Tis But A Scratch (Helle/Uriel, Semi-Open)

Another day, another morning of expected paperwork for many. One would, obviously, rather be outside to enjoy the moderate Summer breeze that caked the outskirts of The City of Lights. However, not every official of the Vandenreich finds themselves confined within their offices. The crystalline ground crunches under the heavy footfalls of a particular Quincy adorned in silver-colored armor created through the infusion of Reishi and metal.

“This spot will do nicely,” Helle spoke to herself as her emerald eyes scanned the area. There are no buildings close by this particular patch of the island that bordered the ocean. Pulling out her phone, she sends a text message to a particular individual, sending them the directions required to reach this area, making sure to include the necessity of coming prepared for a battle. Now, with that done, Helle begins examining the area and estimating the accurate amount of energy required to pull off the stunt she desired.

She is not here for meager enjoyment. Though, as she waited, she moved herself to the edge of the island and stared off into the vast expanse of water. How far out should she go? Far enough to not cause harm to the island. That would be nice. Her Liege would be bothered by any permanent damage. It doesn’t take her long to get her thoughts together, and so, she takes a seat on the ground with her head resting against her metal arms. It didn’t take long for her to doze off.

Her reiatsu is not hidden. There is not a reason for it to be. She knows, despite the location being given, that Uriel may need a bit more assistance coming to her location. With that in mind, she allowed her energy to simply exist about her, allocating itself to her surroundings preparing itself to act when needed. And, as much as he could sense her, she could sense him. Her face lit up with anticipation as he neared ever closer. This is supposed to be a serious moment, but one is allowed to experience some form of enjoyment when an event that is sure to spark high adrenaline is soon to begin, yes?

Whether Uriel would agree or not does not bother her. She simply turns and closes her eyes focusing her energy. Uriel will feel the environment around him become coated by her Reiryoku that begins spilling forth from her body at a rapid pace, seeping into the ground and dressing the air. When he would arrive at her location, she does not open her eyes to greet him, but keeps her face focused. There would be the sound of a single crack before the ground underneath them begins to erupt with disturbance, multiple cracking noises as if someone is crushing glass plagues their eardrums, and Helle asks one question of the giant of a man.

“Are you prepared?”

“Then, let us begin.”

Helle turned her body away from Uriel, her back to him now, before walking away towards the edge. One step, two steps, and then a third, before her foot hovers over the gently stirring waves that contorts the ocean’s surface. Though, as she stepped out, her feet did not touch the water. No. It is a simple feat for one to use Reishi as platforms to traverse the world, and yet, Helle’s felt somewhat different. All around her, the Reishi began to congregate, hardening into a form of outline that coated her body in Earth’s spiritual energy. She is no longer walking on platforms, but now, she simply floats forward. That is when Uriel feels the ground beneath him crack and shake like a miniature earthquake.

Only they shall witness the land that they both shall share release itself from the foundation of the island as the sea’s vast amount of water fills in the cracks that now exist. Though, with a power greater than the sea, the broken land is pulled from the shore and dragged further out into the sea behind Helle. It takes only a few seconds before the pull of Reishi on the surroundings subsides and the small drifting crystalline land is left out at sea. Down Helle falls back onto the ground as the waves lick against the edges or their irregular platform.

“You burn brightly Uriel but I bend the world to my whim. Let us see who’s control is finer, yes?” Helle turns back to face the burning man, her emerald eyes focused on his sword before moving to stare into his burning gaze. With finesse, her rapier is unsheathed and held within her right hand like an attachment of her arm. Her weapon radiates with barely contained spiritual energy, and it’s honed edge is pointed at the large man across from her.

“Ladies first, I believe.” She says jestingly, but immediately after those words leave from between her lips, she has dashed forward, her hirenyaku transferring her quickly towards Uriel. Her blade is outstretched aiming to press against his chest. If not dodged or deflected, Uriel may find himself spliced in two clean halves for Helle’s aim is true.

A head on clash? Helle did not take Uriel for a man to await for conflict, and one to not disappoint, the man did charge headfirst towards her. Does he mean to parry and counter? Already, his means of approach perplexed Helle, yet her eyes dulled with confusion for just a moment before she was embraced by the heat of his blade. Forward her blade flew aiming to force him to parry it. Surely, none would chance grave injury in a spar. A liar is what Uriel made of her thoughts. Not only did he not move to parry, but the disgusting stomach churning sound of her blade sinking into his hand, digging itself cleanly through his palm until he proved capable of grabbing hold of its guard, shook her greatly. Such a brazen tactic that she would have never expected him to commit to, but something like this requires for one to steel themselves at a time well before the execution.

