Post by Sieglinde P. Krantz on Aug 4, 2022 8:10:54 GMT -5
Tap. Tap. Tap. Pause. Tap. Tap. Tap. With the clacking of heels against the hard floor beneath her feet, she couldn't help but ponder on everything that had happened thus far. To think that her entire life had been turned practically upside down just the span of a few short days. Ever since she'd received her Schrift, that title, her new abilities... Everything had been changing. Not for the worse, no, quite the opposite, but it was change that she couldn't quite wrap her head around. Part of her had liked that normalcy that she'd originally held.
Though, that was normalcy that she was never getting back. It was normalcy that had no hope of ever showing its face again. It was normalcy that was no longer, well, normal. Instead, she knew damn well that this - everything gifted to her by His Majesty in the short span of a couple of days - was her new normal. It was a normal she was going to have to get used to. And more importantly, a normal that was never going to change. Part of that excited the Stern Ritter. Part of it scared her. But above all else, it fueled a desire within her to live up to His Majesty's expectations. To perfect the divine power that she'd been gifted. To push it far beyond what others could've dreamt of.
She knew damn well she needed to push herself. And she knew damn well how that needed to be done.
Stepping into one of the darker corners of her quarters - on the left side of her bed, where a slight shadow peeked out from the corner no matter the time of day - The Stern Ritter took a deep breath. Placing one foot into the shadow, and channeling the slightest bit of reiatsu into the shadow itself, the world around her quickly enveloped into an inky blackness as the girl travelled through the shadow itself. Just as quickly as her vision resulted in that primal darkness, it quickly cleared from the ground outward, revealing the inverse of her own quarters.
Similarly to how Silbern sat in the shadow of the Seireitei, so too did this world within the Stern Ritter's own quarters. From the icy, though stylized room she frequented day and night, this new, much larger area made itself present. As she glanced around, smiling softly to herself, she'd felt an almost familiar connection to the world she was standing in. Illuminated from the perpetually-golden evening sky, a massive field stared back at her. Lush, green grass, a horizon of trees that almost threatened to eclipse the ever-setting sun, and fauna as far as the eye could see. Such a place felt like home to the girl.
She felt almost sad knowing what she was here for; the disruption she was going to cause to the world, if she wasn't careful. Regardless, however, she was here to train. She was there to learn how to utilize, and how to maintain the powers that His Majesty gave her, and she'd be damned if that wasn't going to be done by the time she left her eternal wilds.
Stepping forward, away from the shade of the tree she'd been underneath, the Stern Ritter walked toward toward the open plains before her, keeping as far away from any wildlife as she could comfortably manage. Last thing she wanted was to accidentally take a life when she wasn't looking to hunt. That would come soon; for now, however, she needed to see just what His Majesty had bestowed upon her.
Taking the opportunity to stretch her legs, working her joints to reach a more limber state, she looked around the area. If nothing else, the place was truly beautiful. If left relatively undisturbed by the time she was done, she knew she'd have to come back here far more often. Even if just to relax, this place was quite amazing. Though, she didn't want to waste any more time in her own thoughts. She was here on a mission.
Taking a deep breath, the Stern Ritter held her arms out to her sides. She didn't bother manifesting her bow; such a tool wasn't needed while she was going to embrace His Majesty's gift to her. Feeling reiatsu surge around her, she found herself quite aware of the fact that whatever this was - this reiatsu quickly building up around her - this wasn't her own. The silver-blue hue to the spiritual aura that surrounded her was much different from her own, bright red Reishi. She couldn't help but smile.
As this aura quickly began to build, and she felt the ground leave her feet, she looked down. Seems she was no longer touching the grass; she was floating. Looking forward once more, she exhaled the breath she took a few moments ago. As she did, the Stern Ritter was quickly engulfed in powerful silver-blue light. A thick, burning pillar of reiatsu shot from the ground, piercing into the sky like a stalactite as the Quincy Zeichen formed at the very tip. As this light began to singe and sear her form, though bringing the girl no pain, she felt... changed.
Shortly after the light had begun to fade, evaporating from the ground upward, the Stern Ritter took a few steps forward, trying to get used to her new form. She found herself clad in new clothes; instead of the Vandenreich uniform she'd grown to love so much, she was instead dressed in hunter's leathers, covered head to toe in protective garb. Her shoulders, wrists, chest, waist, and shins were covered in light, but sturdy metallic plate. Seemed this was her new form; His Majesty's gift to her. The gift of Vollstandig.
A soft smile slowly starting to grow across the Stern Ritter's cheeks, she held her hand out almost instinctually. As she did, a rather realistic-looking bow formed from Reishi, then took manifest in a very physical way. In her left hand sat a rather sturdy longbow, comprised of what looked to be wood, but remained as solid as any material she could hope to utilize. Seemed His Majesty knew what she'd needed. She couldn't help but find herself incredibly appreciative.
