Interestingly enough the man had dabbled in battling with a clima-tact but it didn't quite fit his preferred method of combat.
He watched as the woman took up her sword with both hands. It was a style he was familiar with, the grip and posture probably meant that she had a great deal of power in those arms in order to wield such a weapon. However, he was curious to see how well-versed she was in using it or if she lacked in agility because of it.
Azusa held his ground, taking in a deep breath as the blonde committed to a strong downward thrust of the blade. With a quick pivot the man pushed himself to the left, dodging the blade so it'd hit nothing but air and ground. In a single fluid motion he immediately slammed one end of the staff into the dirt and used it to lift and lunge himself forward, counter attacking with a leaping kick to Astraea's chest plate with enough force to knock her back a few feet.
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XXX Reset. As her strike missed, Astraea was able to watch her opponent use his weapon to lift himself off the ground to counterattack, but she was not fast enough to react. With a grunt she was pushed back a couple of feet, sliding along the stone slab they were staged on, her sword still gripped in both hands. Truthfully, she wasn't all that physically strong, so even if she had landed the blow it likely wouldn't have been all that jarring. For a moment she contemplated putting her sword away and finding another way to fight, but this was supposed to be a learning opportunity for her. Taking a deep breath, she contemplated the best way to go about this. The main goal she had at the moment was disarming Azusa since it was difficult to land a strike on him with such a large weapon in the way.
Rushing forward once more, Raea kicked out her leg toward the man, purposefully attempting to come up short so as not to actually hit him, though she was still hoping he would react to the movement. As she brought her leg down, she'd pivot, spinning and using the momentum to swing the blunt side of her blade toward his hand to try to weaken his grip on the staff. From there she'd bring her blade down against the staff, pushing against it to try to knock it from his hands.
With the woman knocked a couple of feet off balance, Azusa prepared himself for another attempt from her. His narrowed gaze analyzed her body, her movements, watching for any subtle shifts. As she came back in with a kick he'd take a single step back to avoid the blow that had already come up short, though to his surprise and much to his approval she'd feinted to pivot herself to aim for his hand. The blunt force struck the back of his hand with enough power to loosen his grip. However, the man was stubborn. He'd reinforce his grip through the wincing pain, holding it at both ends to when the blade came down against it the wood splintered and snapped in two; effectively breaking the old wood but giving him two weapons in response.
A mischievous smirked curled along his lips.
His knuckles were bruised but after being given what were effectively tonfas, the bearded man quickly pushed himself off to the side in an attempt to swing his body over to Astraea's left flank, twirling and swinging the wooden rods downward in an attempt to drum her forearms and wrists, aiming to weaken her grip by bruising the flesh similar to what she had done; but his strikes held more weight behind them.
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Lightning shot across the sky, heading towards Marine HQ. Though it seemed to reach out erratically, unformed. But soon it reached over the Training grounds, and what at first seemed to be a bolt of lightning turned into a man running along the ground, then tumbling, and rolling across the ground. His body was bruised, and he would lay there a moment before pushing himself to his hands and knees, coughing up a bit of blood "Damn.." he grunted, pushing himself to sit up, back against anything he could find to hold himself up. He pulled out a bent cigarette and lit it, a bit of blood running down his forehead. He looked up to see some marines fighting, holding his cig in his lips he clapped at them "Let's go! Gotta push harder than that!" he shouted, seemingly disoriented, just cheering on blindly at the 'fight'. He would sit there, watching their fight, trying not to interrupt.
158 words Battle Statistics
Health:1/570 Stamina:263/738 Health Lost: Stamina Drain: 25 Damage Output:
Tech Used: Technique Name: Man of Lightning Description: The user can turn themselves into lightning at will, allowing them to travel in special ways and to avoid being hit by certain attacks. The user can turn into and travel as a bolt of lightning (Limited by Speed). While in this lightning form the user can also travel through Most mediums, excluding Rubber. In addition to this, the user can turn into lightning to avoid attacks by phasing them.
XXX At the very least, it was satisfying to feel her blow land against Azusa, and even if she wasn't successful in disarming him Astraea was happy to hear the sound of the weapon snapping. Unfortunately she didn't have much time to celebrate as the man swung down to target the same spot she had. The sword fell from her hands, clattering to the ground as he made contact, wincing at the stinging pain. That was twice now she'd been hit; once with a kick and once by the weapon. If this had been a fight with Galand, would she still be able to fight? Would she still be standing? Raea was used to taking blows, and in general wasn't afraid of taking damage, but that was a dangerous mentality to have if she was going to take Galand on as an equal. Like her current opponent, he was well versed in close combat, and if any of his attacks were to involve his Devil Fruit... How much of that could she take? The durability of her body aside, she had to learn how to evade better.
