STATUS:
Merry Christmas boyos, don't forget to, like, be a good person and stuff. Also start thinkin of a new years resolution you'll actually go through with.
4 yrs ago
Current
Merry Christmas boyos, don't forget to, like, be a good person and stuff. Also start thinkin of a new years resolution you'll actually go through with.
2
likes
5 yrs ago
Status update: staying up all n8ght fuckin sucks and procrastination is a vile temptress.
1
like
7 yrs ago
4 months into this hole 'being a responsible adult thing' and I've come to a conclusion: It sucks and I want to go back to the days where I didn't have to plan out my game time.
1
like
7 yrs ago
Was supposed to be productive tonight. . . will try to be productive in the morning
4
likes
7 yrs ago
Taking a short break from posting till Monday/Tuesday, hopefully will feel more creative and less brain-dead
As the dreary rain beat a staccato rhythm against the rooftops of the Senju clan Compound, a young boy seemed oblivious to these sounds from where he sat. Head down against a desk littered with various sealing diagrams, papers, ink wells, and everything else the young Sealing prodigy could need, he lay in a deep but troubled sleep. His features were scrunched, and every passing second brought with it some twitch or low groan, tell-tale signs of a nightmare ravaging his poor mind. So tightly did this terror have a hold of him that even the sound of the rice-paper door sliding open did not wake him.
"Young Master? Young Master, it's time to get up." The servant was a man of elder years, a faithful servant of the Senju. But as he trudged through the mess of seal diagrams, half-opened scrolls, and who knows how brushes, he couldn't help but mutter under his breath about the indignity of the young man put under his charge. With a sigh, he placed on the boy's shoulder in order to rouse him. "Youn-"
The words had barely left his mouth when the boy suddenly jolted to an upright position at the man's touched, violet eyes wide and bloodshot as he brought up a sealing tag before him, breathing heavily as his gaze swept across the room. the servant, for his part, did his best to give the boy his space, knowing how he tended to get after his nightmares. . . though this one must've been rather bad for him to have this kind of reaction.
"Master Kiyoshi . . . calm yourself. It was only a dream." The servant held his hands out, makign sure to make no sudden movements as he waited for the young man to full come wake and come to his senses. The wait was not long, thankfully, as the hazy glare of Kiyoshi's gaze steady after a few blinks, tag lowering back to the desk as he rubbed at the bridge of his noses.
"Yes. . . Yes, of course." He muttered softly, looking down at his work from the previous night with a far off look. Before the servant could deem to try and comfort the boy with whatever words of wisdom he had, Kiyoshi raised a hand to silence him. "It's fine. It's not the first nightmare I've had. . . tell mother I'll be making my way to the academy in a bit."
". . . Do you not want to try. . speaking with her?"
"We both know how that will turn out." A cold reply, with barely a hint of remorse.
"But maybe-"
"I said no!" This time the words held heat, a heat that burned within the violet eyes glaring from beneath a messy curtain of scarlet. "I am a genin now, are I Not? Not a child that needs to hide under his mother's skirt whenever his mind plays tricks. It will pass, like always. So remember your place and do not push the subject."
". . . As you wish, young master." The servant let out a sigh, as he turned away to allow Kiyoshi to get ready in privacy. It was a vain hope, but the old man often hoped that the young master would try to take steps to overcome his trauma. His mother often confided in him how she feared her own child held some ill will against her, and after so many years serving the young boy. . . he was inclined to agree. Even with his unusual fear, his avoidance of his mother seemed extreme. But alas, there was nothing he could do. Trying to force the issue only worsened matters, as the old servant found the tales of Uzumaki stubbornness to be quite true in regards to the young heir. No, the only way this matter could be resolved is if the boy wished for it to be. He could only wish that day come sooner rather than later. Kiyoshi walked to the Academy in his usual state of dress, with hair a barely combed mass of wild, messy waves, unkempt bangs framing an effeminate face, his small figure draped in a cotton yukata ill-befitting his station but much less costly o replace when it became inevitably stained with Fuin Ink. This morning, a particularly large ink smudge was present on his face, a remnant of the last night's project. He inwardly cursed his inability to stay awake, as he had likely negated last night's progress with his carelessness. Rubbing at his eyes, the boy took his seat towards the back of his room, setting his parasol to the side of him as he took a small scroll from the folds of his yukata. The parasol that he used was imbued with seals to improve its ability to protect against the rain, but still, the young Uzumaki felt a distaste for the weather around. Not only did it make for a poor omen, but it also meant he was unable to work on his seals before class. A truly irritating circumstance.
Alas, the day's irritations didn't seem to end with just poor weather, as Kiyoshi felt a different kind of chill crawl up his spine, a lone inkling that proceeded the coming storm that was Hyuuga Hikari. The branch member seemed to have it out for him for some idiotic reason that he couldn't begin to understand, and she proved a constant annoyance day in and day out. With any luck, today would be the last in which he ever had to interact with the she-devil ever again. That being said, 'interact'would be a strong word for what Kiyoshi did as Hikari stood in front of him.
While the Hyuuga's words flew into one ear and out the other, every step towards him prompted 3 steps away by Kiyoshi, his eyes kept downward as he felt his heart rate quicken in her presence, his breathing growing haggard as he sought a way out of this situation. I should've gone to get Shunpei. . he would be able to fend of this annoyance. . . or at the very least, assist me in facilitating a response.
Alas, Shunpei was not in sight, so Kiyoshi had to make due with what possessions he had on hand. Clenching the handle of his parasol tight, he made to walk around the Hyuuga, offering her no words of greeting nor even acknowledgment of her presence. Honestly, he just wished to be as far away from her as possible. He was hardly in the mood for her games in the first place, and after today's . . . incident, that mood had only worsened.
The air within the airship was hot, stuffy, and reeked of humanity as the large group of perspective Shade students huddle next to each other in the cramped vehicle. The only light present within was scorching rays that came in through the windows, and for those who looked out, nothing but wasteland was present to greet them for as far the eye could see. Almost as oppressive as the heat was the slight thrum of anticipation that hung over all of them, especially as they saw the small group of older students whisper and converse among themselves near the front of the ship. This uneasy, murmuring silence would continue to fill the room until a sudden outburst rang through the hull.
"By the gods, this is taking forever!"One of the third years, a tall, rough-looking Faunus with silver hair and tail complained as he looked out one of the windows, fiddling with a rather hi-tech looking gauntlet as his foot drummed u a constant beat upon the metal floor of the airship with his impatient tapping.
"Kid, calm down. We haven't been flying for that long." One of the pilots said in response without looking back, massaging the bridge of his nose before turning back to address the hold of students as a whole. "Might be a bit longer than we expected tho. Got a call from the group ahead of us, looks like the testing area is a little bit too hot for us to land there. We'll just keep cruising by it and you'll have to walk over." The silver-haired youth let out a curse, glancing over the rookies in the hold with a clear sense of disdain.
"We'd probably be able to land just fine if we didn't have to play babysitter for these fucking greenhorns." The complaint got a bit of a chuckle out of the other third years, though one merely clicked his tongue, walking up to his fellow student with a flamboyant swagger.
"Oh come on Wolfy, no need to get your tail in a bunch like that." With dark hair, crimson eyes, and a suit that seemed more for some kind of masquerade ball then the battlefield, he made for a rather odd- fit for the more weathered looking Shade students. One that wasn't [artcularly well-liked either, if the expressions on the others were anything to go by, especially the Faunus boy as the glare he gave made it clear how much he wanted to pound his classmate's face in. "Easy there, I'm just saying. We should make are juniors feel more welcome, no? We were all first years at one point, so no need to treat them as a burden like that, right?"
With a twirl, the dark-haired senior student gave a smile and a wave to the assembled students, walking up to take a position in front of them all, almost like a teacher of sorts.
"With that said, I'll go ahead and introduce myself and start things off. My name is Noir of Team NOIR, a pleasure to meet you all. I would introduce my other team members, but sadly, no one else on my team was interested in this venture. A pity, truly, to be separated from them, no matter how brief." Placing his hand over his heart, Noir seemed to wilt at the thought but quickly sprung back up to gesture towards the group of prospective students, a grin back on his face. "But enough about me, would any of you like to introduce ourselves? Perhaps you have some questions about Shade Academy? Anyone? Anyone at all? Oh, perhaps we should go first. . . yeah, come on guys! Let's be the example for our little juniors, it's only right. I promise that we don't bite. . . well, most of us anyway. Not sure about Silme over there."
Noir turned to give a small wave to the impatient silver-haired youth, whose only response was a prompt "Fuck off!" before he went back to looking out the window. The other third years were more willing to introduce themselves, giving their own names and team names, though this felt more due to Noir's expectant looks rather than any desire to make things easier for the 1st years.
"Uh, my name's Shane, leader of Team Shadow. . . Don't look at me, I didn't choose it." He was a rather tall individual, with bluish green hair, decked out in rather bulky looking armor, at least when compared to the more casual dress of his fellow Huntsman and Huntresses.
"I'm Magnolia, part of team Vermillion. I can't wait to get to know you all. . . well, those who pass anyway." A tan-skinned young woman dressed in a rough, off-white get up of leather pants, a similarly colored crop-top and little else. After her introduction, seemed to be more interested in reading something on her scroll then talking to anyone.
"Amara. Team Brass. Can I sit back down now?" The reluctant intro came from a short young woman dressed in a black and reddish-pink outfit, at least that's what it seemed from what wasn't completely covered by the large cloak she draped around herself.
"HI! I'm Bei of Team Raspberry! Don't let those three grumps get to you, I'm sure you'll all do great." Clearly the only one other than Noir who seemed genuinely excited, the hyper girl was dressed in a rather casual outfit of jeans and a regular shirt, though she did have a rather strange. . . contraption that seemed to frame her body, almost like an exoskeleton of sorts.
Noir clapped as they finished the intros, grinning as he gave his juniors an expectant look, eager to see who would be the first to follow the example of the older students. "Come on then, don't be shy! We're all going to so much fun, after all, so we should get to know each other more directly!"
@SynI think the general idea is that we'd all be in one group, so if secondling does get around to accepting Sloth's initial idea then it'd be difficult to also include a guy who is currently looking for said sword.
Sidenote: frick I forgot to intro myself. Name's raijin, been stalking this thread for a bit and was initially going to offer my idea before I butted my nose in so. . . whoops
Side-sidenote: anyway, my general idea can kinda be summed up as "Wuxia Ghost in the Shell"
basically, The rundown was that he was your classic retainer-type warrior, extremely loyal to his master. Was tasked with defending his master's young daughter, who he began to see as his own.
Dark ritual happens involving master sacrificing his strongest, most loyal retainers as well as the daughter, to bring a puppet to life via a pact with demons. However, my dude manages to take control of the puppet from the demons via pure force of will as well as rage at the betrayal of himself and his comrades. Goes on a mad rampage and kills a lot of people, only to be stopped by the daughter's spirit when he was about to slaughter an innocent mother and child.
Has now been wandering for 10-20 years barely clinging to his humanity as he feels the demonic magic tied to his body try and push him to commit acts of violence. Often wonders if he still fights for himself or if it's due to the dark forces worked into his form.
Special abilities that he has, aside from everything that being a living puppet entails, is that he's able to call upon the skills of those that were sacrificed along with him. this was initially something like 20 styles, but over the years, many of those souls have been degraded into nothingness from his channeling of them, thus leaving him with, like, 5 or so fighting styles to choose from at present, including his own.
Not sure how viable this idea is with Wuxia, but i like the idea of a man bereft of his honor, his life, and even his humanity struggling to do good, while also questioning why he even still goes on.
