tab '"Shuuuuhaaaan" came the familiar voice, a voice that had once spoken to him with tones of pleasure and friendship. Now there was gleeful malice, yet a voice he understood and recognized nonetheless. It was a voice that had been a sign of friendship, a place of comfort, a plank in a storm ravaged sea when times became too tough to handle. What perhaps would hurt worse than anything was the sickening glee in the eyes of his friend as they turned to flee, the glory of a predator and its prey. tab As Kaileer fled the lettuce woman in his arms growled deep in her throat before reaching out to his panic-stricken face, her expression hard to read beneath the crayon. "Kaileer, it is false! Do not listen to the lies woven by your nightmares!" Though her voice was definitely foreign, different, the fear was plainly there, though its origin and direction were difficult to ascertain. Perhaps she was afraid of him, or the horror that chased them? Perhaps she was afraid of what she was, what she'd become? Perhaps it was the blade he carried, or the pain in his voice? Either way she looked at his eyes and frustration warred with terror. "This pain is but an illusion here! This world, your dream! You control it, Kaileer! You!"
Royal Taorito
HeadlessKoko
Quote:
Quote:
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 8:09 pm
_______________Lettuce Rejoice... ||
tab The tendrils pierced the flesh of Jole, the mole Jean, who screamed in much the same way Jean was like to do when he felt pain radiating from exactly where he'd pierced his mimic's flesh. Too, the screams would likely become worse as from the wound would rapidly spread moles like a fungal infection that knew not when it wasn't needed! Jole also screamed at this as his flesh began to clear up, something that apparently horrified poor Jole as few other things did. Maybe horses. Horses were just wrong, you know? But Jole wasn't dead as the tendrils continued to pulse within him, tasting of his bio chromatic energy, something that Jean fed off of instinctually. Or at least he hoped it was Jean and not something else he couldn't see. Gods be damned Tao's, man! Always barking up the wrong tree with her crazed story telling! tab What else would you expect from Tao, though? tab Yet as the moles grew a spooky ghost-like voice wailed into his ear, bemoaning the mission at hand. "You must find the beauty in the ruff, if you will, 'else become that which you fear most!" it began, its tone quite rude, as if Jean should already know this. Kids these days!
tab The figure in the robe turned its head to him before turning it to the side as if in thought. It wasn't a question he'd expected to receive, though perhaps that had been foolish, given the situation. Reaching forward one of the strings thinned out and extended towards his hand, touching Shea's arm lightly. The instant it made contact plants began to bloom in miniature displays of green life and energy. A simple touch, and the plant returned to its needle like structure as it split into two different colors and wove itself together in a double helix before him. "Within this world there are bloodlines, those born with unique chakra effects that allow their elements to fuse together, thus creating a new form of chakra. What thou doth speak of is similar to the wood release users, but different. I believe there were others who grew plants instead of wood, and I believe thou art one of them, as this paper doth decreed moments before." Here he gestured with his free hand to the double helix, a mixture of earth and water. "Strange as it may seem, this is what I feel within thy soul, a melding of Doton, the Chakra of Earth, and Suiton, the Chakra of Water. With practice, and scrolls to teach thee thine craft, thou wouldst be a powerful proponent of this thing's use." tab Lowering the hand that held the strings they faded into ash in seconds, leaving no hint of their momentary grip on conscious thought. Staring into the distance the hooded figure finally spoke again in a much softer voice. "If they will is to have me answer the questions thou doth surely have, keep in thine mind that there is much more than these simple basics within this world. I know not how the world has faired in our absence, so if some of this has changed I know it not. Still, if questions thou doth have, ask them not." tab
【 S I X T E E N ⦁ C O U R A G E O U S ⦁ W A R R I O R 】 ◢ K a i l e e r C e i n ' l y s ◣ ⦉ All I'm seeing is grey, and all I know is I've been dragged down again.⦊ 【 D - R A N K ⦁O A T H K E E P E R - B L O O D L I N E⦁ H A K E M O T O 】
❝ I won't linger no more, I've been too long in my storm. I'll rise up and embrace the silence, and let peace find me again. ❞
[x] So this was a dream? It made sense, given all the nonsense that I was seeing now. Maybe up until that point, my mind had just been too clouded by exhaustion and pain to really pull pieces together properly. Not to mention it was hard to convince the senses that what they sensed was false. That was all about belief. I recalled, a long time ago, one of my first experiences with Genjutsu. Watching the skin melt from my bones. And because I could see it, my mind had filled in the blanks with the other senses; the smell of burning flesh, and the searing pain that accompanied it. It was part of why I hated the entire class of techniques, and really anything that messed with my head. I had enough trouble controlling my emotions without the added effort.