With her sword gone for the time being, she was momentarily forced to rely on unarmed combat, once more spinning her body to gain momentum, attempting to kick Azusa in the chest to push him back a few feet away from her so that she had a moment to scoop up her blade. Before she could leap back into the fray though, a bolt of lightning arched down nearby and Astraea jumped in surprise. In a knee jerk reaction she raised her hand, a gieser shooting up from the water that surrounded the stone slab they fought on in tandem with her movement. The water ebbed and flowed in the air now, weaving itself around Azusa to form a protective dome around him while Astraea examined the newcomer. For a moment she was tense, her sword pointed toward the man as she judged whether or not this was a threat. However, catching sigh of the badge he wore, the woman dropped her guard, relaxing her shoulders and sighing. As she did so, the barrier of water she'd surrounded Azusa with simply dropped in place, soaking the man she'd been attempting to protect. "Oh! S-Sorry, Azusa!"
Laughing nervously, she rubbed the back of her neck, turning to look once more at the other Marine. "Are you alright?!" Considering the blood on him and the fact that his entrance hadn't been graceful at all, it was clear he wasn't in the best of shape. "You know.. I'm no doctor but I don't think it's wise to just.. I think you need to go to the Infirmary! Ah.. Can somebody help him, please?!" The woman looked like she was torn in between staying to finish her fight with Azusa and running over to help the injured man, but was thankfully saved from making the decision by another Marine nearby who started treating the man's wounds, trying to convince him to go to the medical bay. Shaking her head with a relieved sigh, she found herself distracted as she anxiously watched them, momentarily distracted from the battle at hand...
With his strikes landing he'd gone for a follow up, but a foot was thrust in his direction instead. He'd manage to step off to the side just in time but it appeared that she was only doing that as a distraction so that she could go for her weapon. Azusa gave chase but as he did their fight was suddenly halted by a streak of lightning striking the surface a dozen yards away from them. the man held fast to his suspicion.
Was this some sort of attack on their base?
Having seen a man arise from the smoke donning a Marine badge Azusa cooed. He was beat up but not dead. He was well enough to tell them to continue while slipping a cigarette in his mouth; something that would eventually kill. Approaching Astraea from behind he'd tap at her neck with one of his makeshift tonfa, setting it on her shoulder as if warning her to not let her guard down."Distractions can occur in the field. It is key to stay focused. The man is fine, if he is still standing then his wounds are not critical. Trust me. I am a doctor."A feint grin stretched his lips as he cooed and turned himself around to take his position across from Astraea, taking up a new stance as one of the tonfa guarded his front while the other was raised offensively over his head.
XXX"Oh!" Jolting in surprise, as she felt something tap at her neck and rest on her shoulder, Astraea turned to see Azusa behind her, giving him a nervous smile as he chastised her. "Ah, sorry.. I couldn't help but worry." Being excessively anxious about situations or other people was just how she'd always been, but it certainly wasn't wise to let herself get distracted in combat. "You're right. I'll focus." Taking in a deep breath she let it out slowly, nodding to herself and walking back a few steps to take up her own fighting stance. On one hand, she was proud of herself for breaking through the weapon, but of course... Now she had to worry about two strikes instead of just one. At first she seemed a little put out by this realization, but she was quick to try to pep herself back up. As much as she was trying to reduce potential damage to her body, whatever she was struck with she would just have to accept. Getting up from devastating attacks nobody else could take was really the only thing she was go at after all.
"Sorry, Azusa.. I really don't want to hurt you, but.." Sword gripped once more in both hands, Astraea ran forward to clear the distance between her and her opponent. "I'm looking forward to a good story!" With a hard swing, she ignored one of his arms, hoping to collide with the other makeshift tonfa he now had, trying to push her blade along his weapon quick enough so that she could angle the tip of her sword down toward his neck. Of course, she would stop just sword of piercing into his flesh if her maneuver had worked, still somewhat hesitant to inflict actual harm upon him.
Glad to see that the woman was still in such high spirits he readied himself for another round. Again, his opponent led with a frontal assault, subconsciously her scolded this choice but physically his eyes narrowed at her rushing in. Her attack seemed wide, Azusa could pinpoint her vulnerable areas.
However, while he made no attempts to actually sidestep her swing, he did counteract.
