Weekend Boredom [NDE / R]

[Deleted]

Thread Title: Weekend Boredom
Participants: Luke and Marcus
World: Human World
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location:
Special Conditions:
Circumstances:

[Deleted]

Soft music filled his ears as he patiently waited with head in hand. Eyes closed in relaxation, Luke let his right leg bounce back and forth, sometimes gently kicking the wall of the bar he sat in front of. The hustle and bustle of Karakura's walk ways did their best to drown out the music he was listening to, but because of his own above average hearing abilities he was able to focus on the music and not the sounds of the crowd. He wished that they could just close the door, but that wasn't how some business worked in Japan. This was one of those places that wanted to welcome the lunch rushers. Granted it was nowhere near as bad as those bustling ramen joints where you had to scream your order right when you walked in. This place was a lot more tame, quiet, and relaxing.

That was what drew Luke to it. He was hungry but didn't want to have to fight the day jobbers who were on lunch. If it wasn't clear by now Luke was at lunch. He'd spent the day walking around Karakura Town. It wasn't for leisure or working out, it was because he on the job. With everything that had been happening with the Hollow Wranglers Luke had been keeping a closer eye on Karakura than he usually did. Normally Luke operated at night, for obvious reasons, but decided to step it up and do things during the day as well. Which is why he was here now waiting for his food.

"You're just salty." Came that obnoxious voice cutting through the relaxing music. No I'm not. Luke replied back, opening his eyes and focusing on the glass of water sitting in front of him. "I can literally taste the salt. You're butthurt that you didn't get assigned to any of the gang missions with the others and had to go bother Taka for help." Jäger explained. To be honest he was right. Luke felt a little cheated. A couple of the other high ranking employees in Uzaki were off investigating into the cities gang activities or flying to Russia. Luke was just...stuck. He didn't have anything to do but walk around town looking for trouble.

As his meal of curry arrived, he started to think of alternative things he could do with his free time. As he began to dig into his curry, he started trying to come up with some ideas. He didn't want to hang around at the club. He was always there, after all, and being underground all the time could put a damper on someone's mood. He could always go apartment hunting. "You're thinking about moving out?" Springflut suddenly asked. Why not? I make enough money that I could afford my own place again. I miss city noises. Luke replied as he put his spoon in his mouth. While he was certainly thinking about it, another thought popped into his head as he lifted up a slice of fried pork.

Pulling out his phone as he tossed the meat in his mouth, Luke went to work texting. He didn't have a lot of numbers on his phone so he was able to find the one he wanted to get rather quickly. His fingers firing off at crazy speeds, Luke sent the following message to Marcus; Yo, Marcus. If you got time this Saturday morning you want to meet at the gym at work and go a few rounds? It's been awhile since we sparred and maybe it could do us some good.

"What a casual way to ask someone to fight. Isn't he your superior?" Jäger teased. Oh shut up. I'm not at work right now and it's only a text. Luke snapped back, before resuming to eat his curry. When Saturday finally rolled around, Luke found himself waiting in the same gymnasium that he and Marcus last sparred in when the Fullbringer was evaluating him. Though it was the same gym it wasn't the same confined space, as a few other people were using that one in particular to practice. Sitting alone on the bench, Luke was busy making sure his shoes were tight enough. Wearing a pair of black shorts with a white strip going down the side as well as a light blue T-Shirt with, of all things, a Superman logo on it he actually looked dressed to be spending a day at the gym or doing some hard work outs.

Satisfied with how tight his shoes were, he leaned on his knees with his elbows as he browsed his phone with his thumb while waiting for Marcus to show up...if he would that is. Something could have changed and Marcus would have to cancel. If that did happen it was fine. Luke would probably just go to the gym and work himself wet with sweat for a few hours if that was the case. He hoped it wasn't. He had a couple of reasons for wanting to spar with Marcus again, and hopefully he could get that stuff done today before shit got so crazy he didn't get the chance.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}

• [Weapon: Swords] {2}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Strength of Will] {3}
  
  
• [Pain Tolerance] {2}
  
  
• [Anti-Stealth] {2}
  
  
• [Charisma/Leadership] {1}
  
  
• [Battle Focus] {3}
  
  

Luke | Soldier

Strength - 200 Points

Speed - 300 Points

Spiritual Pressure - 400 - 700 Points

Reiatsu Strength - 100 - 60 Points

Light Aura - 90 Points

Dark Aura - 10 Points

Instinct - 150 Points

Senses - 150 Points

Energy sensory - 100 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Total SP: 1400 Points

[Marcus Cole]

”Wounded Peacock”

An artificial female voice spoke from Marcus’s phone, which was laying on the hard ground beside him. The fullbringer spent much of his time at the Uzaki Enterprise gym during his free time, of which he had quite a lot. So he spent it exercising in various ways. At the moment, he was taking a break from the traditional physical and spiritual training he devoted most of his time toward. It was yoga time, and as he attempted to strike the Wounded Peacock pose, he used all his strength to hold himself on one hand as his back bent backward, making an upward arc with his body.

He could only maintain the pose for twenty seconds before making a controlled descent back to a relaxed position, but that twenty seconds was enough to form beads of sweat on his forehead. “Handstand Scorpion,” instructed his phone, giving Marcus little time to rest. His body was drained, but he only hesitated to take a last deep breath before bringing his legs over his head for the next pose.

It had been a few days since Harle left, and his apartment just seemed empty without her. He used to be comfortable with the quiet of his home, but now, the silence was just oppressive. He needed to keep himself busy to avoid missing her, but even then, the thought of his fiancée brought a bitter-sweet smile to his face. She’ll be back soon, he promised himself hopefully. Harle wouldn’t say what important business she had to attempt to back in Soul Society, but from her tone, he felt that it was serious. All he could do was stay optimistic and await her return.

”One-Handed Tree P- Beep beep.” The text tone cut off Marcus’s virtual yoga instructor. He reached for his phone and pulled up the notification, surprised to see a text from Luke. Luke was a pretty cool guy in Marcus’s eyes, but they haven’t really talked since Marcus recruited him. He was curious to see what the text was about. ”Yo, Marcus. If you got time this Saturday morning you want to meet at the gym at work and go a few rounds? It's been awhile since we sparred and maybe it could do us some good.”

The fullbringer was quick to write back. ”Sure. 8 a.m., same place as our first training session.” Whatever tolerance to loneliness Marcus once had seemed to leave him, and he was eager to spend some time with a friend – er, acquaintance? Coworker? Marcus didn’t really have friends, but perhaps Luke was a potential friend. That was better than nothing.

Marcus set down his phone and prepared to resume his yoga before he stopped himself. He recalled the memories of his first fight with Luke. The guy was strong; there was no doubt about that. It was hard to forget his spontaneous creation of an invisible barrier to protect himself against Marcus’s technique. However, Marcus wasn’t satisfied with Luke, especially after landing a clean roundhouse kick to the jaw without much effort. He expected better, and this time, he’d make sure Luke delivered. Marcus reached for his phone and sent a follow-up message.

”Bring your A game.”

---

Marcus arrived at the gym an hour early, making sure that he could reserve the same training room where he sparred with Luke last time. He was dressed in black basketball shorts, a black tang-top, and carried his kunai and escrima in the backpack slung over his right shoulder. The fullbringer arrived a few minutes ahead of schedule, only to find Luke patiently waiting for him. With an awkward smile and uncertain wave, he greeted his coworker as he walked through those doors.

