shylarahIn my mind the way the spell works like this: Cecil can stand close to allied and expend whatever energy needed to shield himself and them. I'm trying to think of a way that it'd block incoming projectiles but allow outgoing, meaning one could shoot from safety (Amune).
Vena Sera
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It's snowing on Mt. Fuji.
STATUS: If I owe you a post, it's coming! Been a very busy week but finally settling down! 7 yrs ago
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7 yrs ago
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If I owe you a post, it's coming! Been a very busy week but finally settling down!
7 yrs ago
The adult in me says sleep, the kid in me wants to play NieR. The kid's winning D:
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7 yrs ago
youtube.com/watch?v=7RzA_Oom.. All of my yes. Love this theme <3
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7 yrs ago
If you've not had a chance to watch "Your Name" yet, highly recommend!
7 yrs ago
If I owe you a post expect replies tomorrow. Been up since 4 am today, barely keeping myself from drooling in a bucket! x_x
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"Are you saying our people don't have artisans? Have you truly been away for so long you think us savages?" Annoyance and the slightest tinge of anger colored Nymira's words, her eyes holding Kensen in no small degree of disdain. Were they back in their lands and had she the authority to she might just smack him. Instead the Dimuran refrained from striking out and exhaled deeply, opting to use her words instead. "You speak as though our people use violence for the sake of violence. Its how we've decided a ruling clan, how we decide on our leaders, its been that way since the first clans settled. Do you mean to say our people are wrong then? Because we do things differently?" On one hand Nymira did agree with Kensen to an extent: fighting among themselves for supremacy weakened their people for a time as warriors were inevitably taken on the fields of battle. But with their numbers smaller than any other race in Adelon they needed that strength for a time, power enough to force outsiders to seriously consider trying to attack them. But the age of warfare was passing and, as her father argued, time had come to pass for a change.
And perhaps that was the issue with their people, Nymira would admit. There was a clear divide on those who wished to keep things the way they had been and those who wished to move forward - she herself was stuck somewhere in between, forced to choose between what was new, and what their people knew. On her father's behalf she'd forge alliances but she couldn't deny some small part was always questioning if the effort would even be worth it. "If we're to be stuck in Mutebo then I suppose it can't be helped, I'll need to speak with the common peoples..." not terribly thrilled Nymira conceded with a frown, "And I suppose you speak of our fight with the beasts? A fight with something that we've never encountered? You may as well tell a child they're a worse warrior than you for all the good your logic does. I don't think myself so powerful that I can triumph over any foe, known or otherwise." Accepting her meal from the vendor she reached for her coin pouch and simply handed it over, instructing the man to take whatever was needed for their food. Nymira noted curiously how unlike so many merchants before the sum of coin that was taken seemed paltry by comparison: perhaps she had been a little too generous with her givings.
Ethan could scarcely keep himself from salivating as they walked, his eyes fixated on the lamb like a hungry wolf. Wanting to be polite however he had waited for everyone to have their meal, stopping himself twice from taking a first bite. By the time he'd finally sank his teeth into his meal he happened a glance up front and saw Nymira, half through with her meal, and his eyes widened as he stammered out a weak protest. And he'd tried so hard to express patience too! His complaints fell on deaf ears as the Dimuran ignored him and continued to speak with Kensen on the finer points of their training regiment. "That's so not fair... And here I've been drooling over mine the whole time..." a whimper and a sigh accompanied the words as Ethan slumped his shoulder slightly, smiling slightly as he looked at his meal, "Oh well... Time to dig in!" With how hungry he was he'd have sank his teeth into a wooden plank, though this was a much tastier alternative. How had he never had venison before? There were loads of deer around Kinsgrove and yet he'd never tried it, not once. Or maybe he'd had it and simply forgotten which was entirely plausible.
After their meal they were going to get right to training at last. There was a tentative excitement bubbling up inside of Ethan as he wondered just what Kensen had in store for them. They had been told their magic was lacking - and after fighting the beasts earlier he'd be inclined to agree - but he hadn't the foggiest idea of how they'd improve that. His speed magic while perhaps crude was his bread and butter, and while he could use wind as a means of attack it was by no means effective normally, or efficient for that matter. "Hey... Did you run into much trouble while traveling? Like... People from the Church, monsters, that sort of thing?" Either they had terribly unfortunate luck or their situation was just one of many similar cases. Ethan took another sizable bite from his meal and hastily wiped his chin as juice slid down it, smiling at the flavors assailing his taste buds. "Mmmph... Cuz... We've been running into all sorts of things while traveling and I don't really get why. It's like we've got a target on our backs or something," he mentioned before giving Adrianna a curious look, "Uh... You know... How do you fight? Not that you'll have to, just... Well you're a healer right? So your magic isn't exactly for fighting... I think."
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Norman was unable to keep himself in check as his enthusiasm bubbled to the surface. It was a rare chance nowadays he had an opportunity to actually upgrade anything, most works were either commissions - usually fixing a broken Machina or tool - or personal hobbies of his, like his bike. Upgrading things had its own unique flair to it, trying to push a technology to its limits was exciting. Cecil was in need of many things and they had a limited time to work with, he'd have to be fast if they wanted to get this work done. What took priority though? Power consumption? Defensive upgrades? Offensive capabilities? Perhaps they should try and remodel Cecil so he didn't stand out quite so much. The latter would take far too much time and, as Cecil revealed, his power consumption wasn't terribly pressing. That left the choice of offense and defense. Considering he'd fixed Cecil twice now for damage perhaps it was best to think of defense first and foremost.
"Bad? No, not at all. Though it depends on the style of shield we employ for you," Norman noted, placing a beneath his chin as he examined the array of parts before him, "We can opt for a solid, expanding sheet of metal for you to use. It would work well against deflecting projectiles and melee attacks but it would suffer against magical strikes. There's the option of a magic-imbued shield as well. We could use Demacite as a core and with two conduits create an arc of magical energy, and since it would have its own power supply it wouldn't drain your energy at all. Of course that shield wouldn't be as effective against weaponry, given it would be intangible. So what do we do then..." That was a pressing matter wasn't it? Each option had its benefits and yet neither was foolproof, Cecil would need an absolute shield in order to ensure his best chances of survival. For a short while Norman went silent as he began to examine and work with several items, muttering to himself and shaking his head as he threw aside a few he deemed lacking. It was both in his own best interest as well as that of the group that he got this right the first time but what should he do?
"Ah, of course! Why didn't I see it earlier! We simply use a tempered steel allow imbued with Demacite dust, make a double-plated shield from the metals, use conductors to pass a magical signature through the weapon thus inducing a reaction that would ignite the crystal dust, creating a magical coating on a physical surface! It would not only nullify magical blasts but the physical shell would help to absorb and redirect physical strikes as well!" Brilliant and simplistic! The only issue with that was grinding up Demacite crystals and having the shards retain their properties was no small matter - very specific machines had been designed to do such a task, machines he lacked - and the steel he had in mind was of high grade and terribly difficult to acquire outside of major cities. Nonetheless it was the best option, he needed only to pull a few strings for the materials. "Cecil! Tell me, if I were to forge a retractable shield for you what would be the best place to put it? We could... NO WAIT, I HAVE A BETTER IDEA!" Grabbing a small container from the table Norman circled around Cecil and pressed it to his back, adjusting it a few times before smiling and nodding to himself. "A barrier that forms around you! Demacite can act as the energy source and you control the power used, thus influencing the size of the barrier. It would allow you to move while maintaining a constant shield around yourself and it would take no power on your part to use, how's that sound?"
Teaching this child was going to be impossible. Why did she have to be so insufferably difficult? And why in the hells was she afraid of him? He wasn't the enemy! So maybe he wasn't quite as "soft spoken" as those who she kept company but she'd just have to learn to deal with him and his language. Saints above he really was being turned into a damned babysitter wasn't he? Picturing Taliya's smug face and her biting laughter in his mind Gage growled under his breath and folded his arms, his foot tapping against the dirt as he watched Amuné even try to find a stance. Unbelievable, she'd traveled with these people under attack and she didn't even understand how to wield a weapon? A bleedin' crossbow of all things!