As the woman dashed in Azusa took one heavy stomp forward and when the swing came, instead of raising a defense or a counter-measure to stop the incoming blade he'd step in. The man's body gave a slight crouch while stepping in. He'd pivot himself just enough to have his left side facing Astraea as he drove up and in to slam his left shoulder into her midsection with a powerful charge. Having initially lowered his position he narrowly managed to avoid the blade's crown from reaching him. And although he'd come in to further shorten the distance between them, getting into melee range, the edge of the blade still mildly dug into the flesh of his charging shoulder when he rose his taller body to strike.
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XXX Well, she certainly hadn't expected Azusa to lean into her attack. Eyes widening she felt his shoulder collide with her stomach, her breath forced from her with the impact. It was only after he straightened his posture again that Astraea felt her sword connect with him weakly, but she was too disoriented to capitalize on it fully. As she stumbled back and struggled to pull air back into her lungs, she'd attempt to drag the sword from the man's shoulder down and across his chest, grunting when she felt his next strike hit her. Perhaps it was a foolish endeavor to attempt close combat when it had never been her talent to begin with. If she wanted to come even close to the swordplay skills Galand had it would take years more of training, and she didn't have that kind of time. Bending one of her legs, she'd try to strike out at Azusa to push him back a little further from her so that she could have some distance. Dropping her sword, she'd instead go for the Clima-Tact on her hip, her dismayed expression returning to her face as if she were disappointed with herself.
Spinning the weapon deftly between her fingers it would suddenly expand in length, shifting into a staff similar to the one Azusa had been using before it had broken. From the tip of her weapon, what seemed like a small cloud would shoot off into the sky, growing larger and larger as it darkened the area around them. "I hope you don't mind rain." A faint smile pulled at her lips, and for the time being Astraea was mostly still, her stance far more defensive now with her weapon held across her body diagonally. As she waited for her rain clouds to build more, she'd do her best to hold off the attacks from Azusa until she felt the time was right, spinning the Clima-Tact once and arching it down toward the ground, a downpour of water falling from the skies as she did so.
Holding the Clima-Tact with her dominant hand, her other lifted, once more beckoning the nearby water to her side, taking a moment to have it condense and swirl rapidly before propelling it toward Azusa in an attempt to knock him off of the clearing they stood in.
With his shoulder slamming into the woman's midsection he'd feel the blade dragging across him in response of pushing her back. He'd wince mildly in pain from the shallow but lengthy wound. Had he been thinking he would've at least removed the top half of his work clothes, but now his uniform was ruined.
He brought up a makeshift tonfa to intercept her kick, the pair being pushed back from one another. Since his uniform was ruined, Azusa grabbed hold of one of his sleeves and tore it off with a hard yank and tug. Quickly tying it around his fresh wound to catch and stop the bleeding of the hallow wound he'd watch as Astraea pulled out her clima-tact with a look of disapproval on her face. To this, Azusa smirked. Ever the analytical man he made a mental note of her disdaining decision.
Familiar with the weapon and its capabilities, the light around them slowly grayed after an orb shot up into the sky. The man readied himself, this time preparing to go on the offensive."So, this is the game we are going to play."He murmured coyly. There was a sudden calm before rain started to pour from the man-made clouds.
Once Astraea called the water to her side, Azusa took off into a sprint. His tonfa spun as he swayed to his right of the incoming wave of water and then hurled one of his tonfas hastily towards her. He continued his run, but after a few steps and one hard push forwards he vanished from sight as if blinking out of existence. A moment after the tonfa would reach its initial destination, Azusa would wink back into existence at Astraea's left flank, aiming a hard jab to her ribs with his one remaining tonfa.
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Words: 300 Cash Flow: 3,000 Total Bank: 95,670 Posting History: [ x ]
XXX"S-Sorry! Sorry! I'll buy you a new uniform after!" Astraea couldn't help but feel guilty as she saw Azusa pull his sleeve off and wrap it about himself, already worrying for his well being even though she knew the wound she had given him wasn't deep. The woman still fully intended to take the battle seriously considering she had a vested interest in winning, but that didn't mean she wouldn't feel bad! At least now with Azusa on the offensive, maybe she'd have an easier time. This was what she was far more used to, after all. As one of his tonfas came flying at her she'd use her Clima-Tact to deflect it, switching her focus to watch her approaching opponent as he ran toward her and then... Vanished?! 'Soru?!' Though she couldn't be certain, the sudden disappearance reminded her of a Rokushiki technique; one she'd seen Galand use before. But it didn't matter whether or not she'd been exposed to it previously, because it was far too quick to react to.
