Fighting Witches 101!

Ash and Xander's Soul Resonance Technique!

Ash yelped as he dove for the ground avoiding another medley of feather-shaped daggers from Iblis. Iblis laughed from her spot high up in the room. She was floating on a bed of feathers with the strangest smile on her face. She had the look of a person who intended to kill her prey AFTER torturing them. And, boy, was she enjoying it.

Ash rolled over onto his side. He ran his fingers over Xander's sharp blade drawing blood. The blood quickly straightened itself out into small sticks on the blade.

"Using that technique already," said Xander with a chuckle.

"Its one of the few benefits of our Soul Resonance," said Ash. "Any of my blood that winds up on your blade becomes a weapon." He reached forward and tore one of them off of the blade. Ash chuckled as he quickly tossed the bloody dagger through the air and at his opponent. The small blood dagger never made it to Iblis. It got swept up in the storm of Iblis' own daggers and disappeared into it. Iblis laughed at the pathetic attempt.

"Maybe," said Iblis her voice rising in pitch, "maybe you might hit me once before I kill you. I always wondered what happened to the professionally meisters and weapons of the DWMA, but apparently they got replaced with the likes of you!"

Ash charged forward. He jumped up and aimed his heavy bladed gauntlet at Iblis. Iblis yawned and redirected an air blast propelling herself higher into the air above Ash's desperate charge. "Crap! I can't hit her," said Ash. "She can dodge any of my short distance attacks and any long distance attacks get redirected."

"Looks like someone is going to lose to a girl," said Xander.

"How can you mock me at a time like this?" said Ash, "if I lose then you lose too."

"I know," said Xander, "but its funny to mock you."

"Instead of mocking me, maybe you can help me figure out a way to beat this girl," said Ash.

"Fine, let's do things your way," said Xander. Ash nodded and dashed forward again, trying to get in close.

Iblis laughed, "you boys are just like kitties!" She quickly whisked her fingers in one direction creating another blast of wind that sailed into Ash knocking him over to his side and across the ground. He cursed as he hit the ground hard. "How cute you guys are as you try to catch that pathetic speck of light that you can't hit no matter how hard you try!"

"We'll hit it eventually," said Xander. Ash grabbed another two of the blood daggers that were extended from his gauntlet. He tossed them. The two daggers were both flying on their mark, but the storm around Iblis Raven proved to be to much. They were both sent off course and both of them sailed into the wall to her side.

"Ordinarily, I would be opposed to violence against women," said Ash, "but I think I'll make a special exception to witches."

"Oh, what, bravado," said Iblis, faking a swoon. "I'm almost like putty in your hand…if only we weren't on opposite sides, then maybe…just maybe our love could blossom. Oh, wait…no it won't. I don't like girly boys, sorry!"

Xander burst out into a laugh, "even she's got you nailed. I think you need to admit it, Ash! Everyone thinks you are a girly boy."

Ash's eye twitched. "STOP SAYING THAT!"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll…I'll…" began Ash trying to think of a decent threat.

"You can't leave me here, because then you'd get killed," said Xander. "Let's just focus on taking out the witch and then we can get back onto the subject of how effeminate you are. Ducky pajamas."

Ash growled at Xander. "Please…don't bring…that subject…up again." He grabbed the last blood dagger on Xander's body and tossed it at Iblis.

Iblis flinched. She didn't create a strong enough wind fast enough and the bloody needle came flying by and it scored a scratch on her left cheek. She touched gently at first, but then the gentle touch quickly became a panicky touch. "I've been wounded! Mother! Your great daughter has been wounded! I may…I may just see you soon! Please save a spot for me at your side…NOT! I'm perfectly fine!"

"This girl is starting to annoy me more then you," said Ash.

"I didn't know that was possible," said Xander.

Ash leapt up from his spot on the ground and into the air. He spun around and made another punch at Iblis with his bladed gauntlet. Iblis laughed as she was carried further into the air by another strong gust of wind. Ash landed on the ground perfectly. He looked back up at his opponent. She was dodging or redirecting every single one of their attacks. He hadn't been able to land a single blow. He'd have to think of someway to defeat her. But in order to do that, he'd need more daggers.

Ash ran his hand over Xander's blade once more, drawing blood again. Small bloody dagger appeared on the blade and extended from it forming another four sharp blood daggers.

"How are you holding up?" asked Xander. "I mean you already used four daggers. I don't think you should keep exhausting your blood like this."

Ash reached over and grabbed one of the blood daggers and broke them off. He held it in his hand for a couple of seconds, "I can do it, don't worry about me!"

"Just remember you can't lose too much blood," said Xander, "These daggers use quite a bit. Normally we can only pull out a little bit over ten."

"And I'm only at eight," said Ash, "like you always say 'I can handle it'!"

"Well that's me!" shouted Xander, "You can't!"

"HEEELLLLOOOOO," shouted Iblis from her spot in the air, "did you forget about me? The witch trying to killing you!"

"Sorry," said Xander, "Ash may be a pathetic overly feminine and weak boy, but he's still better then you."

Iblis' face quickly became annoyed, "Oh…really!" She snapped her fingers together. Another strong gust of winds was generated in the small room. Dozens of black feather-like daggers filled the air. "I will prove you wrong only you won't be around to see it! Why? Because you'll be buried six-feet under! You'd have kicked the bucket! You'll be out of here! Gone like the wind! Deceased and desisted!"

"Yeah, right," said Ash as he pulled off a second blood dagger from Xander's arm blade, "Xander's not the type of guy to lose to you. He'll never live it down if he loses to a woman."

