Undecimber, the Legendary 13th Month (Rose, Closed, PvP)

[Ambrose Grail]

When Ambrose came to, it was to the sensation of a large bird perched on his back, pecking at his head. This was a usual occurrence for Hell, but the lack of sulfur in the air had tipped him off. He wasn't in Hell anymore. He must have... oh yeah, the portal. He kept finding them in the tunnels beneath a certain stretch of desert, where spider-like monsters often ran down the corridors and scoured them for literally anything to fight or devour. It was in the Spider Graveyard that he discovered the portal. As he reached out to touch it and pass through, the ground beneath him gave way, and that was the last thing he rememb--

Peck. Peck. Peck.

Okay, that was enough. Sitting bolt upright, Ambrose grabbed the colorful bird by its neck and snapped it in his fingers. That put a stop to that nonsense.

Within minutes, he'd examined his surroundings. A tropical rain forest, thick with humidity, mosquitoes, and heat. Food. He needed that first. It had been days since his last meal. He tracked down a few basics. Things that would go well with bird. It would probably be a little gamey, so he'd need acid to tenderize it. Roots and leaves for spices. He found wild yams, oranges, and mangos. So, based on his geographical knowledge, he guessed this was South America. Somewhere in it, anyway.

Some ancient civilization was kind enough to leave behind ruins for him to explore. The people of the area, whoever they had been, were kind enough as well to leave behind bowls and something he could turn into a kitchen. Perfect. He gathered some sticks and dead leaves, stripped leaves off a plantain tree, and started a fire. While that stoked and steadied, he found a large pot and brought water to a low boil, poached the bird, and stripped off the feathers with a found knife. He kept those, letting them dry in the sun.

He butchered the bird expertly. There was no sense in going about this like a savage. He had time, after all. With the knife he found (cleaned in his water and fire), he cut off the lower legs and the head at the neck, cleaned out the innards, and kept the gizzard, heart, and liver. The rest, he turned into bait, chopping it up and putting in a bag made from plantain leaves. The smell would attract a larger animal if left in the right place, and Ambrose moved faster than any wild animal. With patience, he would have a better meal soon.

His stomach growled. It was time to cook. Making cuts from the bird, he wrapped the meat and giblets in three of the remaining plantain leaves, packed the package with spices, orange slices, and mango flesh. Then, he poached the contents in simmering water for a short time, set aside the pot, and roasted the leaf package in the embers of his fire. It wouldn't be long now before it was food.

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{Ambrose's Stats}Physical Strength: 30 (80) (140)
Speed: 60 (110) (193)
Reiatsu Strength: 50
Spiritual Pressure: 10 (60) (90)
Light Aura: 50
Dark Aura: 50
Instinct: 100
Senses: 50
Energy Sensory: 50
Healing Expertise: 0

Reiatsu: 900/900

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{Ambrose's Items}•

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{Mach Matcha Mochi Ball, version 1 (5)}Name: Mach Matcha Mochi Ball, version 1
Description: Made with pristine white mochi and filled with a matcha-infused bean paste, these desserts make a person feel energetic and light on their feet.
Class: 8
Item Type: Consumable
Item Power (IP): N/A
Offense Type: None
Durability: 100
Bonuses: A mach matcha mochi ball is small enough to be popped in the mouth and eaten quickly. Upon consumption, the eater of a mochi ball is empowered for 2 posts. Up to two times during this window, the user can pay 50 reiatsu to produce a burst of speed, moving at their own Speed x3 for a single step. Using this ability counts as a step tech use and does not consume a stat boost slot.
Drawbacks: Each mochi ball is consumed on use, even in an NDE thread. Consuming multiple mochi balls does not allow a user to stack this ability or the step boost.
Cost: 750 Ryo each
Crafting Skills: Culinary Arts 1
Donated to Urahara's: No

•

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{Mapo Tofu Dim Sum Dumpling (5)}Name: Mapo Tofu Dim Sum Dumpling
Description: Be careful, each dumpling is like eating a tiny sun. Ambrose's mapo tofu recipe uses amply developed Sichuan peppercorns in chili oil at low heat with a personal twist-- dry gin and tannins are included in the preparation. The gin is ignited after it is added over the top of the mapo mixture, and the tannin goes on in the form of a pale brown powder. Neither "help" with the pain of these rich treats: both only make the hot snack hotter.
Class: 8
Item Type: Consumable
Item Power (IP): 100
Offense Type: Spiritual (Fire)
Durability: 50
Bonuses: A mapo tofu dim sum dumpling is small enough to be popped in the mouth and eaten quickly. Once eaten, the consumer is empowered for the duration of 2 posts. Up to twice during this window, the consumer may exhale a blast of flames from their mouth, which engulfs a victim within 5 feet of them at the dumpling's IP, causing widespread burns of up to the second degree before the fire goes out.
Drawbacks: Each dumpling is consumed on use, even in an NDE thread. Consuming multiple dumplings does not allow a user to stack this ability.
Cost: 750 Ryo each
Crafting Skills: Culinary Arts 1
Donated to Urahara's: No