The man reappeared at her side, shoving his weapon hard into her ribs. "Ugh!" With a pain filled grunt she was pushed back several feet, hitting the ground and rolling once before she came to a stop, still on the ground but facing toward Azusa. One hand forward, she'd attempt to direct tendrils of water to coil up and around his body, trying to tighten them around his neck in particular to cut off his air supply. In the meantime she stood, wincing at the pain in her side, releasing a ball of electricity from her weapon to send it into the air so that her storm would be ready when she needed it.
Hammond has drawn the attention of the fighters for few moments before they were back at each other's throats. Both of them were amazingly skilled in their areas, their weapons were, disappointing however. With a little thought, Hammond could create amazing new toys for them both. His hand came to his chin, and he looked down, in deep thought as one of the medical marines were attending to him. He didn't pay him mind as he was just doing his job, but a hand reached and snapped his nose back into place. "Agh, you bloody b*****d! Damn.." he said, snapping out of his 'thought trance' and looking back to the fight.
It was getting exceptionally good, there were elements flying around and dodges and- did he just disappear?! Hammond shot to his feet, this man was not fast enough for this, at least, he hadn't shown that kind of speed. Scanning the field, the man would finally reappear moments later and Hammond would applaud, cheering on the competition. He by no means wanted to stop the fight, but he'll have to take them for drinks after this, it was a good show.
192 words 350 so far Battle Statistics
Health: Stamina: Health Lost: Stamina Drain: Damage Output:
Assassins roamed the shadows unseen and slayed in darkness. Trickery and illusions, precise strikes to vitals and inconceivable maneuvers. However, what the woman perceived as Soru had been anything but, rather a little trick Azusa had up his sleeve, something he often kept hidden; stricken from the data banks.
As his blow landed and Astraea was sent reeling back, the man landed, bounced on twice on his toes and took off into another dash. As more pools of water were sent forth he halted his forward movements and instead took a brisk step back to dodge one of the crashing waves. He reeled back an arm to fling his remaining tonfa at the creator of these waves but he stopped when he felt the tremble in his hand. Without being able to release a steady throw he instead combated the other tendrils. He swung at the one trying to coil up his body with his remaining tonfa, striking its base to also separate it like cutting the head from a snake. He'd notice the ball rising into the air. He wasn't sure what she was preparing now but he wasn't going to let her. Steadying the quaking in his hand he'd aim and launch his tonfa towards this rising ball, aiming to strike through it before it could fully reach the awaiting clouds.
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XXX Once of her hands clutching at her injured, aching side, Astraea was not quick enough to halt Azusa from throwing his remaining tonfa at the ball of electricity she had released. While this meant she wasn't going to be able to use her storm for the moment, it did open up an interesting opportunity for her considering the man was unarmed at the moment. It wasn't that the woman doubted his close combat skills; quite the opposite as he'd clearly overwhelmed her in that regard. But this whole battle was meant to polish up her fighting skills again, so the more she could practice the better. Sliding her baton into its shorter form, she'd quickly holster her weapon and dash forward. Head on approaches in battle were not always the wisest of decisions, but it was how she'd always handled opponents. She couldn't use Rokushiki to seemingly disappear like others could, and she wasn't naturally fast. Every once in a while she could feint, but most of her attacks were rather simple and straightforward. Her job, after all, had usually been to capture and hold the attention of her enemies and take damage while someone else on her team dealt the true blows.
Thinking about it now, she couldn't help but feel sad at the realization. Astraea had always been the most useful with the help of another at her side, and now there was nobody there. As her run brought her closer to Azusa, she'd bend her left knee up toward her chest and then switch her legs to thrust her right knee up into the man's face, attempting to grab his head as she did so to drive him into her blow.
Having managed to undo the bind the whip of water had against him he would recover in time to watch Astraea rushing towards him. He made no attempt to side step her strike but he readied himself instead. As she feinted a knee, only to throw out the other he placed one hand over the other and pushed down with his palm to intercept the knee before it could strike him. Starting to push it down as his head was grappled and Astraea tried to do the same. Instead, the man stepped in again, charging to tackle the blonde, throwing his arms around her waist to try and hoist her up off of her feet. If he had then he would've proceeded to charge forward to try and throw her from the circle.
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Words: 130 Cash Flow: 1,300 Total Bank: 99,170 Posting History: [ x ]