Name: Daphne Age: 30 Race: Dhamphir(Bauchstehen) Height: 5'9 Weight: 165 Class: Kineticist Appearance: Daphne could be best described as an enchanting young woman, bearing a heart-shaped face framed by short bangs of raven hair and eyes like glimmering gold orbs that sem to speak of an intelligence far beyond her years. The influence of her Bauchstehen mother can be seen in the tapered tips that sharpen many of her features as well as her relatively tall stature. Thanks to the variety of her mother's race, the telling features of her Vetala-bloodline are much more difficult to parse without the use of specialized magic, the only possible tell being the slight fang-like point to her canines, though they are bearly much bigger than that of a normal person. Personality: Daphne is a playful girl, often to a rather disagreeable fault. Always eager to learn new things about the world, it can be nearly impossible to get her to settle down in th epresence of new knowledge. Along with this is her rather stubborn nature when denied something she wants or is uised to getting, the result ing tantrums often leading to her flexing her strange abilities in order to cow whoever stands in her way. Despite being relatively kind to most, an angered Daphne will see little problem in hurting those who get in between her and her desires, though often finds that the threat of doing something proves to be just as effective as actually doing it, if not more so.
Despite her childish nature, one would be foolish to dimiss her based entirely on such an impression, While definitely not the most worldy or patient of individuals, she is one possessed of a snake's cunning when it comes to getting what she wantsor gaining revenge on those who she believes to have wronged her. Patientce isn't a virtue she takes to with any speed, but if no other choice is sensible, she is capable of holding a long and lasting grudge and waiting as long as is needed to finally get her way.
Biography: Daphne was, quite simply, born to be a weapon, brought into the world by a bargain between her Vetala-sire and a powerful necromancer. Despite this truth, however, her early life was not one of egregious hardships or overtly cruel treatment. While the experiments that the Necromancer put her through to give her the power she know possesses were undoubtedly painful, after each gauntlet of trials she was treated with the utmost care and softness. her master, as he bid her to callhim, often gave her anything she requested of him as long as she participated with his efforts, and even when she didn't in some of her more rebellious moods. He was everything that she could ever want in a guardian: Kind, soft-spoken, understanding. Not only that, but the day when his experiments bore fruit within her, birthing a strange, but miraculous new power within her core. . . the jpoy and praise that he heaped upon her left her in jpyful tears.
Unfortunately, as she'd later come to realize, it was this success that uncovered the location of her Master's lair, as the immense surge of Negative energy, as brief as it had been, had been noticed, Within days of the discovery, her Master's home was set upon by a great force of intruders, bursting through his defenses and traps with worrisome speed. Daphne was more than prepared to tear down anyone that threatened her master or his work, but he denounced her for such thoughts. She was not ready to face such powerful foes, not as she was in that moment. As such, he had her spirited away under the cover of shadows so that his success wouldn't be destroyed by those who wouldn't understand. Daphne's last glimpse of her master was him turning to face of against a horde of faceless foes in armor.
In the years following her escape from her master, she could find no news or trace of him, aside from news that the forces sent to capture the 'vile necromancer' had failed. The simply joy in hearing that her master had escaped from his pursurers satiated her in the moment, as she thought that he'd soon come to her at any moment. But as days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years, she found herself wondering in silence where her master had gone. Why hadn't he come for her? Had she been. . . abandoned?
Such a thought was too much for her to bare, and so she convinced herself that there was no way that it could be true. Instead, she dedicated herself to finding her master, traveling all over in search of him, as well as learning all she could about the world outside of his lair. She came into some trouble now and again, partially due to misunderstanding, partially due to recklessness and her own volatile temperament. But she never stopped looking for him, convinced that they would see each other again. Hex: (hex value for character dialogue)
FAQ AC: 15 Attack: Gravity Blast: +3 to hit, 1d6+5 damage Negative Energy Blast: +3 to hit, 1d6+3 damage Special Traits: Undead Resistance: Dhampirs gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects. Resist Level Drain (Ex): A dhampir takes no penalties from energy drain effects, though he can still be killed if he accrues more negative levels then he has Hit Dice. After 24 hours, any negative levels a dhampir takes are removed without the need for an additional saving throw. Light Sensitivity: Dhampirs are dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. Negative Energy Affinity: Though a living creature, a dhampir reacts to positive and negative energy as if it were undead—positive energy harms it, while negative energy heals it. Vampiric Empathy: Though dhampirs often relate poorly to humanoids, some share an affinity with baser creatures. These dhampirs gain the ability to communicate with bats, rats, and wolves as if under the effects of a speak with animals spell (caster level equal to 1/2 the dhampir’s Hit Dice). In addition, they gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks when dealing with these animals. Whenever these dhampirs initiate an exchange, animals begin with a starting attitude of indifferent. This is a supernatural ability. This racial trait replaces manipulative. Alternate Spell-Like Ability: Ajibachanas gain comprehend languages as a spell-like ability. Senses:Darkvision: Dhampir see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet. Low-light vision: In addition to their ability to see perfectly in the dark up to 60 ft, dhampir have low-light vision, allowing them to see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light. Skills- (List commonly used, ranked, or specially modified skills)Acrobatics: +5, Escape Artist: +5, Intimidate:+4, Stealth: +5, Use Magic Device: +4 Link
The air within the airship was hot, stuffy, and reeked of humanity as the large group of perspective Shade students huddle next to each other in the cramped vehicle. The only light present within was scorching rays that came in through the windows, and for those who looked out, nothing but wasteland was present to greet them for as far the eye could see. Almost as oppressive as the heat was the slight thrum of anticipation that hung over all of them, especially as they saw the small group of older students whisper and converse among themselves near the front of the ship. This uneasy, murmuring silence would continue to fill the room until a sudden outburst rang through the hull.
"By the gods, this is taking forever!"One of the third years, a tall, rough-looking Faunus with silver hair and tail complained as he looked out one of the windows, fiddling with a rather hi-tech looking gauntlet as his foot drummed u a constant beat upon the metal floor of the airship with his impatient tapping.
"Kid, calm down. We haven't been flying for that long." One of the pilots said in response without looking back, massaging the bridge of his nose before turning back to address the hold of students as a whole. "Might be a bit longer than we expected tho. Got a call from the group ahead of us, looks like the testing area is a little bit too hot for us to land there. We'll just keep cruising by it and you'll have to walk over." The silver-haired youth let out a curse, glancing over the rookies in the hold with a clear sense of disdain.
"We'd probably be able to land just fine if we didn't have to play babysitter for these fucking greenhorns." The complaint got a bit of a chuckle out of the other third years, though one merely clicked his tongue, walking up to his fellow student with a flamboyant swagger.
"Oh come on Wolfy, no need to get your tail in a bunch like that." With dark hair, crimson eyes, and a suit that seemed more for some kind of masquerade ball then the battlefield, he made for a rather odd- fit for the more weathered looking Shade students. One that wasn't [artcularly well-liked either, if the expressions on the others were anything to go by, especially the Faunus boy, who actually seemed to bare his teeth a bit when he was called 'Wolfy'. "Easy there, I'[m just saying. We should make are juniors feel more welcome, no? We were all first years at one point, so no need to treat them as a burden like that, right?"
With a twirl, the dark haired 3rd year gave a smile and a wave to the assembled students, walking up to take a position in front of them all, almost like a teacher of sorts.
"With that said, I'll go ahead and introduce myself and start things off. My name is Noir of Team NOIR, a pleasure to meet you all. I would introduce my other team members, but sadly, no one else on my team was interested in this venture. A pity, truly, to be separated from them, no matter how brief." Placing his hand over his heart, Noir seemed to wilt at the thought but quickly sprung back up to gesture towards the group of prospective students, a grin back on his face. "But enough about me, would any of you like to introduce ourselves? Perhaps you have some questions about Shade Academy? Anyone? Anyone at all? Don't be shy, we won't bite. . . well, most of us anyway. Not sure about Silme over there."
Noir turned to give a small wave to the impatient silver-haired youth, whose only response was a prompt "Fuck off!" before he went back to looking out the window. The other third years were more willing to introduce themselves, giving their own names and team names, though this felt more due to Noir's constant prodding than any desire among them to ease the mood for their Juniors.
"Are you fucking blind or something? We're flying past the zone?!?!" The one doing the shouting was a young man with short silver-white hair, a similarly colored tail sweeping side to side in an agitated manner, and fierce amber eyes currently focused on a flustered, but resolute pilot. T
"I-I'm sorry kid, but that LZ is filled with way too many Grimm to risk a landing right there. I'm redirecting us to another spot nearby that'll hopefully-" A bang from the youth's fist hitting the ship's ceiling silenced the pilot, flinching slightly but holding his ground. "Look, If you got a death wish, that's on you, but don't drag me into it."
The youth eyes narrowed but didn't say anything more, instead choosing to leave the pilots to their own devices. As he strode away to the drop doors, however, his gaze flittered across the gather prospects before him.
"Ochre, Opal, Carobelle, and . . . uh," He snapped his fingers a few times as he ran through some sort of mental checklist trying to remember the list the headmaster had given him. "Carrie, no. . . Cherry-no that's not it either uhh . . . Cer- Yeah, Cerry! You four are present, right?" As he waited for the lot of them to reply, the silver-haired fauns rather conspicuously began to put on the strange gauntlets that had hung by his hip this entire time. Sleek and smooth, with a white-gunmetal finish to them that was only broken by the bandoleer of dust vials that encircled the wrists. If one focused closely on them, they might just be able to make out the symbol o the Schnee dust company within the dim-lighting of the airship cabin, though it appeared to have been savagely defaced by a number of gouges in the metal's surface.
"You all are going to be teamed up with me for the coming mission. So I'm going to explain that, because just sitting around in this glorified flying toaster in silence is killing me." Pulling on his gauntlets to make sure they were on properly, the third year continued to make his way to the drop doors while speaking. While most of the prospects were looking somewhat confused, all of the third years were smirking to each other while grabbing onto their belongings. Two of them even seemed to be exchanging Lien. "Simply put, it's extermination with a twist. Something's gotten the Grimm in this area real riled up, and we're going in to clean em up. Hopefully, while that's happening, we can find out what's happening but that's a secondary objective. As our glorious headmaster always bashes into our heads, again and again, our duty is to the people and all that, blah blah blah." Silme's pantomime of the headmaster, complete with a mock salute and swaggering walk, drew a chuckle from some aboard the airship, particularly those among the third years.
"It's a simple mission with simple parameters: get in, wreck shop, maybe figure out the 'why' of it all while you do it. Now, if any of you greenhorns find yourself getting into something that you may find difficult to handle by yourselves. . . well, that's where us 3rd years come in." the youth was silent for a moment as if waiting for applause that never came. "That said, this is also a test and the six of us here are the ones handing out the grade. Whether you pass or fail depends on how we feel you handle yourselves. While we'll be sure not to let any of ya kick the bucket, don't expect us to babysit ya. If you can't deal with this kind of situation, or work with your fellow huntsman whether you've known them for 5 years or 5 seconds, then you're just not what Shade wants. We survive out here by working together and showing any creature or bandit we face out here why Shade isn't a place ya want to fuck with."
Seeming to be finished with his little speech, the Faunus continued making his way across the ship to the hangar bay doors, gauntlets whirring to life as he secured them in place. Brushing off his shoulders a bit, he glanced over his shoulder to cast an amber eye over those in his squad.
"Ochre, while you guys are under my command, you'll be second in command. Let's see you put that name of yours to good use. Carobelle, if Ochre loses his nerve out there, you're the back-up. Hope that isn't asking too much of you. Cher-no, Cerry. Try not to freeze up out there. . . and welcome to Vacuo. And finally, Opal . . . I'll admit, don't see much in ya at the moment, so try your best to prove me wrong. Oh, and as a word of advice to all of you when forming ur landing strategy, flying Grimm tend to be a good choice."