•

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{Devil's Food Chocolate Mochi Ball (5)}Name: Devil's Food Chocolate Mochi Ball
Description: Made with dark brown mochi and filled with a triple chocolate-infused bean paste, these desserts seem to bring out the most mischievous traits in their consumers.
Class: 8
Item Type: Consumable
Item Power (IP): N/A
Offense Type: None
Durability: 100
Bonuses: A mochi ball is small enough to be popped in the mouth and eaten quickly. Once eaten, the consumer is empowered for the duration of 3 posts. During this time, the consumer's Dark Aura increases by 50, without affecting their Light Aura.
Drawbacks: Each mochi ball is consumed on use, even in an NDE thread. Consuming multiple mochi balls does not allow a user to stack or extend this ability.
Cost: 750 Ryo each
Crafting Skills: Culinary Arts 1
Donated to Urahara's: No

•

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{Vanilla Cream Dream Mochi Ball (5)}Name: Vanilla Cream Dream Mochi Ball
Description: Made with pale off-white mochi and filled with a vanilla cream-infused bean paste, these desserts seem to bring out the most empathetic traits in their consumers.
Class: 8
Item Type: Consumable
Item Power (IP): N/A
Offense Type: None
Durability: 100
Bonuses: A mochi ball is small enough to be popped in the mouth and eaten quickly. Once eaten, the consumer is empowered for the duration of 3 posts. During this time, the consumer's Light Aura increases by 50, without affecting their Dark Aura.
Drawbacks: Each mochi ball is consumed on use, even in an NDE thread. Consuming multiple mochi balls does not allow a user to stack or extend this ability.
Cost: 750 Ryo each
Crafting Skills: Culinary Arts 1
Donated to Urahara's: No

•

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{Caramelized Macadamia Nut Cheesecake Bite (5)}Name: Caramelized Macadamia Nut Cheesecake Bites
Description: Made with delectable cheesecake, graham cracker crust, and chopped, caramelized Macadamia nuts, these bite-sized snacks would be the bane of waistlines everywhere, if they weren't so expensive to make.
Class: 8
Item Type: Consumable
Item Power (IP): N/A
Offense Type: None
Durability: 100
Bonuses: A cheesecake bite is small enough to be popped in the mouth and eaten quickly. Once eaten, the consumer is empowered for the duration of 2 posts, or until the consumer is struck by a physical attack, whichever occurs first. During this time, when the consumer is struck by a physical attack, that attack's Offensive Stat is decreased by 50 (to a minimum of 25% of its base OS).
Drawbacks: Each cheesecake bite is consumed on use, even in an NDE thread. Consuming multiple cheesecake bites does not allow a user to stack or extend this ability.
Cost: 750 Ryo each
Crafting Skills: Culinary Arts 1
Donated to Urahara's: No

•

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{Stuffed Pesto Lemon Zest and Pepperoni Rigatoni Poppers (5)}Name: Stuffed Pesto Lemon Zest and Pepperoni Rigatoni Poppers
Description: The name really says it all. Breaded, deep-fried rigatoni poppers stuffed with a spiced mixture of pesto, lemon zest, and ground pepperoni. Powerful flavor in a small package.
Class: 8
Item Type: Consumable
Item Power (IP): N/A
Offense Type: None
Durability: 50
Bonuses: A rigatoni popper is small enough to be popped in the mouth and eaten quickly. Upon consumption, the eater of a rigatoni popper is empowered for 2 posts. During this time, their body resists adverse spiritual pressure and cutback as though they were using a released weapon.
Drawbacks: Each rigatoni popper is consumed on use, even in an NDE thread.
Cost: 750 Ryo each
Crafting Skills: Culinary Arts 1
Donated to Urahara's: No

Out of Hell posts: 1/15

[Deleted]

After everything he'd been through thus far, Rose came to a fairly quick conclusion; the man needed some kind of vacation. After having spent the last, what, six months in Karakura? He needed a break. Away from all the spiritual nonsense. At least, the spiritual nonsense that Karakura had to offer. He wanted to explore; see what the rest of the world was like! Sure, he'd still likely encounter minor nonsense, but how bad were things really going to be outside of Karakura? Only time was really going to tell.

Still being on that waiting list for XCution, Rose found himself glancing down at his phone every couple of hours to see if he'd gotten any new news. Unfortunately, nothing yet. Letting out a soft sigh, he tucked his phone back into his pocket. Gods, he thought to himself, really shouldn't let myself get distracted like that. Smiling to himself, Rose gently pulled on his thickened scabbard of blades, as to make sure everything was properly fastened; seemed it was. Drawing one blade, Rose found himself wandering away from the tourist site he'd been staying at.

Headed into the forested area nearby, Rose began to chop through the brush as best as possible with one of his stock-white katana. Sure, it was no machete, but it got the job done. At least he had something to clear a path. If nothing else, finding his way back was going to be fairly easy. If all went well, he wouldn't have to worry about- what was that? Looking into the distance, Rose found himself squinting to try to see what he was looking at through all the foliage. Using his free hand, the Nakabakki held it above his brow to block out the light.

