A new territory (Open)

He should have used his shikai from the beginning, but there were a few of reasons why he didn't. One, he didn't realize who he was actually going to battle against. Two, he didn't want to destroy the forest and its wildlife. And three, he was sure that the first attack should have been the last attack. How the hollow managed to block his attack still baffled Tatsuya. Two of the reasons were irrelevant at this point, but the second reason took sometime to pass, and once it did, Tatsuya was able to fight without worry. Tatsuya held the devilish grin upon his face as he stared down at the hollow from his flaming perch. "Oh?" Tatsuya sarcastically responded and raised an eyebrow to the hollow's apparent boasting. When the hollow spewed slim from its innards, Tatsuya stood his ground. He remembered the last time he encountered the hollow and that the slime was flammable. Tatsuya was going to ignite it himself but was beat to the punch by the hollow striking it's crystal swords together creating the spark needed to ignite the slime. The wave of fire soared towards Tatsuya as he remained unshaken. When the fire made contact with him he was covered from head to toe, but not a sound of pain or misery could be heard coming from his lips. When the hollow finally stopped spewing it's "fire," Tatsuya was nowhere to be seen. The loud sound of cracking and kindling could be heard from the burning forest. The treetop was a large canopy of fire and was spreading quickly. Just what Tatsuya had wanted as he quickly appeared from above the hollow, emerging from the dense flaming foliage with a powerful right punch aimed at the hollow.

The world lit up from the fire that was fueled by the hollow's slime. This was his first time attempting the trick in live combat. While feeding in a city he had seen a carnival preforming doing such think. The idea has stuck with him to try the same to somewhat disastrous results. Stratus had caught himself ablaze and the circus with him. Thankfully his healing hadn't taken long, but the embarrassment had taken longer to heal from. Still it made for a rather interesting attack. Who would expect for him to suddenly spit flames after witnessing all his slime and crystal attacks? Stratus watched as the fire consumed all the slime as it exited his mouth. He had to keep the pressure up or it would travel back into his mouth causing some serious harm. As quickly as he had started he stopped the flow of slime. With the blast from his mouth gone the area darkened again. Still there was another source of light to keep things bright. The tree and shinigami were completely consumed by fire now. He looked to survey the damage. The tree and those around it were reduced to a burning pyre. All the leaves were incinerated in seconds and the dead branches crackled as the fire licked along their lengths. In the center of the flames Stratus watched the trunks burning.

"Mine was better than yours." Stratus grunted and spat the remainder of slime out of his mouth. One of the burning trees fell over no long able to support it's own weight. The fire has weakened the structural integrity. Indeed his attack has been brutal, but he hadn't though of the consequences of his actions. The flames had now spread to many more trees now. What was worst was that since he had cremated the shinigami there was nothing for him to eat. His stomach reminded him of his hunger. A forest fire was sure to bring more attention to his location. Stratus groaned realizing he'd have to move out of the area before things got worse. "Even when dead that bastard doesn't cease to piss me off." the hollow sighed he was about to turn walk away when his armor started to rattle. Stratus's head whipped to and fro. Had the shinigami dodged the fire. No. He had seen Tatsuya get hit. Quickly he expanded his senses as he turned around in place. Nothing. There wasn't even a trace of the man. Then why? "Shit!" he looked up just as the shinigami came barreling down from the sky. There was a saying about falling for the same trick twice or something, but the hollow wasn't sure the words. The large bladed fist came crashing down at him fast. It was a big fist and he was a big target. The best he could do was shift his body just enough to avoid the critical blow to his skull. Sparks flew from his shoulder as the bladed fist crashed into it and grazed his face. Both part of his body now had a line cut into them. His body twisted from the misplaced strike. Something was definitely different about the shinigami. Stratus had actually felt that hit. He didn't bother to ask how he had survived that fireball. With a growl he brought his right sword up to slice at the shinigami across his stomach. His left sword followed up with a short thrust.This bastard wasn't going to die today one way or another. "It's nice you didn't stay dead, now I can kill you again!"

