Alpha, Beta, Omega (solo)

"Are you sure about this?" spoke Bryce's voice in Arawn's ear. Arawn reached up and adjusted the small device. He could barely hear the man since the small round object had fallen out of place. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to wedge deeper into the canal, but the voice came in much clearer. Arawn gave his head a quick shake to see if the ear bud would come loose again. Nope. It didn't move. With the matter resolved he answered his hunchback friend.
"I'm sure." He said simply. Truth was he was more than ready for this experiment. The night before and two nights before that he had been training for his day. Before the physical training he had been preparing himself mentally for the task at hand. He stood barely twenty feet from Rover the battle android. The two of them stood inside one of the many warehouses that dotted Seireitei. This one was not the one he had commandeered as his lab, this one was just a storage place that had fallen into disuse. Unlike his own lab/warehouse this one had nearly nothing inside. Arawn and his company had taken less than a hour to move the boxes and crates into the corner. The contents of the boxes was books and broken machinery. Nothing of value or worth scavenging. Thus they decided not to bother removing them from the testing area. Silently he rotated his shoulders. His mind was ready, might as well get his body ready too. In a matter of seconds the droid would come online and it wasn't going to let him warm up. This test hopefully going to be one of the last. They had put Rover through so many test already. The number of times they had taken it apart only to put it back together were numerous. So much work it was time to put the machine through it's final runs. If successful it would be a little less than a month for him to present it to the 13 Gotei as a both a training tool and possible device for hollow elimination. At least that was the plan. His shoulder popped and then he spun his neck. Arawn listened to the crackling sound as the bones rubbed against one another. He took a second to bend his legs by squatting down then quickly standing. After ten squats he could feel the blood starting to flow through his body. The final step in his preparations was checking the sword at his hip. Simply looking at the weapon wasn't enough. He pulled the weapon free of it's scabbard and examined the silver blade. Arawn's eyes traced the swords edge all the way down to it's golden tsuba. He held it up over his head like a torch letting the light from the high windows bounce off it's surface. Even sealed he could feel the warmth from the zanpukto against his right palm. Satisfied he flipped the weapon over and slid it back into the sheath. There was a small click as the weapon fell back into place. "Let's do this." He said more so to himself as to Bryce on the other end of the listening device.

It was quiet in the warehouse. Since he was it's only living occupant it was to be expected. He was alone in the large building. If Arawn were to clone himself a thousand of times he could still not fill up one fourth of the large structure. The wooden floor stretched out in every direction around him and the walls looked so dull. This place wasn't made to be pretty, just to function as a shelter for items as needed. Still he did wish something to distract him as he waited for the droid to start. Well not too much of a distraction, he didn't want Rover to pounce on him as he stared at the metal rafters.
"System starting." Rang out Bryce's voice through the earpiece. All of Arawn's body tensed. He lowered his body slightly and his breathing became shallow. His left hand grabbed the sheath at his hip as his right reached across to rest on the handle of his zanpukto. Arawn's eyes locked on the machine before him. The whole room seemed to fade from his vision as the battle droid occupied his whole world. He couldn't afford to not pay attention. After all the tests they had preformed he knew what the robot was capable of. It's speed, it's strength, it's weapons. If he wasn't careful he life might be in danger before Bryce could hit the kill switch. Still he couldn't help but to feel excited. It wasn't a living being, so he had no reason to hold back. The only life at stake was own, so he would fight to survive and aim to kill. For the robot to be of any use it would need to withstand more than his own attacks. This would be both a test of the droid as much as it would be test of Arawn himself. The fingers of his right hand closed around his weapons handle and his thumb locked the hand in position. In the quiet room he could hear hum of power as Rover came online. The machine shuddered process continued. Over the course of several seconds the spasms increased then the whole body jerked as the head turned left then right. After three passes the head stopped moving and "Looked" at Arawn. The red haired shiningami smiled.

"Good morning, Rover." Arawn said with a smile and dashed forward. Once would think this was a coward to attack while the machine was getting ready, but this was not the case. The fact it was looking at him meant it was ready. He knew he had to act fast, the longer he gave it to process the worse things would be for him. Half a jump and half a run Arawn rushed Rover head on. He jerked his arm and freed his sword just as his left foot came forward and he pushed forward. His left hand kept hold of his sheath as the gap closed. Arawn's right foot landed and he sprang forward ending what little distance remained. Without delay his right hand came down with this sword in a vertical cut.

*CLANG*

Rover's arm had risen. The shinigami's charge had taken only three seconds, but that was more than enough time for it to react. Too slow for the monster of microprocessors that made up the android's brain. Yes, a surprise attack would have been nice, but it was hard to surprise something thought through situations in a matter of milliseconds. Arawn's weapon bounced off the metal forearm, but he didn't retreat. His left hand pushed forward using the sheath like a club to hammer into the possessively unprotected flank of the robot. He had planned it from the start. If the first strike hadn't landed he was going to follow up with an horizontal strike with the metal scabbard.