Seems like a... Person? He thought to himself, slowly looking to approach, what's someone doing so far out here? Is he on his own? Rose couldn't help but feel... bad, for someone in a situation like that. If he really was all on his own, what was he doing out there? Rose felt the need to investigate. If nothing else, he wanted to make sure that this guy was at the very least all right being out here on his own. So, in typical Rose fashion, he started to clear a path to make his way over.

"Uh, hey," he called with a wave toward Ambrose, "You all right out here on your own? It's not every day that--" Cutting his own words off, the Nakabakki almost immediately made note of a few key features about the man in front of him; namely, the chains and the burns were huge tip-offs for him. Gripping his weapon ever-tighter, Rose squinted his eyes toward Ambrose. "I don't mean to interrupt your... food?" He cocked his head. "But, I've got to ask; are you also some kind of Hellion?" Shifting his form to lower his body ever so slightly, Rose did what he could to prepare for the need to draw another sword at a moment's notice.

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{Stats & Skills}Type: Gadgeteer

Strength: 100
Speed: 115
Spiritual Pressure: 400
Reiatsu Strength: 40
Instinct: 50
Senses: 50
Energy Sensory: 0
Healing Expertise: 0

Light Aura: 100
Dark Aura: 0

Pain Tolerance: 2
Weapons - Swords: 2
Analysis: 2
Crafting: 2
Martial Arts - Infinity Style: 2
Weapons - Firearms: 2


Infinity Style - Taking traits from the weapon-focused style of Kendo while also working to incorporate swift, aggressive strikes from a Shinigami's Hakuda, Aldwin has started developing a weapon-based martial art he's named Infinity Style. Infinity Style focuses predominantly on swift, well-timed attacks with as many different weapons as the user can comfortably maintain control over at a given time. Generally, these weapons will be scattered around the battlefield, primed to be used as the user wishes. Being a weapon-focused style, the martial art also incorporates a healthy amount of disarming attacks, and attacks while disarmed.

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{Items}

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{x20 Purification Blade - Class 7}
Name: Purification Blade
Description: Upon purchase, this weapon takes the shape of any bladed weapon the purchaser chooses. From there, it functions like a normal weapon, much like the standard Spiritual Steel weapons sold at Urahara’s. However, unlike those, this weapon is seen as an asset of sorts to those looking to stay on good terms with Shinigami; this weapon is able to purify souls, and perform Konso, even if the user isn’t normally a Shinigami.
Type of Item: Weapon
Class: 7
Item Power (IP): 100
Offense Type: Physical
Durability: 200
Bonuses: Aside from this weapon functioning like a normal Spiritual Steel weapon, Purification Blades allow the user to perform Konso on those deemed necessary, essentially aiding Shinigami. Doing so, though, costs 50 Reiatsu when done by a non-Shinigami, as opposed to otherwise being free. This weapon will purify hollows when used, and can send souls to Soul Society; or, in the case of someone having committed sin, will condemn those slain to hell if these sins weigh heavy enough.
Drawbacks: N/A
Costs: 5000 Ryo
Crafting: 2 in Crafting.
Donated to Urahara’s?: No, headed to Kitai's Shop until Aldwin hits Class 3

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{Scabbard Cannon - 7}
Name: Scabbard Cannon
Description: This is an item that functions quite well with many of the same kind of weapon. The Scabbard Cannon takes the shape of a golf bag-esque “scabbard”, and can hold up to a certain number of the same kind of weapon within it. Because of the weapons this thing can hold, they can range in size from that of a normal scabbard, or much, much larger. At any given point, the user can forcibly cause these weapons to fire from the cannon either one at a time, or all at once.
Type of Item: Tool
Class: 7-1
Item Power (IP): 75
Offense Type: Physical
Durability: 350
Bonuses: Upon purchase, a weapon that the buyer currently owns 5 or more of that are all the same class must be selected. The Scabbard Cannon is then made to fit those items only, and is required to be the same Class as those weapons. By channeling 50 reiatsu through the Cannon, a single weapon can be fired from the cannon at a desired location, flying at a speed of 600 in a straight line. Multiple weapons can be fired at once with a cost of 300 Reiatsu, whether three weapons or twenty are being fired. For two or less weapons being fired at once, the cost is still 50 reiatsu per weapon. Up to twenty total weapons can be stored in a Scabbard Cannon at once. If fired directly upwards, the weapons will disperse randomly throughout the area as they fall, covering a five-foot radius around the user, expanding outward by five feet for every additional class above 7 the scabbard cannon is. The scabbard cannon can also be swung as a standalone melee weapon, with it being stronger than a normal scabbard, but still not as strong as the weapons inside of it. A Scabbard Cannon filled with weapons counts as one item for the purpose of anything that might require that.

By spending 200 reiatsu, a wielder can condense a Scabbard Cannon down into a shape that holds only one blade, or back to normal for the same cost. While a blade is sheathed in a Scabbard Cannon this way, so long as the user is holding onto the sheathed sword when they fire, they can swing that blade from the draw Iaijutsu-style at seven times their own Speed. This action counts a stepping technique, similarly to techniques like Shunpo Karin, Sonido Garra, or others. This still follows standard stepping technique limitations, and every consecutive use of this technique burns an additional 50 reiatsu per use, and consumes 100 durability after the second use, doubling this durability damage every time after the first that it's used in the same post.
Drawbacks: Reiatsu cost to use its desired effect. Once chosen, the items compatible with a scabbard cannon cannot be changed later on.
Costs: 10,000 Ryo.
Crafting: 2 in Crafting, aided by a 4 in Crafting from Kitai.
Donated to Urahara's: Going into Kitai's Shop until Class 3.