"Wait a minute, what do you me-" Was all the pilot was able to get out before the Faunus slammed his fist down on the bay door release. A fierce surge of wind blasted through the small space as the hangar doors on either side of the group slid open, muffling the myriad of curses the pilot was throwing at the young man as he turned his back towards the yawning sky. "See ya down there team. . . unless you wanna fail, that is."
And with little more than a grin and a hop, he was off. Hurtling down towards the sprawling Vacuan desert. A number of black figures polluted both the air and the land as the creatures of Grimm that had gathered swarmed over the sands, from the jackal-like Beowolves to the Garuda that patrolled the skies above. As the 4-winged Grimm saw the plummeting morsel heading there way, they were quick to fly close in on the lone Huntsman. However, as they got close, the Huntsman was quick to leap into action, flipping over in mid-air as a bright green glow emanated from the fingertips of his gauntlets. Before the Grimm could even get close, he unleashed a powerful cross slash, the wind-dust from his gauntlets unleashing it as a strong gust of buffeting winds that battered the encroaching Grimm away from him as he fell.
Another swipe of his claws launched onto the back of one of the creatures, knocking it down to a lower elevation from the impact. Before the creature could attempt to right itself, the Faunus dart across its body, lashing out with two more powerful slashes to disable two of its 4 wings. Robbed of much of the thrust that allowed it to remain airborne, the Grimm bucked wildly in an attempt to dislodge the unwanted rider as it begun a jerky downward descent to the desert floor, tho to no avail as the Huntsman dug a clawed hand into the creatures back to ride out the bumpy ride.
Back in the ship, most of the students were struggling to keep their belongings from getting sucked out the hold while a few of the third years were engaged in a shouting match with the pilot over what just happened. One of them, a dark-haired youth with crimson eyes and dressed in fancy attire, strolled over to the group as a hole hand in his pocket as he waved to the prospects.
"Greetings all. My name's Noir and the mutt that just flew out the doors was Silme, as he forgot to mention." More than a few of the third years gave Noir a sharp glare at his declaration of Silme being a 'mutt', particularly the Faunus among them, but before any of them could get into it, another barrage of shouts from the pilots took their attention away from him. "If you were one of the names called, well, I suggest you hurry before the pilot decides to close the doors, as he definitely wasn't kidding about failing you if you don't follow his crazy little scheme. Unfortunate, truly, but such things can be common when you're a student at Shade. Life's tough and all that."
Noir gave a shrug before stepping away from the doors with a flourish as if inviting the four students named to take the plunge. First challenge: Execute your landing strategy using any attribute you feel is appropriate. Bonus points for style!(not really, but what is RWBY if not style over substance)
Name: Xander Age: 17, almost 18 Gender: Male Appearance: Xander is the kind to stand-out in a crowd, whether it be due to his somewhat odd shock of silver-white hair, the startling purple eye, or his insistence on wearing a rather ludicrous amount of purple in his daily attire. Standing a little bit below average at 5'6, this lack of height is made up for in him being solidly-built due to both his own training and the everyday labor every man of Xaun is often expected to take part in. Aside from this, his only other notable characteristics is a rather nasty looking scar around his neck and another over his left eye. Both are the result of a few rather serious, almost life-threatening accidents that Xander treats as if they were no more than bumps on the road of life. He also has a number of scars from the less interesting, everyday accidents that his devil-may-care approach to danger seems to attract. Personality: Xander is an over-excitable individual who is, quite simply, really. really lonely. Despite his cheerful nature and happy-go-lucky demeanor, Xander has never really had any friends aside from his Natrelmon, Mythi. Having spent the better part of his life being ignored by everyone in his town but his father(and even that relationship was filled with no small amount of tension), the boy is quite a literally starving for any kind of positive human interaction, and when he finds it, tends to get almost overwhelmingly excited and more than a little bit clingy as a result. part of the reason he began these rites is the hope that he'll be able to make great human and natrelmon friends along the way, and maybe, not be so lonely anymore.
This being said, his loneliness isn't the only reason for him to partake in this continent-wide gauntlet. The main reason would be his love of adventure and excitement, as Xander loves few things more than the rush of adrenaline through his veins, and few things offer as good a hit of the stuff then engaging in battles with other tamers, testing skill in both guiding Natrelmon and magical dueling to create a fantastical dance of strategy that makes him feel truly alive. It is in these battles that he finds himself able to lose any sense of self-doubts or worries about his loneliness, putting 110% of his focus and effort into facing off against his opponent.
Relic: Almost laughably emblematic of his origins, Xander chose a fishing rod to be the his Relic, a durable length of wood created by his own two hands that is rather plain, if well constructed. What draws the eye, however, is the odd crystalline hook thay decorates the end of the line, a piece Xander found in a small cave while exploring the Island jungle. It's color changes depending on the typing of the Mon he currently has out. Starting Natrelmon: Mythin and Doshe
History: Xander was born under. . . odd circumstances, to say the least. In the months leading up to his birth, their had been a strange sickness plaguing Xaun that no one could explain, draining people of their strength until they simply lost the will to move on. While their didn't seem to much in the way of physical symptoms to the disease, a commonality between all the victims was that their hair lost all pigmentation, turning into a ghostly pale white as the sickness progressed. Such was the case with Xander's mother who managed to hold out long enough to give birth to her son, but succumbed to it soon after as the strain of the ordeal proved too much for her. Her son, however, had seemed to have been touched by the illness as well, as Xander was born with pale white hair and, stranger still, bright purple eyes that seemed to almost glow at times.l
Since birth, Xander was ostracized by most others in the village, at first because they thought that he had been cursed by some fell creature and would likely spread the deadly sickness to others. However, as time passed on, people noticed that not only was Xander surviving and thriving despite the fact that he should be infected by the strange affliction that took so many, but that the sickness itself seemed to not take any new victims after his birth. And while most didn't know what to make of this strange circumstance, a few particularly paranoid villagers turn their fingers towards the child, claiming that he wasn't truly human, but likely some strange undiscovered Natrelmon that had taken over the body of an unborn child. While most dismissed this theory, it still put a mark on Xander's head as he grew up, marking him as something different and thus, something to be feared.
Things only grew worse as he grew up, however, as it wasn't long before the boy began to show strange innate magical abilities, such as being to see through walls and illusions of any kind and making it so he could pass through solid matter at will, almost like he was a spirit rather than a mortal child. Not only this, but a curious phenomenon seemed to follow the boy wherever he went, causing some level of disaster around him where ever he went and while he always managed to make it out of them relatively no worse for wear, the same couldn't be said for those around him. Numerous accidents have always occurred around Xander, often leaving him with little more than a scar and another story to tell, but others have lost fingers, arms, legs, eyes, and so on. . . even their lives. Before long, people stopped seeing him as a cursed child, but instead as a curse on the village itself that brought misfortune and disaster in its wake.
Despite this environment of mistrust and isolation, or perhaps because of it, Xander grew up to be an almost overwhelmingly positive and motivated boy. He'd often time leave the school and the village entirely to explore the wilds that made up the rest of the island, as well as bugging the trainers and tamers that often came around for tips on how to become one. Perhaps it was due to the way that he saw the other village kids idolize the trainers and their awesome companions that made him wish to become one, or maybe it was the stories of adventures that the men and women often spun to the children, speaking of intense battles and sweeping vistas that he couldn't even begin to imagine. Even Xander himself was unsure of what the true source of his desire to become a trainer was, only that he was determined to not only become a great one, but he wished to be the greatest that had ever lived.
Aspiration: To become a legendary Trainer long term, and just have a fun life in short term Natrelmon: [Mythi] Mythari, M, lvl 23 - 16308 [Zeke] Doshe, F, lvl 10 - 1033 [Buck]Bolvent, M, lvl 14 - 2246 [Lili]Grandra, M, lvl 20 - 8968 [Gigi]Grianos, F, lvl 20 - 8126 Doxi, F, lvl 25 - 15928 Swindle, M, lv 14 - 2246 Panzer, M, lv 25 - Ocalia, M, lv 25 - Cryzen, M, lv 25 - Items: 500n 10 A relic, 2 E relics Xander's Notebook of Natrelmon Observations, vol. 1 A traveling bag full of supplies for his journey PDA Notable Skills: Compotemt Outdoorsman, Expert Fisherman Nautical experience, Natural mage, Good with Natrelmon
After a bit chatting with the other trainers, Xander and Sei decided to head off. It was getting late, and the two needed to rest at some point in the night if they were going to be ready to face off against the Arena tomorrow. That being said, the silver-haired youth couldn’t help but take notice of someone else also seeming to make their way off from their group. For a moment, he couldn’t tell what about her felt so familiar, but after a closer examination, he realized that she was the other trainer that had been fighting in the square earlier that day. He hadn’t gotten the chance to get her name (or that of the other dude now that he thought about it), but seeing as he now had a chance to do so, he might as well take it.
With a slight skip in his step, Xander trotted over to the older woman, waving her down to stop her before coming to a stop a little ways away, one hand dropping into his pockets as the other reached out in greeting, hoping that this handshake wouldn’t end in him getting assaulted by another slobbering Reishund.
“Hey there! I saw you battling earlier today and just wanted to compliment you on the way that you and your Mythari fought. You guys must really be in-sync to move about the way you do!”
Sei floated leisurely behind him, eyeing Kiyo up with a lazy glance before turning his attention away to observe the rest of the crowd, letting out a hissing yawn as he stretched his wings upward, settling them down only after a small set of pops and cracks could be heard from his back.
Kiyo had made a number of introductions to the group, greeting people with the sense of propriety and reservation that was required of someone in her position. This typically resulted in those unfamiliar with the noble Lifanite customs--that is, almost everyone--simply thinking that Kiyo came across as cold and indifferent when in reality she was simply obliged to act in a certain way due to her station - and doubly so in public when a member of the Elite Triumvirate was present. After she was done, Mythrael above her swooped down to walk alongside her in the new space. The two, though not outwardly exchanging words, could very easily be seen to be having a mental conversation, and so it took Kiyo a second to actually notice when Xander bounded up to her and extended his hand in greeting.
Kiyo was taken aback for a second, but then shook his hand gently and bowed in the traditional Lifanite greeting after withdrawing her hand.
"A-ah, thank you. It was nice to get back into the swing of battle after so long. I am Reijin, Kiyo--may I ask your name?" She responded while reaching out to Sei with her mind.
"Would you like to see a new school of magic? I know that your kind are most appreciative of the secrets of magic, just as my Mythari was."
Mythrael looked on impassively, seeming to judge its lesser cousin and his trainer with not disdain exactly, but something close to that. It did not even reach out with its mind as the creatures so often did, instead focusing internally on what it was that Kiyo had spoken about with him earlier.
“Pleasure to meet ya, Ms. Reijin,” Xander said, quirking the eyebrow at her bow for a moment before some tingle of a memory dredged up from the back of his mind. Something about other places tending to have a custom of bowing to greet people. Seemed a bit weird and round-a-bout, but Xander was nothing if not accommodating, trying his best to replicate the bow himself if a tad clumsily. “My name’s Xander and the moper behind me is my partner, Sei.”