Tatsuya's eyes narrowed when he made contact with the hollow. The impact was not as devastating as he had hoped, but the lines he carved into the hollow were a sign that he could severely cut it when he would get a direct hit. He knew the hollow couldn't shrug of this hit as it had done all the previous ones. Or maybe it could. The hollow clumsily twisted after the strike as Tatsuya righted himself in the air and swung one of its crystal swords at his gut. Tatsuya swung his left arm downward and blocked the hollow's attack from slicing him as he landed on the ground. "Hello!" He shouted playfully in mock shock when he saw the hollow trusting the other crystal sword at him. Tatsuya skillfully twisted backwards to his right to avoid the hollow's stab and quickly took two jumps back, putting a comfortable distance between them. "Kill me all you want. I'll still come back and kick your ass." He started bouncing back and forth in a standard fighting stance getting into the rhythm of things. "Or maybe since I already have the fire going, I should just throw in the meat." He cockily commented as he threw a couple of "warm-up" punches. Without any warning Tatsuya threw two hard straight punches into the air, launching two beach ball sized fireballs at the hollow. He then jumped over to his right and threw two left jabs and a right hook. Two basketball sized fireballs were shot from Tatsuya's jabs, but just as he threw his right hook, he called out the name of the attack "Hinote Soujuu," sending an enormous arcing wave of fire headed towards the hollow. Tatsuya had purposely jumped to the right earlier in order to get closer to a tree engulfed in flames, so that when he threw the wave of fire he would distract the hollow long enough to perform his Kaen Kyuutou and disappear into the flames. Hopefully his previous attacks would move the hollow close enough to another flame engulfed tree so that he could attack from behind with a powerful punch to the hollow's spinal cord. Even if not, a frontal assault should be able to provide enough of a surprise to connect with an attack.

With the improved strength came some measure of speed it would seem. His somewhat sloppy counter was easily avoided by Tatsuya. Even if it poorly planned the man's reaction was quicker than the expected. It was just a moment ago the shinigami had be cut by his blades now he bounce about like a buffoon. The changing weapon gave the man some measure of confidence if not alot more power. Stratus had cuts in his armor to prove that. Although the mystery of how the shinigami had managed to survive the flames hung over his head it was quickly cast aside. There was only a short distance between them. Perhaps he could test the limits of the newfound speed that his opponent seemed to have. He snorted at the man's comment and rushed forward. It was then that the man began his counter attack.

Tatsuya threw punches at the hollow, and burning balls of flame came into being. Stratus shifted to the right to dodge the first orb of fire, but the second was way too close to dodge as it came at his head. Growling he swung his sword upward and pushed forward. The crystal blade pierced the fireball and tore it in half. Fire splashed over Stratus. On either side of him the remains of the orb ricocheted off his shoulders. Bits of flame clung to him trying to burn at his flesh. His armor protected him, but he could feel the heat. Such intense flames Now he juked left and went right to try and avoid another shot, but the man had already done so. Two smaller orbs of fire were coming at him as he tried to press forward. Smaller could mean less powerful, but this wasn't something Stratus thought about. The hollow merely raised his weapons and swung downward.
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!" he screamed as he batted both of the smaller bolts downward where they exploded at his feet while he dashed forward. He could feel the flames biting as his legs as he ran though them. The hollow ran right into the Shinigami's last attack. Stratus had only seconds to raise his weapons in a cross guard in front of his face as the wave crashed into hims and stopped him in his tracks.

The fire washed over him. His arms too the brunt of the attack. The armor on his hands and wrists offered some protection, but the rest of the arms weren't so lucky. Stratus wasn't too happy with the burning pain that he now felt. Better his arms than his face. The intense heat was unbearable. He uncrossed his arms removing the flame drenched limbs from blocking his view. The shinigamai was no longer in front of him. Stratus was mystified. He shook himself to rid his body of the flames. His anger of losing his target overriding the pain now.
"What the hell?" He scanned the area, there where no sign of the shinigami again. His armor rattled. "Stop shaking and do something!" The tendrils unfurled as the shinigami made his appearance from behind Stratus. They moved up and then into the ground surrounding him like a cage.