[Ambrose Grail]

Also. That was the word that Ambrose's ears locked onto. What a funny way to ask a question. That either meant there were other hellions nearby, this man were accustomed to dealing with them, or was one himself. Ambrose was sitting cross-legged in front of the fire, his own chains jangling as he turned the package of bird meat over. A delicious smell escaped from the leaves when he did, and he pinned that part of the leaf closed with a sharp, willowy stick to prevent the meal's heat from escaping any further. His hands did not fear the fire; indeed, he was well-inured to heat.

He hadn't answered yet. He hadn't moved yet. He just tended to his food, the most important thing on his mind. His stomach gurgled out loud, signaling that to his visitor. Content that it wouldn't burn or cook unevenly now, he turned to look at the armored gentleman who had approached. "Also a hellion?" he asked.

The man opposing him was holding a weapon. There was a chain around his arm, but only one of them. He had never met a sinner who had only one chain. His mind could have reeled with questions, but he really didn't have time for them at the moment.

Ambrose frowned. Was it going to be that kind of day? He had only just escaped Hell, and now he had to fight for his meal, here in the Mortal Realm. How awful. De-escalate, he told himself. The burns on his face twisted as he forced a smile on. It didn't fit quite right, but he was being stared down by a man with a weapon, after all.

"Anyway, yes. This is my food. But if you're hungry, I can share. I haven't eaten in a while, but I have bait for another meal if this one's for two. I'm Saika, if I understand it right." He paused for a moment, giving his visitor time to mull that over, and then continued. "I don't meet a lot of other hellions. Name's Ambrose. Ambrose Grail. Who are you?"

Out of Hell posts: 2/15

[Deleted]

Rose watched Ambrose continue to go about his business relatively unphased. He felt... conflicted. Like this very man seemed to be going against everything he'd known about Hell. Why was he being so nonchalant about everything? Wasn't he going to try to kill? To fight? Things weren't exactly adding up, but Rose wasn't going to let his guard down over that. Doing so was likely going to prove quite dangerous. No; he'd stay vigilant toward Ambrose. However difficult that might've proven to be, given the need to sort out his thoughts now.

"Also a hellion?" Rose simply nodded. He didn't feel the need to acknowledge that words; that much was painfully apparent to any that looked toward him. Turning down toward his right arm, Rose let out a soft sigh. Seemed he forgot to cover it today. Pulling his arm back, almost as if to hide it were it not for the fact that it'd likely remain still in view, Rose went back to focusing on Ambrose, who seemed to be focused on preparing some sort of meal. Gods, why did this entire situation have to be so complex?

"Anyway, yes. This is my food. But if you're hungry, I can share. I haven't eaten in a while, but I have bait for another meal if this one's for two. I'm Saika, if I understand it right." A Saika? He was rather unfamiliar with the specifics of Hell. Though, that was a word that he found thrown around around Kitai every now and again; he'd have to investigate that. "I appreciate the offer," Rose said, "but I've eaten rather recently. That said, I'm not going to stop you from having your meal. That much would just be wrong." He chuckled, as it seemed Ambrose was getting ready to speak once more.

"I don't meet a lot of other hellions. Name's Ambrose. Ambrose Grail. Who are you?" Rose found himself tensing at the mentioning of his demonic parentage. Keep it cool, he thought to himself, keep it cool. "My name is Rose Blackwood. Were the circumstances a bit different, I would've loved to get to know you." Leaning back against a large tree, Rose allowed himself a moment to rest.

Sheathing the sword currently in his hand, Rose pressed a small button on his scabbard, allowing the scabbard to collapse itself down to a much more manageable size, holding only one weapon instead of the twenty that remained in there. Crossing his arms, he watched Ambrose with interest. He knew that a fight was going to be a necessity given the circumstance, and the fact that Ambrose was a hellion, but there was absolutely a look of contemplation on the man's face. He seemed nice; did someone like himself deserve to be sent back?

[Ambrose Grail]

Almost without pre-amble, Ambrose said, "I carry a few snacks with me. And you seem like you've got fighting on your mind-- your shoulders are up a bit too high. Which is... unlucky. As far as people go, I've got a good feeling about you, and I've learned how to judge character and fighting ability quickly. It's an important survival skill, where I'm from." He paused for a long moment, turning his meal over again so that it would cook evenly. From under his mask, he gave Rose a long appraisal.

"I'm not going to attack you unawares, and I have you at a disadvantage or two. All you really seem to have going for you is that monstrous pressure," he informed the visitor. Finally, he took the leaves off the fire and pulled out two of the sticks keeping the wrap closed. Steam and a heavenly smell escaped from the plantain leaves. Giving it a few minutes to cool, Ambrose set most of the meal aside for a moment. "I'm not interested in an unfair fight, so tell me if you need an appetizer," he offered honestly.

