Since Erica asked, Genji did indeed let Erica stay the night, or even the week really, in one of the guest rooms in the residential part of the dojo. So in the morning she was already at the dojo and ready for some sparring. Genji, however; was in the middle of some intense training, but Sumi was available to spar. She seemed to want to get to know Erica a little better, as they met last night, since they were cousins. So into the yard near the dojo the two of them went, after breakfast of course, to get an early start on some sparring and practice. --- Erica Sparring: 22 - 28 Capoeria - 12 Skill Bonus = -18 Erica Stamina: 17 - 10 VIT = 7 --- Erica did pretty good in the sparring match, but Sumi was leagues ahead despite that. Sure Erica may have come close with a couple of her blows, but ultimately Sumi was too quick, easily parrying or dodging Erica's other blows before coming in with a few of her own. Of course, it was just sparring, so she didn't go all out, but it was clear the difference between the two of them. All in all, the sparring session lasted all morning, with really no elongated breaks, just short breathers that lasted for a couple of minutes before the two of them continued. A few Skills leveled throughout the sparring session multiple times, mainly most of the Skills she had in her own possession. Ultimately though it was a light sparring session, so they didn't level that many times, but levels were still levels and a point did go into Strength because of the level up of the Essential Capoeria Technique Skill. After that sparring, a lunch break. Genji was still in intensive training, but Sumi was willing to answer some of Erica's questions about the family. The Ban Family is a very old clan of powerful martial artists that dates back to thousands of years ago. They value discipline, family, and honor, practicing martial arts as not only a tradition, but also as a way of creating a powerful bond through the family. The Ban household uses a style of martial arts that emphasizes power of strength and mind, there probably being more to it, but she didn't say anything else about that. That break took a little while, now Sumi taking Erica to the Pseudospace area to grind Kobolds, it being about a tiny bit into the afternoon now. Erica's first attempt went... really poorly. She got smashed by two powerful strikes of a Kobold right off the bat and was forced to retreat before she died, Sumi saving her from potential death by kicking the Kobold in the face hard enough that it died in a single hit, Sumi not even breaking a sweat. "A-Are you alright?" Sumi seemed concerned, but then looked surprised as Erica's body showed no sign of damage despite the two nasty blows she took. "I guess this is part of that weird power you all have..." She was curious now, but let Erica rest and recover her HP, as Genji had told Sumi a bit about the Gamer, or at least what he knew. Unfortunately her HP was so low that she had to take a good bit to regenerate it and recover the lost stamina. Either way, she was in pretty bad shape. Needless to say, it was a good bit in the afternoon once she was done since she had somehow gone into the incredibly negative HP amounts and had the Deadly Status, so it took her a while to recover, especially since her stamina didn't seem to replenish while her HP was still negative. After that, Erica got to work practicing her dodging capabilities. --- Dodging Practice: 24 - 28 Capoeria = -4 --- And she was doing pretty good. Practicing dodging and evading using various Capoeria movements. It took a while, but through her practice she managed to get pretty good, a couple of windows appearing now. [hider=Skill Get!] A Skill has been created through a special action. Through practicing evasion with the movements of Capoeria, the ability to better evade attacks with Capoeria, Capoeria Evasion, has been created. [/hider] [hider=Capoeria Evasion] Capoeria Evasion (Level 1: 0/100 EXP) (Passive): Through various movements of Capoeria, your ability to dodge has improved. You get +1% Dodging Speed. Not only that, but if you dodge you can make a counterattack as part of your dodge that has a -25% accuracy, but deals 10% more damage. To Level Up: Dodge an attack, get a counterattack, practice movements. [/hider] She managed to make the Skill and even had a bit of time left in the afternoon to practice movements needed for the Skill. --- Capoeria Evasion Practice: 53 - 28 Capoeria = 25 --- She managed to perform the movements decently, getting two Levels in her new Skill. Soon enough though it was evening and upon asking for a bit of text on the ban fighting style, Sumi agreed, giving her a book on the basics of the Ban Family fighting style. When she got the book, she would get the following message. [hider=Window] You have obtained the Talent Book for the Ban Family Martial Arts Technique. [/hider] Upon touching it again, she got a window asking if she wanted to learn the Ban Family Martial Arts Technique. If she pressed Yes, she would see the book beginning to vanish as the knowledge of the Ban Family Martial Arts Technique flowed into her, the following windows having appeared. [hider=Window] Usage of the Talent Book for the Ban Family Martial Arts Technique has created a Talent to allow you to better use this technique, the Ban Family Martial Arts Technique has been created. [/hider] [hider=Ban Family Martial Arts Technique] Ban Family Martial Arts Technique (Talent Skill): The discipline and strength needed to use the basic martial arts style of the Ban Family are yours. As you further level this Talent you will be able to better execute these special martial arts techniques and grow stronger overall. [/hider] The style itself, now that Erica knew the basic techniques, seemed powerful, yet simple. Attacks that emphasized focus and powerful strikes as well as the focusing of the body's Ki as well. Sumi opted to teach Erica the essential movements and techniques so that she could practice them on her own. --- Erica Ban Family Martial Arts Training: 4 (Critical!) --- Erica was a quick learner, Sumi a good bit impressed as she quickly caught on to the basic techniques of the Ban Family and the movements quite quickly, perhaps of her own prior martial arts experience. Not only that, but she figured a way to combine these techniques with her own techniques to become an even stronger martial artist. After the evening training, the following Windows appeared. [hider=Window] Quick learning of the Ban Family techniques than normal has increased your proficiency in them. +1 Ban Family Martial Arts Technique. [/hider] [hider=Window] A Skill has been created through special action. The ability to perform the essential movements of the Ban Family Technique, Essential Ban Family Technique, has been created. [/hider] [hider=Essential Ban Family Technique] Essential Ban Family Technique (Level 1: 0/100 EXP): +2 STR, +1 DEX, +1 VIT, +1 Ban Family Martial Arts Technique. The essential technique and movements of the Ban Family. These focused, precise strikes focus on targeting vital and weak points on the foe's body, allowing you to ignore 10% of the foe's Resilience with your Unarmed strikes. Not only that, but the strength of your Unarmed Strikes is increased by 10%. Your unarmed Strikes also deal an additional 4 Damage. This special martial arts technique is also easily combined with the other techniques that you possess, allowing any and all bonuses from each to stack. To Level Up: Perform Unarmed Strikes, Use Ban Family Techniques. [/hider] [hider=Window] A Skill has been created through a special Action. The ability to perform the most basic Ban Family Technique that involves focusing the strength for a powered strike, Nōkō Sutoraiki [/hider] [hider=Nōkō Utsu] Nōkō Utsu (Level 1: 0/100 EXP) (Active: 20 MP): Through the basic focusing and concentrating of strength and Ki (Mana) into the hand with both strength and a focused mind, the strength of this precise strike is quite high. This attack deals 50% more damage than a regular unarmed strike. To Level Up: Use this Technique. Deal a Critical Strike. [/hider] Unfortunately there wasn't much time left in the day for much else, but Erica did indeed make some good progress today despite not being able to grind Kobolds. It was late, so Sumi mentioned that they should go to bed, bidding Erica good night as she went to bed herself.