*CLANG*

Much like him the robot wasn't limited to using only one arm. It's right arm stopped second strike with ease. Still smiling Arawn retracted his left hand and his right. Sparks flew from Rover's arm as the blade was dragged against it. While his left returned to the shinigami's side, his right hand only retreated a short distance. Just enough so that he could reposition the blade to perform a thrust. It all had happened in a second, but Rover had little trouble seeing the sudden follow up attack. Arawn's zanpukto only struck air as Rover shifted it's head to the said. The robot brought down it's left hand in a chop to strike the man's extended arm. Too late did the red haired man see the vulnerable position he was in. The machine's reactions were better than expected. Rather than try only retract his arm Arawn attempted to jump back as well. Using both motions he was able to avoid Rover's hand. The same couldn't be said for his weapon. The sword and hand hit, but it only resulted in battle the sword down as Arawn retreated. There was now a small gap between them, but Arawn was sure it wouldn't last long. The machine knew it had the advantage in close quarters combat. On cue three one foot blades extended from between the fingers on each of the robot's hands. "So you really aren't going to go easy on me." Arawn said as he clutched his sheath tighter.

Arawn continued to back away he wanted to be ready for what was coming next. But even though he knew it was coming he wasn't the slightest bit prepared. There was an explosion and the distance between himself and the droid had vanished. Arawn was now standing face to face with the metallic humanoid and it's savage claws. Rover wasn't capable of shunpo. It was impossible for a machine to master such a technique as it lacked the reiryoku. No, this was something else. The android had amazing capabilities, but the skill it had just used was a rather simple one. It's monstrous power was greater than a human, but like a human it's leg power surpassed it's arm strength. All Rover had done was apply all of the force possible in kicking off the ground. The spot on the ground it had occupied was completely crushed. This was one of the reasons they had decided to move the test to this warehouse instead of the normal place. With it's limiters off there was no telling what destruction the machine would cause. But the collateral damage was nothing compared to the damage it would do to him. His arm came up up as the claws came down. Arawn's blade caught the blades from Rover's right hand inches from his face. He dared not attempt a physical tug-o-war between the machine he needed to get away. Arawn spun right and retreated his arm slipped from underneath the claws and he tried for distance again.

Time was a blessing and curse in such a fight. This was not Arawn's first fight with Rover. So the machine had information on him. So the only way for him to overcome the robot was to exceed himself and in turn surpass his previous power. This in itself was the true challenge. The machine learned from those path fights, and knew his tactics. While Rover's physical power was finite his mental powers were always growing. All the testing and practice sessions enriched him like a true fighter. It knew how to better employ the tools at it's disposal. One of these tools it decided to use as Arawn moved back. It's left arm lurched at the shinigami's chest. No it wasn't a swing the robot's arm launched like a missile. Still in retreat it was hard to dodge. Instead Arawn raised both his weapons and arms up to block his vitals from being hit. He had nearly forgotten that Rover could do it. His sheath and blade stopped the three blades from hitting, but did nothing to blunt the force behind the projectile. He couldn't back pedal fast enough and fell on his back allowing the missile to continue past. Breathing hard Arawn got to his feet and rushed at Rover. It was a small window; it only had one arm. He had to strike before it retracted the extending arm. The metal coil that tethered the limb to the robot's main body was to his right as he moved forward. Seconds. That's all he had, but he'd use them. Halfway through his charge the machine yanked it's left arm sideways whipping the cord right at a very surprised shinigami. It hit his right side and wrapped around him. The hand on the other end of the coil was enough weight to spin it around his waist three times. It was then that the cord went taunt. He could feel a slight tug as the droid pulled it. The left hand dug it's fingers into the wooden floor with ease, anchoring itself and it's captive. Clever. Arawn said to himself. Instead of retracting the arm it had made an opening for him to attack. Then using the coil to trap him. It was Rover now that was advancing, leaping at him. They had made this machine too smart for his liking. He didn't have time to get lose he had to block, but now he had little chance of keeping out of the monster's range. Pushing that though aside Arawn readied himself for the attack.

It was still only one Arawn, but with it's speed and the his being trapped he was hardly at an advantage. The first attack was a thrust of it's right fist at his head. Instead of blocking Arawn shifted his head out of it's path. He had barely evaded and the hand was pulled back to attack again. The blades flashed briefly in the light as they came charging forward again. Only a few feet between them Arawn managed to swing his sheath into the oncoming hand to divert it's course. The blades hissed over his left shoulder and he flinched. A narrow miss. Once more the arm was back and pushing forward again. Sure it was a simple attack, but with Rover's strength and speed it was deadly. Being tied down restricted the man's movements making his current position even more trying. It was all he could do to slap the blades away as he swayed back and forth. The robot didn't need to do anything else eventually Arawn would tire and he'd be done for. With both his hands occupied with one of Rover's hands he couldn't undo the rope about his waist. The sounds of metal on metal rang out as he continued to swat the robot's vicious assault. Already he was sweating. If not from the exertion from the panic in knowing this might be the end of him. He could always yell for Bryce to stop, but he didn't want things to end so easily. Still it's as better than dying while tied up. he chided himself. Those words hit on something. He wasn't really tied up, just tied down. One end of the metal coil was coming from Rover's left went around his hips. Behind him the metal hand clutched the floor. Or at least it felt like it, he didn't dare turn to look. Either it would tip the droid off to his trying to escape and because said droid was still attacking relentlessly. There was not keeping the rope secure, so he had way out. Saying a silent prayer the waited for the right moment. Rover's arm reached back and Arawn acted. He ducked down and at the same time raised his legs into his chest; he had curled his body into a ball. In doing so the metal rope was forced to support his weight. His body spun as his feet left the ground and flipped over twice before falling free of the cord.