"Whoa," thought Iblis as her powers gave way slightly beneath her feet, "Crap! I used up too much power already! I put too much of my magic into the Prison Jar! I remember them saying it'll drain you a little, but this…this is more then a little. My powers are less then a quarter of what they used to be."

Ash dashed forward with his bladed gauntlet at the ready. Ash launched himself at the floating Iblis. Iblis' powers completely gave way underneath her sending her falling back down to the ground. Ash soared above her with his gauntlet fully extended. Ash spun around and brought a small blood dagger out and tossed it, aiming directly between Iblis' eyes. A small, but strong wind drifted upwards blowing it a safe distance away from Iblis.

Iblis backed up. Her legs weakening beneath her. She wasn't used to having such a large drain on her body. She could still feel some of her energy leaking out of her. Ash wasn't letting her have a break though. Her leapt from his location with both speed and force sending his large bladed gauntlet straight at her. She didn't have enough time to dodge, nor did she have enough energy to divert the attack. Ash drove his blade straight into Iblis's stomach.

"What do you know?" said Xander as Ash pulled him out of Iblis' wound, "I really didn't think you would have it in you, Ash. I'm impressed."

"Didn't you just say I'm better then her?" asked Ash.

"I was just trying to be supportive, not truthful, but supportive," said Xander.

"Shut up," said Ash.

"I agree," said Iblis as she backed away, her hand on her open wound. The wind started to pick-up again, swirling around them. Small black feather-like daggers began to join the whirlwind. "I think you both should really SHUT UP!" The daggers all simultaneously began to tear through the air each of them aimed squarely at Ash. Ash was thrown backwards with the force of the wind and numerous small daggers drove themselves into Ash. He slammed heavily into the ground causing a large cloud of dust to emerge.

Iblis chuckled. "Don't even think about using the dust cloud to hide yourselves!" She snapped her fingers together. Another strong gust of wind tore through the room dragging the dust out of the room and down the hall. Ash was revealed laying on the ground, huffing and puffing, he was using one of his arms to brace himself.

Ash looked down at his bladed gauntlet. The three blood daggers he had been leaving on there for another strike had been blown off with the wind. "Crap." Ash stumbled up to his feet. "I guess we gotta go for another round." Ash dragged his hand over Xander's blade drawing more blood and creating more blood daggers.

"Ash!" shouted Xander, "I don't think you know what you are doing!"

"Relax," said Ash as he shook his hand in the air, "I figured it all out." He broke all four of the small daggers off and grasped them in one hand, between his fingers. "This will be the end of the fight!"

"It will be! Too bad it will be ending with your death!" shouted Iblis as she raised her hand. She generated another blast of pure wind. The gust blew through the room and rammed straight into Ash knocking him off of his feet and through the air. Ash collided with the wall once more. He was being pinned against the wall through sheer hurricane-like strength. "Any last…" began Iblis as the strong winds started to slowly die out into a pathetic wind, "…words?"

"I don't need any last words," said Ash, "not for awhile!" Ash dashed forward and tossed all four of the needles simultaneously. Iblis dove to the side allowing all of the daggers to fly to her side, one of them nicking her ridiculous shoe. Ash was upon her in an instant. He brought his gauntlet straight down at her chest.

(-With Melody and Rochelle-)

"Um…this is a dead end," said Rochelle as the duo neared a wall.

"I don't get it!" shouted Melody, "how are we at a dead end? The witches are beyond this wall I'm sure of it!" Melody ran up to the wall and launched a kick at it. She immediately jumped back with a sharp yelp grabbing her leg.

"I guess we are just lost," said Rochelle, "let's turn around and try to find another way around it. Trying to go straight will get us nowhere."

"I'm sure if Shi was here he'd encourage me to break the wall down," said Melody with a slight pout as she eyed the imposing wall in front of her. "If he was here, he'd help me."

"Melody," said Rochelle as the boomerang lit up and she transformed into her human self, "I think you are over thinking this. This is a wall!" She pounded on the wall. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but walls are made to be in the way." She pounded on the walls a couple more times. "Its supposed to keep us out. We are either going to have to find a door or find a way around. Let's not waste our time trying to bust it dooowwwwnnnn!" A small platform beneath Rochelle opened up and Rochelle disappeared into it.

"I think we just found ourselves a door," said Melody with a smirk, "a trapdoor, but a door nonetheless!" Melody jumped into the air and down the hole.

Rochelle landed in a completely different room. The room was large and imposing. The fact that there was no windows or visible doors was actually the least threatening thing about the room. The room had about fifty or so clay soldiers stashed down there all of them dressed in real armor and carrying real weapons. Melody soon slid down into the room, too.

"Wow!" shouted Melody as she looked around the room, "so many clay soldiers. This is amazing! I bet the witches don't even know about this room." She wandered around a bit more. "I mean it smells down here, but the looks of the room makes up for it."

Rochelle was quivering in her boots where she stood, "do you know what that smell is?"

Melody took another whiff of the air and shrugged, "I don't know. I don't really bother to remember the smell of the things. I live with Shi…there's a lot of smells that come with him."

"It smells like blood," said Rochelle.

Ash and Xander's second fight with a witch goes better then they planned, even if the witch was really weakened due to the stress of the Prison Jar. Not to mention couldn't focus due to Ash and Xander's constant fighting. Then there is Rochelle's and Melody's shocking discovery. A room full of clay soldiers that smell like blood.

Also, I made some edits to the character submission form. I edited the main rules # 11 and 13, I added Soul Resonance to the Meister and Weapon sections, and I also added Special Abilities and Ally/Enemy to the Witches' section. If you have already submitted a character to my story you don't have to worry about editing your characters, but if you want to it would be a huge help. That is all.