He opened with an unconfident "Hey." Those were the first words Luke would hear Marcus speak. Ever since his engagement with Harle, he had broken free of the curse on his soul, and he was happy to no longer need a phone to communicate. But Marcus wasn't talkative, even after he had rediscovered his ability to speak. Luke would find that he preferred action over words, and any conversation they might have before the spar would be short-lived.

"You ready to get started?"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats, Skills, and Items}

Strength - [200] (100) Points

Speed - [200] (400) Points

Spiritual Pressure - [250] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [300] (600) Points

Light Aura - [60] Points

Dark Aura - [40] Points

Instinct - [300] (150) Points

Senses - [150] Points

Energy sensory - [0] (0) Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1400] Points

Abilities

• [Martial Arts: Escrima] {2}
  
  
• [Weapons: Throwing Weapons] {1}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Strength of Will] {2}
  
  
• [Special Skill: Movement] {2}
  
  
• [Stealth] {3}
  
  
• [Acrobatics] {3}
  
  

Items:

15 Kunai

Kunai Canon

Suit MK I

[Deleted]

When he heard the sound of the door opening he slipped his phone away. Looking up to see who had came in Luke smiled when it was Marcus he saw and not some random nobody looking to use the gym. He didn't want to have to deal with telling some other employees to fuck off and let him hold the gym for someone who might now show even though he had a confirmation text from Marcus. But anyway, Luke hopped to his feet. "Glad you could make it." Luke greeted as Marcus waved, but then immediately went wide eyed with surprise when Marcus opened his mouth and said "hey". The hell? Last time they had seen each other, during the U.E meeting regarding the Hollow situation, he was still using his phone to speak for him. Did he get his problem fixed??

"Did you get whatever the speaking issue was fixed with surgery or something? " Luke asked with surprise. Even though it might have sounded rude it really wasn't intended to be. Truthfully, Luke was ecstatic to hear that Marcus was able to talk. He didn't have to rely on the shitty phone anymore. He remembered when they were riding in his car together and, when asking questions, he had to wait until they stopped at traffic lights or stop signs before Marcus could give him the replies he was needing. It was inconvenient. But Luke was one hundred percent certain that Marcus was happier about being able to talk than he was.

Marcus looked ready to go. Luke wouldn't keep him waiting any longer. Leaving the bench and walking to the opposite side of the middle line in the gym, the Bount cracked his knuckles and his neck. A toothy smirk was on his face for a moment before his lips closed themselves as he remembered what he needed to do. "Before we start though...I have to apologize. The night you interviewed me I wasn't taking our spar seriously. I wasn't entirely comfortable being hired because of what I happened to be born as, along with my combat experience. I basically just wanted a day job. I didn't want to have to fight." Luke explained, scratching behind his head for a moment as he let his eyes wander.

For a brief moment memories came flooding back to him. Memories about why he was walking down his current path. Memories that only reinforced his will. "But things are different now. As cheesy as the line is...I'm not the same guy you met that night. Truthfully, I wanted to fight you today because I wanted to make up for the shitshow I gave you that night. And to show you just how serious I am." Luke explained, shutting his eyes for a moment at that last part. Opening them back up he focused his gaze on Marcus before sliding his right leg back, so that the leftmost part of his body was more facing towards Marcus than his right was.

Luke's left arm was raised and held at level with his chest, while his right was held around level with his waist. Concentrations of reiatsu fluttered between his fingers before two transparent sword shaped objections appeared in his hands. Both were held in a reverse grip with the blades pointing behind rather than forward. "Yeah. Let's get started." Luke stated calmly, before his left foot straightened itself and he vanished after leaning forward. Using Movement, the basic of the human worlds step techniques, he flung himself forward at Marcus. Appearing before the Fullbringer, Luke swung his left arm upwards as if to uppercut the Fullbringer. But with the range between them a hit with the fist wouldn't connect. But Luke wasn't trying to punch Marcus, he was trying to hit him with the sword in his left. If the sword connected it would cut into the right side of Marcus's chest and probably nick his shoulder to boot. But Luke knew he could handle this.

Remaining Reiatsu: 6575 / 7000
-400 for 2x AAA Class 4 Offensive Panels
-25 for Movement

[Marcus Cole]

Marcus’s smile widened into a full-blown grin as he saw Luke’s surprised expression. He didn’t bother concealing his cheerfulness anytime something reminded him that he was done with that wretched impediment. "Did you get whatever the speaking issue was fixed with surgery or something?" Sure, that was a reasonable explanation. Marcus would have to steal that one for future use. “Yeah, something like that,” he answered with an unconvincing shrug.

Marcus placed his bag at the back corner of the room, reaching into it with both hands to draw his weapons. In his first battle against Luke, he equipped himself with his trusted escrima sticks, which were far less lethal than his typical kunai. This time, however, Marcus hands emerged from his bag wielding identical throwing knives. The grooves of these weapons were custom crafted to match his grip, and their bright steel of the blade’s edges conflicted with the charcoal black of the spine.

As Luke began to speak, Marcus gave him his attention while simultaneously stretching his quadriceps and hamstrings. "Before we start though...I have to apologize. The night you interviewed me I wasn't taking our spar seriously. I wasn't entirely comfortable being hired because of what I happened to be born as, along with my combat experience. I basically just wanted a day job. I didn't want to have to fight." So he was holding back. Good to know. Marcus conveyed his understanding with a nod. Luke wasn’t committed to the organization and didn’t care to completely devote himself to it. Why put your life on the line when you can get by as an office aid? Luke was only human, and Marcus wasn’t going to hold that against him.

"But things are different now. As cheesy as the line is...I'm not the same guy you met that night. Truthfully, I wanted to fight you today because I wanted to make up for the shitshow I gave you that night. And to show you just how serious I am." Marcus raised his eyebrows at Luke, shooting the bount a questioning gaze. Is that so? Marcus thought to himself. His eyes seemed to say the same thing. Now he was curious to see what this new-and-improved Luke was all about.

Two transparent swords appeared in Luke’s grip. Their other-worldly appearance was pretty cool, but it brought up a new question; where was the sword he used the last time he fought against Marcus? These blades were spiritually crafted, so perhaps they were stronger than his other blade, but he didn’t even bring that sword with him for this sparring session. Perhaps he no longer had it or no longer needed it. I’ll have to keep an eye out for any new tricks he might be hiding. I’ve got a feeling that this fight is going to be a lot more interesting than the last one.

”Yeah. Let's get started."

Those were the magic words. Marcus held his blades defensively in front of his body, preparing for Luke’s assault. By employing Movement, the bount had closed the distance between them quite quickly, opening with an immediate attack. Luke’s strike was hard to follow, since his sword was transparent. While it wasn’t invisible, Marcus had a hard time tracking the weapon perfectly as Luke swung it with his full speed. Fortunately, there was another way to follow the attack. Rather than parrying the actual sword, Marcus’s eye followed his opponent’s fist, using its directionality to pinpoint the general position of the sword.

The fullbringer brought his right blade down to parry the slash only to realize that he was outmatched in strength. Luke had gotten notably stronger, and Marcus couldn’t beat him in a contest of strength. Fortunately, he wouldn’t rely solely on his physical ability in that exchange. Upon making contact with the sword, Marcus left an imprint of his reiatsu on Luke’s weapon. He triggered Shadow Punch through it immediately to get himself out of that sticky situation. A force of 600 suddenly pushed down on Luke’s blade, and thanks to his reverse grip on the weapon, the sword wouldn’t fly out of his hand. Instead, it would force his whole arm to swing the opposite direction. The momentum alone would force his arm as far back as possible without dislocating it.

