A new territory (Open)

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.