"Listen pup, you're doing it completely wrong. If you try holding it like that you're gonna lose yer grip on the damn thing." Finding a rusted pipe in a pile of scrap Gage held it up to his shoulder, resting the end against his upper pectoral as he aimed the imaginary weapon at a tree. "See? You need a steady base to fire from or you're going to stagger, though I doubt that puny thing has any kick to it. And you'll want to hold the weapon steady, place one hand under the barrel," he explained as a hand cupped the middle of the pipe, "And your other will rest around the grip. If you ain't moving then that'll be your best bet for firing accurate bolts. 'Course chances are you won't have much time to just stand around takin' aim when someone or something's trying to kill you. But let's get the basics down, ain't gonna do us any good if you can't even aim properly." Live fire exercises were the best way to learn but Gage wasn't sure Amuné could even manage to shoot without killing herself yet. To think he could be on a job right now instead of this. Settling down against a discarded crate he reached into his coat and pulled out a rusted canteen, pulling off the flask and taking a long drink from it, exhaling and shaking his head as the liquid burned down his throat. "Let's see if you can figure out a stance before I finish this," he teased as he shook the container, "Show me you're not just some helpless whelp."
And perhaps that was the issue with their people, Nymira would admit. There was a clear divide on those who wished to keep things the way they had been and those who wished to move forward - she herself was stuck somewhere in between, forced to choose between what was new, and what their people knew. On her father's behalf she'd forge alliances but she couldn't deny some small part was always questioning if the effort would even be worth it. "If we're to be stuck in Mutebo then I suppose it can't be helped, I'll need to speak with the common peoples..." not terribly thrilled Nymira conceded with a frown, "And I suppose you speak of our fight with the beasts? A fight with something that we've never encountered? You may as well tell a child they're a worse warrior than you for all the good your logic does. I don't think myself so powerful that I can triumph over any foe, known or otherwise." Accepting her meal from the vendor she reached for her coin pouch and simply handed it over, instructing the man to take whatever was needed for their food. Nymira noted curiously how unlike so many merchants before the sum of coin that was taken seemed paltry by comparison: perhaps she had been a little too generous with her givings.
Ethan could scarcely keep himself from salivating as they walked, his eyes fixated on the lamb like a hungry wolf. Wanting to be polite however he had waited for everyone to have their meal, stopping himself twice from taking a first bite. By the time he'd finally sank his teeth into his meal he happened a glance up front and saw Nymira, half through with her meal, and his eyes widened as he stammered out a weak protest. And he'd tried so hard to express patience too! His complaints fell on deaf ears as the Dimuran ignored him and continued to speak with Kensen on the finer points of their training regiment. "That's so not fair... And here I've been drooling over mine the whole time..." a whimper and a sigh accompanied the words as Ethan slumped his shoulder slightly, smiling slightly as he looked at his meal, "Oh well... Time to dig in!" With how hungry he was he'd have sank his teeth into a wooden plank, though this was a much tastier alternative. How had he never had venison before? There were loads of deer around Kinsgrove and yet he'd never tried it, not once. Or maybe he'd had it and simply forgotten which was entirely plausible.
After their meal they were going to get right to training at last. There was a tentative excitement bubbling up inside of Ethan as he wondered just what Kensen had in store for them. They had been told their magic was lacking - and after fighting the beasts earlier he'd be inclined to agree - but he hadn't the foggiest idea of how they'd improve that. His speed magic while perhaps crude was his bread and butter, and while he could use wind as a means of attack it was by no means effective normally, or efficient for that matter. "Hey... Did you run into much trouble while traveling? Like... People from the Church, monsters, that sort of thing?" Either they had terribly unfortunate luck or their situation was just one of many similar cases. Ethan took another sizable bite from his meal and hastily wiped his chin as juice slid down it, smiling at the flavors assailing his taste buds. "Mmmph... Cuz... We've been running into all sorts of things while traveling and I don't really get why. It's like we've got a target on our backs or something," he mentioned before giving Adrianna a curious look, "Uh... You know... How do you fight? Not that you'll have to, just... Well you're a healer right? So your magic isn't exactly for fighting... I think."
----------
Norman was unable to keep himself in check as his enthusiasm bubbled to the surface. It was a rare chance nowadays he had an opportunity to actually upgrade anything, most works were either commissions - usually fixing a broken Machina or tool - or personal hobbies of his, like his bike. Upgrading things had its own unique flair to it, trying to push a technology to its limits was exciting. Cecil was in need of many things and they had a limited time to work with, he'd have to be fast if they wanted to get this work done. What took priority though? Power consumption? Defensive upgrades? Offensive capabilities? Perhaps they should try and remodel Cecil so he didn't stand out quite so much. The latter would take far too much time and, as Cecil revealed, his power consumption wasn't terribly pressing. That left the choice of offense and defense. Considering he'd fixed Cecil twice now for damage perhaps it was best to think of defense first and foremost.
"Bad? No, not at all. Though it depends on the style of shield we employ for you," Norman noted, placing a beneath his chin as he examined the array of parts before him, "We can opt for a solid, expanding sheet of metal for you to use. It would work well against deflecting projectiles and melee attacks but it would suffer against magical strikes. There's the option of a magic-imbued shield as well. We could use Demacite as a core and with two conduits create an arc of magical energy, and since it would have its own power supply it wouldn't drain your energy at all. Of course that shield wouldn't be as effective against weaponry, given it would be intangible. So what do we do then..." That was a pressing matter wasn't it? Each option had its benefits and yet neither was foolproof, Cecil would need an absolute shield in order to ensure his best chances of survival. For a short while Norman went silent as he began to examine and work with several items, muttering to himself and shaking his head as he threw aside a few he deemed lacking. It was both in his own best interest as well as that of the group that he got this right the first time but what should he do?
"Ah, of course! Why didn't I see it earlier! We simply use a tempered steel allow imbued with Demacite dust, make a double-plated shield from the metals, use conductors to pass a magical signature through the weapon thus inducing a reaction that would ignite the crystal dust, creating a magical coating on a physical surface! It would not only nullify magical blasts but the physical shell would help to absorb and redirect physical strikes as well!" Brilliant and simplistic! The only issue with that was grinding up Demacite crystals and having the shards retain their properties was no small matter - very specific machines had been designed to do such a task, machines he lacked - and the steel he had in mind was of high grade and terribly difficult to acquire outside of major cities. Nonetheless it was the best option, he needed only to pull a few strings for the materials. "Cecil! Tell me, if I were to forge a retractable shield for you what would be the best place to put it? We could... NO WAIT, I HAVE A BETTER IDEA!" Grabbing a small container from the table Norman circled around Cecil and pressed it to his back, adjusting it a few times before smiling and nodding to himself. "A barrier that forms around you! Demacite can act as the energy source and you control the power used, thus influencing the size of the barrier. It would allow you to move while maintaining a constant shield around yourself and it would take no power on your part to use, how's that sound?"
Teaching this child was going to be impossible. Why did she have to be so insufferably difficult? And why in the hells was she afraid of him? He wasn't the enemy! So maybe he wasn't quite as "soft spoken" as those who she kept company but she'd just have to learn to deal with him and his language. Saints above he really was being turned into a damned babysitter wasn't he? Picturing Taliya's smug face and her biting laughter in his mind Gage growled under his breath and folded his arms, his foot tapping against the dirt as he watched Amuné even try to find a stance. Unbelievable, she'd traveled with these people under attack and she didn't even understand how to wield a weapon? A bleedin' crossbow of all things!
"Listen pup, you're doing it completely wrong. If you try holding it like that you're gonna lose yer grip on the damn thing." Finding a rusted pipe in a pile of scrap Gage held it up to his shoulder, resting the end against his upper pectoral as he aimed the imaginary weapon at a tree. "See? You need a steady base to fire from or you're going to stagger, though I doubt that puny thing has any kick to it. And you'll want to hold the weapon steady, place one hand under the barrel," he explained as a hand cupped the middle of the pipe, "And your other will rest around the grip. If you ain't moving then that'll be your best bet for firing accurate bolts. 'Course chances are you won't have much time to just stand around takin' aim when someone or something's trying to kill you. But let's get the basics down, ain't gonna do us any good if you can't even aim properly." Live fire exercises were the best way to learn but Gage wasn't sure Amuné could even manage to shoot without killing herself yet. To think he could be on a job right now instead of this. Settling down against a discarded crate he reached into his coat and pulled out a rusted canteen, pulling off the flask and taking a long drink from it, exhaling and shaking his head as the liquid burned down his throat. "Let's see if you can figure out a stance before I finish this," he teased as he shook the container, "Show me you're not just some helpless whelp."
