For What Reason You Stand (Liltotto/Elyss)

Open wide much?

Elyss has heard of eating punches, but this is a bit ridiculous. However, thinking back on it, Liltotto had deployed a numerous amount of teeth themed traps their last bout. Guess it makes sense that the woman had something special about her mouth. However, why now? What's changed that's induced this level of brutality? Elyss couldn't help but wonder what exactly Liltotto faced on the battlefield. The thought of facing something that frightening scared her, but Elyss couldn't help but feel that very fear turn into excitement.

"If I was anyone else, I feel I'd be missing a hand, Lilttoto," She spurred, chuckling.

But, these tactics have their exploits, and Elyss knows a thing or two about abusive tactics. Her fighting's style has left her prey to tricky opponents. That's why her wrist isn't something Liltotto can sink her teeth into.

Retching her arm back, Elyss would pull Liltotto towards her. If her right's disabled, she'll just use her left, fingers already curled into a fist.

"Now. Let. GO!" She snarled, launching her arm forward, her words in beat with her attack, punch after punch into the blonde's face.

She actually bit a person. If not for her insane defenses, Elyss would most certainly have lost a hand. There was no point in entertaining that appall here. What there was room for, was anger and desperation. The woman she was facing felt like an impassable wall to fight, even the teeth clamped tightly on her wrist hardly breaking that skin, unlike the ugly giant dread of a lizard she bit into months ago. She wasn't winning in the strength department, that was a given, but her odds overall seemed far more scarce than anticipated.

The sense of hopelessness that would otherwise depress her, infuriated instead.

Her senses and eyes caught the loom of that punch coming in, but she wasn't fast enough with releasing. Punches hit her face, teeth unlatching midway through, force ringing through her body and rattling her bones, the final punch sending her body skidding across the field. Pain radiated on her face, but she wasn't visibly bruised nor bleeding. Even a brief touch to her stunned face just to verify - she wasn't bleeding.

You're not as fragile as a human, a reminding thought once again crossed her as she breathed. She lived like one, she thought like one, she held bonds like one, but there were several immutable facts that kept her apart from humanity. Things she held fear of. Just how grounded was that fear?

Though it seemed she was down for the count for a few skips of the heart, her feet firmly planted on the floor, suddenly getting up and using Steigen to force distance between the two women, that makeshift spear in Liltotto's grasp once again, though her expression wasn't of a scared animal facing it's worst predator.

It held intensity, a hand goading Elyss to come at her, a taunt leaving her lips, "That all you got, Shinigami Captain?"

Elyss wondered if that was all Liltotto had to offer, but honestly, that bite was unexpected. Elyss' eyes moved to her wrist as she held up her arm, noticing just how strong Liltotto's mouth was. It made her wonder why the Quincy didn't deploy similar tactics in their last fight, but she didn't have time to think about it for long. Her opponents finally stirring.

"The name's Elyss, Liltotto."

Captain? Who cares about that right now? Titles are so problematic at times that the very idea of being seen as nothing more than some superlative position pissed Elyss off. She just couldn't help express her disdain by scoffing before she lowered herself.

Focusing again on her target, she pushed the ground with as much ferocity as earlier. Has Liltotto learned? Her eyes hold a grim determination, far clear in focus than before. Elyss has to test the blonde, reaching her left out in the same fashion as before. Her right's tightened into a fist.

It's the same thing: grab and attack.

Her grip on that weapon tightened with Elyss' response to that referring to her title over her personal identity, the only response from the woman being a simple, "Yeah." before she came back into action as well. Running to grab and punch her again? Did she think she was that unstoppable as to do the same move again? The blonde clicked her teeth as she rose her weapon, holding strangely still - one would think she had frozen up and was about to take another blow.

But as that hand reached mere feet from her, she moved - more with feeling than thinking, using her senses to feel out the timing. That elongated weapon would lunge directly for Elyss' face, thrown with all her puny might, but by time the construct made contact, she was gone from in front of her. By time it shattered, she had her bow drawn and a cascade of chained arrows lunging for the Shinigami from behind, the barbed constructs embedding in the ground as well as seeking to overwhelm and bind her with sheer numbers. Regardless of if or not Elyss managed to be tethered by the first horde, Liltotto did not stop; any time Elyss could have avoided her or managed to get close to her, Liltotto would move her self seamlessly with both a sharp reaction time and Steigen, delivering helpings upon helpings of chains like clockwork.

It seems they're both falling back on similar tactics to start out the next part of their fight. Elyss easily evaded the spear by moving her head to the side. She may not have needed to dodge it, but she'd rather not have her approach halted. Though, that's when she saw Liltotto change it up a bit. Could Elyss have made better moves in this situation? Possibly. But she only sensed Liltotto appearing behind her and didn't move especially fast to react to what came next.

The heavy burden of chains attached to her, clamping her down to the ground. The first volley didn't seem to work at first when Elyss began to move a bit after finding herself slowed. However, the next set of arrows found purchase and tied her still. Now this is familiar to the redhead.

"Eh... These things are heavy," She grumbled, struggling against their hold on her.

There was no way Elyss was this slow and predictable. The Sternritter should not, could not, and definitely did not believe it. Whether she didn't feel up to use as much energy or didn't take this fight as seriously, it did nothing but make Liltotto's teeth clench. It was similar last time, but this time she was fully willing to see this to it's conclusion.

"Wouldn't have gotten all tied up if you put more energy into this," Her arm extended somewhat to her side, clothed to the upper arm in a white glove. Her fingers grasped one of the pin - she might as well burst her shit here to force something serious out.

CLANG

A furious rush of reishi poured into her as the limitation was freed, clouded darkened wings of mis-matching size bursting from her back as her bow was drawn.