How was I supposed to convince myself what I was feeling wasn't real? I knew outside of my dream that my entire side was black and blue and painful just to look at. But I also knew what it felt like to not be in pain. Even if hundreds of years had passed, as far as my mind was concerned a couple of days had at best. I could pretty clearly recall my journey from Kumogakure to Kirigakure, though I never made it to the latter. While I likely wouldn't be able to recreate the body I had in my last memory, I could focus on how that body felt.
Not to mention there was a different kind of pain to focus on. I hadn't seen Wan, as far as my memories were concerned, in a little over twenty years. At the end of the battle against his father, the grief and rage of losing his brother overwhelmed him. He lost control, taking on his oni form and I was forced to stop him. I weakened him to near death, and then crystal sprouted from his body. It wasn't until much later that I found out what happened with that. The curse, plague, whatever people called it. Eventually it claimed everyone. Yet Wan had been the one case that I knew of in which the crystal didn't shatter when touched, despite him being over the age of sixteen. So there was a possibility that he could be alive in this new world. But what sort of state would his mind be in?
No, this wasn't him. This was a dream. Strength returned to my limbs as the pain in my abdomen faded away. I had to either stop this nightmare claiming to be him, or figure out a way to wake up. I didn't really want to think about how to accomplish the latter, so I worried about the former. And what better way to get Wan's attention that--
"Oi!" I shouted, sliding to a halt and releasing Fiorzia as I turned back the direction we'd come. "Asgroth míarta vin swatha! Come and fight me!" An insult, followed by a challenge. What better way to draw a barbarian's wrath. If this was Wan, and his instincts were in there somewhere, he wouldn't let a smear of his weapon--both kinds--slide by. I brandished my blade, twirling the emerald-accented katana in my grip until the length fell along my forearm, arms held loosely at my sides, legs slightly bent with the right foot forward. Not unlike the stance I would have taken when challenging someone back in Stragaria.
Despite the bravado, and the cold, I felt sweat drip from the back of my neck. I couldn't help the feeling I was going to regret this. The predatory look in his eyes behind the terrible glee sent a chill through me, and I barely resisted the accompanying shudder. Don't show weakness. I gathered and centered my chakra, the energy nearly physically crackling around me from the electricity it contained. This thing was fast, so I needed to be ready to move the moment it showed its face.
❝ I've stopped running, I'm not hurting. I have my mind made up. ❞
Counter | 36 / 200 [Paused]
Active Effects: • Agility [5]: [.5] rank increase to physical speed. • Power [5]: [.5] rank increase to physical strength.
Current Stats: • Physical| Strength: + 0.5 x Speed: + 0.5 • Spiritual| Strength: 0.0 x Speed: 0.0 • Power [5] || Agility [5] || Intelligence [3] || Chakra [1]
Pain. Everywhere. The many places he stabbed his ugly clone in burned in pain upon his own body, too, but Jean's anger fueled him to try and stab only deeper. That is, until an emotion greater than his anger consumed him. When he began to feel something... popping but also growing on his skin. A squeamish feeling that drew his attention, Jean's movements stopped. His face paled as he stared, aghast, at the wriggling moles squirming on his body.
"Gah! GAH!" Jean panicked in fear, his screams not much different from Joles'. He could think of no words to describe the sin of his body being marred with such disfigurements. The fungal infection-like spread of moles was gross, disgusting, filthy. He felt sick to the very core of his being, even gagging as he shivered in rejection of what was happening to his body.