Oh gee willikers its my post again! :O
"Everything has been taken care of Haku, don't you worry. We've planned for every possible situation and the people here are willing and wanting to help. You just focus on your exercises my son." There was far too much worry and not enough action from T'charrl, the boy needed more confidence. And confidence he would have once he began to do these exercises - and work with Nema on finding a 'peace of mind - of that Yusef was absolutely certain. They had anticipated that the beginning would be slow and yet no one was fretting too much over that: T'charrl would succeed given the time to. "Now then, I believe I feel another strong wind coming on! How about you show me that your last attempt wasn't just a fluke?" coercing his son the general smiled, gesturing towards the chasm once again, "A word of advice? Don't try to breath while the wind hits you, the force of it is likely going to knock you breathless. Its easiest to take a deep breath and hold it, helps to keep you from becoming winded... Literally." Haku was the first into the chasm and for that Yusef was glad they'd had the boy come along to help them. It should be of some consolation to have a friend there for his son and Haku's willingness to take part in the training could only make it easier.
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"If you're talking about Viral it's not like I wanted to do that, it's your guys' fault we even had to fight him to begin with," grumbled Takeshi, frowning as he strapped weights to his legs and his arms. Krom could do whatever he wanted to try and shift the blame but ultimately he'd been complicit in the King's twisted ways and was every bit as guilty as their father. And his reasoning was... What? Avoiding punishment? Okay so then the guy was just a lousy coward willing to get kids hurt to save his own skin, that sounded so much better. "It's not that I don't think you haven't been training, I know you're a soldier and all. It's just that I know I'm going to pass you anyways, me and Shu both are," Takeshi continued as he finished preparing himself, grinning tauntingly at Krom, "And you're going to be part of what makes us better than you. Then our shitty old man, you, that jerk Korian, none of you guys are gonna be able to order us around anymore, you know? And we'll go back to Earth and you all can fight over whatever, I really don't care anymore." These aliens, this war, whatever went on didn't matter as much as keeping Shu happy and safe. And Viral, and Yumi, and Vegeta and the rest of his friends. Like hell he was going to keep letting these people order them to worlds and fight and get hurt for their stupid causes. He'd get strong enough to end the whole mess and once that happened they could forget any of this crap even existed. "Let's go pops, what am I doing to start? And don't hold back either, I want to do this crap right."
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Kill him? Why in the world was anyone going to kill Viral? The point of a sparring session wasn't even to injure someone let alone take their life... Wasn't he being a bit extreme? Releasing Viral's arm to avoid being swept Vegeta backed off and put his hands up preemptively, waiting for his friend to make his next move. Hearing the words that came next made his heart sink, a visible show of unease on his face as he threw a sidelong glance towards Aito accusingly. "Viral that's not..." Damn his father, they'd talked about it hadn't they? Conversation wasn't an option with the Beastman bearing down on him and again he was on the defensive, blocking punches hectically while trying to find an opening for himself. "It wasn't that, Viral! It's not that you were worthless, or even that I wanted to sell you! I..." A hard right cut him off and after staggering Vegeta found himself on the floor, bouncing off of it as an overhead punch sent him over. Rolling to the side quickly he stretched out a hand and lifted himself up, flipping onto his feet before darting back in at Viral. "I had no choice! I couldn't help you, hell I could hardly help myself!" Vegeta shouted as he spun on a heel, trying to kick at Viral's side and send him flying, "It was meant to help you!"
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"If you're talking about Viral it's not like I wanted to do that, it's your guys' fault we even had to fight him to begin with," grumbled Takeshi, frowning as he strapped weights to his legs and his arms. Krom could do whatever he wanted to try and shift the blame but ultimately he'd been complicit in the King's twisted ways and was every bit as guilty as their father. And his reasoning was... What? Avoiding punishment? Okay so then the guy was just a lousy coward willing to get kids hurt to save his own skin, that sounded so much better. "It's not that I don't think you haven't been training, I know you're a soldier and all. It's just that I know I'm going to pass you anyways, me and Shu both are," Takeshi continued as he finished preparing himself, grinning tauntingly at Krom, "And you're going to be part of what makes us better than you. Then our shitty old man, you, that jerk Korian, none of you guys are gonna be able to order us around anymore, you know? And we'll go back to Earth and you all can fight over whatever, I really don't care anymore." These aliens, this war, whatever went on didn't matter as much as keeping Shu happy and safe. And Viral, and Yumi, and Vegeta and the rest of his friends. Like hell he was going to keep letting these people order them to worlds and fight and get hurt for their stupid causes. He'd get strong enough to end the whole mess and once that happened they could forget any of this crap even existed. "Let's go pops, what am I doing to start? And don't hold back either, I want to do this crap right."
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Kill him? Why in the world was anyone going to kill Viral? The point of a sparring session wasn't even to injure someone let alone take their life... Wasn't he being a bit extreme? Releasing Viral's arm to avoid being swept Vegeta backed off and put his hands up preemptively, waiting for his friend to make his next move. Hearing the words that came next made his heart sink, a visible show of unease on his face as he threw a sidelong glance towards Aito accusingly. "Viral that's not..." Damn his father, they'd talked about it hadn't they? Conversation wasn't an option with the Beastman bearing down on him and again he was on the defensive, blocking punches hectically while trying to find an opening for himself. "It wasn't that, Viral! It's not that you were worthless, or even that I wanted to sell you! I..." A hard right cut him off and after staggering Vegeta found himself on the floor, bouncing off of it as an overhead punch sent him over. Rolling to the side quickly he stretched out a hand and lifted himself up, flipping onto his feet before darting back in at Viral. "I had no choice! I couldn't help you, hell I could hardly help myself!" Vegeta shouted as he spun on a heel, trying to kick at Viral's side and send him flying, "It was meant to help you!"
Of course she meant Lady Maria, he'd known that. Realistically there was nothing Josephine could teach him that Edmund hadn't already imparted upon them. That said Kael had a difficult time imagining what - if anything - they might gain to learn at this point in their training; veteran hunters were borne of countless hours of the hunt, of trial and error and learning the mannerisms of their quarry. The basics could be taught but from thereon out it fell to the apprentice to gain the experience that only combat could bring. Edmund must have known this and yet not thought them ready, and given today's fatal blunder Kael was forced to agree. Still, what reason was there to seek out this Maria, other than finding some kind of closure for Josephine? Would she even train them once they did find the woman? He would see his given task through of course but to say his heart was wholly devoted to it would be false.
They needed to get moving before beats began to converge on their location. The fire was bound to lure some their way even with Lydia fighting the majority, some were bound to break off and follow their curiosity. Gathering their belongings Kael brushed over the fire with his boot and snuffed out the flames, leaving a few cinders burning in its wake. Not as though it mattered whether it was extinguished or not, he noted, there weren't any people left here, only beasts. "Cocky huh...? Sure, whatever you say," Kael muttered as he watched the drying embers, clicking his tongue and noting how dry his mouth felt. He needed water after all of that, not to mention he was noting just how dry and hoarse his throat felt. Where was there a well nearby? Water should be safe provided nothing had been slaughtered in it recently, they should be sure to fill up before departing.
Rest was out of the question for two reasons: neither of them would realistically be able to sleep after today's events, not for some time. The presence of another on these empty streets was enough to stir them from their stupor and they were greeted by an alarming stench - rank blood. While not wholly uncommon in the soiled city this smelled fresh, and decidedly un-beastly. Turning on his heel Kael narrowed his eyes at the figure before them, lowering his bag and freeing his weapon. It was a man, aye, but there was something... Off about him. Josephine attempted to speak with him and yet their only reply came in ramblings, words jumbled together and incoherent. Lydia's warning rang fresh in his ears as the man lifted his head and a pair of hollow, sunken eyes stared back at them. His hair was dirty and matted, his skin pale, blood soaked on every piece of clothing as fresh blood seeped from his blade. No two ways about it - this man had succumb to the blood.
"Stay back! We have no reason to fight, turn and leave!" Diplomacy was perhaps the worst idea right now and yet Kael saw fit to at least try. Not that it had ever been his strong suit, talking things out, and as expected the man continued to shamble towards them, his murderous intent palpable in the stale air. Cursing under his breath Kael swung his weapon and let the blade split in two, stringing the bow before notching an arrow. Killing another man was not something he'd ever wished to have to do. But then this was not a man anymore was it? Taking aim he lowered the bow and fired a single shot at the hunter's leg, deciding it was best to cripple him and run rather than have an all out fight. Fighting would attract beasts, beasts would chase them until they either tired or they were killed, it was not something they could afford. A single arrow was all he'd need.