The ‘moper’ in question only gave a slight hiss at his trainer’s jest, keeping his attention more intently focused on Kiyo as she spoke inside of his mind. At first, the Lifanite received little more than vague feelings of cautiousness mixed with curiosity from the Mythari. However, after a look toward her Mytharel, Sei righted himself in mid-air to better address the woman.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious, though comparing me with your friend here isn’t something I agree with. He seems a bit dull. . . lemme guess, strong silent type? The voice was projected so that all involved parties could hear, though Xander was left clueless as to what else had been said between Kiyo and Sei.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about Sei, but you need to stop addressing strangers like that. I swear you need to get a handle on whatever weird hormonal balance thing that’s making you act like a jerk.” Xander grumbled as he ran a hand through his hair, violet eyes meeting reptilian indigo, the two seemed to converse something with mere non-verbal communication before Sei finally relented, sparks of electrical energy being the only signs of his own distaste for the scenario. “Sorry if Sei can be a bit. . . much at first. Ever since he’s evolved, he seems to find any reason possible to pick a fight or start beef with someone else. Lemme tell ya, ms. Reijin. . . it’s been frustrating to deal with. . . to say the least.”
"Hah, no, simply very curious and contemplative. He takes after my disposition, I suppose, just like you seem to take after Xander. You seem to both be more instinctual and impulsive than calculating and logical--have you tried asking Xander to learn Searsinging or Windspeaking? They are very fluid and fast schools that I feel would agree with your temperament. Nothing like my magic of Shadebinding, I'm afraid." Kiyo replied to Sei, nodding her head gently as a gesture of respect. She then turned to Xander to continue speaking, while Mythrael looked intently upon Sei.
"I've been led to believe that in their inchoate stages Mythari can be... tempestuous. Are you a Stormcaller, perchance? They certainly seem to draw some aspects of their personality from the magic that they are introduced to--Mythrael is certainly more of the "strong silent type" as Sei put it!" Kiyo replied with a small laugh. She found Sei more endearing than frustrating, but that was just because her siblings had been a handful and age had mellowed her significantly. The level of responsibility that she had at home was so significant that going on her Rites and getting to have little conversations like this one almost felt freeing by comparison, and meeting a Mythari and unlocking its potential to become a Mythrael so soon after meeting it had made her extremely happy.
"Perhaps he just needs some release in the form of a battle? Sparring can end up being a very pleasant exercise if one has pent up tension, perhaps you'd like to test your mettle in battle? I'm always happy to get the chance to further delve into the intricacies of magic and see how well I can keep up with you younger folk." Kiyo offered, her Mythrael nodding alongside her in agreement. She gave it the mental equivalent of a nudge to stand back and it did so, leaving her plenty of room to summon two of her other Natrelmon: a Lotulia and a Zeruo. She gave Xander an appraising look, up and down, before indicating for him to choose which of them he'd like to battle if that was something that he decided to do.
In the meanwhile, Kiyo summoned forth a globule of Quietus from her Shadebinding magic and made it dance around her fingers idly. She did so partly just because she liked the feel of the magic, but also to pique Sei's interest in her esoteric and secret magic. Few mages in the world, perhaps numbering in the tens, were actually capable of the art--and while the Sha'ed were natural masters of it because of their form they were even less known thanks to their reclusive nature. She could feel the same spark of curiosity that her own Mythrael had had somewhere deep within Sei, but whether or not it manifested as something approaching conversation was really up to his temperament. Given what Xander had said about him, Kiyo wasn't sure he'd actually come out of his shell for a while... or unless he gained a new respect for her during a sparring session?
Sei’s gaze flicked between Kiyo and her Mytharel as she spoke, offering no tangible response to her query. There was a faint sense of consideration and anticipation with their telepathic link, however, one that grew more pronounced as she brought forth her strange magic for his inspection.
Meanwhile, Xander’s thoughts had immediately focused on the older trainer’s offer to spar, the excited glint in his eyes being all the answer she’d need. “Yep, Stormcaller and Invoker to be specific. Not too shabby at either of em too, and almost entirely self-taught to boot.” Xander held his nose rather high at that statement, as it was always a point of pride for him. However, he didn’t let it get to his head too much, squatting down to look over the choices of opponent for Sei. While part of him wanted to go against the Mythrael, it seemed a bit too large an obstacle for a sparring session. While Sei could learn a lot from such a battle, the same couldn’t be said Kiyo’s partner. Wouldn't be very fair on his end.
“I’ve got a Lotulia that recently evolved, but I’m not too great at utilizing grass type moves so I think facing off against this little guy would be good.” Xander pet Kiyo’s Lotulia as he spoke, gently stroking their petals with a grin.
“You seem a bit tougher than Lili though, don’t ya, little guy? He can’t even say hi to Sei without freezing up or hiding.” Kiyo's Lotulia gave a little flourish of its petals at Xander's touch, Kiyo smiling appreciatively as he did so. She gave him a moment to admire the natrelmon before stepping back, turning around, and walking twenty feet away from Xander. Lotulia hopped in front of her, ready and eager to begin, and Kiyo turned her gaze to Xander. She focused for a second, taking in a long breath through her nose, and held it before gently exhaling.
"I am quite skilled in a variety of magic. Is there any preference of yours on what I use? I always participate in battles with my Natrelmon--I find it is the surest way to both bond with them and advance my own studies. I could never expect a being like Sei to respect me unless I could demonstrate my skill in a very... visceral way, after all. I am sure that Sei is quite eager to let out some of that tension and angst?" She queried, beginning some of the traditional Windspeaking movements that would allow her to channel the wind magic more effectively. Even as a passive exercise it was something that she was really beginning to appreciate for the clarity and limberness that it seemed to offer her--regardless of whether or not she would use it in the battle. The change from her largely formal study of magic, and then practical application within the war, and then return to solely academic practice had taken a toll on her that she hadn't expected. Now that she was easing into combat with magic once more and getting used to using something more than just her muscle memory she had already felt her control grow. She was quite sure at this point that Lotulia would not even be necessary in the battle for her to win, but quickly wondered whether or not that thought was somewhat conceited--after all, she knew nothing about Xander's combat capability other than his note that he was entirely self-taught.
“Nah, use whatever you see fit. Me and Sei have plenty of experience fighting strong trainers, so you could say we’re pretty adaptable.”Xander chuckled at the grass type’s little showing before getting up with a bit of a stretch, cracking his neck a bit to help him loosen up as while keeping his gaze locked on his opponent, an eager smile on his face as he started to bounce from one foot to the other. Sei took the honors of warning any people nearby of the coming duel, making a lazy lap around the battlegrounds before descending to the ground in front of his Trainer, arcs of electrical energy sparking off him as he psyched himself up along with Xander.
It has been a while since I’ve had a good fight, so hopefully you’ll be able to give me one. Sei declared to the Kiyo and her partner, eyes narrowed as he let himself drop to the ground fully, disabling his Levitation to allow his Aura to fully spread out.
“Well then. . . let’s get started, shall we? Sei, give her a bit of the early morning special.” Xander spoke in a low but confident tone, his eyes taking on slight luminescence as sparks of crackling energy flowed him his fingertips. Without a word between the two, Sei immediately darted forward, launching himself about 8 feet into the air with a powerful downstroke of his wings before racing to a point 3 feet in front of him to his left. As he flew the short distance, an electric yellow light could be seen gathering in his mouth, arcing threads of electricity building until he spat out a burst of lightning towards Kiyo and her Natrelmon. This bolt instantly split into four distinct beams that hurtled towards the pair at surprising speed due to him making use of Variable resistor to speed up the attack at the cost of power. Not only that, but one of the beams also broke into 4 beams of its own 10ft away from that target as he activated lightning torrent, sending a total of 7 blasts rocketing towards the Lotulia.
As this happened, Xander wasn’t just twiddling his thumbs, focusing his mind for a moment before sending a pulse of energy through his bond with Sei. The dragon type’s eyes took on a brief purple glow as the silver-haired youth used them as a conduit to cast a Celestial Curtain of Diminish 10 ft away from his current position along the ground, creating a 6ft wide sigil in order to dissuade or take advantage of, any possible follow-up attacks from the two in response to the assault. A solid opening move, though Xander could help but wonder if he should’ve had his Natrelmon go for a full course instead of the taste. No, going full offensive with what he knew about Kiyo didn’t seem like a good plan. Windspeakers were dangerous foes and not to be underestimated, less you wanted to quickly get battered around like a rag doll. No, the two needed to keep their guard up and their defenses at the ready.
As the fight began, Kiyo's change in attitude was immediate and noticeable. She fully intended to get up close and personal with Sei, eager to teach the rambunctious Natrelmon a lesson in the stuff of powerful and correctly applied magic, and moved immediately. Lotulia had been commanded to instead focus on supporting Kiyo rather than attempting to be the star of the show, and immediately fired a Giashock directly at Sei's position before moving out in an arc to the right to try to avoid the bolts of electricity that were forming in Sei's mouth. Xander did not explicitly know (though he may have worked it out thanks to Kiyo conversing with Sei) that she was a telepath, and might not have been aware that Lotulia could simply be given commands mentally like Xander could with Sei--but many trainers who used a Mythari or its evolutions forgot that other non-Psychic Natrelmon were simply not capable of reacting with as much secrecy and speed as telepaths could. Kiyo was cognizant of the fact that the arcs of the Electric-type moves could change, and brought up the well of magic within herself to prepare to use a Wall if that ended up being necessary. Cut off from her Mythrael, she could no longer exert herself as much as she had done so previously when battling Selim, so Kiyo elected to use a strategy that would potentially end the fight very quickly.
She brought forth a large amount of wind magic within herself, moulding it and allowing it to build within her, as she began the process of using Vacuum Aura. Simultaneously, she dashed straight towards Xander in what could only be described as a sprint, bringing the excess magic to her fingertips in preparation for the next stage of her assault. Lotulia simply continued to move in the manner that Kiyo had described to him mentally, getting further and further out of Sei's effective range as it did so. The advantage of flying was very significant against Lotulia's typing, which was limited to the ground, so Kiyo resolved to pressure Sei enough that most of his time would be spent dodging. Kiyo managed to move about five feet forwards by the time the Celestial Curtain had gone up and continued to move apace towards Xander. The wind energy was building quite significantly by this time, and his lack of formal study might have meant that he did not know precisely what was happening--but his Invocation could tell him that it was a fairly powerful Windspeaking spell, and one that he had not seen before in the battle between Kiyo and Selim. Xander clicked his tongue as he saw the Lotulia avoid the opening volley, merely offering a faint sense of caution to his partner through their link as the Stormcaller immediately started to backpedal away from the approaching Windcaller while Sei merely flew up about 2 feet higher, the Gaiashock fizzling out into non-existence as the Diminish effect that struck the projectile took hold. As such, a violet rune painted itself upon the Lotulia, a sign of Invocation’s Prismatic Seal taking effect. Dealing with the approaching Kiyo wouldn’t be as easy, unfortunately. She was prepping something big, but he wasn’t about to simply let her do so unimpeded. No, if she wanted to close the distance, he was going to make her work for it.
Violet electricity arced around his body with great intensity before launching forward in the form of three Overloaded Crackles their course leading them to hit the windspeaker, small traces of arcing electricity dancing across Xander’s form a sign of him having overloaded one of his spells. In particular, he had overloaded Superconductor in order to fire off an offensive deterrent as he backed about three feet away from his previous position. However, that wasn’t the only spell that he cast, thanks to Sei up above taking the focus to launch an assault of his own. Sei’s form would become hidden as a large 15ft wide Storm cloud centered on his current position appeared above the battlefield, another case of Xander taking advantage of the Stormcaller’s ability to Overload spells. With the large storm cloud up above to hide Sei’s movements, the Lotulia would be unable to properly deal with him, plus the number of attacks the two of them could call down definitely gave him an advantage in the next few engagements. . . provided he could disrupt whatever Kiyo had planned.