The hollow's armor protected it well against Tatsuya's fire attacks. Though even if it was protected from taking the brunt of the fire, it still had to be feeling the heat underneath its armor. Nonetheless, the hollow did well defending against his attacks. At least until the last attack. Running right into that last wave of fire wasn't exactly the smartest move the hollow had done, but it was perfect for Tatsuya. Just as he had hoped, the hollow ended up right where Tatsuya wanted it to be. As the hollow turned to look for Tatsuya, he jumped out of the fire engulfed tree and charged right at it, throwing a strong straight right punch at the hollow's spine. Tatsuya's glimmer of hope quickly faded away when the hollow's armor reacted and protected the unaware bearer. However, unlike the first time, the armor wasn't able to completely withstand the force of the attack, fracturing under the pressure. Though it did manage to keep Tatsuya's fist away from the hollow's spine.

"So...you have no control over that armor." Tatsuya said after jumping away from the hollow and landing in a relaxed upright fighting stance. I knew there was no way you should have survived my first attack." Tatsuya was buying time. He had unsealed his zanpakuto too late in the battle and was getting tired from the injuries he had sustained. He needed a little time to catch his breath. "I thought the rattling of the armor was like a sixth sense to you, but the way you interact with it makes me believe you have only recently acquired the armor and have yet to fully understand it." Tatsuya explained his theory to get a little rest. "I would even say it's not even an armor, but another organism." He stated to elaborate more on the subject. "What? Did you eat something that didn't quite agree with you and it's fighting for control?" His eye's narrowed in on the hollow for any sharp movements. He didn't want to be caught off guard. "The only reason you are still alive right now is because of the self preservation instinct of the armor. It is merely an involuntary defense mechanism." He finished off his explanation after he felt his second wind come in. "But lets test that theory." He quickly flashed stepped just behind the hollow's right side and a launched a powerful right punch to the back of its ribs. He would have rather continued using his fire attacks and Kaen Kyuutou, but the energy the abilities required were too much, and he wanted to end this quickly. He had been away from Sumiko for a lot longer than he had planned.

He hadn't expected the armor to react like that all. The tentacles moved instantly into a defensive position. An effective one at that as a second later the shinigami came from behind and collided with the barrier. There was some pain as the man struck the length of the tendril. Although the tips were hard armor the body of the tentacles were barely stronger than his skin. This strength wasn't enough to withstand the shinigami's new power. Stratus could feel the light armor crack and the pain as the flesh was compressed under the tremendous pressure. There was little doubt the strike would have done even more damage to his body had it connected. The pain was no less severe. He was lucky there were no internal organs with in the light shell.

How had that bastard managed to get behind him like that? He had looked in every direction and seen nothing. All around him was nothing but burning forest. The mystery had once again presented itself. Still Tatsuya looked equally surprised by the sudden defense. Stratus wanted to capitalize on the shock, but he man recovered too quickly. The next moment the shinigami had taken some distance. Now that he was out of reach he started to talk about the recent development with the tentacles. Stratus wanted to rush over there and shut his mouth, but he was right; he couldn't control them. Proof of this was the fact the cage remained around him. Despite his best efforts the claws dug into the ground wouldn't move. Stratus growled as he listened to the man's incessant prattling. The fact he was correct in his assumption was equally aggravating.

Indeed they might just be a defense mechanism, but what good were they if they didn't heed his commands when needed. They had saved him, but now they were just in the way. Tatsuya had taken his measure of the tendrils and was now ready to proceed. The man vanished only to reappear beside the stationary hollow. He had woven his way between the bars of the cage to punch his opponent in the ribs. There was no way for Stratus to avoid the the fierce attack with his tendril anchoring him down. He screamed as the metal blades dug into his now unprotected flesh. It was then the tendrils quivered and moved. In unison they all released their holds. They shot down and around Tatsuya in a tight circle. The cage had now been reversed. Tatsuya's arm was the only part of his body outside of the enclosure. Stratus grabbed at the arm that pushed the shinigami's burning weapon into his side. He tried to turn slightly, to look upon his opponent. It was a painful motion.
"I don't like being used as bait." he growled at the tendrils now realizing what had just happened. They tendrils quivered slightly trying to tighten the gaps around the enemy. Stratus wasn't too angry. He was overjoyed to have his opponent confined. It was the perfect opportunity. "Consider this your punishment." he snickered. The hollow let his energy explode through his body. As the air rippled he focused the energies to his mouth. A green spark sprang to life in front of his widening maw. In an instant it was the size of a softball and pulsated violently. CERO