Speaking of momentum, Marcus would take advantage of the opportunity to counter-attack. Luke’s left side was vulnerable, and so Marcus was ready take advantage of the opening. With his full 600 speed, he stepped forward with his left foot so that it was between his feet, breaking Luke’s guard. Marcus’s left blade was ready to intercept Luke’s right sword. Next, he brought his right knee up at full speed, seeking to drive it into Luke’s gut with as much force as he could muster. Since Marcus was in Luke’s guard, there was a good chance that Luke would try to retreat, and if he did so, Marcus would extend his leg and turn the knee strike into a full kick.

Already, the battle was fast-paced and heated. However, Marcus had no doubt that Luke could handle this opening exchange. Luke was no pushover, and Marcus didn’t expect any success quite yet. Still, he wanted to kick off their fight with a bang. Luke had to understand from the get-go that there was no messing around this time. Marcus was going to push him to the limit, and this was just the beginning.

Reiatsu Remaining: 2450/2500 (-100 for Shadow Punch)

[Deleted]

Rather than trying to flee Marcus took to the offensive. Luke could respect that decision. But he also remembered that this was how Marcus fought the last time they spared as well. The knives were new though. What happened to his two sticks? ”Maybe they were a gift from someone close and he decided to shove them up his butt?” Jäger decided to, annoyingly, comment. The Bounts focus was kept on Marcus though because things immediately went from cold to hot. While his sword was made of air and reiatsu, the familiar sound of two metals scrapping each other filled his ear suddenly. The other man had, as Luke attacked, decided to try and parrying Luke’s sword with one of his knives.

But Luke didn’t have the chance to focus on the parry, or respond to it, because not even a moment later his arm was suddenly blasted backwards. His eye’s widened with surprise as he once again got hit with this technique. This was the second time he’d been gotten with Shadow Punch. What the hell were the specifics of this fuckin tech? It was obviously physical contact that triggered it and it more than likely could be delayed in its activation, but how was Luke supposed to detect it had been planted on him?

His arm was blasted back as a result of Shadow Punch, leaving his left side open just as Marcus wanted. His other blade was ready to deal with Luke’s other sword if the Bount chose to swing with it, but considering how fast Marcus suddenly decided to go it wouldn’t have mattered. Before Luke knew it, Marcus had gotten closure by breaking through his guard and aiming a knee at his gut. All that high speed movement would cost Marcus a good bit of his stamina, which almost seemed reckless to do at the beginning of a fight...but if he delivered a hit it was all good then right?

There was a reason Luke didn’t react to dodge. There was a good reason that he let Marcus’s knee drive itself into his stomach. Because as it did so, it wasn’t Luke that got hurt. To Marcus it was like he suddenly knee’d a concrete wall. A small smirk painted itself on the left tip of Luke’s lips as his Spiritual Pressure protected him. The Fullbringers knee would turn purple, covered in a horrid bruise as the blunt force Cut Back bounced back onto him. It wasn’t like Marcus would have had any idea that Luke’s Spiritual Pressure dwarfed his own. He didn’t have Energy Sensory.

With his momentum back under control, and Marcus no doubt reeling with the pain, some mixture of shock and confusion, and the tax on his stamina for going at his very max speed, Luke decided to attack on his own. His right arm lashed out as he moved forward to recover what he lost when his arm got thrown back, but as his sword neared Marcus it quickly flipped with a flick of his fingers so that the flat pommel would slam into the side of the Fullbringer’s torso instead of the blade itself. He didn’t want to just stab the guy and kill him. That would be literally awful.

Remaining Reiatsu: 6575 / 7000

[Marcus Cole]

Something seemed off. As Marcus approached Luke, the bount didn’t even bother reacting to his fast-paced assault. It’s like he was alright with getting hit, much like the last sparring session they had. Déjà vu… he thought, recalling the satisfying smack he heard when his roundhouse kick connected cleanly with Luke’s jaw. Marcus was half-expecting to hear a similar sound as his knee progressed unhindered into Luke’s gut. He was wrong.

Mother fu-

It made sense now. Luke hadn’t even bothered to move because he was in no danger what-so-ever. Marcus had no energy sensory capabilities, so he had no idea what kind of gap existed between the two of them in terms of spiritual capacity. He suffered the consequences for his mistake as cutback not only blocked his attack but damaged his right knee from within. He was going to have a harder time darting around now, but while his injury wasn’t annoying, it wasn’t a game-ender either. Marcus would not be slowed down.

Now, the fullbringer understood that he had made a mistake. However, Luke hadn’t realized that he too was in the same boat. Thanks to Marcus’s strength of will, the pain that came with cutback wouldn’t completely break his focus. He’d be able to keep his head straight and not give up on the fight. Thus, he could capitalize on one error on Luke’s part. By failing to dodge, Luke had allowed prolonged contact between Marcus’s knee and his abdomen. Marcus used that contact to place a reiatsu imprint right on Luke’s abs.

Now, it would be quite easy to activate Shadow Punch immediately and inflict even more damage on Luke than his cutback did on Marcus. However, to do so would be a waste. Marcus was committed to forcing Luke’s dolls out, and now that he had planted Shadow Punch on Luke, he was best off waiting for the right opportunity to spring his technique and inflict immediate damage. He would deal with Luke’s account in another way.

Marcus relied on his most versatile technique, Soul Dominance. With it, he compressed the air between himself and Marcus’s sword so tightly and densely that it erupted outward the moment Soul Dominance had done its work, pushing back on both Luke’s blade as well as Marcus himself. It prevented Luke’s assault while providing Marcus the momentum he needed to backflip away to safety, establishing 20 feet of space between himself and Luke.

Marcus’s breathing was loud enough for Luke to hear, but even as his chest rose like a mountain and depressed like a valley, he remained focused on his opponent. “Not bad,” Marcus said, shifting as much weight as he could on his right leg to determine how useful it would be. Unfortunately, he’d have to support himself primarily on his left leg for the remainder of the fight. Oh well, he thought, indifferently reflecting on his injury. Guess I’ll have to make up for it in other ways.

From this point onward, Marcus would have to fight smarter. Those close-up exchanges were his best bet for getting an upper-hand in the fight, but he’d have to avoid taking any more significant damage. He had to strategize. Marcus would be more reactive than proactive for at least their next exchange. As he recovered his breath and waited for Luke to force him into action once more, he had a few words of encouragement for the Bount. “If that’s the best you can do, might as well throw the towel in early.”

Reiatsu Remaining: 2300/2500 (-150 for Soul Dominance)

[Deleted]

Crap Luke thought as his assault was suddenly thwarted by an incredibly strong wind that seemingly spawned from Marcus’s body. The force of the wind was great enough to halt Luke’s attack and give the Fullbringer the momentum he needed to flip himself like a circus clown away. Flipping his sword around in his fingers a bit, Luke didn’t press the assault just yet. He wanted until Marcus had backed away, figuring the Fullbringer would want a moment to check out his knee. This wasn’t a death match, after all. Luke wasn’t trying to go for a kill. His brown eyes remained locked on Marcus, however, keeping himself on guard just in case the Fullbringer was up to something.

The differences in their fighting styles was clear as day. Their personalities even bled into how each other fought. Luke was loud, upfront, and honest. His fighting style showed that. He attacked Marcus head on, without any sort of underhanded tricks or abilities to slip someone up. His fighting style was very honest. Marcus was quiet and sneaky. He complimented his attacks with tricks and techniques, such as that random force one and the air blast. It meant Luke needed to be cautious. But it also meant something else. Yeah, Marcus was incredibly skilled in hand to hand. Between the two...Luke would bet money that Marcus was a better fighter than he was.