Sei, you have my back, right? Xander thought as he mentally marked the areas where the Storm flashes would fall, (one directly behind Kiyo’s current position on the off-chance he did manage to stall her, one about 2 feet in front of her, and another 2 feet beyond that one, creating a line of havoc that would hopefully hit her before she could get to him. Meanwhile, Sei was watching from overhead, flying so that he was directly above his Master in the cloud with perfect accuracy thanks to his use of Psychic Aura, preparing to make use of Psychic shield so to cover the Xanite’s offenses should the need come for it.
Of course. It’s me we’re talking about. If she tries something, I’ll be sure to stop her in her tracks. You just get ready to hit her with those redirects and stormflashes if she tries to pull any fancy moves.
Kiyo's continued momentum propelled her forwards by another foot or so as she continued to take her step and unleashed the Vacuum Aura that she had been building up. If she were fighting with Mythrael she'd have been able to use one of the most classic Windspeaker techniques and knock Sei into one of her walls--but she had had another plan. Xander had not counterspelled her magic as it had built up, so it was unfortunately too late for him to do that. Xander happened to be just barely at the edge of its range, Kiyo's single step not sufficient to keep up with his own stumble backward, but Sei was unfortunately within enough range that he would forcibly be drawn in along a linear path until he reached melee range of Kiyo. Thanks to her forward momentum the amount of distance that he'd actually travel was somewhat diminished, but as soon as the spell's effect finished she used the effect of Soaring Gusts, moving herself and Sei in a diagonal line to the northeast by seven feet and then immediately following the movement up with a With the Wind on Sei, slamming him directly down into the ground. All of this took space in about a second, and without Mythrael's help, she was unable to follow up with another spell in rapid succession. She had planned on counterspelling Xander's Stormflash, but thanks to her own exertions she had conveniently been able to avoid the initial onslaught with her deft movement.
Her own momentum continued as Sei was slammed towards the ground, and she made a sharp left turn with her right foot digging the ball of her right foot into the ground and using it to pivot slightly and lean into her next step, turning her direction sharply towards Xander. She was cognizant of the spells he had cast, which lingered in her periphery, and that the surge of energy on his behalf was the result of him casting the more powerful versions of Stormcalling spells, known to academics as "overloading" them. Though she factored them into her plan, there was little that she could do about them in that instance as she was recovering from her barrage of earlier spells--she would use her movement to make it difficult enough for Xander that she would have time to take a breath and unleash another barrage of spells. Kiyo was currently of two minds regarding her stratagem: should she focus upon Sei or Xander? Sei would have just taken a solid chunk of damage from being forcibly introduced to the ground and would likely be weak enough that Kiyo could pressure him, but the closer she was to Xander, the less he would actually end up being able to do within the battle. Focusing Xander meant leaving Lotulia to, largely, fend for itself... and Kiyo was simply not confident enough in its abilities to be certain that it could best the typing and aerial advantage that Sei had if it came down to that.
As Xander settled into his new stance, a sudden gust of air raced past him as Kiyo’s spell took effect, ripping some debris from the earth and Sei from the air before she quickly cast another spell to dodge the crackles heading her way. Xander cursed as he redirected the bolts, splitting the cluster so it assaulted her from three directions(one chasing her exact path of movement, one moving forward another foot past where she had been before turning left, moving till it was perpendicular to her then right in order to get at her side, while the final one actually turned the other way and raced towards Lotulia instead, not wanting to allow the grass type set up time.
Meanwhile, Sei barely avoided eating dirt as he activated his Ethereal Scales the moment he felt the With the Wind take hold of his form. With added help from a timely use of Levitation, he managed to avoid getting slammed into the dirt by mere inches. The Mythari was quick to start backing away from the Windspeaker using the improved speed of Levitation to get him out of close range with her via shooting 10 feet into the air, wanting to slip back into the storm cloud before attempting another attack. To further his chances of success, a quick Psychic Shield was summoned in front to repel any further assaults
While Sei attempted his escape, Xander continued to pressure Kiyo, marking another set of Stormflash locations(One centered on her exact position, one set behind her about a foot out of range of the first, and the last set to the left of her current position to further the range of the initial Stormflash.) After directing the continued effects of his spells, Xander took a breath as he readied a Counterspell for whatever Kiyo attempted to use to keep Sei in her space, specifically the one that she tried to slam him into the ground. He had considered trying to box the woman in with another Diminish Curtain, but given the current situation, getting Sei back in the air was much more beneficial to this current exchange.
“I have to admit, Ms. Reijin, you’re really keeping us on our toes.” Xander allowed himself a small chuckle but didn’t relax his stance, violet sparks arcing off him every now and again. “But I’m far from done. Swear to Seiryu himself that I’ll get a hit on you at least once.”
"Calling Seiryu's wrath upon his chosen family does not typically end well." came the reply, a mirthful and dry chuckle in Xander's mind, as Kiyo elected to focus her attention on Xander. Sei's usage of his Ethereal Scales to prevent her from slamming him into the ground had been unexpected, but Kiyo knew that Dragon-types had very limited access to that kind of magical power and that it would be the only time he was able to diminish the effect of one of her spells in such a fashion. That made him a more attractive target, but with Xander now being aware of the power of Vacuum Aura it was unlikely that he would allow Sei to get into a position to be affected by it again, thanks to Sei's ability to simply fly out of its range. Xander, however, had no such protections--and Kiyo could make use of the fact that he had not kept a continuous stream of movement as she had. Now, she was well within his range and her momentum would allow her to actually lay a hand on him. She took the briefest instance to draw upon her well of magic once more, feeling the tingle of the wind energy within her fingers, before making her move. In an instant she moved seven feet, reappearing directly beside Xander, and carried her forward momentum into an open-palmed strike directly to his left cheek. Even if he managed to react to the instantaneous shift in movement, there was virtually no time for him to react to the strike--and it Kiyo's open palm was imbued with silvery-white energy indicative of the energy of the spell Windborn Weapon. The strike wouldn't knock Xander back, but it would hurt quite a bit--and it opened the path for Kiyo to unleash another quick succession of her Windspeaking spells. She immediately cast Soaring Gusts, directly beneath the pair, and shot Xander five feet up into the air--and immediately used With the Wind to slam him back down into the ground. The combo was one that Windspeakers were well-known for, and was also the reason that many people's first thought of them involved no small amount of expletives.
What Xander did and how he reacted to her present gambit would strongly affect what Kiyo chose to do next. She was safe from Xander's most recent volley of spells and had just executed a stratagem that she was confident was going to be successful, but that was no reason to lower her guard. She had seen men and women killed for underestimating the skill of the West's magi in the War, and it had certainly ingrained into her that one should never assume their opponent was down and out.
Lotulia, meanwhile, simply continued along its arc, knowing that Xander would likely be too preoccupied with Kiyo's assault to actually redirect the Crackle towards it, and watched out for anything that Sei might attempt. In an effort to grant itself some more freedom of movement, it used Dormant Life to create a seed just behind it and fired a Gaiashock at it in order to blossom it into a sprouting plant. Lotulia couldn't do much other than stack up Lifecharges at this point, unfortunately, due to its limited typing--but that was absolutely fine. Kiyo was more than capable of fighting on its behalf until it could fend for itself.
Fu- Xander couldn’t even finish his thought as Kiyo suddenly appeared before him, his focus on trying to back-up Sei making him lose track of the woman’s proximity to himself. He didn’t even have time to attempt a block before a palm strike was launched right into his face, throwing his head back and causing him to see stars. The next thing he recalled was a sensation of rising then -CRACK- he was quickly brought back into the moment by the shooting pain of his entire body being slammed into the ground, knocking the wind out of his lungs in a sudden rush. He lay on the ground grabbing at his chest as he flipped himself over, heaving in a desperate to get air back into seemingly unresponsive lungs for a moment until he seemed to suddenly remember how to breathe with a rush. A growing line of red stained his silver-white locks, the warmth flow of blood barely being felt as his brain tried to come to terms with the rattling it had taken.
Sei, upon seeing his trainer in such a state, immediately abandoned his position in the air to zip down to the ground to stand before the woman with a threatening growl, wings flaring as his eyes narrowed, tailing whipping about like an angry serpent. As he touched down, an emphatic thread of consciousness opened up between Xander and Sei, causing the latter to wince as he took on a portion of his Master’s pain, if only to allow him some amount of focus.
Xander did come into a somewhat clearer state of mind thanks to Sei’s actions and used all of his gather wits to try and cast a spell with Sei’s help. Raising his hand up, a Wall erected itself between Kiyo and the two, as feeble a measure that proved to be in their protection, while Sei focused on completing the casting for a Shimmering bolt. In truth, both Xander and Sei knew that these were token gestures at best, but neither of them wished to give up while they still had the strength to stand.
Kiyo's forward momentum continued through the maneuver, and it took a few feet for her to be able to suddenly stop herself--by which time Sei had swooped down between her and Xander and the pair had made what could only be described as a last-ditch attempt to stay in the fight. Kiyo easily sidestepped the shimmering bolt, twisting her body to the left and bringing her right foot back in a 90-degree arc, and though she could have counterspelled the wall she elected not to as its placement could prove useful to her. The fight was not completely over yet, and she was not sure that she could actually land another strike on Xander without potentially doing some serious harm (nothing irreversible, of course, but she had no desire to inflict more pain upon him than was actively necessary) thanks to his inherent stubbornness, and it seemed that Sei followed suit. After escaping the same gambit by mere inches less than a minute prior, Kiyo would have thought that the dragon would have attempted to keep its distance, but she admired its tenacity and loyalty in the face of what was essentially certain defeat.
"Would you like to continue, Sei? You may forfeit now if you wish to avoid further damage to yourself or Xander." Kiyo projected into his mind, taking a few seconds to actually catch her breath and recover from the previous exertion. Lotulia simply continued along its arc, waiting for Kiyo to give it another command, though its little mask showed some concern at the fate of Xander. He seemed to have taken the crash down to the ground quite badly, and there was some blood, but Kiyo assured it with a thought while she awaited Sei's reply. In case Sei elected to continue the battle, she summoned the same well of energy as before in the form of Vacuum Aura. She doubted that Xander would be able to muster the energy to counterspell it in time, but she would be happy to be surprised--it would mean that he was still in the fight.
Kiyo took no other actions, but remained ready and waiting for a response. She did not wish to seem improper by going on the offensive against someone both significantly younger and less experienced than she was, especially in the middle of Toran. The Reijin had no love lost on them in this city to begin with, thanks to the East-West and North-South divide, and it would be fairly easy to public opinion to turn on her if she callously struck someone down even though a battle had been agreed to.
Thanks for the offer. . . but his favored children or not, I do believe Xander made a promise to Seiryu to get at least one shot on you. . ., Sei began, eyes gleaming with an excitable frenzy as he pressed his wings back against himself, offering his master a quick glance as they got back up to their feet, allowing himself a deep breath to steadying himself giving his neck a good crack. Violet eyes shone with an intense drive as he took a stance once more, a similar expression of battle frenzy emanating from them as he spit out some blood. And we fully intend to keep that promise. Thanks for the break tho, hope you don’t end up regretting giving it to us.
Xander, being privy to his partner’s trash-talking, couldn’t help a slight chuckle at their own expense. Barring a miracle, there was no way they were coming out of this on top in any way. But like hell if they weren’t going to give it their best shot anyway. With that being said, they both leapt into action as soon as they could with Sei launching himself into the air and Xander quickly backpedaling to get out of range. While Kiyo did have the correct assumption in believing that Xander didn’t have the mental ability to cast a counterspell effectively, that responsibility was instead passed over to Sei as he watched overhead from a vantage point of around 10ft up again, hopefully back in the cover of the stormcloud as he sent out arcane disruptor to cancel out the building spell. Sei made sure to move about 3 feet to the left so as to not make himself an easy target while hidden within the cloud.