Ambrose gave Rose ample time to react and respond. Pulling his mask away from his face somewhat (but not removing it), he blew on the bird's heart and popped into his mouth. His steel teeth sliced through it. It was tender and full of meat juices. Wicked exquisite, if he did say so himself. As the umami hit his tongue, a small blast of fire jetted from two of the swirls on his chest. His eyes lit up a little, shining a bit more gold than yellow. "Ooh yeah," he lauded, "I did good today. Spices hit just right, oranges and mangoes were a good choice... I gotta remember this one."

He took his time eating. He wasn't about to hurry a meal just because someone was waiting to sword at him. It's not like he lingered or meandered his way through the meal, just that he wasn't rushing it. The rest of the meat was great. The liver was full of vital nutrients and tasted like it. The roasted flesh had absorbed all that delicious orange and mango juice and the power of the spices, and there was enough of it here to bring him up to that perfect fullness. Eighty percent full, twenty percent not, but not still hungry. Ambrose could fight on a meal like this. And it seemed to him he would have to.

He got up from his sitting position and walked out of the makeshift kitchen. He practiced his breathing, inhaling deep into the lower abdomen, into the dantian, and exhaling forcefully as he clenched the muscles in his core. Jets of flame erupted from the swirls on his chest, slowly awakening. Outside his place of eating, he turned to face Rose, signaling his readiness. "Go easy on yourself," he advised his opponent. "Start from a relaxed state and ready your stance. Keep your breathing even but deep, you'll need the extra oxygenation in your muscles. Project from your spirit through your limbs. Your life is not in danger."

Out of Hell posts: 3/15

[Deleted]

Hearing Ambrose's words about his shoulders, Rose's eyes narrowed. Allowing his shoulders to rest, Rose's arms shifted downward ever so slightly as the Saika continued to speak. While he did so, Rose continued to find himself questioning just where he stood on the matter of the Saika before him. "I'm all right," Rose said, upon being offered food once more, "I appreciate it, though. That said, I'm not going to take from you; especially if this is the first time you've eaten in a while. That wouldn't sit right with me."

As Rose continued to watch the hellion sitting before him, he found himself jumping back against the tree he was rested against as Ambrose tried his own food. Fire from the Saika's chest was the least of what he'd expected. As he regained his balance after almost having fallen over, Rose chuckled to himself. "T-That's good to hear," he said, responding to Ambrose's praise over his food, "though, do you always tend to do that when you eat? That's... a little worrisome to see happen in the midst of a densely-forested area." Dealing with a forest fire wasn't exactly on Rose's list of things to get done for the day.

As Ambrose continued to eat, Rose decided to pull out his phone. If he was going to be a little bit, then Rose was going to take the opportunity to check on his status over with XCution. Scrolling through his emails, texts, and voicemails, the Nakabakki let out a soft sigh upon realizing that nothing had changed since his last check. Tucking his phone back into a pocket, Rose once again crossed his arms and continued to patiently wait for Ambrose to be finished. He didn't want to rush him, especially given his current situation; he'd known quite well what going without food was like. Forcing someone to rush through a meal while hungry like that was just rude.

As Ambrose finished up, stood up, and got warmed up, Rose threw his upper body forward as to stop leaning back on the tree he was on. Upon hearing the coaching Ambrose was giving, Rose began to feel himself growing upset. "I appreciate the help," he started, "but I know how to fight. I've done it enough now that I'd like to think I can handle myself." Throwing his foot back, bending his knees, and gripping tightly against the handle of one of his weapons, Rose stared down his opponent. Quickly realizing his breathing was off, Rose took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. He allowed his body to relax.

Sizing up Ambrose as quickly as he could, he started to sprint at his top speed toward the Saika. Taking another deep breath, Rose drew his blade as quickly as he could muster, pressing down forcefully on a trigger on the weapon itself. With a flash of sparks, and a sound not unlike that of a gunshot, Rose's own weapon fired itself out from the scabbard seven times faster than Rose himself could move, and arcing diagonally in front of him in an attempt to slash across the Saika's chest. Nothing over the top, but enough to make a good opening attack.

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{Reiatsu Pool}
Reiatsu: 3,950/4,000
-50 for Iaijutsu Strike via the Scabbard Cannon

[Ambrose Grail]

"Don't take it personally," Ambrose advised again. "Even the best fighters--" Rose was already running at him, head-on. He must have been hoping to take Ambrose off-guard. Ambrose watched him draw a weapon, focusing on his hands and the way they moved. Rose was as skilled as he claimed...

There was a gunshot retort. A weapon bolted out at him, faster than he could properly respond to it. His body reacted, moving on instinct and practice, side-stepping and weaving to avoid a blow, but it wasn't as slow or as simple as a punch. The blade sliced into the outside of his right deltoid as it passed him, going wherever it was going. His eyes widened when the pain hit him. That hurt! Ambrose grunted and grimaced beneath his mask. But the muscle wasn't completely severed, and he'd had worse. At least this wouldn't be easy.