Jean's tendrils withdrew from Jole for no lesser reason than to try and stab the moles out of his own body. Curving back in, the struck into Jean's fresh wounds, spearing the infection at its source with no less ferocity than the attack he had launched earlier. For better or for worse, the attack exhausted Jean, and he staggered to a knee because of the combination of exhaustion and injury. The tendrils, a part of Jean's body, retracted from his wounds almost as soon as they struck without his bidding, instinctively against hurting the already rather damaged body any further. Jean, panting heavily, was too tired to go for another attack at the moles.
"Silence," Jean spat out against that annoying voice, spitting up blood with his words. It was less that he disagreed and more that he was just too distraught to be bothered by mysterious floating voices. Cryptic advice was not the last thing he wanted to hear, but it was darn well close to it.
Assuming that the moles didn't disappear with being stabbed, Jean would look up wearily and warily at his other's disgusting visage. "You..." he'd demand haughtily despite his raspy voice, "Make this... stop. Fix it."
tab Joel looked on in sheer rage as Jean raged back at him, demanding that he be freed of the mole curse. Joel instead retaliated by pointing at his clear skin and screaming "give me back my moles!" at the top of his lungs before lunging forward with mole covered tendrils and attempting to snatch at the moles and rip them off, fear and rage both plain in his voice. tab Yet that voice was drowned out by a nearby roar that stopped Joel in his tracks. tab The roar came from Wanryoku as he threw back his head in absolute fury at the deadly insult so wantonly thrown at him. Who did the little s**t think he is?! Yanking on the chain, slinging the gigantic weapon backwards and up over his shoulder the giant roared and began to swing it around over his head, his expression turning black with fury behind the bloodies mask. It was clear there was some recognition of Kaileer as the giant also hesitated clearly, holding long than needed before launching the tombstone at the boy with all the strength he could muster, the arms clenching and bulging with raw power as he did. tab As for Fiorzia, well, she was seven kinds of terrified as the object came her way, and she screamed before turning and sprinting to the side with fear plastered to her face.
Royal Taorito
Quote:
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2018 8:56 pm
tab█ Shea Fal'nevan xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx What is this [ someday? ]xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx tabtabtabtabtabtabtabtabtabAnd frozen in the footstebs untaken. we stand side bh side. What is it really, but a tomorrow or today? tabtabtabtabtabtabtabtabtabAnd frozen in the footsteps untaken, we stand side by side. ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
[x] So the elements did work differently here. While the secondary elements were typically results of heritage, they weren't based on any sort of bloodline. Here, elements outside of those primary five, one had to be of a particular bloodline. However, their secondaries worked similarly to what I knew, as a combination of two primaries. The man I spoke with believed that I carried a bloodline that could manipulate and grow plants, since apparently my elements were Water and Earth. In my world, I had been Lavaborn, Fire and Earth, but maybe since I was an oddity here, whatever sent me to this place adapted my body to the closest thing that matched my abilities.
Or something.
Again, I felt I was pulling from a pool of knowledge on a subject I knew little about in my conscious memory. Everything that was said made sense, but it didn't. I was glad no one asked my thoughts because I honestly wouldn't have been able to explain them. The more information I took in, the more questions I had, but I couldn't put any of them into proper words. It was because of this that I shook my head. "I think... with this basic understanding I can figure it out. Besides that, I think I need to find the answers on my own. Because, well..." I hesitated, rubbing my arms. "I'm not sure why. It just feels like that's what I need to do?" I grimaced slightly. It seemed silly, but it was what it was.
I looked around at the creeping shadows once more, feeling unnerved again. Had they gotten closer? And what happened to the other two? The world around me was suspended; everything moved slowly. But how? Was I unconscious? How had that happened? Carefully, I pushed myself to my feet to face whatever was coming. I wasn't ready by any means, but then I never really had been in my old life either.
tab█.CHAKRA :100 / 100█.STAMINA :100 / 100█.STATUS :None tab█.EXP :910█.RYO :両000█.HEALTH :Fine█.INJURIES :None█.THOUGHTS :I'll just figure it out by myself. ▀▀▀Suddenly I'm running slowly. Suddenly it all goes dark. ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
"Go ahead and take them!" Jean screamed back, over Joel's voice and even through Wanryoku's roar, such was his own rage, "THEY'RE DISGUSTING!". "But!" he narrowly avoided the warbling monstrosity of pulsating disfigurements, "DON'T! TOUCH! ME! WITH! THAT!".