If it hit. The arrow was on the verge of tearing through the hunter's ligaments when he dashed to the side and avoided it, the arrow piercing and shattering the stone where he had stood. He was fast! Unlocking his weapon again he let the string retract and held a blade in each hand, charging the man for a more personal encounter. They had to kill him quickly, the longer they lingered the more likely beasts would appear. Raising his right arm and taking a swing Kael growled as his blade glanced off the side of the man's axe, lifting his other arm to block an overhead cut from the weapon. Straining to hold it back with both weapons he grit his teeth and tried to push black, closing his eye reflexively as blood dripped down from its rusted edge onto his cheek.
"I need... Fresh blood... The Vials, they no longer work..." The man's voice came out in raspy hisses and he smiled hungrily at the young hunter, his teeth stained and several missing. The pair were at a stalemate until Josephine intervened and forced the man back, and another dodge helped evade a Quicksilver bullet from Kael's pistol. As though unsteady the man swayed side to side briefly before flashing the pair a delusional grin, laughing dryly as he approached again, dragging his axe along the cobbled streets. "Come children, give me your blood... Our evolution... Is at hand..." he cooed, extending a gnarled hand and curling his fingers to them, "You... Won't need it before long, surrender... Your blood!"
They needed to get moving before beats began to converge on their location. The fire was bound to lure some their way even with Lydia fighting the majority, some were bound to break off and follow their curiosity. Gathering their belongings Kael brushed over the fire with his boot and snuffed out the flames, leaving a few cinders burning in its wake. Not as though it mattered whether it was extinguished or not, he noted, there weren't any people left here, only beasts. "Cocky huh...? Sure, whatever you say," Kael muttered as he watched the drying embers, clicking his tongue and noting how dry his mouth felt. He needed water after all of that, not to mention he was noting just how dry and hoarse his throat felt. Where was there a well nearby? Water should be safe provided nothing had been slaughtered in it recently, they should be sure to fill up before departing.
Rest was out of the question for two reasons: neither of them would realistically be able to sleep after today's events, not for some time. The presence of another on these empty streets was enough to stir them from their stupor and they were greeted by an alarming stench - rank blood. While not wholly uncommon in the soiled city this smelled fresh, and decidedly un-beastly. Turning on his heel Kael narrowed his eyes at the figure before them, lowering his bag and freeing his weapon. It was a man, aye, but there was something... Off about him. Josephine attempted to speak with him and yet their only reply came in ramblings, words jumbled together and incoherent. Lydia's warning rang fresh in his ears as the man lifted his head and a pair of hollow, sunken eyes stared back at them. His hair was dirty and matted, his skin pale, blood soaked on every piece of clothing as fresh blood seeped from his blade. No two ways about it - this man had succumb to the blood.
"Stay back! We have no reason to fight, turn and leave!" Diplomacy was perhaps the worst idea right now and yet Kael saw fit to at least try. Not that it had ever been his strong suit, talking things out, and as expected the man continued to shamble towards them, his murderous intent palpable in the stale air. Cursing under his breath Kael swung his weapon and let the blade split in two, stringing the bow before notching an arrow. Killing another man was not something he'd ever wished to have to do. But then this was not a man anymore was it? Taking aim he lowered the bow and fired a single shot at the hunter's leg, deciding it was best to cripple him and run rather than have an all out fight. Fighting would attract beasts, beasts would chase them until they either tired or they were killed, it was not something they could afford. A single arrow was all he'd need.
If it hit. The arrow was on the verge of tearing through the hunter's ligaments when he dashed to the side and avoided it, the arrow piercing and shattering the stone where he had stood. He was fast! Unlocking his weapon again he let the string retract and held a blade in each hand, charging the man for a more personal encounter. They had to kill him quickly, the longer they lingered the more likely beasts would appear. Raising his right arm and taking a swing Kael growled as his blade glanced off the side of the man's axe, lifting his other arm to block an overhead cut from the weapon. Straining to hold it back with both weapons he grit his teeth and tried to push black, closing his eye reflexively as blood dripped down from its rusted edge onto his cheek.
"I need... Fresh blood... The Vials, they no longer work..." The man's voice came out in raspy hisses and he smiled hungrily at the young hunter, his teeth stained and several missing. The pair were at a stalemate until Josephine intervened and forced the man back, and another dodge helped evade a Quicksilver bullet from Kael's pistol. As though unsteady the man swayed side to side briefly before flashing the pair a delusional grin, laughing dryly as he approached again, dragging his axe along the cobbled streets. "Come children, give me your blood... Our evolution... Is at hand..." he cooed, extending a gnarled hand and curling his fingers to them, "You... Won't need it before long, surrender... Your blood!"
"Insensitive...? It's the truth Kensen, or do you truly believe every person here to be a capable hunter and warrior? People in the kingdoms don't understand how we Dimurans live, even the smallest of towns I'd visited have it easy compared to us. So forgive me if I come across as a little jaded but I don't think most people in Adelon to be the capable sort." She had yet to see terribly much to discount this idea of hers either. After traveling several hundred miles from home Nymira was convinced of two things: people within the kingdom proper were complacent and the Church was never going to be an ally to her or her clan. What Kensen said was true - the Church was not an issue for most people - but it was a major issue for her and her goals. Her exposure to them consisted of listening to their people decry the use of "free magic" and being attacked by their people on numerous occasions, not exactly things which would build favor with her. Kensen wasn't the only one to argue against her point: Adrianna was quick to denounce her assumptions as well. Merely acknowledging the healer with a sidelong glance she returned her gaze to the fire instead.
Watching her selection brown over the fire Nymira watched the flames dance, becoming lost in thought. Would she even be able to make allies? Given all that she knew now - and what she still may not yet know - the probability of anyone openly allying themselves with a Magi seemed increasingly slim. If not for their ability in combat the only thing she and hers could offer were rare minerals and blacksmiths, neither of which the kingdom appeared to be wanting in. Diplomacy was the only option and yet they had nothing to use to forge an alliance, they were smaller in number, had less to trade and arguably little value outside of being soldiers. And no Dimuran would rightfully allow themselves to become a soldier of the Church or whoever was in power here, something which still baffled her concerning Kensen.
"Kensen... What is it like in the inner cities? From what I understand the capitol is further east still, and there are many cities further still, larger than any we've seen yet. Have you been that far?" If forging an alliance in the traditional manner was out of the question she would have to rely on other means. Gathering information would be important then, and only after she understood enough to have her way of things could she perhaps hope to make ties to the people here. Crossing her arms she clicked her tongue and looked back to Ethan who was practically leaning over the fire as his food cooked, rolling her eyes again and shaking her head. "I'm beginning to wonder if this journey of ours is a... How do you say... Idiot's errand? I'm traveling with a man-child, a literal child, and a machine. It sounds almost as absurd as the tales they used to tell us around the fires..."
"Or why don't I try both? We're probably going to work up a big appetite later so we should eat all we can!" Not too much though or he'd get ill and cramp up during training, something he'd incidentally done quite a few times. Between the two Dimurans it was probably not a good idea to hinder their training, not unless he wanted both of them furious at him for the rest of the day. Ethan happily accepted Adrianna's offer and order himself a thin steak as well just to be sure he filled up. As soon as the meats were licked by the flames he could smell them beginning to simmer and his mouth watered, causing him to lean over and take a long hearty whiff of his meal. Should he see if they had some kind of sauce? Maybe he should see if they had bread, or vegetables... Was there a chance he could go get some mead without Nymira noticing? Engrossed in his musings he missed the brief exchange between Adrianna and Nymira, looking back a moment later confused to see them both annoyed. Were they arguing again? Ethan really didn't understand why, Adrianna seemed like a nice guy!
----------
Norman stared at the hole in the shop wall for a moment before hastily ordering one of the workers to make sure they hadn't just killed someone. As the man rushed out the door he let out a lengthy sigh and pulled off a sullied glove to rub his face, looking at Gage impatiently. "Please refrain from firing off weapons indoors, thank you!" he ordered, "I'm already on a thin rope here for dragging my vehicle through town, there's been dozens of complaints coming in about the noise!" Then, growing defensive, the engineer sighed again and shook his head dejectedly, "I can't minimize the noise, the engine and the exhaust has to be left open in order to properly vent the fumes and..."
"Stand down cat, I am not in the mood," Gage grumbled as he knelt down before Amuné, "We can take that outside and you can practice firing it. I'll teach you how to properly hold the weapon and how to control your breathing to steady your shots. It doesn't seem to have proper sights so you'll be winging it." Which was not exactly great for even an inexperienced fighter, let alone an incompetent child. Ignoring Norman as he continued to prattle on about some mechanical device of his Gage looked about the room until he spotted a far door, moving aside a worker as he reached it and held it open for Amuné, simply pointing to the gap for her to move through. "I was told to train you today and we're going to train, your machine friend is going to be just fine without you hanging onto his damn leg. Now move it girl, before I drag you out."