Archer stance one, right foot back. Rose was close, but not punchably so. His kit must have revolved around swords like that one, but in his hand rather than... whatever that was. If he were coming fast from the front, he must have been confident that Ambrose wouldn't be able to counter him with head-on attacks. He had speed on his side, so he'd use it.

Rather than allowing Rose to come in close enough to strike, he retreated backward, moving close to his full speed to widen the gap between them. Distance was even better than dodging when it came to not getting hit. Ambrose reached into the bag on his waist and retrieved a bite of deep-fried, breaded rigatoni. One popper, which he popped and chewed up immediately.

As soon as the flavor hit his palate, the spiritual charge fizzed in his body, and he put the archer stance into action, shifting his body forward and planting his feet on the ground. He launched himself at Rose, throwing out a quick trio of low kicks at the joints of his instep, ankle, and knee while keeping his upper body ready to deflect a blow...

Out of Hell posts: 4/15

[Deleted]

As Rose found his sword somewhat landing his mark against Ambrose, he let out a soft breath as he felt his body lose some slack; like a weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. Immediately going straight into repositioning, and making no effort to waste any time, Rose similarly threw his leg back alongside Ambrose, and took a stance just opposite of the Saika. Though, upon watching the Saika clear some distance between the two of them, Rose immediately let out a soft sigh as his observational skills began to kick in.

As he moved back, Rose very clearly picked up on the fact that Ambrose outsped him. That much made itself apparent, given how quickly the Saika was moving. Not exactly enough for him to not be able to keep up, but enough that it was going to prove to be problematic. Watching as Ambrose reached into the small bag he wore and threw something into his mouth post-haste, Rose took a quick opportunity to flick any excess blood from his blade, and promptly sheathed the weapon. Lowering his stance while Ambrose continued doing what he was, Rose broke into another sprint toward the Saika.

As he began to charge toward Ambrose, it seemed that he had a fairly similar idea; almost instantaneously, the distance between the two combatants had been closed, and the quicker of the two, Ambrose, went in for his strikes. As each kick found their mark, and swiftly landed against Rose's own leg, the man let out a grunt as he found his balance quickly fading. Showing no resistance to the strikes made against his leg, Rose allowed himself to be swept off of his feet and toward the ground. Though, he wasn't about to let himself hit the ground if he could help it.

As his body turned to collide with the dirt, Rose, still holding onto his scabbard, forced the sword currently within the contraption to fire out with the same force it had originally. As the pommel of the katana smashed against the dirt, kicking up a bit of mud around its point of collision, Rose allowed the excess force created from the shotgun-like force generated from the Scabbard Cannon to propel him upward. Sure, he wasn't going to get very much height, but hopefully it was going to be enough for a counterattack against the Saika.

Forcing his body to spin in midair with the force that he'd been propelled upward with, Rose swung his free arm down toward the cannon. As a new Katana socketed itself into the sheathed position, Rose immediately grabbed hold of the weapon, and waited a fraction of a second for his body to be completely horizontal in the air, facing the ground. The very moment it was, he fired off the cannon, beginning his retaliation.

At the same speed at which his first attack was at, Rose launched another vertical strike against the Saika, this time cleaving down from midair from his perspective. The aim was straight through the Saika's mask; more specifically, he looked to split Ambrose down the middle. He knew it worked on Hollows to end a fight, so who was to say it wasn't going to work on a Hellion too? Whether his attack missed his mark or not, Rose found himself falling into the dirt with his descent, and doing what he could to quickly tuck and roll backward, following with a quick stance. Holding onto his sword while the original one he fired off simply clanged to the ground, Rose shifted his weight as to not put pressure on his now pained leg.

"Nice kicks you've got there. Safe to say you're an unarmed fighter? If not, feel free to take that sword. It's like you said, I'm not looking for an unfair fight either."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool}
Reiatsu: 3,850/4,000
-50 for Sword Firing via Scabbard Cannon.
-50 for Iaijutsu Strike via Scabbard Cannon.

[Ambrose Grail]

They had closed the distance in a flash, and Rose was no liar. He was experienced in a fight. Somewhere, he had learned a couple of tricks. Three kicks landed against his opponent; a spray of dirt and mud shot out from the ground, and Rose spun up into the air. Ambrose watched it happen as if in slow motion, looking for his angle. There was a pause for a fraction of a second, but the Saika processed what would likely happen next in that span of time.

Sinner chains were nigh-indestructible. While Rose swung a sword downward at Ambrose's face, the latter raised his arm to intercept the blade with his manacle. Sparks flew as the hell-iron bit back into the katana's edge. With his other hand, he swung his chain out at his attacker, missing him by a hair's breadth when Rose rolled away. Drat.

He started saying something, but Ambrose knew the value of time in a minor crisis like this. Even as Rose opened his mouth to speak, the Saika dropped his stance low, stretching as if into a lunge, and bolted forward at all his speed. He expected a counter-attack as he closed the gap; he swung his chains left and right, taking the tail of the right chain in his left hand and the tail of the left chain in his right hand to form a simple crossover that he could lever out. If a sword shot or swung out at him, he was ready to catch and deflect it with the chains. Obviously, this left him open for a thrust, and that was exactly what he planned for.