Tatsuya was right. The hollow really didn't have control of it's armor. The fact that it refused to retract was all the proof he needed. Tatsuya easily weaved through the tendrils as he appeared next to the hollow. "Perfect." Tatsuya thought as his punch connected with the hollow's flesh. The sound that left the hollow's mouth was music to Tatsuya's ears. With the hollow now at his mercy, Tatsuya could just pound away at the hollow's back until it was no more. "What the hell?!" He exclaimed as the tendrils confined him next to the hollow. What made it worse was that the tendrils caught his arm on the other side of the cage. But they didn't just stop with impeding, they began to tighten its grip around Tatsuya so that there was no way to escape. All the while the hollow grabbed the arm that had embed his fist in it to prevent him from pulling it out and attacking it again. "Shit!" He thought as he looked at the hollow directly in its merciless eyes. Tatsuya felt the hollow's reiatsu start to rise higher as it gathered energy at its mouth. At first he thought it was another slime attack, but after a second, the energy feeling was on a different scale. There was a brief look of horror when Tatsuya finally realized what the hollow was unleashing. That look quickly turned to one of desperation as he tried to think of a way out of his predicament. "My left arm is immobile, and my right arm is still in this damn hollow." He frantically thought as the hollow's cero gathered more power. "THAT'S IT!!" He looked down to his right arm. With a hard and quick movement of his arm, Tatsuya had twisted the embed blade inside the hollow giving way to a burst of intense pain. And to make sure the hollow definitely missed, he jerked forward, ripping skin and muscle along the cage captured arm, in an effort to hit the hollow with a massive headbutt to direct the blast upward.

The rush of power was exhilarating. Stratus had practiced the technique in the white desert many times. This was the first time he used. To be honest this was the first time he had an opponent worthy of it's destructive power. The air became heated as the perfect green sphere gathered before him. So tremendous was the energy that it overpowered his own senses. The roaring fire became a dull whisper compared to the howling that overwhelmed him. As the felt the sphere reach it's peak he prepared to let it all go. The anticipation was the hardest part, but now was the time. Just as the moment came so did the intense pain as the shinigami twisted his arm. This wouldn't mean much if not for the blades connected on the ends of his fist. There are many types of pain, and Stratus felt one of the strongest he'd ever felt. Words fail to describe the mind-numbing agony as the zanpukto dug deeper into his side. His knees quivered and his grip on the shinigami loosened. Stratus' focus faltered, and the small green orb buckled as he screamed out. The hollow's body jerked as the painful spasm passed. Before he could establish his mental balance the Tatsuya launched his head at the hollow's head. Rather than strike the opponent head on the result was more like an upper cut. The odd blow snapped the hollow's face skyward just as the green sphere distorted and fired.

There was a sudden roar as the green light burst through the sky. The green ray skimmed the tree tops and cut through them like tissue paper. In seconds the beam of light had vanished as a twinkle into the darkness. The tendrils that surrounded Tatsuya retracted, but not completely they hovered in the air like snakes ready to strike. It was Stratus himself that struck first he shot a backhand with his right hand at the shinigami and followed it up with a punch from his left. The armored tips of the tentacles just seemed watch the hollow resorted to simple fists after the huge release of power. The pain in his side and the drain of spiritual power had taken their toll, but were forgotten in the rage he felt towards this man.