It was only when he heard the actual sounds of physical destruction--the cracking and crunching of large scale breakage in the distance but not too far away--that Jean froze in the middle of his own strike, more to create distance than to actually attack. A scream only further hammered in the immediate danger of where they were. "Look, wait," he sensibly suggested as he held up a hand to get Joel to pause. If he could get in a few words, he'd add, "Let's do this somewhere else." He felt queasy. Oh so close to throwing up as he looked at the squirming moles on his reflection's body and felt the squirming moles on his own, but he could not let this body be destroyed, even more so than letting this body continue to be desecrated with the ugly. He glanced in Shea's direction, remembering deer boy was there and how he had resolved earlier to take his chances with the antlers, "Somewhere safer, and I'll... trust me. I want these monstrosities as much as you do. Euuuggh..." Shivers of disgust and... even shame. The thought of someone seeing him like this--in this case, that someone being Shea--was almost as bad as the thought of being ugly in the first place.
50/100 chakra 20/100 stamina
. . .
Royal Taorito
Im the Girl one
Lanfaer
Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:28 am
【 S I X T E E N ⦁ C O U R A G E O U S ⦁ W A R R I O R 】 ◢ K a i l e e r C e i n ' l y s ◣ ⦉ All I'm seeing is grey, and all I know is I've been dragged down again.⦊ 【 D - R A N K ⦁O A T H K E E P E R - ? ? ?⦁ H A K E M O T O 】
❝ I won't linger no more, I've been too long in my storm. I'll rise up and embrace the silence, and let peace find me again. ❞
[x] I gritted my teeth at the sound of the enraged roar, resisting the urge to cringe. Not that anyone should take a blatant insult kindly, but wounding a Stragari's pride was a deadly crime because they never backed down from a challenge. And I hated that to an extent because, after living with them for a decade, I'd picked up their tendencies. It was also the reason for my scars.
The monster of a man hauled back on the chain connected to the gravestone he'd thrown, lifting the one-ton slab of stone back into the air, where he slung it around like a lasso. I moved immediately, not interested in finding out what would happen if it hit me while inside of a dream. While it could have woken me up, I didn't want to take that chance. Aiming to make me pay for my words, he threw the slab my direction with incredible speed and accuracy that forced me to dive out of the way. Rolling, I staggered back to my feet as the stone slammed into the ground where I'd stood a moment before. Fiorzia, thankfully, had moved as well, and was fleeing for her life. That was fine; less to worry about if she was out of the way.
There had been a small hesitance before Wan had thrown his weapon, though. It was so brief I almost didn't catch it, and didn't really think about it until after the attack had been made. Did... he recognize me? Maybe he was in there somewhere, which meant I needed to get close enough to knock some sense into him. Starting with getting that damn chain out of his hands.
I gathered the sparking chakra into my hands, quickly stringing together hand seals I needed for the technique I intended on using. Assuming Wan didn't immediately yank the chain back again, I grabbed a hold of it and released the stored energy. Overcharging it, actually, in an effort to skip its initial effect. Current Transfer; the idea was to infuse one's weapon with raiton and release it into an opponent on contact with them or their weapon. Well, I didn't have time for that. The 'infusion' would have to be the chakra I gathered, and the release my touch to the chain. Since the chain was metal, it would, ideally, coarse up the length and shock the person on the other end. It wasn't a strong technique, but enough of a jolt to, hopefully, get him to drop it. Maybe even stun him for a moment if I was lucky, but given his size that wasn't likely.
I didn't wait to find out if it worked. I needed to close the distance between us if I had any hope of putting up a fight. I could keep flinging lightning techniques at him at a range, but he was going to keep throwing that gravestone at me if I stayed there. If memory prevailed, and it did in his case, the giant had plenty of things he could hit me with up close, but at least melee range would eliminate the biggest threat.