In his mind, Rose would stab him in a leg or a shoulder, and if he could act before the pain set in, he'd trap the other hellion with his chains and smash his nose in with a headbutt. That was the plan, anyway.


Out of Hell posts: 5/15

[Deleted]

Narrowly dodging the Saika's attack, Rose stood back up and readjusted his position as to prepare for the coming battle. His breath growing heavier by the second given the high-intensity of the combat, Rose did what he could in order to keep himself in fighting condition. Well, despite his now-bum leg. As he began to speak about desiring a fair fight, however, it seemed that Ambrose had something else in mind. Something that he truthfully wasn't expecting.

As the Saika began to charge him, Rose immediately took a step back in order to prepare as best he could for the coming attacks. Unfortunately, Ambrose was just that much damned faster than him. As Rose shot his arm down to his side in order to once again draw from his scabbard, it seemed the Saika was upon him. As chains very quickly moved around Rose, looking to ensnare him, he realized quite quickly that this was going to prove to be rather difficult to get away from. Drawing his blade and taking to the ground, the Nakabakki aimed to slide directly beneath the Saika, swinging his sword as fast as the cannon could let him in order to try to knock the Saika's legs away from him.

Interestingly enough, however, he'd turned the cannon as to prevent the sharpened edge from hitting the Saika; instead, the goal was to use the blunt force of the weapon in order to move his legs. While hopefully much less lethal, seeing as he wasn't looking to cripple the man, there was always the potential for a broken bone if his body couldn't stand up to the force Rose was outputting from the weapons.

Assuming all went well, and he managed to slide underneath Ambrose's legs, Rose tucked and rolled once more, stabbing the sword into the ground and using it as leverage to throw himself forward. And, once again, he assumed yet another combative stance. "Tch," he scoffed, "that was some dirty tactic. Unfortunately, however..." As he cut himself off, the Nakabakki angled his scabbard to point toward the sky, and pressed the same mechanism that ordinarily fired a sword from it.

Instead of simply firing off one this time, the remaining seventeen of the weapons shot from the cannon, straight into the air. Standing still, Rose watched as each and every one of the swords began to immediately spin and fall toward the ground, piercing almost perfectly into the dirt and mud where they made contact, standing up perfectly at various heights depending on the ground they fell into. Assuming Ambrose didn't move from his location either, the swords weren't going to stab him on their descent.

Grabbing tightly around one of the swords next to him, Rose removed it from the dirt, and flicked it to the side, as though he were removing blood from the blade. As he did, and dirt flew off, he took a deep breath and pointed the weapon toward Ambrose. "I'm not about to fight clean anymore myself." Once again, he simply held his position, pointing the blade toward Ambrose, and standing in wait. He was going to give the Saika the time he needed to do whatever it was he wanted for the moment; truthfully, he wasn't sure how things were going to go from here-on out, but to say he was thrilled at the prospect of finally being able to fully utilize one of his inventions was an understatement.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool}
Reiatsu: 3,450/4,000
-100 for Iaijutsu Strike via the Scabbard Cannon.
-300 for firing of every weapon within the Scabbard Cannon.

[Ambrose Grail]

Pugilism. Also known as the art of throwing a punch, but to the more initiated, it was more the art of knowing when and where to attack, defend and evade. Both of Ambrose's chains slipped the target, just as he feared was likely to happen. In the scuffle, their positions mingled and ended up jumbled; Rose slipped underneath Ambrose and angled his sword launching device to take out the saika's legs. In the heat of the moment, and due to the unfortunate positioning of the two of them, it looked like Rose had finally taken the upper hand.

Ambrose couldn't dodge, but he could angle his legs to diminish the strength of the impact. Snapping himself into a variation of the horse stance, he took the launched sword indirectly on the thigh, angled so that the blade would deflect off... not harmlessly, but at a significantly diminished capacity. The blow still overbalanced him, but this was a fight. Grinning under his mask as two jets of flame erupted from his chest, Ambrose chose that moment to strike, punching nearly straight down at the rolling, passing Rose, angling his fist into an uppercut approximation while jutting out his middle knuckle. His target was the nakabakki's oncoming armpit, or more specifically, the brachial nerve plexus inside it.

One of the body's all-important endangerment zones-- weak spots, if you will, the brachial nerve plexus controls that entire arm. And more so, it hurt like a real bitch if someone managed to pinch it, let alone if a skilled pugilist were to punch the center of the nerve bundle itself. His gambit cost him, naturally. By attacking at the moment that his opponent attacked, he left his defenses mostly open and had taken a significant blow to the right thigh. Pain flared and seared in his leg as he was forced to recognize a hairline fracture in the femur. One of the worst bones to break, Ambrose's head swam with pain and a rush of adrenaline and endorphins.

His tolerance for pain was one thing, but a broken femur-- even a hairline fracture, was going to slow him down. Almost instinctively, he reached into a bag with his other arm and popped another rigatoni, while swords rained down around him. Rather than move, he chewed vigorously. Oddly, despite all the hubbub of the skirmish, he still had a fraction of a moment to savor the flavors. Unlike Rose, who was arguably in better condition, Ambrose said nothing. He didn't so much as bat an eye when the other hellion chided his dirty way of fighting, but then again, when is a real fight ever fair?