Luke had only been fighting the supernatural for little under a year now. His fighting style was still rough and developing. It was, in truth, a bastardization of the fighting styles of two Shinigami. He adopted the upfront and direct approach of Yetsuna, but also had the speedy and quick striking style that Aevus had. It was weird. Luke didn’t do the same extended assaults that Yetsuna did, or the quick assassination style Aevus did. He did something of both. An upfront but quick confrontation style where he backed off after a few blows.

”You can afford to be more daring.” Luke suddenly heard cut through the silence of his mind. Springflut was correct. As a Bount, Luke did have access to abilities that Marcus didn’t. Abilities that afforded Luke some carelessness. But he didn’t want to get into the habit of relying on such abilities. He noticed the deepness of Marcus’s breathing, plus he could hear him, and noted the way he was standing. His cutback defense didn’t make the leg useless, though Luke figured that Marcus wouldn’t be relying on that leg all to much. Even so, he needed to be careful. He didn’t doubt Marcus would push through the pain if push came to shove.

The twin swords Luke held suddenly seemed to grumble away. It wasn’t that he was removing them, it was simply that their expiration point had arrived. Flexing his right hand's fingers, the same light show as earlier flickered before another one of those swords appeared in his hand. But he only chose to make one this time. Smirking a little, Luke raised an eyebrow at Marcus when he threw out that taunt. ”You’re the one wheezing and limping. You sure you don’t need a break?” Luke asked playfully. But why was he throwing that taunt out? Their situations were one where Marcus was already on the losing side from an onlookers perspective.

Bringing his left leg back, Luke began to ready himself again as he brought his right arm back and held his empty left one out in front of him. He kept the sword pointed straight this time, rather than reverse gripping it. He knows that my spiritual pressure will just hurt him if he tries to strike me. So the only option he has…” Luke wondered. ”Is to get you in a struggle snuggle.” Jäger was right. Grappling was one way to get around Cutback. Unless Marcus decided to release, then that was his best bet. Well, there was also those throwing knives.

Luke decided to kick it off again. What he did was still simple, but it wasn’t just a forward attack. Luke used Movement again, jumping his speed to 900, in order to close the distance between himself and Marcus. But rather than appearing in front of the Fullbringer, Luke would appear behind the man to his left. But, for the split moment Luke was there, he vanished again. Marcus would most likely have begun to turn towards Luke when he was back there, so Luke had used Movement again to suddenly be at Marcus’s weaker right side. If everything went as planned, then Marcus would have been turning to his left as Luke moved to his right.

Slashing horizontally, from the right to the left, Luke aimed to slice into the side of Marcus’s right arm. Not deep enough to cut the arm up, but deep enough to effectively make the arm dead weight. Granted it all weighed on whether or not Marcus had started turning to his left, but it was a decent enough opening attack.

Remaining Reiatsu: 6325 / 7000
-200 for Class 4 AAA
-50 for Movement x2

[Marcus Cole]

”You’re the one wheezing and limping. You sure you don’t need a break?”

Marcus’s gaze dropped to quickly re-inspect his purple knee. Damn, I guess he’s right… Marcus thought, a sheepish smile pulling on his lips. Maybe the wheezing was an exaggeration, but Luke got his point across. It looked like he was winning, and maybe that were true. Without full function of his right leg, Marcus was at a disadvantage, but the fight was far from over.

Luke blurred as he sped past Marcus with movement, gracing the fullbringer with a notable breeze that accompanied his speed. So he’s going to strike from behind this time… Marcus thought, already turning his head and pivoting on his left foot. From his peripheral, he could see Luke’s body, but just as it came into view, Luke disappeared once more. Another breeze touched his back. Shit, he’s to my right now. It was a clever strategy, and with Marcus already moving turning the wrong way.

It was a good try, and it forced Marcus into an awkward position. He knew an attack was coming, but he could only see Luke out of the corner of his eye, so there was no chance he could properly identify what kind of strike to expect and what its target was. Evasion was his only option, and the best way to do that was by putting some extra distance between himself and Luke. He’d have to dodge by backing off.

Not only was Marcus pivoting on his left foot, but it was already carrying the majority of his body weight to remove some of the burden from his injury. His left leg suddenly bent, dropping his body close to the ground and sending him off-balance – or at least it looked like he was off-balance. In reality, Marcus was an expert acrobat, and he could manipulate his body with ease without losing control of it. He rolled on his back and quickly returned to a standing position. With his feet shoulder-width apart, his left leg was positioned approximately a foot behind his right, which pointed toward Luke. Because Luke had used movement in the opposite direction that Marcus rolled, he’d have to readjust his balance in order to push his offensive forward. In that sense, he was delayed.

Marcus was pleased with that trade. Since Luke had used a step technique twice with just a split-second in between each use, his breathing would certainly feel as heavy as Marcus’s had earlier. However, the fullbringer had simply used his bodyweight to roll away, which was significantly less draining. He had come out on top in that tiny exchange, and while it hadn’t evened the fight out, it was a step in the right direction.

Now, it was his turn. Marcus swung his right arm from in front of his chest outward, pointing it toward Luke. As he did, the throwing knife in his right hand left his grasp, soaring toward Luke’s left thigh. If it pierced, it would limit him in the same way that cutback had limited Marcus. Now, despite the 400 speed behind his blade, Marcus was fairly confident in Luke’s ability to block the attack like a jedi deflecting blaster fire. If Luke parried the knife, Marcus would use Soul Dominance once more, instantaneously causing the blocked knife to continue forward, this time backed by Marcus’s reiatsu strength.

If Luke instead chose to use one of those invisible panels to block, the Marcus would do the same once the kunai bounced off the panel, instead setting the new target as Luke’s arm so that the blade may go over the invisible shield’s range if it were limited in size. Lastly, there was a chance Luke instead chose to dodge. If that were the case, Marcus would again use Soul Dominance to send the knife chasing after him. He’d wait for Luke’s counter before deciding his next move, but Marcus wasn’t going to give the bount a break. He’d chase him down and force him to call on his dolls for help.

Reiatsu Remaining: 2150/2500 (-150 for Soul Dominance)

[Deleted]

Nimble little monkey. Luke mentally commented with clenched teeth as Marcus dodged his attack with an impressive acrobatic display. He had bent his left leg to cause himself to fall, followed by rolling on his back to avoid the arm disabling slash that Luke had launched at him. He felt himself frown, a hint of annoyance building in the back of his head at Marcus’s ability to dodge. Luke had figured that with an injured leg the Fullbringer would be hard pressed to maneuver, but it seems that the Bount was wrong. He would need to remember Marcus’s acrobatic abilities. Luke almost felt envious. He sort of wished he could move like that. ”Then get good.”

Luke’s eyes suddenly widened when he saw Marcus’s arm in motion. His eye’s noticed the distinct shape that was held in his fingers and knew that by approaching Marcus after he rolled, Luke might have just put himself in a bad position. Flicking his arm forward, Marcus threw the knife in hopes of getting it lodged into Luke’s leg. While it was fast, so was Luke’s reaction capabilities. With ease he swung his arm, clashing the thrown dagger with the sword made from air and reshi. Expectantly there was the clash of sparks, and the dagger was knocked off its course.

But while Luke intended to carry through with his attack against the defensless Marcus, he suddenly saw the throwing knife adjust itself in the air. What!? Luke mentally shouted in surprise when the knife shot its way right back towards Luke, seemingly with more force behind it than before. Just what the hell caused it to do that? Luke didn’t have the opportunity to try and think the answer out, because the knife was going to meet his skin in less than a second. Too Marcus’s satisfaction the knife would hit, but what happened next was more than likely not something he expected.