Gathering my chakra again, in preparation to defend myself, I dashed forward. In a time long ago, strength had been his specialty, and speed had been mine. We made for a powerful duo because of it, but it also meant I knew he was slower than I was. At the same time, if he held recognition of me, he might well know my weaknesses as well. As I approached him, I moved to the side, circling clockwise, evaluating and waiting for a chance to strike. And hopefully I'd enraged him enough that he would strike, not really giving much thought to his actions.
❝ I've stopped running, I'm not hurting. I have my mind made up. ❞
Counter | 36 / 200 [Paused]
Active Effects: • Agility [5]: [.5] rank increase to physical speed. • Power [5]: [.5] rank increase to physical strength.
Current Stats: • Physical| Strength: + 0.5 x Speed: + 0.5 • Spiritual| Strength: 0.0 x Speed: 0.0 • Power [5] || Agility [5] || Intelligence [3] || Chakra [1]
Techniques Used: • Unnamed Dodge - B • Nagare Tensou no Jutsu [Current Transfer Technique] [Overcharged] Rank: D - Strength: D - Speed: N/A The user creates an electrical current in his or her hand; this current can then be transferred onto any weapon he or she happens to be holding at that moment, be it a Kunai, Senbon, Shuriken, or even a sword. The next physical attack he or she performs is charged with this electrical current; if he or she blocks a weapon attack with a weapon, the current transfers over, shocking the attacker. If by chance the user is not carrying a weapon, he or she can transfer the current into the opponent's weapon or can directly hit him with this current to shock the target.
tab Perhaps due to the means by which Jean had decided to communicate with his doppelganger the creature froze in place, the expression of anguished rage retreated as he brought himself back to some semblance of control. Reaching to his chest and taking the coat in hand Joel straightened his clothing and cleared his throat, a blush creeping up his face and staining his moles pink as he cast his eyes down. "Um, yes...Quite...U-um...yeah...Let's go somewhere...better..." His voice echoed in the strange mist that rose around them in the graveyard, and for the moment Joel seemed quite taken aback by this reality. Yet it cleared an instant later as he turned to the side and gestured for Jean to lead. "Lead the way. I want this over as much as you do before Shawna and Kaikai show up!" If Jean was so inclined to he would look into his tone and know the Joel was quite embarrassed and ready for this all to end, mirroring the emotions he himself felt. Just...with moles.
tab The robed figure nodded before rising to his feet and staring off into the distance of the strange twilit night. Quietly contemplating, given his stance and demeanor, it was clear there was more to be said but out of respect he was holding back. Or, perhaps that was just the impression he wanted to bestow to the young Beastling? Either way, the figure gestured around them before leaning back and gazing up towards the sky, where several moons blazed down behind a wall of obscuring mist that distorted the celestial bodies. Doing so caused the hood to slip back just enough to expose the weathered, tanned face of a man used to the forge, with heavy tattoos clear upon the skin etched in black and blue. But what Shea might well have noticed, too, was the lack of eyes, only indents where once they must have existed. "If it is thy desire I do not see why I should contest it," he began, his voice still the calm, quiet tone with no hint of rush despite the shadows as they moved by. "Know that freedom might come at a cost, however. There is a war, one so ancient that mankind lost its memory even before the Taking, that rages around thee, just outside of thy sight. Freedom now will allow thee to see that which should remain hidden behind the veil, but again, it be thy choice." tab Turning those blank caverns back towards Shea his expression remained as indifferent as his voice, clearly avoiding taking a side in all of this. "I understand that this world will be difficult, Shea. Persevere, however, and thou shalt find thy way back to they home open to thee. Stay thy course, and thou shalt do quite fine." Gesturing around them, to the figure twisting about in one hand which was all that remained of the spare ingredients from before, he continued in a curious tone. "Be there anything thou wouldst desire mine answer for, Shea?"