"A little tact goes a long way Gage, you might want to try it..." Norman uttered in exasperation, giving a shake of his head before passing Amuné a patient smile, "Go ahead and try it out, let me know how it works. I'm sure you'll be able to find something back there to use as a target, fire a few bolts and tell me how it feels. I'll adjust it to fit your needs. As for you..." There was a decidedly eccentric glean to his eyes as the engineer addressed Cecil, and placing an arm around his shoulders the Machina was led over to a table with numerous tools strewn about it. "As a combat model you should be capable of a number of things, both offensively and defensively. You have some offensive enhancements but nothing for defense, obviously. Otherwise you'd not have shown up the way you did." Rubbing his hands together while smiling Norman looked through his tools before grabbing a wrench and then grabbing Cecil by the arm, examining one of his gauntlets thoughtfully. Turning his arm over he tapped at a panel and seemed to become bothered by something until a light went off in his head, voicing his excitement as he turned and moved across the room. "A shield! Of course, so simple and yet invaluable! But it can't be a physical shield, no... Corrosion would be too much of a risk, not to mention repairs..." Norman began as he started to sift through a bin of what only seemed to be scraps, "Tell me Cecil, how's your power consumption since your last tune up? Any difference?"
Playing keeper to a homicidal Varuna was hardly the type of work Remus was used to. Not that he was complaining, the majority of his assignments had him playing executioner to Magi who refused to bend beneath the Church's thumb. Matters were only worse too when one considered how thoroughly violent and unpredictable Bernadette could be, the woman seemed to revel in her job; Magi were under such scrutiny that it always struck him as odd that they should be fighting one another like this. Given their combined strength, if none stood with the Church, could they even hope to enforce the laws they had now? Not that humoring such thoughts did any good as the state of the world clearly did not favor their kind. On his way out of the tavern Remus thanked both the owner and his daughter, giving the latter a handful of silver on his way out: under the Church's orders they operated and the others used that to their full ability, often traveling and dining places without having to pay. The very least he could do was throw a little coin their way to make amends for the rude behavior. For members of such an esteemed group his fellow hunters surely had no issue with abusing their authority.
It brought so much satisfaction to make men like Remus heel and obey her every word. He had absolutely no choice in the matter, Bernadette knew this, as she knew he loathed her and hers with every fiber of his being. A wry smile crossed her face as she pulled a dagger from her sheath and examined the pristine blade with a soft him, running a fingertip along its edge before looking at the Ydran before her. "Elluine? Tail him. He's failed as well and I want to be certain he does his job. Should he fail then you have my permission to kill him too. And try to do it outside of a settlement won't you? I'm still trying to clean up the mess at Orosi."
"That was your doing my lady, you've no one to blame but yourself," the Ydran cackled, "But as you wish, I'll see to it that they fight outside and away from civilians. Though... If any do happen to be caught in the crossfire-"
"Avoid that, that's an order," Bernadette demanded as she pointed to Elluine with her dagger, "I've already had to go back to the capitol once because of you fools, if I have to go back again it will be with your heads. Now get going, I've got other business to attend to." That was quick to get him out and thank goodness for that, the moron thought he had the freedom to do as he pleased under her. The only reason Elluine was even under her command now was because he'd been so unruly before with his former leader, a problem they had been unable to rectify. Now that he was her responsibility she would be damned certain he never stepped out of line. Shame killing your subordinates was so frowned upon... But then that's what she had subordinates for, they could do her dirty work for her. "And Remus will do it no matter how much he detests it, won't you Remus?" Giggling to herself Bernadette stuck her dagger into the top of the desk and slid out of her seat, cracking open the door to the office and getting the owner's daughter's attention. "Dear? Tell me... How would you like to be of service to the Church and your king?"
Watching her selection brown over the fire Nymira watched the flames dance, becoming lost in thought. Would she even be able to make allies? Given all that she knew now - and what she still may not yet know - the probability of anyone openly allying themselves with a Magi seemed increasingly slim. If not for their ability in combat the only thing she and hers could offer were rare minerals and blacksmiths, neither of which the kingdom appeared to be wanting in. Diplomacy was the only option and yet they had nothing to use to forge an alliance, they were smaller in number, had less to trade and arguably little value outside of being soldiers. And no Dimuran would rightfully allow themselves to become a soldier of the Church or whoever was in power here, something which still baffled her concerning Kensen.
"Kensen... What is it like in the inner cities? From what I understand the capitol is further east still, and there are many cities further still, larger than any we've seen yet. Have you been that far?" If forging an alliance in the traditional manner was out of the question she would have to rely on other means. Gathering information would be important then, and only after she understood enough to have her way of things could she perhaps hope to make ties to the people here. Crossing her arms she clicked her tongue and looked back to Ethan who was practically leaning over the fire as his food cooked, rolling her eyes again and shaking her head. "I'm beginning to wonder if this journey of ours is a... How do you say... Idiot's errand? I'm traveling with a man-child, a literal child, and a machine. It sounds almost as absurd as the tales they used to tell us around the fires..."
"Or why don't I try both? We're probably going to work up a big appetite later so we should eat all we can!" Not too much though or he'd get ill and cramp up during training, something he'd incidentally done quite a few times. Between the two Dimurans it was probably not a good idea to hinder their training, not unless he wanted both of them furious at him for the rest of the day. Ethan happily accepted Adrianna's offer and order himself a thin steak as well just to be sure he filled up. As soon as the meats were licked by the flames he could smell them beginning to simmer and his mouth watered, causing him to lean over and take a long hearty whiff of his meal. Should he see if they had some kind of sauce? Maybe he should see if they had bread, or vegetables... Was there a chance he could go get some mead without Nymira noticing? Engrossed in his musings he missed the brief exchange between Adrianna and Nymira, looking back a moment later confused to see them both annoyed. Were they arguing again? Ethan really didn't understand why, Adrianna seemed like a nice guy!
----------
Norman stared at the hole in the shop wall for a moment before hastily ordering one of the workers to make sure they hadn't just killed someone. As the man rushed out the door he let out a lengthy sigh and pulled off a sullied glove to rub his face, looking at Gage impatiently. "Please refrain from firing off weapons indoors, thank you!" he ordered, "I'm already on a thin rope here for dragging my vehicle through town, there's been dozens of complaints coming in about the noise!" Then, growing defensive, the engineer sighed again and shook his head dejectedly, "I can't minimize the noise, the engine and the exhaust has to be left open in order to properly vent the fumes and..."
"Stand down cat, I am not in the mood," Gage grumbled as he knelt down before Amuné, "We can take that outside and you can practice firing it. I'll teach you how to properly hold the weapon and how to control your breathing to steady your shots. It doesn't seem to have proper sights so you'll be winging it." Which was not exactly great for even an inexperienced fighter, let alone an incompetent child. Ignoring Norman as he continued to prattle on about some mechanical device of his Gage looked about the room until he spotted a far door, moving aside a worker as he reached it and held it open for Amuné, simply pointing to the gap for her to move through. "I was told to train you today and we're going to train, your machine friend is going to be just fine without you hanging onto his damn leg. Now move it girl, before I drag you out."
"A little tact goes a long way Gage, you might want to try it..." Norman uttered in exasperation, giving a shake of his head before passing Amuné a patient smile, "Go ahead and try it out, let me know how it works. I'm sure you'll be able to find something back there to use as a target, fire a few bolts and tell me how it feels. I'll adjust it to fit your needs. As for you..." There was a decidedly eccentric glean to his eyes as the engineer addressed Cecil, and placing an arm around his shoulders the Machina was led over to a table with numerous tools strewn about it. "As a combat model you should be capable of a number of things, both offensively and defensively. You have some offensive enhancements but nothing for defense, obviously. Otherwise you'd not have shown up the way you did." Rubbing his hands together while smiling Norman looked through his tools before grabbing a wrench and then grabbing Cecil by the arm, examining one of his gauntlets thoughtfully. Turning his arm over he tapped at a panel and seemed to become bothered by something until a light went off in his head, voicing his excitement as he turned and moved across the room. "A shield! Of course, so simple and yet invaluable! But it can't be a physical shield, no... Corrosion would be too much of a risk, not to mention repairs..." Norman began as he started to sift through a bin of what only seemed to be scraps, "Tell me Cecil, how's your power consumption since your last tune up? Any difference?"