The moment that Luke was hit it was as if the gymnasium had suddenly become a part of Silent Hill. A thick fog would appear suddenly, originating from Luke, clouding the Fullbringers version. The fog was so thick that it was like standing in a soup. Just what the hell happened, Marcus might wonder, and just where did Luke go? The instant that knife had touched Luke the Bount had erupted into this thick fog. If Marcus knew anything about Bount then he might recognize this technique. It was no wonder that Bount were the originators of the vampire legends, and it seems not all of the abilities the media and novels wrote about the bloodsuckers was false.

Nebel. Luke had used Nebel to transform himself and create this thick fog. It was a technique only activatable upon physical contact from an attack. If Marcus had tried to shoot Luke with a energy attack then this wouldn’t have happened. Nebel was just one of the many defensive options that a Bount could use to keep themselves alive. After all, just like the vampires they inspired Bount were hard as hell to kill. But Luke wasn’t going to give Marcus the time to process what just happened. From the fog Luke formed right on top of Marcus, with his left fist drawn back.

He could both turn himself into fog and revert the transformation if he wished. So long as Nebel remained active, Luke was basically a ghost. But he could only attack while physical. His left arm was drawn back, fingers curled into a fist, making it completely obvious Luke was going to punch Marcus. But there was more to it than that. Luke’s left arm was ripped with bulging veins and muscles. The veins themselves had illuminated with a streaking red light, and it seemed as if steam was rising from the skin itself and mixing with the fog. ”Uraaaaaaaaaaagh!!” Luke shouted as he threw that punch at Marcus, aiming for his chest, producing a crimson like aura around the edge of his fist. Marcus, being a Human World Dweller, should have recognized Impact when he saw it.

Impact was one of the abilities of Output. It quadrupled the impact strength of a blow. Luke was using it to increase the power of his punch by four times his normal strength. If Marcus took that blow straight to the chest, then the Fullbringer would be done. Luke’s punch would rock the gymnasium, causing the floor to rise up like it was a wave and made out of water before cracking and shattering the floor. The force escaped from the impact would slam against the windows, pushing them outwards slightly. Any loose equipment, like Luke’s stuff, was flung against the nearest wall as a result of the released wave of force.

”Tch…” Luke grumbled, placing his right hand over his left arms wrist. His fingers twitched uncontrollably and the muscles in his arms spasmed as well. He released a long exhale as a few beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. Impact, at the end of the day, was draining. It would be a few minutes before Luke could use his left arm properly again. The question had to be asked though, why did Luke use that technique? Simple, really. He was trying to push Marcus. Just as the Fullbringer was trying to push Luke into releasing his Dolls, the Bount was trying to get Marcus to release his Fullbring. If Marcus realized that Luke could take everything he could throw at him, and dish it all back plus some, then Marcus would be required to release. They were both trying to edge the other to release.

Remaining Reiatsu: 5875 / 7000
-100 for Nebel
-150 for Nebel reform
-200 for Impact

Nebel Duration: 1 / 6

[Marcus Cole]

A feint smile touched Marcus’s face as the knife made contact. It was a hit. He had evened the score. This was no cause for celebration, not yet at least. However, the outcome of that last exchange was a small reward for Marcus’s effort. Luke was pushing him – forcing him to hold nothing back. This was the outcome of his training with Harle. For the first time in a long time, Marcus felt strong.

But that feeling did not last very long. As soon as the blade touched, Luke’s leg seemed to fade into a black smoke. Uh… that’s not normal. The bount’s entire body followed behind his leg, replacing his physical body with a dense, black mist. The throwing knife flew straight through the smoke, unhindered. It seemed that Luke was unharmed. Marcus wasn’t quite as successful as he would have liked.

The fullbringer knew nothing of Nebel. He was not an expert on bount whatsoever, only familiar with their basic racial features such as their ability to feed on other souls. That being said, he was quite surprised to see such a perfect defensive technique, literally making Luke untouchable. Marcus was still building up his arsenal of spiritual techniques, and he had not yet developed any energy-based attacks, which he guessed were more effective against Nebel. He was at a disadvantage, but that just meant that the fullbringer would have to be more resourceful and find an opening.

His instinct was to put some space between himself and that smoke. Marcus hobbled backward, avoiding excessive pressure on his right leg while limiting himself to a comfortable speed. Soul Dominance, while extremely useful, was taxing. Between his physical exertion and two uses of Soul Dominance, Marcus was getting tired. He needed to disengage, especially when any strikes he threw at the moment would be foiled by Nebel. He needed a proper plan.

Unfortunately, Luke didn’t give Marcus that option. The fog followed him, and from it, Luke’s arm reformed. This time, however, it glowed with a dull crimson. The fist moved rapidly toward Marcus, and based solely on its appearance, the fullbringer recognized the force it would carry. Luke had used a property of Output, Impact. Based on Marcus’s previous analysis of Luke’s strength, he understood that getting hit by that punch would spell the end of the battle.

Blocking certainly wasn’t an option. Marcus couldn’t muster the force necessary to withstand such a powerful strike. Dodging was his only option, but he was already mid-retreat as Luke pursued him. With all his weight on his left foot, he wouldn’t be able to sharply change direction, especially since using his right foot would only worsen its injury. His only option was to continue backward.

Marcus could have used a step technique to be safe, but that would only tire him out more. He had to conserve energy for their next exchange. With that in mind, he would rely on the same skills that got him out of the previous messy situation. The fullbringer pushed back on his left foot to continue to propel Marcus’s withdrawal. However, the left foot didn’t follow the rest of Marcus’s body. He had once again forfeited his balance in exchange for safety. By increasing the distance between his chest and Luke’s punch while simultaneously losing elevation, he’d dodge the punch like those characters in Matrix dodged bullets. Luke’s fist would fly over Marcus’s chest without meeting resistance.

As Marcus fell, he’d land on his butt. However, his momentum continued to carry him, allowing him to execute a backwards summersault and end facing Luke at a squatting position facing Luke. From that point forward, he’d retreat about fifteen feet backward to fully disengage from his opponent. Breathing heavily and carrying only one of his knives in his right hand, Marcus flashed a friendly smile towards Luke. Despite his injury, the pounding of his heart against his ribcage, and the heat of the battle, Marcus was having a good time.

The fullbringer thought back to Luke’s words a few minutes earlier. ”I’m not the same guy you met that night.” That was quite true. Luke’s combat abilities were far more advanced than before. Even without his dolls, Luke was a very capable fighter. He would be an asset for Uzaki Enterprise, and Marcus was really happy that he ran into Luke at that fight club.

Still, the dots weren’t all connected. The fullbringer began walking along the edge of the training room, slowly making his way to the corner that contained his backpack. As he did, he’d ask Luke a question. “You weren’t kidding before about being a different person. What happened between then and now that changed you?” Marcus was aware that the answer might be a bit too personal for Luke to reveal. He didn’t expect to get a full answer, but he was hoping to get some idea of who this new Luke was.

Once Marcus reached his backpack, he’d pull out four kunai, holding each between the fingers of his right hand. “Things have changed on my end too.” As Marcus equipped himself with the additional weapons, his heart ached once more at the reminder of Harle. Still, she had important matters to attend to in Soul Society, so he had to make the most of his time alone in the human world. Part of that involved breaking past his barriers and growing stronger. “I’m going to get serious now.”

Marcus’s reiatsu spiked, causing the blade in his hand and the other throwing knife across the room to transform. They narrowed and extended slightly, retaining their previous function with a much sleeker shape. This was the form of Marcus’s primary fullbring, the first level of his release. At first glance, it didn’t look like much. Marcus’s release wasn’t flashy what-so-ever. Instead, it was one that required some preparation for it to be effective, but once Marcus set things up, it was quite useful. The fullbringer created an intangible thread between the kunai and Marcus’s chest, his left palm and chest, and his chest and the ground beside his backpack. He had made a makeshift network of strings that would only expand over time.