Holding the bow out, the Stern Ritter did what she could in order to locate a nearby target. Utilizing that eyesight of hers, she quickly settled upon that of a deer not two hundred feet away from her. Placing her right hand toward the bow itself, and drawing the strings of reiatsu that she'd generated, the Stern Ritter pulled back on the bow as a silver-blue arrow of reiatsu shimmered into reality. An arrow that didn't shine with her own reiatsu, but once again that of His Majesty. This wasn't an arrow that was going to tire her out; no, this was from His Majesty's own reserves.
As she released her right hand, allowing the arrow she'd drawn to soar through the air, flying at speeds even she struggled to comprehend toward the end, the Stern Ritter watched as the arrow itself pierced directly through the deer. Squinting her eyes in order to observe, she kept her gaze pinned on the animal as it seemed to almost... stand there. For a second, it was unmoving. Then two seconds. Then three. At the four-second mark, the Stern Ritter found herself shocked as she watched the animal slump over, evidently dead as soon as the arrow pierced its flesh.
Truthfully, she couldn't believe it. A shot like that would've taken her not only ages to line up properly, but from where the arrow fired through the deer's shoulder? She wouldn't have even come close to a kill. Sure, it would've otherwise injured the animal, but such a shot would've required much more work on her part. But, to fire an arrow from such a distance and score a direct hit like that? This newfound power was potent. It was something she was going to need more time testing.
Finding yet another deer, this one much closer, the Stern Ritter took aim once more. This time? The arrow was primed for the animal's eye. Given the proximity, such a shot was practically guaranteed to kill her prey, provided she could land such a precise shot against something so agile. Though, what choice did she really have but to try? Keeping that in mind, she let another arrow fly.
And just like before, she'd made her mark almost instantly, with how fast the arrow travelled through the air. This time, as the deer took the arrow to the face, it slumped over immediately, evidently blown back by the sheer force that was exerted from the arrow impacting its head. She knew quite well it had no chance of survival; such a thought brought a smile to her face. She was going to eat well when she left this place.
Walking over toward the kill she'd just gotten, the Stern Ritter took a moment to examine the damage she'd dealt. As the shining blue arrow seemed to remain pierced through both animals, she let out a soft sigh. This was certainly a power that was going to take some time getting used to. And she was what, only partway done? She hadn't even begun to push this form to the limit yet. Though, she was excited to do so, if nothing else. Especially given everything that she'd heard about this form from her research into the Stern Ritters of old.
Rather interested in what she was going to be able to do, she fired an arrow down toward the grass from where she stood. As she did, the arrow quickly began to take shape, shifting and growing into a much larger, much more powerful beast than herself. Within a few mere moments, the girl store down a very real-looking bear, not unlike one that might've been found out in the expanse of trees before her. Such was normal for her abilities, but this bear seemed... different. Stronger. She'd have to see what that meant.
As another deer trotted out of the woods, and into the plains that she'd been standing in, the Stern Ritter needed only point toward the deer. She didn't feel the need to say so much as a word, and immediately the bear she'd summoned found itself upon the deer. Moving lightning-quick, the monster of an animal lunged for the deer, striking faster than it could hope to run from. Much like a predator to prey, the bear swiped its massive claws against the deer's body, leaving it bleeding profusely within a short instant. It wasn't going to last much longer after a blow like that.
Fairly shocked at the animal's abilities, the Stern Ritter simply allowed the bear to dissolve, much like that of a standard reiatsu construct, despite not appearing like one at all. If she needed another later on, she'd summon it. For now, though, she'd gotten a fair taste as to what that animal was capable of. If nothing else, she'd learned quite a bit about her own powers; His Majesty's powers. Powers that still had the potential to grow, and a potential that she was going to be damned if she didn't figure out by the day's end.
As she slowly began to walk back toward the center of the field, she found herself lost in deep thought. Something... didn't quite sit right with her. Almost like her own identity was something that was coming into question with her new abilities. If she relied so heavily on a power that wasn't hers, just what did that mean about her? Was she still her own being at that point? Of course I am, she thought to herself, something like this doesn't change that in the slightest!
But, just how true was that? Sure, she told herself that was the case, and largely shrugged it off for the most part, but how much truth was there to something like that? This was another situation she had to figure out before she left this place. A Stern Ritter was in no place to simply ignore some sort of emotional crisis like that; she'd need to get it situated before she left. If nothing else, to make sure she could fight for His Majesty as best she possibly could, without having to worry about the consequences of doing otherwise.