He was only on the ground for a second before he forced himself into a sideways roll. In the next moment Rover's foot came smashing down and through the wooden flooring. Arawn kept rolling then scrambled to his feet as Rover did it's best to extract it's foot from the shattered ground. It proved to be a difficult task for the machine. At the same time it's left arm started to retract the long cable that had once held the shinigami down. Arawn stood there for a moment marveling at the robot before him. Only for a moment before he readied himself. An idea had formulated in his mind, a course of action that might seize the day for him. Maybe. A rough, very rough, calculation gave him at least a 37% chance of being successful. 45% at best. Very low number for any type of gambling man. A big risk, but a big reward. Isn't that what gambling was all about? Going for the long shot and pulling through. Arawn smiled and flexed his arms the shook his legs.
"It's now of never." he muttered as Rover pulled his foot clear of the hole he had made. The air about him started to vibrate as his spiritual pressured flowed freely from his body. It was different from most times. When using kido he'd let just enough reiatsu for him to employ his spells. For this Arawn didn't hold back anything. It was like releasing the floodgate and letting every bit of his power surge. He would need every bit of it. The very room seemed to be affected by the buckling energy being issued form Arawn's body. He could see the subtle fluctuation of the floor. Even Rover stopped to look at him. Arawn smiled to himself then shunpo'd.

He had just vanished only to reappear right in front of the robot. The shinigami's sword came down in a mighty slash. Sparks flew as the zanpukto cut a diagonal line across the machine's armor. It wasn't enough to pierce the metal, but the slice was pretty deep. Rover reacted, but Arawn was already gone. The droid's right arm swung at the empty air as the shinigami reappeared behind him. Once more Arawn struck with everything he got. The hit from behind knocked the unaware opponent forward a step. It spun to face Arawn's rear attack, but he wasn't there. Arawn had flanked the robot again this time it was his sheath that hit the side of Rover's head. As the metal scabbard came away there was a dent where he had struck. Using all his power and speed at once was a successful plan, but how long could he keep it up. A minute? Seconds? With each shunpo he could feel the energy in his body diminish. It wasn't an alien skill, but using it so rapidly was taking a greater toll than imagined. It was working.
"Sink or swim." Arawn said before he vanished once more. What followed that statement was a sight to behold. For the next few seconds Arawn shunpo'd and attacked in such a rapid succession that he was barely visible. The only proof of his existence was the sound of his metal weapons striking Rover. Flashes of black when and flying sparks and in the center was Rover. He was sure to keep changing direction and location of his shunpo. If he fell into any sort of pattern the robot would easily grasp it. Another jump to behind the robot and then to his right. From the right he returned to the rear and swung again. As each attack came from a different side so did the angle of his blade and sheath. Moving around and switching up his assault at the same time. It felt like he was flying. At times he thought his feet never touched the ground. Each time he reappeared only knew his target was in front of him and that he should strike. Suddenly the droid's leg rose and kicked out. Arawn was sent backwards as the mammoth strength hit him squarely in the gut. His short flight ended roughly with his rolling on the ground several times before sliding to a stop. The man's face was bruised and there were cuts all over. Slowly he stood. Both the robot's kick and his lack of energy had him as weak as a newborn. He turned to look at his opponent. Rover looked as bad as he felt. There wasn't a section of the robot that wasn't covered in cuts or dents from the shinigami's relentless onslaught. Despite all his efforts the machine hadn't sustained any critical damage. So in the end he was like Arawn; cut up, but relatively okay. Not entirely. Unlike Arawn the machine wasn't tired or low on energy. "Damn." he groaned his knees shaking. Just a kick and he was in shambles. Rover a step forward. "Bryce end the test." he said aloud. He knew the hunchback was listening the whole time. Now he could turn the machine off and they could try again later. Rover kept coming. "Bryce?" Arawn reached for bud in his ear. Nothing was there. It would seem it had been shaken loose some time during the fight. No wonder he hadn't heard anything from the short man this whole time. Arawn groaned. It was then he realized he didn't have his sword or sheath on him. He must had dropped them when t Rover had kicked him. "Damn." he repeated as he retreated til his back hit the wall. With the robot advancing he tried to think of a method of escape. There was none. Even if he ran the machine would have little trouble catching him. Just when he decided which way he would run the droid stopped moving. For a second Arawn thought it was a trap, but Rover didn't budge. Seconds ticked by before he heard a shout from the entrance.
"Arawn! Are you okay?" Bryce had apparently hit the kill switch and come inside to check on him. Arawn let out a sigh and slid down to the floor.
"I'm fine." Came Arawn's reply as the hunchback came into view. "I think this thing is almost ready." he said as he gave the other man a weak smile.