Tatsuya was lucky that his head wasn't in the blast zone. He had just barely cleared the area before the cero fired. The only other drawback with Tatsuya's last attack, was that the hollow had a hard head. The beating he had already took prior to releasing his shikai, coupled with the desperate attack, had put Tatsuya in a daze. The world around him was blurred as he tried to regain his senses. He had failed to notice that the hollow's tentacles had retracted themselves or that his right hand had been dislodged from the it's side. He took a step back just as the hollow's backhand connected with his face. Trying to bring up his arms to cover, Tatsuya finally noticed his left arm when intense pain shot up due to him ripping through skin and muscle trying to stop the hollow from launching it's cero. Before the pain could subside the hollow connected with another punch to his face making him stumble back. He managed to stay on his feet...somehow, and brought up his right arm. Things were still blurry, but it wasn't hard to tell where his target was. It was the only thing moving in the burning forest. Plus the fact that the big form looked like a giant spider helped as well. It was hard to gauge distance at this point. He hoped the hollow was just as fatigued as himself, but just to be safe. The flame around Tatsuya's right arm began to get bigger as he poured what little reiatsu he had left into it. "Hinote...Soujuu," He called out his attack between staggered breaths and swung his right arm wildly at the hollow, sending a large wave of fire in it's direction. Just as he had launched the attack, the fire that had majestically covered his gauntlets had now disappeared. His zanpakuto, which had shown brightly in any setting were now plain, sliver tone, gauntlets. He was out of energy as he stood in front of the hollow...

The first of the hollow's hits connected, but there would be a consequence for this action. Hitting the shinigami caused his arm to shift, which in turn caused him more pain. Gritting his teeth Stratus let his second blow fly. Yet again his hit connected pushing Tatsuya back and pulling the weapon free at the same time. This was less than pleasant for the hollow. Removing the blades required that he cut a new hole. After twisting the blade around the original entrance was lost. Stratus didn't bother to hide his scream as the weapon tore itself from his body. The sudden agony made his knees waver as he doubled over in pain. There was now a decent sized hole in his side. Already the dark lifeblood started to ooze out. Stratus' hand reached for the hole and he summoned his slime. The green substance covered the gaping wound and with a bit of energy it crystallized sealing it. The blood has stopped, but in no way had it stopped the internal bleeding the knuckle weapon had caused. He could feel it, the odd light sensation.
Had the man hit something vital?

There was pain in his side each time he breathed or tried to move. Even with the wound sealed he kept his hand over the crystal as if to comfort himself.
"You tosser! I'm going to tear you into little pieces and bury you alive!" he screamed at the shinigami while flexing his claws. His tendrils around waved menacingly eager to make that threat reality. Tatsuya had other plans it would seem. With effort the man brought forth a great quantity of fire and launched it directly at Stratus. There was so little distance between the two. Stratus didn't think the man would try such a point blank attack, even if he had just attempted the same. The wave of fire roared as it rushed at him. His tentacles tried shield him, but were too late. Their clawed tips barely managed to catch the tail end of the massive attack while the rest struck the hollow dead on. The unexpected strike hit him. He tried to raise his hand from his side to help block the blaze, but couldn't quite make it. Like a beast the fire grabbed hold onto his unprotected body. Hungrily the flames ate at his exposed flesh. The fire had managed to strike his mask. The burning heat on his body paled to the searing heat to his eyes and face. As the fire consumed him he lost sight of the opponent he so despised. He didn't like the extreme heat, he didn't like it at all. Something about the flames just felt sickening to him to his core. Stratus flailed wildly at his body trying to put the fire out. If moved too much the pain from his wound returned, but letting the fire exist a second longer brought forth just as much. His scream of rage and anguish blended together. A s everything burned his tendrils began to act erratically. They lashed out at anything and everything in their reach. One swung and cut into a tree. Another struck the earth leaving a decent sized crater. Yet another hissed through the air a few feet from where Tatsuya stood.

There was little doubt in his mind that his last attack had directly impacted the hollow and as his vision finally started to clear up, he was able to fully appreciate the sight. Tatsuya stood in front of the hollow huffing and puffing while the hollow tried in van to put itself out. "Burn in hell you bastard." He cruelly shouted to the roasting hollow. He could barely move, but didn't want to. He wanted to make sure the hollow died in flames. staying where he was, was the mistake. The hollow's tentacles began to erratically lash out at air. Practically out of energy, Tatsuya didn't have enough time to react to the senseless barrage of the tentacles. Blood spewed from Tatsuya's mouth as his stomach was impaled by the tentacle. The tentacle had pierced straight through Tatsuya's body. In reflex both Tatsuya's arms grabbed at the foreign intrusion, holding it in place. He had completely forgotten about the pain in his left arm when compared to the new hole in his abdomen. Tatsuya struggled to breathe while being impaled, but still looked defiantly at the burning hollow. "Thanks... for the gift." He snarled as he held onto the tentacle with his left hand and raised his right hand, before sloppily punching the tentacle and severing its connection to its host. The only thing that kept Tatsuya from hitting the ground was the tentacle in his body and once he cut through it, he fell to his knees. Tatsuya struggled to his feet and once he made it, he began to stagger away from the battlefield. At that moment he was sure the hollow would die from its injuries. Much like Tatsuya if he didn't make it back to the hotel.

