard enough to generate a shockwave Rafael accelerates his descent to the ground through recoil of his strike. The mane turns back towards the Shinigami as it opens its mouth and roars causing a massive amount of noise to bleach out everything else in the area from the Shinigami. Following up right away the mouth would open as it rushes forward in an attempt to swallow the Shinigami whole and keep her imprisoned in the mouth of the mane. Whether or not it succeeded wouldn’t matter though as Rafael landed on the ground a moment afterwards on his right leg, hard enough that his foot sank into the ground almost as if it were made from mud.

Right away now though Rafael notices the difference in the scent of the Rukongai. He didn’t even have to turn around and look at what had been behind him prior to his jump. The shacks were gone and more than a few souls as well. Rafael could hear the sound of the survivors screaming in a mixture of fear and horror. The smell was the worst of it all though, the scent of charred corpses wasn’t pleasant. Not the same thing as cooking some meat, not at all to the nose of the panther. “Some protector.” Rafael scoffed knowing that most of the humans saw these Shinigami as their guardians to protect them, but yet this girl had just killed more than a dozen from what he was smelling.

Rafael was ready to really start bashing this Shinigami in, but he had to figure out how he could unleash his full strength without her massive reserves of reiatsu protecting her while harming him. Sure she could hit hard, but that wouldn’t be an issue if he got serious. He didn’t know what her sword could do, but that didn’t seem to be something she was relying on like most Shinigami. No he really just needed to figure out what could harm her without hurting him and so far the only thing he could think of wasn’t very fun. Constantly using shockwaves would just be boring, no matter than this chick casting spells over and over again. There had to be something else he could do and he was going to find it.

Wild Mane of the Beast: 2/2

[Deleted]

Watching the rather massive skull descend nigh-instantaneously was quite an impressive feat for sure. It was a clever use of those shockwaves that quite a few physical fighters seemed to enjoy using. In truth, she hated those damn things. They were annoying to get around, and even more annoying when she was forced to take one straight to the face. Tightening her fists and gritting her teeth, Camila mentally prepared for what was to come from Rafael's attacks.

Interestingly enough, the rather large maw seemed to want to close down around her, looking to envelop her in fur. Not wanting to deal with that, Camila decided to get out of the area through the use of a Shunpo, launching herself backward in order to escape the jaws at a formidable speed of 2000. Having gotten caught in that would've been awful for her to deal with, and it was the last thing she wanted to do. Having combined that same Shunpo with a jump behind her, Cami was able to get some height, and perched herself against a building behind her temporarily.

Using the building as a place to press off of, Cami once again launched herself forward through another Shunpo, this time directly over the large skull, and hoping to land behind it. She'd assumed that was probably where Rafael had been located, with the only other likelihood being on the inside. That being said, she wasn't going to take her chances ending up on the inside of that thing. That'd effectively be suicide for her. As she landed, she heard Rafael's seemingly condescending comment. “Some protector.” 

She couldn't help but smirk after hearing that. She known exactly what he'd been talking about. "You think I'm some kind of protector?" she asked, holding an open hand out. Though, this hand hadn't been facing Rafael, rather behind her, where people had been shouting and fleeing the scene. As she did, another large concentration of reiatsu appeared around her hands, as heat began to generate. Some civilians that had known what was going on began to panic even more. "Think again."

As she finished speaking, another set of twin-orbs of fire launched from her hand in two separate areas, thanks to the slight movement of her hand. These fireballs barreled through buildings and civilians alike, ultimately reaching a maximum distance before exploding in a molotov-like site of raw reiatsu and heat. Lowering her hand and once again assuming a fighting stance, she eyed the skull in front of her. "Thinking I'm your standard Shinigami was your first mistake. I'm here on a personal mission, not to follow some order from Soul Society."

She'd need to think of some kind of game plan on how to continue to tackle this fight. From what she'd seen, Rafael was far faster than she was, and there really wasn't much she could do in order to keep up with that. She'd need to go on the defensive until he opened himself up long enough for her to make a retaliatory strike. While simple on paper, her plan was only further made difficult by the fact that her Zanpakuto remained rooted in the ground on the other side of her foe.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool & Blood Counters}Reiatsu Pool: 5,975/8,000
-175 for Combat Cutback maintenance cost.
-400 for Soren Sokatsui
-100 for Shunpo x2

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stat Adjustments}Strength set to 800 because of Combat Cutback.

1/3 Long-Term Stat Boosts in use.

Combat Cutback posts: 2

[Rafael]

The movements of this Shinigami were something that was going to be an issue, Rafael could tell that his technique was enough to place some pressure on her, but it wasn’t enough to actually lock her down. The Shinigami managed to get away from the bite of the mane by utilizing the technique that Rafael recognized as Shunpo. A technique that allowed the movement speed of the individual to accelerate exponentially through a single step. Rafael wasn’t sure how good this Shinigami was at utilizing the technique, but he knew personally that the distance covered by this technique was potentially immense.