Playing keeper to a homicidal Varuna was hardly the type of work Remus was used to. Not that he was complaining, the majority of his assignments had him playing executioner to Magi who refused to bend beneath the Church's thumb. Matters were only worse too when one considered how thoroughly violent and unpredictable Bernadette could be, the woman seemed to revel in her job; Magi were under such scrutiny that it always struck him as odd that they should be fighting one another like this. Given their combined strength, if none stood with the Church, could they even hope to enforce the laws they had now? Not that humoring such thoughts did any good as the state of the world clearly did not favor their kind. On his way out of the tavern Remus thanked both the owner and his daughter, giving the latter a handful of silver on his way out: under the Church's orders they operated and the others used that to their full ability, often traveling and dining places without having to pay. The very least he could do was throw a little coin their way to make amends for the rude behavior. For members of such an esteemed group his fellow hunters surely had no issue with abusing their authority.
It brought so much satisfaction to make men like Remus heel and obey her every word. He had absolutely no choice in the matter, Bernadette knew this, as she knew he loathed her and hers with every fiber of his being. A wry smile crossed her face as she pulled a dagger from her sheath and examined the pristine blade with a soft him, running a fingertip along its edge before looking at the Ydran before her. "Elluine? Tail him. He's failed as well and I want to be certain he does his job. Should he fail then you have my permission to kill him too. And try to do it outside of a settlement won't you? I'm still trying to clean up the mess at Orosi."
"That was your doing my lady, you've no one to blame but yourself," the Ydran cackled, "But as you wish, I'll see to it that they fight outside and away from civilians. Though... If any do happen to be caught in the crossfire-"
"Avoid that, that's an order," Bernadette demanded as she pointed to Elluine with her dagger, "I've already had to go back to the capitol once because of you fools, if I have to go back again it will be with your heads. Now get going, I've got other business to attend to." That was quick to get him out and thank goodness for that, the moron thought he had the freedom to do as he pleased under her. The only reason Elluine was even under her command now was because he'd been so unruly before with his former leader, a problem they had been unable to rectify. Now that he was her responsibility she would be damned certain he never stepped out of line. Shame killing your subordinates was so frowned upon... But then that's what she had subordinates for, they could do her dirty work for her. "And Remus will do it no matter how much he detests it, won't you Remus?" Giggling to herself Bernadette stuck her dagger into the top of the desk and slid out of her seat, cracking open the door to the office and getting the owner's daughter's attention. "Dear? Tell me... How would you like to be of service to the Church and your king?"
"That won't happen T'charrl, we've taken extra care to make sure it doesn't. The reason so many people were brought along is we've established a network through the chasm, an early warning system if you will. If a strong gust pushes through they send word down our way and we let it pass. Nema has some system to gauge the strength of winds and he assures me it's foolproof." Of course having so many people o hand to assist them worked as a double edged blade: safety went up but their time arguably was reduced, the system was only as good as long as everyone present could remain. Most of those helping were the King's men and thus they would in one form or another be carrying out his work regardless, but to the same end there were other duties they needed to attend to. Were they closer to their own home perhaps Yusef would have brought some men with him to help as well, but traveling so far was out of the question. Taking a break for food fruit was handed out to everyone and the General sat upon a stump, turning over a fruit in his claws and laughing at his son's outburst. "I am only teasing, relax T'charrl! And from what we've been told it depends largely on the weather, otherwise the winds are usually constant. We should be safe to do this as long as we want to today, or as long as you're able."
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"Whatever, I don't care about your family. You sure as shit don't care about mine." Krom would always be a piece of crap who justified being such by following orders, but you only followed lousy orders like that if you were a crappy person to begin with. No decent person kidnapped children so they could be put through awful tests. So all the guy had in mind was some extra weight huh? Nothing actually difficult? Takeshi was going to show this jerk up and make it look like a breeze. "Fine, fine, no sparring until Shu feels better, I get it,' Takeshi said with a wave of his hand, smirking as he started to gather up weights for himself, "And it's not me that's going to bother him, I didn't drag him to my insane father now did I? If anyone here is making things hard for him its you." The bastard was right though, he had to shut the hell up if Shu was to have any hope of relaxing during their training. It was his fault Shu was the way he was and the last thing he wanted to do was prevent his brother from getting better. "You know... I'll give you this much: when we first met you were definitely stronger than we were, by a lot," Takeshi said as he put on a weighted vest, leaning over to fasten weights to his legs as well, "But we're going to be stronger than you before long, and then we'll be stronger than our shitty old man too. And when that happens his whole world is coming crashing down, you got me? And that means anyone who supports him is going down too, which means you. And don't you forget that. Now let's get this crap out of the way so we can get back to kicking your ass."
---------
Was he holding back? Vegeta was just trying to keep himself from being pummeled, throwing back any strikes like this would only result in them trading blows unnecessarily. Knocking aside another fist he frowned as Viral shouted to him more and continued throwing punch after punch, clearly agitated by his defensive approach. "Holding back? I wasn't, I was waiting for this." Pushing aside another punch Vegeta folded his hand and struck Viral in the chest, stepping forward with his back foot and hitting him again with an open palm, exhaling as he watched the Beastman stagger slightly. Quickly blocking another punch Vegeta moved to take a step back, catching his toe on the ground and stumbling back, leaving him open as he took a punch to the jaw. Nearly spinning around he caught himself and blinked the stars away, turning and catching another punch thrown. "You're not holding back either I see, either that or you're stronger than I remember," Vegeta commented, catching another punch and trying to push Viral back as they locked grips. Seeing it going nowhere he glanced down for a split second at his friend's feet before sweeping a leg out to try and knock him over, intending to grab Viral's arm and lift him over and throw him onto his back if it should work. "Don't underestimate me just because I've been out of action."
----------
"Whatever, I don't care about your family. You sure as shit don't care about mine." Krom would always be a piece of crap who justified being such by following orders, but you only followed lousy orders like that if you were a crappy person to begin with. No decent person kidnapped children so they could be put through awful tests. So all the guy had in mind was some extra weight huh? Nothing actually difficult? Takeshi was going to show this jerk up and make it look like a breeze. "Fine, fine, no sparring until Shu feels better, I get it,' Takeshi said with a wave of his hand, smirking as he started to gather up weights for himself, "And it's not me that's going to bother him, I didn't drag him to my insane father now did I? If anyone here is making things hard for him its you." The bastard was right though, he had to shut the hell up if Shu was to have any hope of relaxing during their training. It was his fault Shu was the way he was and the last thing he wanted to do was prevent his brother from getting better. "You know... I'll give you this much: when we first met you were definitely stronger than we were, by a lot," Takeshi said as he put on a weighted vest, leaning over to fasten weights to his legs as well, "But we're going to be stronger than you before long, and then we'll be stronger than our shitty old man too. And when that happens his whole world is coming crashing down, you got me? And that means anyone who supports him is going down too, which means you. And don't you forget that. Now let's get this crap out of the way so we can get back to kicking your ass."
---------
Was he holding back? Vegeta was just trying to keep himself from being pummeled, throwing back any strikes like this would only result in them trading blows unnecessarily. Knocking aside another fist he frowned as Viral shouted to him more and continued throwing punch after punch, clearly agitated by his defensive approach. "Holding back? I wasn't, I was waiting for this." Pushing aside another punch Vegeta folded his hand and struck Viral in the chest, stepping forward with his back foot and hitting him again with an open palm, exhaling as he watched the Beastman stagger slightly. Quickly blocking another punch Vegeta moved to take a step back, catching his toe on the ground and stumbling back, leaving him open as he took a punch to the jaw. Nearly spinning around he caught himself and blinked the stars away, turning and catching another punch thrown. "You're not holding back either I see, either that or you're stronger than I remember," Vegeta commented, catching another punch and trying to push Viral back as they locked grips. Seeing it going nowhere he glanced down for a split second at his friend's feet before sweeping a leg out to try and knock him over, intending to grab Viral's arm and lift him over and throw him onto his back if it should work. "Don't underestimate me just because I've been out of action."
"We must continue until you're able to withstand the winds, its perhaps the only way to ensure your body is strong enough," Yusef explained, casting a gaze into the dark chasm as the faint howls of the wind died down. "There's other ways if you want to try something else, but they're... Harder, and in some cases far more dangerous. At least this method isn't going to kill you." Just because it was the safest, simplest option didn't necessarily mean it was going to be easy. But if T'charrl hoped to control his power and some day the spirit he needed to be powerful - both of mind and body. A handful of attempts was hardly going to be enough but the General saw no reason to keep pushing his son and risk injury, they could take small breaks every so often and let him rest.