tab Electricity coursed through the giant's arm, causing it to spasm against his desires and sending the chain, and its anchored sibling, still back to the earth. It was clear that Wanryoku had not expected this as his eyes stared at the offending limb before one swift fist smashed into the arm, stilling it with a full force blow and stilling the muscles at last. In that time, however, Kaileer had closed the distance with the speed he'd been known for and began circling the giant carefully. Twisting his head, cocking it in curiosity, he continued to watch Kaileer in silence before a low, throaty chortle escaped from his burgeoning chest. "You stoke my rage, Kaileer..." Came his voice, sing song and deranged. "You stoke my rage. Maybe you not as ready as you think, eh?" tab That was all the warning Kaileer would get before a burst of stamina sent Wanryoku in a blindingly fast attack that was nothing short of a bullrush. Wind whistled past his body with a speed that made him sound like a torpedo coming in for impact, and given the speed, and size, of this particular projectile it was going to hurt. [B - ranked Speed, B - ranked Damage]
"Eugh,"- Jean quite honestly expressed as he turned around and led the way. He had zero desire to learn anything about Joel past knowing that they had a common goal. He scratched at the moles on his body despite the pain irritating his wounds cause, or at least tried to, but if they moved, that was going to make things difficult... and even more disgusting than it already was. Whoever Shawna or Kaikai were, heck, even the Shea and Kaileer he knew... At this point, Jean didn't care who saw him. There was something creepy and likely dangerous afoot. The first priority was getting rid of these moles ASAP, but whatever shame he knew he was going to feel if anyone else saw him like this, Jean accepted he was going to have swallow and endure in favor of safety in numbers.
Gods damn it all. Jean vaguely recalled hearing something about stopping this curse now, but at the time, he couldn't remember it.
Pulling the hood and collar of his coat up so he could hide as much of his body as possible, Jean gave a cursory glance of his surroundings. Make sure he wasn't going to walk forwards and find some sort of mole covered spider drop on him from the trees above. He didn't see anything spider-shaped, but he did see a slender figure standing atop a tree in the direction of the village center, a dark length against the light of the... way too many moons. Between the lack of details common to silhouettes and the misty distortion present throughout this night, Jean almost mistook him as just a branch.
The incredibly grumpy Jean stopped in his tracks, and if Joel so much as happened to take the sudden stop as an excuse to bump into him, Jean was going to veritably hiss and growl at him. Yes, at the same time. That was how angry Jean was.
Anyways, he'd get to addressing the figure standing in the trees, calling out, "Who... stands there?" in a guarded greeting. He'd learned already. Don't touch anything or else it was going to give him moles.... That probably wasn't completely true (or even close to completely true) but it did the trick.
tab█ Shea Fal'nevan xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx What is this [ someday? ]xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx tabtabtabtabtabtabtabtabtabAnd frozen in the footstebs untaken. we stand side bh side. What is it really, but a tomorrow or today? tabtabtabtabtabtabtabtabtabAnd frozen in the footsteps untaken, we stand side by side. ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
[x] My gaze turned back to the man as he mentioned war, and I caught sight at last of what lay beneath his hood. A face, as expected, though a small part of me wasn't sure what to expect. However, he bore no eyes. The space where they should have been was sunken in, deep and wise, but that was all. It sent a bit of a chill through me, but it wasn't the first time I'd seen such features. Wait, it wasn't? I let the thought go without prying, careful to avoid delving in too deeply. Besides that, skin was heavily tanned, not unlike my own, but rough and weathered... almost like old leather. Markings littered the skin, standing out in the moonlight. Very intense moonlight. My eyes turned skyward again and I realized that there were more moons than before. Not enough to be home, but three distinct orbs that shone through the thick haze in the air, spilling out and illuminating the world around us. However, that illumination made it difficult to see past the firelight. All I could make out was the dead, gnarly trees and the creeping shadows.
I forced myself to focus on the man's words despite the distraction, though listening didn't make them make any more sense. Hidden behind the veil? And what did he mean by an ancient war? Telling me about it didn't do any good because I knew nothing about this world. Or was he referring to something else? Gah... nothing made sense.