Xander, meanwhile, hustled to try and get back about 6 feet away from where he’d been, launching out a Crackle towards Kiyo while focusing this set of Stormflashes directly in the path he’d taken, forming a 6-foot long blast zone. He knew this likely wouldn’t be enough to properly get out of her range, but it was the best he could do.
While their enthusiasm was refreshing, Kiyo was not of the mind to allow her opponent's newfound strength much in the way of time to actively manifest. As Sei spoke she took a moment to prepare, tensing her muscles in preparation for a quick release, and rested her weight on her right foot, extended behind her. The very instant that Sei moved Kiyo dashed northwesterly, one step and then another, beginning with her left foot and ending the second on her right. She turned that momentum on the ball of her foot, pivoting slightly to the right, so that she had a direct line of sight towards Xander, and used With the Wind to dash past him, just off from the path behind him as he was attempting to backpedal. As his foot hit the floor, Kiyo outstretched her palm in the same maneuver as before, but this time waving a finger in a straight line and causing a searing blade of wind energy to impact him directly, and then using another With the Wind to send him careening directly into the Wall that he had made prior. Trainers were more of an unnaturally durable sort than most humans thanks to the proclivities that they shared, but this was simply more punishment than most people could take and still be able to stand. Xander would crash directly into the wall and as it shattered he would slump to the floor, largely unable to take any more punishment, and by all standards of reasonable combat the battle would be over.
As soon as she heard the telltale crack of a wall falling to pieces, Kiyo made her way over to Xander and placed a hand gently on his back, while reaching out with her mind to Sei and her own Mythrael.
“I’m going to take him to the hospital. Mythrael will show you were to fly, Sei, unless you wish to teleport with me?”
Kiyo asked, barely waiting for an answer before she recalled Lotulia to his relic vanished with or without him.
About thirty minutes later…
Xander had, thankfully, not needed to be admitted to the hospital. It was a matter of an Abjurer chanting for a solid couple of minutes and a cursory check-up before the pair were free to leave, Kiyo taking care of the details and payment as a nurse escorted Xander to the door, where Mythrael and Sei were waiting for their respective masters. After another couple of moments, Kiyo exited quickly behind him, patting him on the back tenderly as she reached behind him.
“You did quite well for someone who’s only self-taught. It was an honour to battle the pair of you. Would you like to grab something to eat, or something like that? There is a particularly good restaurant here in Toran that I would be able to secure us a table at if you are interested in eating. My treat.” Kiyo offered, returning her hand to her side and giving him a respectful bow. Xander woke up in the hospital with quite a few painful bruises, but nothing stung as much as his Ego. To say that the young trainer and his partner had gotten utterly demolished was an understatement and it was disheartening how easily he’d been taken apart in his first battle. Still, he wasn’t about to let something like a loss keep him in the dumps for too long. Once he had gone through all the usual check-ups to make sure nothing too serious had happened, he was let off with a pat on the back and a slight wave.
Seeing Sei waiting outside cheered him up a bit, giving the Dragon a scratch underneath his chin when he felt a hand on his chest. Listening to Kiyo with a hand in his pocket, Xander tilted his head in thought for a moment, before shaking his head with a grin.
“Thank you for the offer Ms. Reijin, but me and Sei are going to need to get our beauty sleep if we’re going to be ready to face the Arena master tomorrow. . . though after that spar, I think we’ll probably need to do some training beforehand to properly prepare.” While it was mainly in jest, it was clear from the way that the young man’s hand clenched that he wasn’t completely alright with the conclusion of their bout. But after taking a breath to settle his nerves, he returned Kiyo’s bow with one of his own before recalling Sei back into his relic. “See you around on the passage and hopefully I get to fulfill my promise next time we meet up? Don’t think I’ll be satisfied with myself until I do. . “
With that said, he waved goodbye to the noblewoman before making his way down the dark streets of Toran to his hotel. As he meandered, however, a strange feeling coursed through his body, a dark warmth that seemed to emanate from his veins. It was enough to stop him in his tracks for a moment, and as he looked skyward, his gaze couldn’t help but be drawn to Indolu’s silver visage, hanging overhead like a shining spotlight in the dark night.
“. . . It’s probably nothing.” He pushed doff the feeling of unease with a shake of his head, despite the warmth not vanishing as he continued on his way to the nearest hotel. In fact, the more he tried to fight it off, the more it seemed to warm its way into his mind. Almost as if something was calling to him. . .
Indolu shone brightly overhead, the soft glow of her light slipping through the forest canopy to illuminate Xander and his Mythari trekking through the forest surrounding Toran. And yet, the light didn't seem as bright as it should be so deep within this leafy demesne, the shadows growing long and ominous beneath the moon's gaze, hiding the wanderers from Indolu's watchful eye as they descended further into the forest.
Xander honestly couldn't explain what he was doing here, wandering the forest in the dead of night. After the events of the day, he had reckoned he'd be much too tired to do anything so stupidly adventurous. . . and yet, he'd felt a strange restlessness within his core as he laid in his hotel bed. A tugging at his subconscious mind, urging him towards the forest with an almost incessant drumbeat. It wasn't until he found himself and Sei out the door and walking upon the city streets that he realized that this beat wasn't all too dissimilar to that of a heart. Perhaps it was his own, because the farther the two traveled, the louder and faster the beat seemed to get. . . and the stronger the pull became. Somewhere along the way, the pull gained another feeling to it: heat. A burning sensation that travels through his veins, but it didn't hurt, not exactly. If anything, it seemed to invigorate him, pushing him to move deeper and deeper into the darkness and shadow despite a voice in the back of his mind trying to talk some sense into him. For a moment, he thought it might've been Sei, but one looked towards his companion as they floated by his side was all he needed to confirm that they felt a similar drive as well, and the glimmer in his reptilian eyes showed that he was becoming eager for whatever was coming.
It had been about an hour, maybe an hour and a half into the trek before something in the air changed. For a moment, the two looked at each other in confusion to been down what it could be, only for them to both reach the same conclusion simultaneously.
Silence
This deep in the forest, this late at night, there should be a veritable cacophony of noises from the native Natrelmon that prowled the forest at these hours; but right now, it was so dead quiet that one could hear a pine needle drop. It seemed that even the wind had ceased to blow, as not a single tree made a sound in this dark night. It was as if the forest was holding its breath. it was in this silence that the smell hit Xander, subtle at first, but soon reaching and almost cloying intensity. He couldn't quite identify what it was exactly, but it brought to mind sensations of singed fur . . . and blood freshly spilled. It wrapped around him and Sei in a heady shroud, and with it, the mental drumbeat in Xander's mind seemed to crescendo, almost deafening in its intensity. . . and then it stopped. Once more, complete and total silence reigned over the forest. But this time, a presence could be felt. Something was watching of them, of that Xander was certain.
Sparks crackled to life around his fingers as he cast his eyes around him, a violet glow encasing his irises as he pulled on his gift of Truesight in an attempt to find whatever was out there. Blood rush through his body in a heated rush of adrenaline, making every breath a struggle to steady as he and Sei fell in a circling formation, each one watching the other's back. Sei deactivated his Levitation, hovering in place with the strength of his own wings in order to extend his Psychic Aura as far out as he could. Whatever it was that had called them out here, Xander wasn't going to let it do as it wished. Not without a fight, at least.
Xander had found himself in a clearing, somehow, directly beneath Indolu's cold and prideful gaze. One could not normally feel the presence of the goddess within her rays unless by design or peculiar circumstance, but tonight Xander would find himself in both. Her presence was faint but curious, watchful even, though it was not her magic that had brought on the queer compulsion that had brought this innocent soul out into the woods, and as she impassively gazed down upon the land the true reason for the circumstances at hand would make himself known. An almighty, bloodcurdling howl resonated through the trees and the undergrowth, shaking them with its ferocity, and as it reached Xander's ears that restless energy coursing through his blood would be ignited once more, this time to the point of tangible physical pain. His veins constricted, his vision swam, and the same pulsing and pounding as before thrummed within him as the fire grew in intensity.
For a second, Xander might think it would drop him to his knees. Thinking was difficult--but obeying that frenetic urge building within him to rip something to shreds and consume its flesh would be so easy. It would build, and build, and build, his focus narrowing further and further until all at once the pressure was gone and only the fire remained. Standing before Xander, then, was the black wolf Unotori. The first thing that one would notice about Unotori was that his fur was unkempt and yet somehow sharp, or perhaps even malicious. It made little sense to think about the idea of a creature's fur having inherent malice, and perhaps it could not be understood except by those who saw it, but the thick tangle of fur coating the wolf was somehow bent towards rending flesh--and in this moment, it was Xander's flesh it had in its sights. Unotori's muzzle was pocked and marred with scars, the scent of carrion and an overwhelming stench of blood and singed fur and the memory of Xander's first fight billowing out from it in grunts and huffs and wild gasps that almost made the pounding in his head come back and--
--and then the wolf's yellowed eyes locked onto Xander's, and there was that pocket of calm clarity once again. The red mist settled, and with another howl Unotori announced his presence proper, sharp thoughts poking their way into Xander's mind like little knives. Unlike the benign (if sulky) utterances of Sei, Unotori's telepathic communication was like wearing a crown of thorns digging their way into the soft folds of Xander's brain, wrapping themselves into him as if they were a coil of barbed wire.
"You would be no challenge, child. Why did you respond to my call if not to fight?"
“Th-That’s. . .” Xander attempts to speak failed him as the presence of the creature bore down on him, filling his mind with thoughts of violence and bloodshed. It was nearly impossible to form coherent thought for a second as something within him reacted to Unotori’s presence. Sei seemed similarly shaken by the black beast’s presence, his posture shrinking down in its presence as if to make himself unnoticeable. Xander, however, only fell down part way, forcing his breath to gain some semblance of calm. Flashes of memories flitter in his vision, but he pushed them aside, for now, focusing on the looming threat before them. “That is something. . . I would also like to know, Unotori.”
“I guess something inside me was. . . drawn to you.” Xander gave a dry gulp as he brought his gaze up to face the wolf-like monster before him. As he did so, he felt a sharp pain in his hand, his fist having closed tight enough for his nails to draw blood from his palm. With the pain, however, came another surge of emotion. A twisted hunger that he felt coiling within as he felt his blood thrum with power, the droplets of crimson ichor that squeezed through his clenched fingers gaining violet incandescence as a familiar, yet unnerving feeling wormed its way through him. “Fuck. . . been a while since. . . I’ve felt s-scared enough to use this.”
The flow of blood grew stronger as Xander’s fist clenched tighter, the memories returning of the first and last time he called upon Blood magic way back when. Even now, it was a hazy recollection of crimson-tinted thoughts and instinct, but the longer he stood before this monstrous figure, the clearer they seemed to become. . . and he wasn’t quite sure he wanted that.
Sei, meanwhile, seemed to get over his initial fear after seeing his trainer stand up to the beast, and while it’s posture still remained low, a small hiss came from the Dragon-type as it crawled in front of Xander, clearly ready to protect it’s Trainer if the need arose, tho it was clear from the way that the Mythari shook that it was still absolutely terrified of Unotori.
Unotori's laugh was something guttural and unhinged. It escaped his rancid maw in heaving howls, the gravelly undertone offset by the sheer intensity of its high-pitched braying. Unotori's head cocked towards Indolu as he laughed, and the goddess looked away, her interest in the situation gone. All that was left of her presence was the pale shaft of light, and the mad wolf howling at her seemed to taint even that. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped. Unotori's eyes focused intently on Xander, the rabid madness suddenly overcome with a burst of crimson lucidity. Unotori closed his jaw thoughtfully, his heavy left paw slightly pressed forward into the dirt. It almost looked as if he were ready to lunge at Xander, but the sudden calm on his face indicated that violence was not something that he was currently pondering. With a great sniff in Xander's general direction, he padded forward lightly, before nodding to himself and stopping.