He could feel it though. The fur that he had grown in order to actually utilize this mane was dying. As the Shinigami utilized Shunpo in order to evade the mane and get over it, the fur itself had reached its life expectancy. Becoming brittle, split almost like hay in texture. Rafael stared down the Shinigami now who reached only about as high as the beginning of his chest. It was literally like a full grown male facing off against a pre-teen girl. Rafael had to remind himself that he was the giant not the other way around in this situation. Something that quite frankly the Beast had to do too often in his opinion.

The fur didn’t last any longer actually breaking apart not just from Rafael’s chest, but itself as well. Dropping to the ground as the life form it vanished, layering a decent amount of the ground yet posing no threat to anyone anymore. Rafael’s chest was still covering in the thick pitch colored fur that he was known for and quite frankly liked a lot. Every bit of fur that had just died off was additional and thus what was normally on him still remained. Now though it seemed the Shinigami had something to say. What happened next though wasn’t something that Rafael would have ever expected.

The smirk of the Shinigami told Rafael that something was wrong. Of course the fact she extended her hand out towards a random direction in this civilian area was something that caught Rafael a bit by surprise. He’d encountered Shinigami that while he didn’t agree or like them at all, they’d always tried to help the souls. They’d always believed they knew what was best which while he didn’t like always being the bad guy through assumption, it was at least still actions with good intention. What Rafael could tell was going to happen as the hand of this Shinigami began to express reiatsu, was nothing more than dark.

The spell that this Shinigami cast was the same one that she had employed less than a full minute ago now. The very same one that she had used which had destroyed the shacks and souls in the first place. Definitely showcasing that she didn’t care at all what happened to the people in this district. Rafael didn’t like these people for more than one reason, but simply killing them and destroying what little they actually possessed. They already fought one another for scraps; this was just needless destruction. Something that Rafael may not realize, but reinforced his disdain towards the Shinigami.

“I’ve made no mistake. You have.” Rafael spoke his voice deep enough that anyone in the human world would instantly think someone was trying to imitate Batman. Rafael knew something much more valuable than just what sort of fighter this Shinigami was. He knew now that the rest of the Shinigami didn’t know this one was here. There was no chance of another more powerful one rescuing her. Not only that, but he didn’t have to worry about anything around him. He could unleash his full power and know that the only issue would fall on the shacks that weren’t stable enough anyway.

This Shinigami didn’t have her sword. It was behind him several feet which meant that the only method of combat she had available to his knowledge right now were her arms and spells. Rafael wasn’t just confident, but certain that if he fought this Shinigami in a contest of physical might he’d prevail. The only issue being that if he actually hit her the backlash was going to cause far more harm in him then her. He had to jump in the water and see just what worked and what didn’t.

Although he still was keeping his left foot off the ground slightly, his weight on his right foot, Rafael was balanced with his training and strength making it rather easy to stay stable even in his current condition. Hopping forward, Rafael coming in towards the Shinigami, his right arm moving horizontally towards her shoulder with an elbow. The size difference massive taking up virtually her entire view now that the distance between them was almost completely gone. This though was just a ploy.

Rafael knew that an elbow may hurt this Shinigami, but just like his earlier kick it would result in his arm suffering damage that he wouldn’t be able to fight through easily. He’d give up the advantage of his strength. Instead the panther went with a strategy, something he didn’t believe any Shinigami would expect from a dumb animal. As he moved closed Rafael’s tail unwrapped from around his waist moving backwards and wrapping around the handle of the zanpakuto. Pulling it from the ground where the Shinigami had embedded it.

While she’d see the elbow coming for her upper body, the zanpakuto was going to be pulled from behind Rafael underneath his body by going through his legs. Then up in an attempt to stab this Shinigami with her own zanpakuto. Rafael of course taking a big chance not knowing if this sword could do anything to him if he touched it or if it could even hurt its own wielder. All value bits of information that could be useful down the road against whatever Shinigami he crossed against in the future. As for this one, she’d made her own fate.

[Deleted]

Making his way over to her, Camila stared up at Rafael and immediately went on the defensive. She wasn't having any of this, and wasn't going to let himself take a physically imposing position over her; she'd need to take action, and would do so as fast as she possibly could. While she definitely didn't have a speed advantage in this situation, she absolutely felt that she had the strategic advantage. She wasn't going to let that go to waste. She couldn't afford to.