Despite his request for questions, I kept them to myself. I was already resolute on facing whatever was waiting for me, and biding any more time was just going to make me more fearful. I shook my head, turning back to the man once more. "Like I said, I have plenty of questions, but I need to find the answers on my own. It's just what feels right." I'm pretty sure I was making just about as much sense as he was. "Thank you for your help," I added after a brief pause. "It's... comforting not to feel so alienated in this world. After all, my first experience was someone who was afraid of me." I looked down at my hands, picking at my thumb absently. "And maybe your right. Maybe eventually I can find my way home. But for now I have to learn how to survive here."
Survival was going to be hard enough as it was. The strongest person we'd met was already down for the count. Or at least he'd been awake long enough that he wasn't capable of much else. I couldn't help wondering briefly what had happened to Kaileer before he ran into us. He'd been overly cautious confronting us, like he expected us to attack. And he had mentioned that he fought something up where we were now. The ichor on the snow was enough to tell that. With the thought of him came the small pang of familiarity again. Why, though? I didn't know him. That was impossible. I frowned slightly but focused forward to look for Jean, who was bound to be close by.
tab█.CHAKRA :100 / 100█.STAMINA :100 / 100█.STATUS :None tab█.EXP :910█.RYO :両000█.HEALTH :Fine█.INJURIES :None█.THOUGHTS :I'll just figure it out by myself. ▀▀▀Suddenly I'm running slowly. Suddenly it all goes dark. ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
HeadlessKoko
Lanfaer
Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2018 5:03 pm
【 S I X T E E N ⦁ C O U R A G E O U S ⦁ W A R R I O R 】 ◢ K a i l e e r C e i n ' l y s ◣ ⦉ All I'm seeing is grey, and all I know is I've been dragged down again.⦊ 【 D - R A N K ⦁O A T H K E E P E R - ? ? ?⦁ H A K E M O T O 】
❝ I won't linger no more, I've been too long in my storm. I'll rise up and embrace the silence, and let peace find me again. ❞
[x] The electricity had the intended effect, causing Wan's arm to convulse and drop the chain. That gave me the strong opening I needed to get close. However, as I circled the man, he watched me with an odd level of curiosity. He recalled my name, at least. So maybe he remembered more than I thought. But wherever his mind was, he didn't see me as a friend. I was prey to him, and this was all a game. A one-sided game. I was fighting for my life.
I shifted my stance slightly, grasping the hilt of my new weapon in both hands, tilted to the left--my dominant side. Or it had been, before both my shoulder and leg were marred to the point I was almost forced to give up fighting, almost left me crippled. Actually, it probably should have, but that also likely would have cost me my position as shuhan. I'd been respected for my strength, and without that there was no guarantee the Stragari would continue to follow me. I shoved the thoughts away; if I focused on them too much, then it might summon the associated pains into this dream state. I widened my steps, bending knees to move closer to the ground. With good timing, too, because Wan charged.
And he flew fast, almost too fast. My stance limited my movement slightly, in exchange for a defensive posture, one that would help prevent me getting thrown off my feet, but it didn't mean I couldn't dodge. It was just going to hurt to do so. I took a sidestep, to the right to put my weapon forward, bracing myself, and into the giant's path, but only enough to clip him. If I held it out too far, he was going to take the blade with him. Ideally, something similar to what happened with the ogre from earlier would happen, the sword tearing up the length of his arm, or maybe his side.
At the very least, I'd get to see what this weapon could actually do.
Once he was past, I reset my stance, turning to face him once more, expecting another attack. "We don't have to do this, Wan," I growled through my teeth. "You're better than this." I doubted he would listen, but it was worth a shot.
❝ I've stopped running, I'm not hurting. I have my mind made up. ❞
Counter | 36 / 200 [Paused]
Active Effects: • Agility [5]: [.5] rank increase to physical speed. • Power [5]: [.5] rank increase to physical strength. • Kengona Kiban [Solid Footing]: [.5] increase to physical strength, [.5] decrease to physical speed.