It was time to resume the battle. Marcus threw one of the kunai in his right straight at Luke, aiming it for the bount’s left arm. If Luke attempted to punch him with his left, then there was a good chance his left was susceptible to physical strikes once more. It was a straightforward attack, one designed just to reopen the fight. In truth, Marcus was still getting accustomed to his release. He was far from mastering it, but this was an opportunity to test its capabilities. That smoke technique would be difficult to deal with, but so it was best to be more reactive. The ball was in Luke’s court, and it would be until Marcus found an opening.

Reiatsu Remaining: 1950/2500 (-200 for Fullbring Level 1)

Fullbring Level 1: 1/10

String Network:
Kunai 1 to Marcus's Chest
Kunai 2 to Marcus's Chest
Kunai 3 to Marcus's Chest
Kuntai 4 to Marcus's Chest
Marcus's Left Palm to his Chest
Marcus's Chest to the Ground by Backpack

[Deleted]

Did he actually fucking dodge?? Luke's sharp senses and quick instincts gave him a clear view and understanding regarding just how Marcus had dodged his punch. It wasn't so much that he used fancy footwork to utilize those acrobatic skills, it was more like he gave up on being fancy and went full on desperation to get away from Luke. It was obvious since Marcus landed on his rump rather than gracefully on his feet after all. Though the Bount had missed his mark, it didn't mean that the force behind the punch simply vanished. Luke’s punch would rock the gymnasium, causing the floor to rise up like it was a wave and made out of water before cracking and shattering the floor. The force escaped from the impact would slam against the windows, pushing them outwards slightly. Any loose equipment, like Luke’s stuff, was flung against the nearest wall as a result of the released wave of force.

”Tch…” Luke grumbled, placing his right hand over his left arms wrist. His fingers twitched uncontrollably and the muscles in his arms spasmed periodically. He released a long exhale as a few beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. Impact, at the end of the day, was draining. It would be a few minutes before Luke could use his left arm properly again. It wasn't that his arm was in pain. Pain wasn't a downside to using Impact. Limb exhaustion was the toll of the technique. Trying to clench his fingers only resulted in the sensation of not feeling the force he was trying to put into those five digits. It would be a few minutes before Luke's left arm had its energy back.

But even though it was a bad trade, with Luke coming out worse than Marcus, he couldn't help but smile. Maybe it was because Marcus was smiling as well. Or maybe it was because Luke was having fun. He finally had someone he could go out, no holds barred, against that wasn't a death match. Luke always got stuck dealing with people far above his level, or so fucking weak that sneezing would rip them apart. He and Marcus were both on a even playing field...and it was fun. It was fun playing tug of war with the Fullbringer. Or maybe it was the adrenaline talking. "Or maybe you're gay." Fuck off.

His eyes didn't leave Marcus as the Fullbringer began walking to the side of the gymnasium. He wasn't walking in a fighting manner, so Luke didn't make a move to try and stop him. Straightening himself up, Luke turned his attention to his left arm for a moment before he suddenly heard Marcus's question. The question reverberated inside of Luke's head for a few seconds, the Bount staring at his arm as that happened. What had happened between the last time they had met? Marcus didn't mean to do it. He really didn't. It was a innocent question. How he was supposed to know it would trigger Luke?

"I guess," she said panting, "even swamp monsters are beautiful when cloaked in his Majesty's flames."

"You never cease to amaze me. You've gone and lost your weapon...so why are you just standing there?"

"You think just because you have power that you can just do whatever you want with people's lives, like we're your god damn toys!" Luke shouted.

"Absturz!!" The sound of rushing water filled his head like echoes. The sound of concrete cracking and being crushed by the tidal wave. The thunderous drum of that wave flooding the streets. He still heard it all so clearly.

“To be a hero is to commend yourself to an early death. For to be one, you have to be willing to sacrifice your very life."

"So what if I die early? So what if I have to give up my own happiness to do this? I refuse to live a life that's built on the bodies of others!"

"I won't be a fake. I won't be a pretender. I will walk this path. It doesn't matter how much it hurts...or how much I lose Aevus...because this is the right thing to do.""

"Luke."

He suddenly came to his senses. He didn't even notice his left arm had tightened itself into a ball. When he relaxed the feeling of exhaustion returned with haste. I'm fine. Luke replied, quickly squishing any complaints or questions his Dolls might have as he returned his gaze to Marcus. How should he even answer that question? As much as Luke had started to like him there was no way Luke was going to explain the truth to him. There was no way in knowing how he'd react. In fact, Luke could guess with confidence how he'd react seeing how Aevus had intended to execute him over that night. Brown eyes averted their gaze from Marcus for a moment, before he decided on his answer. "I found my path." It was purposefully vague, but clear enough to explain that Luke had found something worth fighting for.

His attention returned to Marcus when he heard the other man rummaging around in his personal bag. The Bount blinked when he saw Marcus pull even more throwing daggers out from his bag, along with the confession that he'd be getting serious. Suddenly his reiatsu spiked, prompting Luke to raise his guard once more and let go of his left arm. "Hmph. Hopefully this won't be disappointing." Springflut decided to comment, although Luke could tell that he was grumpier than usual. Maybe it was because Luke had remembered that fight. "This'll be the first time we've seen a Fullbring." No. It wouldn't. Though it had been short lived, they had seen the released state of Khapri's Fullbring during their club fight. "That doesn't count. We didn't see her powers. It also was a big dumb squirtgun. So lame."

The blade in Marcus's hand had changed its shape. They became sleeker in shape, but other than there wasn't any sort of drastic transformation. So those knives were his sealed form, huh? But what Luke noticed, and caused some concern, was the thread he saw connected the dagger to Marcus's chest. No, there were more than that. He saw numerous strings attached to Marcus, the ground, and his backpack. Just what sort of power was it? Was it like Gracie and her strings? Or were they something much more insidious?

Maybe he should let one of his Dolls out. The idea was certainly starting to sound appealing. Though his left arm wasn't going to see much action, Luke reached behind him with his left and slipped his fingers into his pocket to retrieve a small matchbox. But he simply kept his grip on it rather than doing anything with it, doing his best to keep it hidden from Marcus. The fog produced from Nebel had been blasted to the corners of the gym from Luke's Impact strike and had now returned to its earlier state. Luke stood standing, wondering what Marcus's ability could have been, when the battle suddenly began again.

Marcus chose to throw the knife he had in his right hand and, based on its trajectory, was aiming for Luke's weakened left arm. Luke wasn't going to play with that knife trick nonsense again. He began to lunge forward, before suddenly becoming fog once again as the knife neared him. While Nebel was active it was best to think of the fog as an extension of Luke. While Nebel was active he can dissipate into the mist and reappear somewhere else, like the fog gave him access to a Step. Utilizing this ability, the Bount would reappear behind Marcus, with his right side facing Marcus's back. His right arm raised and pulled back towards Luke's left, the Bount threw a karate chop at the Fullbringer's exposed necks backside. It was like Luke was trying to pull off a scene from an action movie where someone knocks someone out with a chop to the back of the neck. Whether it worked or not...well it was up to Marcus now.