Uriel did not leave her any time to question his methods. Is this how someone who has faced many wars and battles fight? Such ignorance to their own tolerance in favor of victory? How interesting. Yet, his bravado will bring him no distance in their bout for Helle is not that easily bested. Her skin roared with light, the flames licking her person irritating the rushing Blut Vene that paints her skin with glowing blue lines. His sword impacts her, but she is left uninjured. Even as the impact knocks her away, her hand releasing her sword, she is quick to regain her composure, and yet, she continues to retreat soaring farther away upwards from the makeshift crystalline platform out at sea.

Interesting. Uriel’s gaze blazed before her, his blue eyes as intense as his flaming sword. Helle couldn’t help but let her emerald eyes blaze themselves, as if Uriel’s fire had actually wounded her. Her arm is up quickly forming the most basic of Quincy Bows, a simple short bow that quickly expands into a larger form of itself simply because of Helle’s adequacy with Reishi Manipulation alone. Quickly, a barrage of Reishi Arrows began to rain down upon Uriel forcing him to take further action if he wished to reach Helle’s position above him. Seeing how they would be fighting with any tactic available to them, she would spare him nothing as she took full advantage of her range to send him back down to Earth. Is his conviction truly as dazzling as he first makes it out? She will push him and learn of this soldier’s conviction.

Casted aside as if worthless, that’s the fate Serathiel was given as Helle watched Uriel rip her sword from his hand and toss it aside. She, initially, felt herself frown as her trusted sword fell to the Earth and plopped into the sea with a small splash that barely disturbed the lazy waves. However, she knows Serathiel is not forever gone, and her focus quickly moves back to Uriel as the Reishi string of her bow is pulled back releasing another torrent of arrows down onto the large man. Yet, he showed a magnificent reactivity and continued to dodge without seeming to break a sweat.

The more he dodged, the clearer it became to her. Simply put, his energy, despite seeming similar to her own, clearly had its differences that hinted at another member of the Vandenreich. Is that Shunpo that he utilizes? Ah, she’s unable to voice her inquiries just yet before she senses his drastic increase in energy that propels him upward expediently. Not sensing him heading directly for her, she did not take any immediate action to safeguard her person, and instead, focused her attention upwards towards the man. His form is nothing but a shadow to her as he stood between her and the sun, the outline of his person seeming to become one with the giant star’s glow. She could feel it. He is not simply a Quincy.

The words he spoke next, shook her slightly, but it was not fear. Anticipation? Yes. That is what she is feeling. As his body exploded with fiery energy, the bow she held did nothing but dissipate into the atmosphere as she let the warmth graze around her whole body. She could not help but shield her eyes from his marvelous glow, and as she is allowed to view him once more, she could not help but smirk lightly at the fiery man that floats above her now.

No time for marveling however. Uriel is quick to point his flaming blade towards her, preparing energy before the tip of his blade. A large fiery ball, yes? Helle mustn’t allow herself to suffer any injury. Her mind recedes, momentarily to the buzzing sensation emitting from her side right where Uriel’s last swing had landed. She can’t afford to take this man lightly. Quickly, her body became enhanced by a light coating of Reishi. No longer shall she rely on her movement skills to grant her safe passage. Instead of the quick stepping movements that the two were using before, Helle now seemed to move with more fluidity as she danced to the side of the first flaming ball of energy that soared her way. The next four are met with the same fate as well, her movements quicker and more precise than before as she flew through the sky. Noticing their hovering above the waters of the sea, Helle lowered herself lower to the waters and began to fly above them circling around Uriel in a wide radius.

Her hand reached down and grazed the surface of the sea as the Reishi around her fingertips seemed to fall off. As she moved forward, small bubbles began to rise in quick succession. Anyone with any type of energy recognition will be able to sense the Reishi that coated each ball of water like a capsule. “You’re rather hot. Allow me to cool you down.” She said to no one in particular due to their distance away from one another, and before long, hundreds of small bubbles hovered in the sky, and in the next moment, with Helle simply pointing her hand towards the burning man, all one hundred of those Reishi empowered bubbles flew forward like bullets fired from a small armada.