Before he completely got on top of her, Camila decided to close the distance with Shunpo. Her eyes were filled with rage, as she wasn't going to let some panther make a fool out of her. After her fight with both Celes and Beast, she knew that she needed to put more effort into bettering herself physically. She couldn't afford to just sit back and get nothing done from a range, while having absolutely no answer to actual melee combat. That was going to change today, and she'd make sure of it.

The very second she was on top of the panther, she launched herself into the air with an uppercut, massively speeding up her arm with Shunpo Karin. Her aim here was for Rafael's jaw. No matter whether or not she hit, she was going to take advantage of the opportunity she had, and use her extra hand to fire off another large bolt of electricity with Raikoho, though she wasn't going to waste the time needed to speak the incantation, and instead launched it the very second it was prepped.

As she made her way down from the air, whether or not her attack hit, she was immediately caught met with a blade ramming through her side, as her sight above Rafael gave her a small advantage here. She had done what she could in order to shift her abdomen away from the blade altogether, but was nowhere near fast enough in order to actually get that done; in turn, she was forced to take the blade straight into her. Fighting through the pain, and keeping her mind and will focused long enough in order to return the favor, Camila immediately looked to strike the panther's tail as hard and fast as she possibly could've.

"Tch," she scoffed, "y-you must think you're hot shit for that, yeah?" She jumped back, and gripped her sword's grip with both hands. "Well, I promise you I'm not going down anywhere near that easily!" With that said, and promptly followed by a shout, Camila began to rip the blade from her insides. Blood began to fall, and she was breathing heavily. That said, her reiatsu immediately began to circulate around the wound. Within seconds, the outside damage had been completely fixed, as well as some muscle damage. "Hemorrhaging's still there on the inside, but... I think I'll manage for the time being."

Gritting her teeth, Camila pointed her now bloodied blade toward Rafael. If she hadn't been giving him a 'death-stare' before, she absolutely was now. Simply put, after pulling that, she wanted him dead. She'd stop at nothing to make sure that was done by the time she went forward today. While she might've lacked the offensive potential to keep up with him, she more than made up for it with her defensive capabilities. From what she saw, she was confident in her ability to outlast him if she needed to.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool & Blood Counters}Reiatsu: 5,400/8,000
-50 for Shunpo.
-100 for Shunpo Karin.
-175 for Combat Cutback maintenance cost.
-150 for Raikoho
-200 for Vampiric Healing

Blood Counters:0/10
-9 for Vampiric Healing

SPOILER: Click to show

{Vampiric Healing}Technique Name: Vampiric Healing

Technique Description and Effects (Explain appearance, powers, and effect):

By taking three seconds to activate this technique, Camila can spend 200 Reiatsu in order to sacrifice all of her current Blood Counters. By an amount of Blood Counters selected by Camila based on the chart below, an effect is activated based on the amount Sacrificed. This technique can be used on allies by adding an additional two Blood Counters as a cost; alternatively, if the cost is only Blood Counters, then the cost is doubled instead.

1-5 Blood Counters: Camila feels refreshed, giving her a small stamina boost. This is enough of a stamina boost to bypass the stamina drain for this technique. This also closes miniscule wounds, and fixes any small bruising. Wounds that are larger than an inch in length are not fixed.

6-10 Blood Counters: Camila is granted the benefits from sacrificing 1-5 Blood Counters. On top of that, larger wounds are healed, and all bruising is fixed. Wounds that are larger than 5 inches in length are not healed.

11-15 Blood Counters: Camila is granted the benefits of sacrificing 1-10 Blood Counters. On top of that, she's able to repair a fair amount of potentially lethal wounds. All cuts and bruises are healed, and Camila can restore small parts of her limbs (She can restore a lost hand or foot, but not the entire arm or leg).

16-19 Blood Counters: Camila is granted the benefits of sacrificing 1-15 Blood Counters. On top of that, she can restore damage to entire limbs, though only one limb can be healed per use at a time. She also gains 2 points in Poison Resist, but loses them after 1 post. These points are treated as though she had them since the beginning of the encounter, in terms of resisting poison-based effects.

20 Blood Counters: Camila is granted the benefits of sacrificing 1-19 Blood Counters. On top of that, she can restore organ damage. This is limited to organs that will not almost immediately kill her if damaged. If her heart or brain were to take severe hits, these cannot be restored. Though, intestines, lungs, etc. can be restored no problem.

Technique Drawbacks (Limitations, repercussions for use, etc)

This technique is used to heal wounds. It is not meant to restore stamina. It only helps to prevent limbs from being useless through breaks, or to prevent blood loss. Camila will still tire normally. This technique requires at least 1 Blood Counter to activate, and cannot be activated with any less than 1 Blood Counter. Camila must remain stationary during the three seconds this technique requires to activate. If she is hit out of this channeling effect, all Reiatsu and Blood counters spent for activation will not be refunded.