Remaining Reiatsu: 5625 / 7000
-100 for Nebel
-150 for Nebel reform

Nebel Duration: 2 /6

[Marcus Cole]

"I found my path." Marcus sensed traumatic memories in Luke’s eyes as the bount diverted his gaze. Whatever had happened, it left Luke with pain and guilt. His new-found conviction was a product of that guilt, but he would have to endure the remorse and blame as it ate away at him. Marcus couldn’t understand the experiences Luke underwent and how it shaped him today, but he could recognize the subtle aching it left him.

The bount’s determination certainly brought out the best of his combat ability. Marcus did not expect anything to come from the kunai he threw. Luke could likely just avoid damage with that mysterious smoke technique. The purpose of the projectile was to spread out Marcus’s string network, and when the blade flew past where Luke had previously stood, it landed at the opposite end of the room. The intangible string still connected right to Marcus’s chest.

But Luke threw a new twist on his move. He lunged forward as the knife passed through his mist, but that wasn’t the unusual part. Upon reforming into the fog, it lost its momentum, like it was no longer following Luke. He had moved forward and left the fog behind. Without any energy sensory, Marcus would have no idea that Luke reformed behind him. He had no understanding of Nebel either, so he didn’t anticipate that Luke could reform from any point of the fog. But he did have a guess as to what happened.

He's invisible! That was the most logical explanation for Marcus. He lost sight of Luke as the bount had begun to rush him. An invisible Luke could easily use a step technique to close the distance and sucker-punch Marcus in a second. That would be quite bad. Marcus wouldn’t want that at all. He had to defend himself as quickly as possible so as to prevent that type of situation.

Fortunately, the fullbringer had taken precautions in an earlier exchange. Although his right knee was busted, the contact it made with Luke’s stomach left an imprint of Marcus’s reiatus on the bount. This was his opportunity to activate Shadow Punch. He restrained the power behind the technique once more, limiting the force behind the strike to only 250, less than half of its full power. It would be enough to knock the wind out of Luke and send him flying into one of the walls but not enough to do severe internal damage. He wasn’t trying to end the fight quite yet.

If Luke could anticipate Shadow Punch, he could easily use Nebel once more to dissipate and partially reform, completing his attack and knocking Marcus out. If this were the case, the fight would be over. Luke would have won. But if he Luke could not anticipate the strike, it would knock him backward into the wall only a few feet from Marcus, as he was standing at the corner of the room. The sound would alert Marcus to Luke’s presence behind him. The fullbringer, feeling silly that he had wrongly assumed Luke was invisible, would then have an opportunity to counter attack.

Luke would be temporarily incapacitated from the impact of both Shadow Punch and being slammed into the wall. That was the chance Marcus needed. He began backing off, throwing the second kunai in his right hand at Luke as he did. This time, however, the blade alone wasn’t going to deliver the strike. Marcus wasn’t certain that the knife would strike before Luke recovered his wits and activated Nebel once more. Therefore, he used the blade as a proxy for his real attack. When the kunai was just inches form Luke, Marcus activated Soul Dominance once more. All of the oxygen around the blade would erupt into fiery flames. The flames alone would leave Luke with first degree burns across his body, but if he then used Nebel, the searing heat of the blade after it had caused that explosion would burn his body.

Marcus, his breath slightly elevated after using Soul Dominance, continued to hobble backward with most of his weight on his left foot until he reached the opposite corner of the room. His first kunai would be about 20 feet away along the wall to his left and Luke would be all the way across the room, near the second kunai, which was threaded to Marcus’s chest. Secondly, Marcus had created a string between his chest and the ground beside Luke, where Marcus’s backpack was. For the meantime, Marcus decided that he’d let Luke initiate their next exchange. In the meantime, he expanded his string network once again, tapping his release weapon in his left hand to the ground at his feet to establish a connection between them. The longer the fight continued, the stronger Marcus would get due to the nature of his power. Luke had better start taking this more seriously.

“Don’t tell me you still can’t control your dolls yet.”

Reiatsu Remaining: 1700/2500 (-100 for Shadow Punch, -150 for Soul Dominance)

Fullbringer Level 1: 2/10

String Network:
Kunai 1 to Marcus's Chest
Kunai 2 to Marcus's Chest
Kunai 3 to Marcus's Chest
Kuntai 4 to Marcus's Chest
Marcus's Left Palm to his Chest
Marcus's Chest to the Ground by Backpack
Left Release Knife to Ground in Corner Opposite of Backpack

Note: If Luke could use Nebel in anticipation of Shadow Punch, Marcus would be knocked out by the chop to his neck and Luke would be the winner.

[Deleted]

A slew of poorly worded swears that probably weren’t even words hurricaned about in Luke’s head when there was a sudden explosion of pain in his stomach. He had been in the process of delivering an attack to the back of Marcus’s neck when suddenly, without warning, it felt like a explosion suddenly went off on his stomach and he was being hurtled backwards. His back collided with the wall, causing the Bount to gag out in pain and from the air inside him being forced out his mouth. ”The hell was that??” Luke had the same question, but it didn’t take him long to figure out what had happened. It surprised him. But he didn’t have the time to think about Marcus’s move, because the next one was already here.

He spotted the dagger heading right for him, and with what time he had began activating Nebel to trigger when the dagger collided with him. But Marcus was smart. He made a move that Nebel wouldn’t be able to defend Luke from. The fucking thing exploded. Within the span of a instant Luke saw the dagger and in the next it became a explosion of flames. The explosion would kick up dirt, swirl up the fog of Nebel, and cause already loose floorboards from the early damage to be thrown apart the gym. That move was certainly surprising, especially when they were just supposed to be sparring.

Aside from Marcus’s panting, there was silence from the cloud of smoke. Ow… Luke mentally moaned. It was hard to describe the sensation of having his body covered in burns. “It hurt” didn’t do it enough justice. It fucking hurt. ”He got you. Seems like he can do more than just flip a knife.” Springflut commented as Luke began to push himself to his feet. He could barely even think it hurt so much. He had been knocked into the wall, his stomach was killing him, and the entire front of his body was in agony. Fucker didn’t hold back. He mentally growled as the piece of charred jerky got to his feet.

But the fight wasn’t over. Marcus would see the light from within the smoke. A green glow illuminated the smoke and fog and as the visual obstructions cleared away he would see that the glowing was coming from Luke. He was covered in burns, just as Marcus’s attack intended, but despite the pain the Bount didn’t go down. Not only was his Pain Tolerance keeping him standing, but now Luke was determined to win. His shirt had been torn apart by the flames and force, held on by only a few strands of fabric before the Bount tore it off. It’d only get in the way anyways.

But the part Marcus was, probably, focused on was the fact that those burns were healing. Glowing orbs of reiatsu were appearing near Luke and being pulled into that aura that surrounded him as those burns were healed. Marcus must have recognized what was happening. If the man knew anything about the other human worlds races, then he’d realize what was happening. Luke was using Immortality Drink. It was similar to how Quincy worked. While Quincy drew in ambient reiatsu to form their bows of energy, the Bount did it a little differently. The reiatsu they drew in was absorbed and, instead of being turned into a weapon, was used to heal them.

Those brown eyes glared at Marcus, an irritated anger flashing inside them as the Bount stared at the Fullbringer. Luke looked mad. Granted, could he be faulted for being mad? Marcus did just blow him up. ”So that move isn’t limited to weapons..” Luke commented, referring to how Marcus’s Shadow Punch.His eyes drifted downwards to Marcus’s busted knee, narrowing for a moment before returning to the Fullbringers face. ”You put it on me when we traded earlier, huh?” Luke asked, though he knew the answer already. He would just need to avoid letting Marcus land any kind of blow on him.