"It's not as simple as it seems, hm? And flight is even harder still," Yusef went on as he approached a container, freeing the lid before stealing a fruit from inside. "But I promise that if you can manage this then you can manage anything. It's always been in our nature to take shelter against strong winds, or travel on the ground to avoid being thrown about. Only recently have we started learning to fly against gales, and its making us stronger for it." Cracking open the fruit he handed half to each T'charrl and Haku, sitting his large frame onto a fallen log with a sigh. "Listen, T'charrl... I'll be honest. What King Nema and I discussed and what we read suggested that we would need to take the most extreme measures to manage your situation given the time we have, and what we're ultimately going with wouldn't be enough. But I'm confident that you'll prove that worry wrong, because I know you're going to give it your all every single day. If I know anything about my own child it's this: he gets his mother's persistence," Yusef said before laughing heartily, "And I believe you got my appetite! It's a dangerous combination, you might keep this training up later just to stay slim!"
----------
"Whatever, just shut your damn mouth about our mother, you got me? You don't know anything so don't pretend like you do." Admittedly he knew just as much but it wasn't Krom's place to speak about her. The only one who could say anything would be Yamate, for as much as he hated that man he had fathered Takeshi - and presumably Shu too - and one would imagine then knew where their mother might be. Leaving Shu to his own devices was a little worrisome but he should be alright provided nothing spooked him while they were gone. On their way to a training room they caught a brief glimpse of Vegeta on his way elsewhere and the sight of his friend made Takeshi's face go red. "Why the fuck's Vegeta wearing my stuff? Did he break into my room?!" Not that he tended to lock his and Shu's bedroom but still, who went and stole someone's clothing? And just where the heck was the guy off to dressed like that? Whatever, he'd ask Vegeta about it later and demand his clothes back provided he even remembered to. Following Krom into the training room Takeshi walked to the far end and began to stretch himself out, keen to get things underway and with luck beat the snot out of the guy if given the chance. "Alright, so what's the plan? Going to make me do a thousand push ups? Run 200 laps? Whatever it is give it to me, I can handle whatever you have in mind." He was taking on his and Shu's load and it was probably going to kill him - not literally hopefully - but whatever it was he planned on taking it in stride. No way in hell was he giving Krom the satisfaction of being unable to do the training exercises.
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"I do care, it's just I tend to be preoccupied with work," Vegeta said defensively, sighing as he shook his head, "Nor did I ever propose-" Oh they were starting! Hastily leaning back and avoiding taking a punch square to the face Vegeta stepped back and leaned to avoid another punch, pushing Viral's paw back and swinging at the air in retaliation. He was technically meant to be here as almost a punching bag but it wasn't quite in his nature not to fight back; standing there not fighting would provoke Viral and make things worse, it wasn't even an option to simply stand still and take it. Why precisely had he agreed that this was a good idea? Wouldn't sitting down and talking be easier? Then again sharing everything with Viral - the real reasons behind what he'd done what he had - this was likely going to happen anyways. Brushing aside another fist Vegeta quickly had to raise his arms and block another blow, being forced back as his feet dug into the floor and he slid, lowering his arms and wincing as he shook them to regain feeling. Hell of a strike, he could almost feel the frustration in that one. He was going to be mighty sore by the end of this wasn't he?
"It's not as simple as it seems, hm? And flight is even harder still," Yusef went on as he approached a container, freeing the lid before stealing a fruit from inside. "But I promise that if you can manage this then you can manage anything. It's always been in our nature to take shelter against strong winds, or travel on the ground to avoid being thrown about. Only recently have we started learning to fly against gales, and its making us stronger for it." Cracking open the fruit he handed half to each T'charrl and Haku, sitting his large frame onto a fallen log with a sigh. "Listen, T'charrl... I'll be honest. What King Nema and I discussed and what we read suggested that we would need to take the most extreme measures to manage your situation given the time we have, and what we're ultimately going with wouldn't be enough. But I'm confident that you'll prove that worry wrong, because I know you're going to give it your all every single day. If I know anything about my own child it's this: he gets his mother's persistence," Yusef said before laughing heartily, "And I believe you got my appetite! It's a dangerous combination, you might keep this training up later just to stay slim!"
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"Whatever, just shut your damn mouth about our mother, you got me? You don't know anything so don't pretend like you do." Admittedly he knew just as much but it wasn't Krom's place to speak about her. The only one who could say anything would be Yamate, for as much as he hated that man he had fathered Takeshi - and presumably Shu too - and one would imagine then knew where their mother might be. Leaving Shu to his own devices was a little worrisome but he should be alright provided nothing spooked him while they were gone. On their way to a training room they caught a brief glimpse of Vegeta on his way elsewhere and the sight of his friend made Takeshi's face go red. "Why the fuck's Vegeta wearing my stuff? Did he break into my room?!" Not that he tended to lock his and Shu's bedroom but still, who went and stole someone's clothing? And just where the heck was the guy off to dressed like that? Whatever, he'd ask Vegeta about it later and demand his clothes back provided he even remembered to. Following Krom into the training room Takeshi walked to the far end and began to stretch himself out, keen to get things underway and with luck beat the snot out of the guy if given the chance. "Alright, so what's the plan? Going to make me do a thousand push ups? Run 200 laps? Whatever it is give it to me, I can handle whatever you have in mind." He was taking on his and Shu's load and it was probably going to kill him - not literally hopefully - but whatever it was he planned on taking it in stride. No way in hell was he giving Krom the satisfaction of being unable to do the training exercises.
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"I do care, it's just I tend to be preoccupied with work," Vegeta said defensively, sighing as he shook his head, "Nor did I ever propose-" Oh they were starting! Hastily leaning back and avoiding taking a punch square to the face Vegeta stepped back and leaned to avoid another punch, pushing Viral's paw back and swinging at the air in retaliation. He was technically meant to be here as almost a punching bag but it wasn't quite in his nature not to fight back; standing there not fighting would provoke Viral and make things worse, it wasn't even an option to simply stand still and take it. Why precisely had he agreed that this was a good idea? Wouldn't sitting down and talking be easier? Then again sharing everything with Viral - the real reasons behind what he'd done what he had - this was likely going to happen anyways. Brushing aside another fist Vegeta quickly had to raise his arms and block another blow, being forced back as his feet dug into the floor and he slid, lowering his arms and wincing as he shook them to regain feeling. Hell of a strike, he could almost feel the frustration in that one. He was going to be mighty sore by the end of this wasn't he?
"I know you're trying my boy, I don't doubt you are. I just don't want you to be discouraged," Yusef reassured as he got T'charrl to his feet. Haku would serve as an excellent aide for this exercise, and with his friend present perhaps the Prince would be a little more confident in himself as well. "Things take time, cities are not built in one day and warriors only become warriors after years of practice. It took me almost 5 moons to become proficient with the sword and twice as long to reach the rank of captain, so I speak from experience when I say: be patient. And do not rush, our time may be limited but its more than enough for what we're doing. Just allow yourself to fail and learn from each failure, that's how you improve." They were much like the mud bricks with which buildings were built upon - or the stones which created the castle beneath the surface - it took many of them, layer over layer, until the final successful product was completed. But perhaps he'd save the analogies for another time, he didn't want T'charrl's head to be spinning while he was trying to focus. "Now then, give it your best effort!"
"Y-You've got this T'charrl! And I'm r-r-right here to help if you n-need it!" Haku placed himself behind his friend and smiled nervously, holding his hands out in front of him just in case. Come to think of it wouldn't this be much easier if Yusef were to do this? T'charrl's father was nearly twice as tall as him and just as wide, catching the Prince would be child's play for him. "Uh... Mister Y-Yusef... Shouldn't we..." he began, promptly going silent and gasping as the howling of the wind drowned him out. Closing his eyes and keeping his hands outstretched Haku stood firm, shirking his shoulders as the wind whistled around him and slammed against T'charrl. The gusts only lasted for a few seconds but the sound made it seem to drag forever, and when the winds finally subsided Haku opened his eyes and looked up, beaming in delight seeing T'charrl still upright and without any help from him whatsoever. "You did it! You really did it!" Haku exclaimed as he jumped up in the air, hurrying over and putting a hand up for a high five before awkwardly lowering it when he realized T'charrl didn't know what to do. "S-See? Told you you can do it! You'll g-get this in no time!"