His best efforts did little to quell the sting of the angry flames. Every second Stratus stood wreathed in flames felt like hours. His distress was transferred to the tendrils that wasted no time in laying waste to the area with their frantic motions. A single swipe fell a tree while another broke the rocky landscape with ease. His enemy got a front row seat as the hollow burned alive. With the aforementioned antics of the tentacles being so close was far from favorable. As luck would have it one of the random motions of the tendrils managed to strike home. The talon drove itself into the shinigami only by chance as it's brethren shook and whipped about. It would seem Tatsuya's luck was stronger than the hollow's. The blow could have been into his chest had missed the critical hit. Still a possibly fatal blow, but from the man's actions not fatal enough. The shinigami struck down on the tentacle severing the claw from the body. Suffice it to say the process wasn't exactly pleasant for the owner. While his scream was expected, the reaction of the other tendrils was quite bizarre. The other tentacles that had been waving about suddenly froze. A couple of them had just broken more of the burning wood around Stratus. They had made large gouges in anything within their long reach. The remaining tendrils rattled and retracted. Stratus had to move his hand while the claws snapped back into place reforming his armor. There was a gap over the left side of his chest where the was now missing a claw. This did surprise the hollow somewhat. At the same time by recombining the armor did well in smothering the flames on his body. Realizing this Stratus did his best to put out the flames on his face now that the other threat was gone.

Seconds later the fire was all but gone from his body. The smell of his burning flesh filled his nostrils. Not a good smell to say the least. There were still portions of his skin that smoked where the first had touched him. It was hard to notice the burnt portions with his already black skin. On the other hand it was easy to see the ebony stains on his white bone mask. His right eye had been sealed completely shut from the intense flames. Small cracks emanated from the spots on his cheek and forehead. Still it was painful to move just yet. The throbbing ache of the missing claw made itself know with each breath the hollow made. Rage bubbled up within him, as he sought the other man's spiritual power with his senses. It was hard to focus with so many injuries, but he manage to sense what he couldn't see. As he took a step the pain cascaded through his body. From his hip all the way to his head a wave of blinding white struck. He nearly tumbled to the ground.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGH!!!!" His scream carried on the wind and filled the forest. Animals nowhere close to the creature ran in fear of the terrible sound. Those in the city faintly heard the cry of the infuriated hollow, but their animals all whimpered and quieted instantly. The one that had angered the beast would die a long and painful death.

Tatsuya gingerly staggered through the forest, towards the city. It had taken sometime, but he finally found himself in an area void of fire. The fire had spread far, but the wind had changed direction and began pushing the fire away from the city. "Thank you." He weakly commented out loud at his some what good fortune. If the city would be destroyed by his abilities, he would never be able to forgive himself. He leaned against a tree to try and catch his breath. To be able to get as far as he did was nothing short of a miracle. Maybe because the only reason he was still alive was that he still had blood in his body. The large tentacle stuck in his body prevented him from bleeding out, but it was a pleasant feeling. Every step was a struggle. Tatsuya painfully grunted as he forcibly pushed himself off the tree and continued "walking." After a few steps he heard the hollow's terrifying scream push through the forest. He slowly turned around to see if he could see the hollow, but nothing was behind him. He was a bit relieved, but by the same token, he realized that the hollow was still alive. Badly beaten, but still alive. "Damn thing doesn't know when to die." He slowly turned back around towards the city and tried to start walking again, only this time his legs didn't move. "Oh great." He thought as his vision started to fade. Not one second later did he hit the ground. Several thoughts passed through his mind as he laid there unmoving; regrets, broken promises, happy memories. One particular memory stayed in his mind. The time when he first saw Sumiko's face while he laid in one of the 4th divisions recovery rooms. A smile crossed his face as he completely lost consciousness.