"Ah, yes... You have claimed my magic as your own. That is why the call took you." Unotori started, his words taking on a smoother, less abrasive tone as they resonated within Xander's skull. The revelation here would likely not hit Xander for a second or two, but it was clear that Unotori was referring to his blood magic. But Unotori had said his magic--as if he were the one who created it, or at the very least, held dominion over it in the circles in which he traveled. If Xander could muster up any of the effort required to think through Unotori's obsessive compulsion that was driving him to lash out with every last drop of power that he could muster, that would be something that he would want to consider very closely.
"And yet you eschew such power. You ignore the fire in your blood. No more."
Unotori's voice lowered to something harsher and darker than before. Brimstone yellow became fire and blood crimson, and patches of his black fur seemed to clump up together as if matted and clogged with blood. The frigid moonlight seemed to shrink away, warming up with the intensity of the energy, and then Unotori lunged forwards with a speed unlike anything Xander had ever seen. Before he knew it, the wolf's jaw had closed around his right arm and Unotori's yellowed teeth had sunk deeply into his flesh. Strangely, the sensation would not hurt--at least not physically--but instead, it was as if knowledge and desire and fire were flowing into him. Though he had the entire night been feeling like his blood was aflame, none of it could have prepared him for this sensation. His entire body was scorching him from within, the eldritch power shifting and coursing through his veins and searing his very soul, until it all settled within his heart and something within him changed.
Unotori consumed his meekness and his weakness, and replaced it with fire and blood. He marked Xander as a Thrall of the Archmage, and as he released his jaws and sprung back that same laughter, this time filled with a satisfied malice, echoed into the heavens above and through the circle of trees around them.
"My knowledge is yours, and your blood is mine. Fight to claim your glory, to claim the eternal life that awaits you at the heart of my magic. Steel your heart and fill yourself with rage and hate and envy for those who naturally have what you must work for! Rend the flesh of the living and consume their fragile hearts, take and take and take until something stops you, and then take from it as well!" Unotori's words echoed in Xander's mind. They were not just a conversation, but a command. They were something to be followed, something etched into his veins, something that he could suppress but could never truly ignore.
"You must have questions, young one. Now that you are mine, I will answer them... until one more worthy heeds my call."
The last thought Xander had as he saw Unotori preparing to pounce was simple. Gotta protect Sei. As such, in the small moment between the creature’s movement, the blood around his hand flared to life as he prepared to defend his friend, but before either could take a step, the beast was on him. Fangs sank into flesh and before Xander could comprehend what had even occurred, his entire body was set alight. An indescribable fury of heat and knowledge surged through his soul, burning pieces of him away in a twisting maelstrom of pure, unfiltered power and replacing them with . . . something else. Something different. . . something. . . more. He couldn’t even scream, the intensity of this sensation was so intense. And he wasn’t the only one undergoing a change, as Sei himself twisted and turned along the ground as the shifting power taking hold of his Master manifested within him as well, the faded coloration shifting along his scales changing from violet and yellow to a dull crimson and pale tan.
After what felt like an eternity, Unotori released Xander from its grasp, causing him to fall to his knees, his body shivering as it felt almost like he was going to explode from what had been forced upon him. The monstrous command that the Wolf laid upon him coiled around his mind like a constrictor, the sheer pressure of them causing a fierce headache as he reached up to grab his head. This movement, however, brought to his attention new addition to the patchwork of scars that he carried upon his body: a tattoo-like seal that covered the entirety of his right arm in some kind of black tribal markings that seemed to pulse every so often with an undertone of crimson magic as whatever spell Unotori had cast on him settle into place.
“Wha-. . . What do you mean that I’m. . . I’m yours.”Xander surprised himself not only by the fact that he was able to reply to the Natrelmon after that experience. . but by the anger that backed it up. Even now, he could feel the bloodthirsty tumult of rage that had been drawn out by the beast swell in a crescendo as part of him wished to lash out at the beast. It took all of his will to hold himself back from the rash action, though that didn’t stop his magic from reacting to his emotions. Sparks of lightning and flame flickered over his form as he worked himself back into a standing position, not wanting to remain on his knees any longer than he had to. A look towards Sei showed that the Mythari was similarly shaken by the experience, and like him, seem to be barely resisting a new found aggression as it dug its claws into the earth. “What . . did you do to us?”
"Those who master Blood Magic may use the blood of another for their spells, and now I may use yours no matter the distance between us. We share a bond of blood, and some part of me shall remain in you for as long as you live. Your knowledge of my magic has been expanded, and I have consumed the weakness within you so that one day you may become strong enough to face me." Unotori responded, his interest in the situation clearly waning. His magic was affecting Xander deeply, and he could sense that, but Xander was simply not strong enough to pose a threat to him at this level. In order to emphasize that point, Unotori slammed his left paw into the ground. The newfound sigil on Xander's right wrist would begin to leak blood, causing him a moderate amount of pain, and the droplets seemingly vanished as they were released only to coalesce within Unotori's mouth as a great, wicked scythe. Though before he'd not have known the magic, Unotori's new knowledge would allow him to know precisely what it was--a manifestation of the Reaper's Harvest, except made from Xander's blood and bound to Unotori.
Then, as Unotori withdrew his paw, the scythe simply disappeared, stored somewhere within his great frame for another time. A few seconds of silence passed, with the black wolf becoming increasingly disinterested until his ears pricked and he looked up into the sky. With another great howl, the relative calm that seemed to have descended upon him for his meeting with Xander vanished, and he pounced through the air towards a target that Xander could not sense. As Unotori left, a few parting words made their way into his mind:
"Fight! Rage! Consume! Let the fire in your blood take over, and one day we will meet again!"
And with that, Unotori was gone. All that was left was Xander, his newfound magic, and a smoldering core of anger and bloodlust within his heart that he would never fully get rid of.
Xander and Sei took sometime after Unotori’s departure to gather their wits and come to terms with the results of the encounter with the almost mythical Natrelmon. Sounds of life and creatures began to fill the forest once more when Xander finally got himself under some semblance of control. The anger and bloodlust still bubbled beneath the skin, but it had fallen down to a much more manageable level now that Unotori was no longer there to stoke the flames. But unlike before, when the feelings had no target or direction, merely just a bubbling cauldron of violent, now. . . now his anger had a target.
“Sei. . . ya heard the fucker. . . You feeling angry?”
Pissed. was the curt reply, the Dragon-type’s mental tone coming out slightly deeper and more distorted than before.
“Ya feeling like you want to hit something?”
Definitely.
“Something like that Unotori’s lousy muzzle?”
Now you’re just reading my mind.
Xander gave his companion a grin, the familiar smile now tinted with a darker edge as the cores of his eyes burned. Looking down at the mark on his arm, the Xanite’s fist clenched tight as he summoned forth rivulets of blood, only releasing tension as it spun around his hand, elongating and solidifying into a blade of crimson red energy. He gave it a few practice swings, his movements wild and frenetic, less like a style spawned by training as it was something born through wild, animalistic instinct. As he did that, Sei unleashed some of his newfound abilities on the nearby trees, scouring their surface with hard impacts and blood-stained gouges, working out every aggressive thought they possessed at that moment as they got used to the power given to them, letting it fuel their savagery until both felt more at home with their new selves.. Or at least, as at home as they could. Even as their attacks came to a halt, the bloodlust continued to resonate with them both. And with it, more anger, frustration, and rage directed towards the one who’d cast this fate onto him.
“He wants us to Fight? Fine, We're born fighters anyway! He wants us to Rage? I’ll be sure to get into a proper frenzy when I use his own magic to hand him his ass. And as for Consuming shit. . he can go screw himself on that one.” With a final growl of exertion, Xander lodged his blade into a tree, letting rivulets of ichor fall freely from him as he turned back to Sei. “Because if e thinks I’m going to turn into some psycho cannibal killer because a fuckin shadow wolf told me too, then he’s got another thing coming. We’ll face him again, alright. . . doing things our way, not his, because like hell am I going to let his ass win like that. Gonna take more than a love bite to corrupt my soul.”
“Ya hear me, you bastard!!!” Xander screamed to the forest, knowing that the Natrelmon was long gone by now. “Next time we meet, you better bring your fucking A game!!”
With that said, he and Sei once more traveled through the woods, ready to face the trials of the Arena and more than that, prepare for their inevitable rematch with Unotori.
Xander challenged Kiyo to a spar, got his ass kicked up and down the block.
Xander meets Inotori, who decides "You're kind of a fucking loser kid. . . I'mma change that." he then turns Xander pumps up Xander's innate blood magic with a dash of Pyromancy on the side for good measure. Also gave him a tattoo/"You're my bitch" mark. Xander takes issue with this, but can't do anything about it due to being a weak little bitch.
Xander awoke the following morning feeling hardly any better than the night before, the raging heat in his blood drumming up a maddening beat of primal urges within him as he went about the daily ritual of getting ready for another day. As he rose from his hotel bed a quick glance over caused him to wince as he saw the mattress covered in a number of burns, cuts, and tears. Likely a night terror he had suffered afterthe previous night's . . . eventful conclusion with Unotori, though whatever it had been about, he could hardly begin to recall. All that came to mind as he tried was something about blood, teeth, and emotions he really didn't feel like unpacking right now, so he decided to just shove that back into his subconscious mind for now. He had a bit of a day planned out, so it's best if he got to it without any added distractions.
That, however, proved a lot harder than the Xanite initially thought it to be. It seemed like the enitre city had been affected by Unotori's influence, as Xander found himself nearly getting into several fist fights with passersby for merely bumping into them. And after that, found himself caught in th middle of no small number of spontaneous Natrelmon battles as the multitudes of trainer's that had come to Toran for their Rites seemed more than eager to get their aggression out on something or someone. It honestly took everty bit of control he had to not join in the chaotic ruckus himself, but everytime the thought rose up in his head. . . it was never just a desire to get aggression out that came to him. Always close behind was a much darker emotion, something on the verge of primality that beckoned him to commit more heinous deeds, each bystander or trainer accosting him was imagined as little more than a bleeding corpse on the street, their body savaged till it was barely recognizable from a peace of butcher's meat. The subtle hunger that also accompanied these imaginings gave more incentive for the young man to temper his anger as best he could, though he did given in slight to sock the occasional bastard that tried to hold him in place or otherwise grab onto him.
As he wandered the city in a vain attempt to possible reach the blacksmith for a . . . 'special project', Xander found himself grateful for his odd taste in fashion. The length of his cloak proved perfect for hiding the mark that Unotori had placed upon his arm, not wishing to possibly draw the attention of those with an interest in the rare creature that might recognizeit. Not only that, but he found the way the many tendrils that made up the tattoo not only seemed to pulse with an inner crimson light at times, but also twitch and writhe as if they were alive o be. . . unnerving, to say the least. At times, it felt as if he arm wasn't even his own anymore, but that of a devil that still held some level of control or power over the appendage. it was this unnerving feeling that had found Xander looking for the blacksmith, hoping to commision a piece gear to help in hiding it.
However, these plans were not to be, at least not yet it would seem. Like before with Unotori, Xander found himself drawn to a stange place by a strange force at work within his mind. Like before, he found it unconcerting and strange, but along with that was an indigantion and rage at whoever had dared called him all the way to this Gods forsaken dump. As he arrived, however, he found that the scenario looked a bit more interesting than he expected. To see an old man surrounded by such a rare and ominous natrelmon was sure to get anyone to at least this crazy old coot out, . . . or, well, almost anyone it seemed. Xander looked up at the young trainer making his way from the scene with a slight grin before walking right up to the old man, placing his left hand on his hip as he looked first at the yatagarasu that surrounded him, then the man himself.