Alright...let’s take this up a notch. Luke mentally commented as he lifted his lift arm, opening his palm to reveal what he’d been keeping a hold of. A matchbox. He held it out for Marcus to see for a few moments. ”Zeige Dich, Jäger.” when Luke’s word left his mouth there was a clear weight to them, as if the words themselves possessed a power. He crushed the matchbox between his fingers, causing it to turn to nothing but black dust that vanished itself.

But nothing happened.

Nothing appeared. There was no additional presence added to the gym. No entity appeared. Nothing. It was like a bomb's countdown hitting zero and then realizing it was a dud. Luke, however, didn’t seem that bothered. He flexed his left hand's fingers, coming to realize that it was working again. Maybe using Immortality Drink also restored his left arms functionality. But Marcus wouldn’t see what was happening because of all the smoke and fog. Everything below Luke’s knees were hidden by the smoke and fog, so Marcus wouldn’t see just how thick Luke’s shadow had become. In a gymnasium filled with even soft lights, there wouldn’t be a shadow like the one beneath Luke. What’s more, Luke’s shadow was steadily getting larger like a puddle of liquid.

Luke suddenly took to the offense. A sword, similar in shape to before, appeared in his right hand as he sprinted towards Marcus. The Bount then vanished, using Movement to clear the distance that was between himself and Marcus, and when he reappeared in front of the Fullbring he had his right side facing Marcus. From his left Luke swung his right arm, trying to catch Marcus on his blade as well as extend his own reach. Focusing on Luke, would Marcus notice the Bounts shadow? By stretching his arm with the swing, the arm of his shadow reached out as well. And, being so close, Luke's growing shadow would begin to overlap with Marcus's own shadow. What would happen as a result of that?

Remaining Reiatsu: 4500 / 7000
-300 for Class Immortality Drink
-400 (+200) for Doll Release
-200 for AAA sword
-25 for Movemebt

Jäger's Remaining Reiatsu: 1150 / 1500
-350 for Ungesehen

SPOILER: Click to show

{Ungesehen}
Ungesehen (Unseen) - This is a passive ability, available to Jäger at all times. It suppresses his reiatsu signature, rendering it incapable of being detected by anyone except those who have superior Energy Sensory to his Reiatsu Strength. This alone is potent. However, it also augments his Overall Ability, causing shadow form objects to vanish from energy sensory in the same manner. However, regardless, Jäger is capable of tracking those objects with his own energy sensory.

Drawbacks: Jäger can still be detected by sight when it is in it’s hunter form, regardless of people’s energy sensory. The same holds true for shadow form objects. Additionally, if someone has superior Spiritual Offensive Stat then this ability is also negated. This ability instantly docks 350 reiatsu from Jäger’s pool once he is are released.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}
Jager | Freak

Strength - 150 - 225 Points

Speed - 300 Points

Spiritual Pressure - 200 - 150 Points

Reiatsu Strength - 400 - 600 Points

Light Aura - 50 Points

Dark Aura - 50 Points

Instinct - 150 - 112 Points

Senses - 100 Points

Energy sensory - 100 - 150 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Total SP: 1400 Points

[Marcus Cole]

Oops, I think I over did it… Marcus thought as he watched his own handiwork. The eruption of flames from the blade was more intense and powerful than he had intended. In the heat of the moment (pun intended), he conjured a dangerous explosion in place of the smaller burst of fire that he would have preferred. He'd have to be a bit more careful next time. I hope Luke’s alright.

To Marcus’s surprise, the bount began to luminesce with emerald light. Slowly, his body began to recover from the burn damage Luke had faced. Woah, Marcus thought, enchanted by such an ability. If only I could do something like that… He thought back to previous encounters, specifically one against an assassin that put a bullet through his leg and waited for him to bleed out. Oh well, too bad I’m not a bount.

Luke’s eyes burned with an angry fire. Marcus responded with a sheepish smile. ”You put it on me when we traded earlier, huh?” “Sorry,” he murmured half-heartedly. He wasn’t completely apologetic. While he didn’t mean to hurt Luke too badly, he had to push the bount somehow. Simply releasing his fullbring wasn’t enough to get Luke to bring his dolls out, but a nasty explosion should do the trick.

”Zeige Dich, Jäger.” Marcus cocked his head to the side. Huh? Is that German? In reality, he didn’t know much about bount powers and dolls. He thought that, when Luke finally summoned his doll, he’d see some big monster thing appear beside the bount. This wasn’t quite the case. With the dust and smoke still settling, Marcus didn’t see the expansion of Luke’s shadow. With his limited energy sensory, he could feel the bount’s reiatsu spike, indicating that something big just happened. He just didn’t know what it was.

The fullbringer didn’t have time to investigate. Luke summoned a blade once more and closed the distance once more with movement. Marcus’s back was pressed to the corner of the room, giving him no room to evade with his usual acrobatic maneuvers or backwards summersault shenanigans. He was in a bad spot. Flight wasn’t an option, so he’d have to fight.

Luke’s first move was not unexpected. Marcus was fully capable of managing the single sword strike coming toward his right. First and foremost, he parried it at the lower half of the sword with one of the kunai remaining in his right hand. The moment the sword made contact with the blade, its movement suddenly stopped as if it ran into a wall. Now, Luke was notably stronger than Marcus, so the fullbringer couldn’t manage to stop the blow completely with his own strength. Instead, just as the sword made contact, he attached it to the string and set its velocity at 0. It was stuck in space, unable to move forward or backward. Marcus had caught it.

But that wasn’t all. Because he intentionally blocked the sword relatively close to its hilt, the kunai was within a foot of Luke’s hand. This gave Marcus a second opportunity. He attached Luke’s hand to the string and set its velocity at 0, freezing Luke as well. Now, the bount – once he realized what happened – could flex his reiatsu and pay 50 of it to detach himself from the string. However, once he did, if he tried to grab his blade, he’d realize that it too was trapped and he wouldn’t be able to detach it from the string.

Marcus had a brief opportunity to strike. Upon parrying Luke’s slash, he stepped in with his left foot and swung his left fist toward Luke’s left shoulder, which Luke would not able to move without readjusting his whole body. Marcus, moving at full speed, would have no problem what-so-ever closing the distance before Luke detached himself and pulled his right arm away. The impact wouldn’t hurt much, since he struck with his closed fist rather than the knife he held in it. However, it would leave an imprint of his reiatsu as a vector for Shadow Punch. Marcus wouldn’t spring the technique yet, but simply placing it was a small victory in their overall battle.

Marcus would be able to feel it once Luke detached himself from the string, and as long as he placed Shadow Punch, he was ready to continue with a more direct counter-attack. As soon as Luke detached himself, Marcus was change the velocity of Luke’s sword. This time, he set it at 400 speed. As for its direction? It was sent flying off the end of the string, straight at Luke’s body. He would be forced to trigger Nebel if he could not evade, and when that happened, Marcus would await his reformation. Thanks to Shadow Punch, he would have the advantage when Luke’s physical body manifested once again.

There was one flaw in Marcus’s plan. He had no clue that Luke’s doll was on the playing field. His attention wasn’t focused on the ground, so he didn’t notice the unusual size of Luke’s shadow. The strategy he developed was designed only to deal with Luke, so when Jaegar showed himself and started taking action, Marcus would have no choice but to wing it.

Reiatsu Remaining: 1700/2500 (no reiatsu spent this post)

Fullbring Level 1: 3/10

String Network (Unchanged):
Kunai 1 to Marcus's Chest
Kunai 2 to Marcus's Chest
Kunai 3 to Marcus's Chest
Kuntai 4 to Marcus's Chest
Marcus's Left Palm to his Chest
Marcus's Chest to the Ground by Backpack
Left Release Knife to Ground in Corner Opposite of Backpack