Out of Hell posts: 6/15

[Deleted]

Of all of the places he could've been hit, it seemed that Ambrose knew exactly where he wanted to strike.

As Rose smashed his weapon into Ambrose's leg, looking to clear the Saika's footing more than anything else, he quickly found himself struck in a place that utterly debilitated him. Instead of rolling into a stand, Rose rolled out and splayed himself out into the dirt, his scabbard and weapons falling out across the mud and dirt. Almost immediately, Rose found himself heaving. To say the pain was absolutely unbearable was a horrendous understatement. Just what on earth had this man done to him? Frankly, he didn't want to know.

As he crawled over to a nearby bush, and proceeded to lose his lunch into the foliage, Rose did what he could to turn his attention back toward his opponent, and tried everything to keep his balance even while on the ground. Trying to turn back toward Ambrose regardless, he did what he could to keep his sight on the guy. Not knowing how he was going to continue onward, and unsure if he was going to go for a killing blow or not, Rose wanted to try to at least keep an eye on 'em despite not being physically capable of doing anything.

He wasn't sure if he wanted any part of this whole "thing" anymore. Was fighting even for him? Maybe he could've spent the rest of his days on Getsy. Making money, living his best life... Did he need to do anything else? Did he need to deal with all of this fighting? He wasn't so sure anymore, and frankly was in the middle of having a mid-life crisis. Oh, well. He'd have to get it sorted out at some point later on. For now, though, he did what he could to remain conscious through the pain.

At least, that was the goal before he faded out of consciousness.

[Ambrose Grail]

Well, this was awkward. Ambrose, in his haste to debilitate his opponent, had completely forgotten to not use his full strength. His face contorted into a mixture of pain, sadness, and compassion. "Oooh, sorry about that, pal," he said, looking on toward Rose while he heaved into a bush. "I mean to be fair," he explained, backpedaling heavily, "you seemed like you were trying to kill me with a sword, but that's really rough. I thought you could take it. Yanno, for what it's worth... aww, you passed out already." Ambrose frowned.

Fading into unconscious did not heavily impact the rate at which Rose was evoking brightly colored rainbows from deep within his gut. Yup, that pain was pretty real.

Ambrose propped Rose up and realigned and relocated his shoulder, gently massaged out the displaced muscle fibers of his inner armpit, and got him to shelter under shade. All the while, the expression on his face was like a dog who'd been caught digging in the trash. He felt just awful about the whole situation. He didn't even want to fight this guy in the first place.

Ambrose washed out Rose's mouth with boiled-and-cooled clean water so that when he awoke, he wouldn't be tasting something worse than death itself. He didn't know how to handle the processes of healing or tending injuries, so he didn't insult the practice by trying anyway. He simply went out hunting, bagged a peccary, and came back to check on Rose's state. He was "sleeping" soundly, still, and his pulse was still going, so Ambrose let nature take its course.

He used his found knife to butcher the peccary and prepare it for a number of meals, collected carambolas and guavas, a lucky find of habañeros, stuffed them into the peccary and then used them all to make a sweet and spicy pit-cooked meal. The peccary was still cooking around the time that Rose came to, just about two hours in.

Out of Hell posts: 7/15

[Deleted]

When Rose came to, the first thing he'd experienced was an absolutely awful pain in his shoulder. While not quite as bad as the initial onset of agony he'd experienced before fading to black, there was a level of excruciating soreness that seemed to pulse every now and again. It wasn't something he couldn't handle if he wasn't stressing it, but if that Saika was looking for more of a fight? Things were going to get pretty bad for him. Using his good arm to rub his eyes, Rose groaned as he forced himself to sit up.

"Good Gods," he forced out, "wh... what on earth happened there?" Only very vaguely remembering the incident that had occurred not moments ago, Rose found himself in quite the pained state. He did what he could to try to process everything that had happened what, a few hours ago now? He couldn't tell. Time found itself to be a bit difficult to calculate, given he was out of it for quite some time. Looking around, Rose did what he could to try to examine the area.

Immediately taking in some rather interesting scents, he looked over toward the source, and saw that same Saika sitting there. So much for cleaning up the Human World, he thought to himself, looks like I've got some training that needs to get done. Sighing softly at his own thoughts, Rose decided to just tuck all of that back for the time being. While sure, his arm still hurt, he was pretty grateful that Ambrose hadn't done anything to him while he was out.

"So," Rose said, half an attempt to get Ambrose's attention, "that was one hell of a confrontation there, wasn't it?" Chuckling softly, the Nakabakki forced himself into more of an upright position than he was in before. "It appears as though we've gotten off on a bit of the wrong foot. I uh... Apologize for striking out toward you like that. It's not every day you see another hellspawn with good intentions, y'know?"

[Jeff Franklin]

I count 33 paragraphs for Ambrose and victory giving him 430 TP total! As Rose no longer exists they get nothing. This thread was DP.