"Sit tight like a nice pin cushion if you're feeling so burdened," Was the only comment that followed an endless torrent of empowered arrows.

"I don't know," Elyss mumbled as she watched Liltotto. Whatever's going on is different. With no real knowledge of how Quincy fight, Elyss doesn't have a clue of what's about to happen. However, she'd feel the change before understanding it.

"I'm not the fastest," She'd add, ending her train of thought after Liltotto released her true potential. Well, it could be just a burst of power and nothing more, but Elyss doesn't know that. She doesn't know what to make of this. All she knows is that this sudden change was tied to whatever Liltotto had popped off of her wrist, and that she doesn't have any time to react.

Her immediate thought centered around how she's actually feeling some pain now. Then came the realization that the torrent of arrows had blown her free of her chains. However, she's too enriched in this sensation to even want to move, gorging on the way the arrows struck and bruised her skin like thrown hammers.

This is something to experience, even if it leaves her messed up.

The volume of arrows quickly yet steadily increased as Liltotto pushed herself, sharpening her focus to draw out every bit of ambient Reishi she could from the area and form it into a definite shape. Going, going, keep going, keep pushing - that was the only thing on her mind as she drew every bit of frustration into the barrage, Elyss' lack of movement and comments only serving to further aggravate her assault. There wasn't quite as much Reishi to work with like on the battlefield, utilizing her practice of ensuring her intake and outtake were in an effective loop whilst Letz was active, though managing that was a bit unwieldy with how quick the intake was.

She was hardly denting the redhead. She didn't even draw blood. If anything, Elyss looked like she had as much freedom to stand up and punch her across the room and was simply taking the sea of arrows by choice. She couldn't help but be pretty pissed, and express it, a growl rising in her throat as the barrage suddenly ended, energy collecting into her hand to form a spear with all she had left into it, Liltotto plain running at Elyss, weapon overhead, with a rising yell,

"Damn you!"
With the end of the sentence, the pointed weapon would strike Elyss' torso with as much might as she could push into it.

Damn her? Liltotto's become rather annoying, but why? Elyss is too mindful to not be bothered by this. There's an annoying tick in the back of her head, reminding her of her own shortcomings. For as useless as Liltotto feels, Elyss feels just the same.

Really... What a bother...

Liltotto has a lot of techniques, but she lacks the necessary power to get past Elyss' defenses, but that's the same the other way around. How does Elyss get through Liltotto? She doesn't have the ability to manipulate Reishi, she can't use Kido that well, and she doesn't even have a Zanpakuto. Out of all the Captains, Elyss is without a doubt the weakest. That's a fact that's been bugging her for a while now.

'What are your fists good for?' Elyss pondered, hearing her long gone spirit taunting her as it always had. Even without it around, the questions it asked worry Elyss even now, like a constant reminder of how useless she is without it. However, she's still in a fight.

Bam!

Time doesn't stop just because someone's thinking. Liltotto's spear forced Elyss back to reality, the construct piercing Elyss' chest. For the first time this first, blood was drawn. Crimson liquid flowed as Liltotto pushed Elyss back, dragging the woman's feet until they both rammed into the wall. Still, Elyss' durability kept her from being torn in half, but her eyes had lost a bit of their earlier shine as any adrenaline started to fade. At the moment, stuck in place, figuratively and physically, Elyss really does seem to have no desire to keep fighting.

Heart roaring in her ears with the fading of that rush, she realized her strike went through - eyes floated down to her hands as the weapon in her grasp slowly evaporated, the scent of iron fresh to her senses, hitting her just before the warm flow of blood touched her hand firmly pressed where the makeshift spear had pierced.

...What?

She actually wounded the Captain.

There was no satisfaction, no rush, no joy in finally landing a blow - not like she imagined it would.
That sensation she was craving, that she could finally punch up, was not found here.
Not with that look in Elyss' eyes.

A few breaths were spent in stunned silence, eyes wide as the flowing current of energy into and out of her body finally relaxed. It was finally interrupted by the blonde grabbing Elyss by the collar and suddenly slamming her against the wall she had pierced her against; this ceased being a fight the moment she processed what was going on.

"What are you fucking doing?!"

An indescribable anger possessed her, it was an anger so potent it made her veins feel as if they had been lit aflame. It was such a powerful emotion she didn't even take a moment to pause and think of what she was going to say or do, she simply did.

"Your heart hasn't been into this shit, even a dumbass could see it! A punch?! A fucking punch?! That was all you were willing to do against me?"

Hands tight on the shinigami's collar pinning her to the wall, her voice had raised into an uncharacteristic yell, lungs burning as Elyss was given no room to speak or interrupt - if she was so defeated she could at least keep her ears open, "No kido? No martial arts? No tricks? Not even drawing your fucking blade?! If I was seriously trying to kill you, would you have honestly LET ME?! Those who came before you razed thousands of us, few of those far stronger than me, several goddamn times! I still see the carnage your predecessors were capable of in my fucking nightmares, Elyss! I know what Shinigami are capable of being, I know what Captains are capable of being; you are BOTH! Don't you dare fuck with me with those 'I give up' eyes!"

The 'dare' was enunciated with a brief letting up and sudden pounding of the woman against the wall again - she knew, no, expected her to be able to take a puny human's rendition of a rough up, "What happened to not abandoning the world, huh? What happened to 'fighting til we're giants'? Were those lies? Huh?! Were you just saying shit you didn't believe in to make me feel better that day? Bullshit! Bull-fucking-shit!"

Sharpened teeth gritted, her gaze was fiercely pinned on Elyss' own, "If you're so intent on giving up, i'll fucking kill you! I'll fucking kill you so hard you'd be wrought with regret of your decision to give up for the next several passes through the cycle! So what is it?! What do you want to do here?"