"I'll have to agree with the squirt on the Frallion that my interest in getting gifted power is rather minimal. . . but at the very least, I'm willing to hear out what an interesting old cott like yourself has to say. So tell me, gramps, why are you calling a bunch of Trainers up to ya with that mystic ringtone of yours." At this point, Xander had leaned in a bit closer to the old man, his eyes narrowing as he continued with a slight growl to his words. "Because I must admit, I'm not liking having another mystic entity messing with my head to call me to parts unknown like this for god knows what. So explain yourself, kay?" He ended that with a smile that was more like he was baring his fangs at the old man before taking a slight step away to allow the mysterious figure some space. Part of him knew that he had little reason to get up in the old man's face like that, but even more of him wanted to sock this guy in the face for getting into his head like that.
At present tho, his curiosity over what the man wanted them all for wa overriding his more violent urges, so he waited to at least hear him out. If he didn't like it, the only thing he would've wasted is, hopefully, a bit of time. If the old coot tried to take anything else. . . well, Xander would be more than happy to have a target to channel his current frustrations and slow boiling anger into. A terrible thought, to be certain, but one that appealed to him all the same.
Not 100% done yet, but here's the basic layout for her. Just gotta construct the backstory and think of some quotes
Caterina
"The Vongola is everything to me. . . and I will do everything in my power to protect it."
P E R S O N A L I A
""
// A G E
18
// P E R S O N A L I T Y
Caterina is, to put it lightly, two-faced. Most that interact with her find her to be very cheerful, kind, and generous to a fault. She seems to want nothing but the best for everyone and constantly tries to make friends with just about everyone she meets. She tends to refer from any mean-spirited behavior, aside from the little splash of sass and light sarcasm that she utters from time to time, but to most everyone, she meets Caterina is just an average cheerful young woman and the apple of her father's eye.
In truth, Caterina is much more akin to a cold businesswoman, every action she takes calculated and planned to get her the most benefit possible in any situation. Taking her father's words of "never letting people see the true you" to their utmost extremes, the young woman has spent almost every day of her conscious life building up an unarming, harmless persona to keep those around her in the dark about her own true intentions.
// B A C K G R O U N D
Caterina was promised the world.
P A R A M E T E R S
"In times past, the Lightning guardians have focused on defending their compatriots in battle. I, however, plan to make it so our enemies fear to even consider taking up arms against us."
// F L A M E
Lightning Flame: The Lightning Flame is known as the toughest flame due to its characteristic, Hardening. Lightning Flames can be employed to solidify and increase the firmness of objects. By themselves, the Flames can be used defensively by projecting a solid barrier and offensively by cutting like a sharp blade. It can also be used to electrocute like actual electricity.
// A B I L I T I E S
Vongola Hyper Intuition - A blood trait passed down through the generations of Vongola Bosses. It determines the eligibility of a person in order to be able to succeed the Vongola, and has been described by the Arcobaleno Reborn as being "a power that could see through all." That being said, it is not perfect and can be fooled through powerful enough illusions. The abilities and functions of this innate ability have been widely speculated, but there is much uncertainty as to what individuals who have it may actually be capable of. It is a trait of many mysteries and few answers.
For Caterina, however, this mystical 6th sense of the Vongola bloodline is diminished as a result of the Harmony of Sky Flame not being present within her body. While the ability is still within her, it seems that she is unable to obtain it's full potential, at least through natural means.
Skilled Dying Flame Wielder - Caterina, in particular, has shown great skill in using the solidification aspects of Lighting flames to great effect in varying up her attack styles in combat by creating temporary constructs of sorts. Whether it be turning her spear into a type of trident, creating a string to reel it back after throwing it, or even creating platforms through her Fiamma Boots to allow for better in-air maneuverability, she has proven to be rather skilled in manipulating her flames attributes, even if her way of doing so is rather unorthodox when compared to the typical Lightning wielder.
Agile Fighter - Caterina has trained to be an extremely agile and evasive fighter, using speed, flexibility, and unpredictable movements to assault opponents without ever taking a hit in return. She has also proven quite skilled in the field of acrobatics and parkour, able to move through almost any environment with ease and efficiency no matter what obstacles might be in her way.
Deceptive - Caterina has always been a bit tricky when it comes to her words, a trait that her father often tells her is inherited from her mother. While not necessarily a liar, the way she tends phrases things often leave room for . . . interpretation. She understands the power that lies within words and as a result, always chooses her own with extreme care and precision. This often makes her as elusive and hard to pin-down in conversation as she is in combat.
Multi-lingual In her strive to prepare for the role of Vongola boss, Caterina has been extremely diligent in her studies of language, as diplomacy is just as important an aspect of running a Famiglia as one's combat ability. As such, She can speak English, Japanese, and Italian fluently, as well as being competent in several other languages such as French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, etc.
// E Q U I P M E N T
Box Weapon - Spear - While a spear seems an odd weapon for the Guardian of Defense, those that face Caterina will quickly find that she is more than capable of defending her allies, even if her way of doing so is by eliminating threats herself. An extremely offensive weapon, she can slash, pierce, and pummel her foes as she spins and twirls around them in graceful movements one would find just as suitable on a dancer as they would on her. Not only that but when you add her skill with Lightning Flames to the mix, you get a true force to be reckoned with on the field, whether it be by launching bolts of electrical destruction from afar, reinforcing the weapon to make it tougher and more effective via hardening, or changing its form and usage by manipulating the Solidification nature of Lightning to form simplistic constructs that allow her weapon an ever wider amount of versatility.
Box Animal- Serpente Fulmine(Medusa) - Medusa is a large python covered in shimmering emerald green scales, with a line of buzzing Lightning flames racing all along her body from head to tail. She proves to be the heart of Caterina's defensive abilities, often found coiled around the girl's body during battle to make use of its ability to create rather sturdy barriers of Lightning flame at will. These shields, known as Serpe Aegis, allow Caterina to be as gung-ho a combatant, making up for her own lack of a defensive weapon. that said, she isn't too reliant on it and is willing to command Medusa to assist others in battle. When fully uncoiled, Medusa is also able to create a much larger barrier that is extremely resilient to attack, even by Storm flames, but she must remain completely stationary when performing this maneuver. Not only that, but it is extremely tiring for the constrictor, and afterward, she is too exhausted to be used in combat.
Despite being a mainly defensive Box animal, Medusa does have some offensive capabilities, though they're only deployable when she is separated from Caterina. These include the use of Hardening on her own body in order to increase the strength of her natural Constriction ability as a Python, as well as launching bolts of lightning flame at enemies, though the latter is more of a harassment tool than something meant to actually hurt as the flames as they are now are rather weak.
Lightning Ring: Class C - A standard Dying Will Ring that she uses to channel her dying wil flames.
Fiamma Shoes - A hi-tech piece of combat-foot wear that allows the user to fly through the air through the propulsion of Dying Will Flames from their soles. Caterina found them to be a natural fit for her more mobile fighting style. She had them specifically modified to make use of a steel-toe and rugged material to make them more useful in the heat of battle, the channeling of Lightning flames making them rather effective additions to her arsenal(especially against male opponents). She also makes us of solidification to, instead of shooting out a thrust fo flame, form a platform for her to jump off of, enabling sudden stops and quick redirections if needed.
Combat Knife - For those times when there just isn't enough room to use her spear.
"Nice to me-Waaah!?!!" Xander's reply to the only guy who seemed close to him in age was cut off by a sudden assault of freezing cold slobber and dog breath right in his face as a Reishund decided to take up his invitational handshake with a great amount of enthusiasm. Xander couldn't help but fall over laughing under the relentless onslaught. "E-easy there, boy! Gimme a sec-gah, in my mouth. Slobber in my mouth. Sei, help! Get a treat!!"
The Mythari gave a choking hiss at the sight of its master being bowled over by the large fluffball of a Natrelmon, standing by for a few moments to let the reishund have its fun before slinking behind the squirming pair to dig through Xander's pack. After a few moments of shuffling, the dragon-type would pull out a treat from the depths of the bag, giving a telepathic nudge to alert the hound to the treat before flinging it high into the air. The Reishund would likely go barreling over itself towards the new snack, which would just so happen to fall right on top of the distracted Lillian's head.
Totally by accident, of course. The fact that Sei's hissy chuckle could be heard in everyone's head was also entirely coincidental.
When he was finally freed of his slobbery captor, the Xanite got up slowly, wiping the excess slobber from his face with one of the corners of his jacket while spitting out whatever had managed to get inside of his mouth.
"I'm probably going to be tasting Reishund slobber for the rest of the day. Blech." Despite his slight compliant, Xander wasn't really that displeased by the Natrelmon's greeting. He was always glad to see such a happy looking mon, as it meant that they likely had a good trainer. Turning back to Oz, he gave a chuckle as he splayed his hands out as if presenting himself in all his damp, slobber-covered glory. "Heck of a way to break the ice, huh?"
Turning to the woman who he assumed the Reishund belonged to, Xander approached carefully unsure how they'd feel after sei's little 'prank'. They didn't quite have the look of someone with a good sense of humor and part of him groaned at the thought of being chewed out by this stern looking lady. Taking a quick glance around, his frustration only grew more pronounced as he realized that he was just barely taller than her by an inch, the man he'd greeted beat him by about 4, and the guy he'd seen fighting that one woman before was easily half a foot above him, possibly more. As if he didn't already feel out of place. It's fine, it's fine. You're all just taking the rite together, ur all on relatively even ground. As long as no one brings it up, it'll be just fine.
Try as he might to convince himself, the words didn't quite stick internally as well as he'd wish, though he did a good job of hiding his issues behind a big goofy smile as he came up to give the Reishund a scratch behind the ears.
"So, does this big goof have a name, or am I going to have to call him Sir Licks-a-lot. Also, uh, sorry about Sei's little prank. He's going through a bit of a phase, but I swear he's normally better behaved. Right, Sei?"
[i]Debateable.[i] was the response clearly heard by all, causing Xander's eye to twitch ever so slightly before he sighed and wrapped his arm around Sir Licks-a-lot.
"Why can't my partner be nice and goofy like you, Sir Licks."
Besides the fact that I have more than two brain cells!
"Oi, now you're just being mean!!" Xander stood up to give the Mythari a glare, which was returned with an equal amount of frustration. It seemed that they didn't quite appreciate the comparison, as their scales ruffled and the arcane dust from their wings started to undulate a bit in response to their aggravated mood. After an extended staredown, the dragon-type looked away with a hiss, levitating into the air to float towards the one member of the group who had yet to speak, Selim. Looking the large man right in the eye, Sei sniffed at him before projecting a message only him and Xander could hear.
So what's ur name? All you've done is stay back and brood. Not very friendly, are we?
"Like you're one to talk," Xander muttered, still scratching Sir Locks behind his ears, even pulling out another treat to feed the mon, though he made sure to hold them back until he waited for him to hand it over, less he reward bad behavior. Sei merely hissed over his shoulder at his master, never taking his eyes off of Selim as he waited for a response.
UNsure, but I do have a guide that I used to get me into the class. Maybe I could send ya the link to that to see if it gives you a better idea of how it's all supposed to function. It also covers the content of the 3rd party books I was looking into, though I might not use them since it mucks with the base class stuff.
Member
Atrophy
Rockette
Kronshi
Hos
Alby47
Stern Algorithm
Verjil
Obscene Symphony
Achronum