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"Tch, I'm just not going to waste any of it on you," Takeshi muttered dismissively as he sneered at Krom, "And it's so nice that you're concerned about me, maybe I had the wrong idea about you. Maybe you're really a good guy after all and not a total ass." As if, everyone knew the only reason Krom was doing any of this was because it had been ordered. He'd probably just as soon try to kidnap one of them again if it meant getting on their shitty old man's good side. So where they going to get to training or was this going to be all they did the whole time? Ready to get moving along with things already Takeshi clenched his jaw tightly when Krom made a jab about their mother, folding his arms to refrain from lashing out, his nails digging into his bicep as he smiled. "Don't bring her up you bastard or I'll kill you, got it? I don't care what Aito or anyone else says." Krom was over it and was quick to tell him to get a move on, and Takeshi would have shot back again if Shu hadn't echoed the guy's sentiment. Blinking in surprise and watching as Shu left the room he scoffed in annoyance, more towards Krom than anything else. Shu was probably in a shitty mood because they couldn't train together and because his older brother was in a bad mood, and he was only in a bad mood because of the jerk training him. They were supposed to be relaxing and having fun and instead his little brother was angry with him. "Whatever, let's get this over with already, don't waste my time alright?"
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Was this really the best course of action? They needed to make peace with each other but Vegeta had difficulty believing that a sparring session was the way to go. While certainly a way to vent some frustrations and release stress the likelihood of having any meaningful discussion - or any discussion really - was seriously stunted with the addition of flying fists to the face. "And yet father insists its our best option... Or rather, my best option," Vegeta corrected as he glanced down at himself, fixing the belt around his waist. Lacking in any meaningful clothing for such an occasion he'd been forced to borrow a set of Takeshi's clothes of all things and they were comically too small for him. The top he could get away with even if it did barely reach past his waist, but the pants were barely down past his shins, looking much more like shorts. Coupled with his business shoes - he lacked any decent training shoes - it was clearly a mashup of an outfit. Rolling his eyes and running his hand back through his hair he looked up to the doors leading to the training room and paused outside, waiting when he heard Aito speaking.
"I really can't win with you. I'm in the wrong whether I'm helping or ignoring you," Aito lamented with a sigh, shaking his head with his hands raised in defeat, "But I think you could use this, and I know there's plenty that Vegeta needs to answer for. Myself as well, but he agreed that today the two of you could have a talk. And I'm merely here as a moderator if you will." And to oversee the inevitable fight that was coming between the two, they had to be sure not to ruin the room after all. "Speaking of Vegeta... You're welcome to come into the room whenever you'd like! We're waiting on you after all," he shouted, watching the doors part and stifling a laugh spotting his son. He'd suggested finding some clothing and suggested Takeshi's but he hadn't realized just how much taller Vegeta was than the other boy. It was like he'd tried to wash his clothing and it had shrunk in the dryer. Snickering and clearing his throat as Vegeta entered the room he took a deep breath and let out a childish giggle, smiling innocently as he was given a dirty look. "Well we're all here! I guess now we can have that little chat of ours!"
"Dad, please... You're insulting Viral and my intelligence by calling it a 'chat'. I didn't dress like this so we could talk," Vegeta grumbled in annoyance, folding his arms and looking at Viral, "Though he's not wrong... We do need to talk. But he's also told me you've been keen to spar with someone and I've been meaning to get back to it myself, looks like we could both use a partner. You can thank our father for this scheme by the way, he dragged me into it. If you're going to be angry then direct it at him."
"You're the one that suggested we let him blow off steam, and in my defense you left that up to my interpretation," Aito answered back with a laugh.
"Right... I suppose I should be glad you didn't try anything more outlandish," Vegeta noted as he closed his eyes and exhaled, lowering his arms and starting to stretch himself out. "Well Viral, if you're not opposed to it then I suppose we can get started? Unless you'd rather sit down and simply talk, I'm open to either really. Though idle chatter isn't going to keep me from falling out of practice."
"Y-You've got this T'charrl! And I'm r-r-right here to help if you n-need it!" Haku placed himself behind his friend and smiled nervously, holding his hands out in front of him just in case. Come to think of it wouldn't this be much easier if Yusef were to do this? T'charrl's father was nearly twice as tall as him and just as wide, catching the Prince would be child's play for him. "Uh... Mister Y-Yusef... Shouldn't we..." he began, promptly going silent and gasping as the howling of the wind drowned him out. Closing his eyes and keeping his hands outstretched Haku stood firm, shirking his shoulders as the wind whistled around him and slammed against T'charrl. The gusts only lasted for a few seconds but the sound made it seem to drag forever, and when the winds finally subsided Haku opened his eyes and looked up, beaming in delight seeing T'charrl still upright and without any help from him whatsoever. "You did it! You really did it!" Haku exclaimed as he jumped up in the air, hurrying over and putting a hand up for a high five before awkwardly lowering it when he realized T'charrl didn't know what to do. "S-See? Told you you can do it! You'll g-get this in no time!"
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"Tch, I'm just not going to waste any of it on you," Takeshi muttered dismissively as he sneered at Krom, "And it's so nice that you're concerned about me, maybe I had the wrong idea about you. Maybe you're really a good guy after all and not a total ass." As if, everyone knew the only reason Krom was doing any of this was because it had been ordered. He'd probably just as soon try to kidnap one of them again if it meant getting on their shitty old man's good side. So where they going to get to training or was this going to be all they did the whole time? Ready to get moving along with things already Takeshi clenched his jaw tightly when Krom made a jab about their mother, folding his arms to refrain from lashing out, his nails digging into his bicep as he smiled. "Don't bring her up you bastard or I'll kill you, got it? I don't care what Aito or anyone else says." Krom was over it and was quick to tell him to get a move on, and Takeshi would have shot back again if Shu hadn't echoed the guy's sentiment. Blinking in surprise and watching as Shu left the room he scoffed in annoyance, more towards Krom than anything else. Shu was probably in a shitty mood because they couldn't train together and because his older brother was in a bad mood, and he was only in a bad mood because of the jerk training him. They were supposed to be relaxing and having fun and instead his little brother was angry with him. "Whatever, let's get this over with already, don't waste my time alright?"
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Was this really the best course of action? They needed to make peace with each other but Vegeta had difficulty believing that a sparring session was the way to go. While certainly a way to vent some frustrations and release stress the likelihood of having any meaningful discussion - or any discussion really - was seriously stunted with the addition of flying fists to the face. "And yet father insists its our best option... Or rather, my best option," Vegeta corrected as he glanced down at himself, fixing the belt around his waist. Lacking in any meaningful clothing for such an occasion he'd been forced to borrow a set of Takeshi's clothes of all things and they were comically too small for him. The top he could get away with even if it did barely reach past his waist, but the pants were barely down past his shins, looking much more like shorts. Coupled with his business shoes - he lacked any decent training shoes - it was clearly a mashup of an outfit. Rolling his eyes and running his hand back through his hair he looked up to the doors leading to the training room and paused outside, waiting when he heard Aito speaking.
"I really can't win with you. I'm in the wrong whether I'm helping or ignoring you," Aito lamented with a sigh, shaking his head with his hands raised in defeat, "But I think you could use this, and I know there's plenty that Vegeta needs to answer for. Myself as well, but he agreed that today the two of you could have a talk. And I'm merely here as a moderator if you will." And to oversee the inevitable fight that was coming between the two, they had to be sure not to ruin the room after all. "Speaking of Vegeta... You're welcome to come into the room whenever you'd like! We're waiting on you after all," he shouted, watching the doors part and stifling a laugh spotting his son. He'd suggested finding some clothing and suggested Takeshi's but he hadn't realized just how much taller Vegeta was than the other boy. It was like he'd tried to wash his clothing and it had shrunk in the dryer. Snickering and clearing his throat as Vegeta entered the room he took a deep breath and let out a childish giggle, smiling innocently as he was given a dirty look. "Well we're all here! I guess now we can have that little chat of ours!"
"Dad, please... You're insulting Viral and my intelligence by calling it a 'chat'. I didn't dress like this so we could talk," Vegeta grumbled in annoyance, folding his arms and looking at Viral, "Though he's not wrong... We do need to talk. But he's also told me you've been keen to spar with someone and I've been meaning to get back to it myself, looks like we could both use a partner. You can thank our father for this scheme by the way, he dragged me into it. If you're going to be angry then direct it at him."
"You're the one that suggested we let him blow off steam, and in my defense you left that up to my interpretation," Aito answered back with a laugh.
"Right... I suppose I should be glad you didn't try anything more outlandish," Vegeta noted as he closed his eyes and exhaled, lowering his arms and starting to stretch himself out. "Well Viral, if you're not opposed to it then I suppose we can get started? Unless you'd rather sit down and simply talk, I'm open to either really. Though idle chatter isn't going to keep me from falling out of practice."
Well has a wee bit of a post, and the next will probably be similar x_x
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