Current Stats: • Physical| Strength: + 1.0 x Speed: + 0.0 • Spiritual| Strength: 0.0 x Speed: 0.0 • Power [5] || Agility [5] || Intelligence [3] || Chakra [1]
Techniques Used: • Kengona Kiban [Solid Footing] - E :: Stance The user anchors themselves by standing with legs at least shoulder length apart and knees slightly bent, holding their weapon before them tilted slightly to the dominant side. In this stance, the user is incredibly difficult to throw off of their footing. While on solid ground, the user gains a half rank [.5] increase to strength for all Bukijutsu techniques for the duration of the stance, and any stance-disrupting techniques lose any descriptive increases. However, the user's speed is decreased by a half [.5] rank. • Senkei Ho [Linear Step] - X :: Simple [B-rank] A single step or series of steps forward, meant to add a great deal of strength to offensive techniques. Though it happens much faster than the typical eye can track, it only covers a distance of a single step. Can be executed in a straight line forward or backward. Though slower than Shunshin, this movement is still difficult to track visually for those of a lower body rank than the user’s own, and gains a half rank [.5] increase to the next attack's speed. This may also be used as a defensive action, having the same effect on a following evasive maneuver. • Unnamed Katana Slash - C-rank; Strength - B, Speed - C
tab The blade's edge slid along Wanryoku's arm as he flew by, cutting deep enough to draw blood heavily from his arm but not enough to do any long lasting, serious damage. Still when he came to a crashing halt nearby he rotated immediately, kicking dust into the air as a spray from the force. Dust and snow obscured him for a moment, leaving only his silhouette visible as he stared at Kaileer and ignoring the blood that fell from his damaged limb. Instead he watched Kaileer with a burning aggression before turning so that his entire body faced the younger man and instead of roaring, instead of attacking, he held his hands out to the side. Instantly black energy crackled around him as his chakra began to coalesce around him, combing together in four thick, angry globs of his energy. They began to lengthen, to thin, before coming solid as four crackling spears of raw chakra. Taking one in each hand the giant growled, his expression still masked, yet steam rose from the mouth section as he spoke, again in the voice he knew so well. tab "Find. Me. Save. Me." tab The wind from Kaileer's blade had cut cleanly, making the blood flow freely from the wound without stop. Given the rate, and given Wan's incredible size, it was likely he would bleed to death rather quickly. And yet he was not willing to back down. Instead he readied himself with his spears and waited, knowing that Kaileer was going to have to attack first.
Royal Taorito
Quote:
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:12 pm
【 S I X T E E N ⦁ C O U R A G E O U S ⦁ W A R R I O R 】 ◢ K a i l e e r C e i n ' l y s ◣ ⦉ All I'm seeing is grey, and all I know is I've been dragged down again.⦊ 【 D - R A N K ⦁O A T H K E E P E R - ? ? ?⦁ H A K E M O T O 】
❝ I won't linger no more, I've been too long in my storm. I'll rise up and embrace the silence, and let peace find me again. ❞
[x] I watched the blood fall from the wound I'd left on his arm, and I felt sick to my stomach. Even if I hadn't seen him in decades, he was still my best friend. The idea of fighting him as more than just a friendly spar... The red liquid was oozing heavier than I thought it would. If we didn't stop, it was likely he would pass out from blood loss. Or worse. My grip tightened slightly on the hilt of my blade. "Don't make me do this, Wan." I did my best to keep up the air of confidence, to hide my hesitance. "I'm not the same man I was back then." That wasn't a lie. Although it was a gruesome thing that I despised, I'd taken the lives of a fair share of people through the years.
Find me. Save me.
Those words made me take pause. Find him? That suggested he was alive somewhere. Was that even possible? After all, his crystal hadn't shattered, despite his age. That crystal had defied the rules of the curse that we knew. So... maybe? But it could have just been a false hope, too. This was a dream, after all. My mind could have just made up something to make me feel better. If it was all just a dream, though, then why did I feel so terrible at the thought of taking his life?
Because it felt real. For all intents and purposes, this was real. There was a chance I could take the life of my best friend, a great sin in my eyes regardless of the circumstance. And I didn't want to think of what might happen to me if I was hit by those spears. I couldn't realistically get hurt, but I also didn't want to find out.
Electricity crackled about my form again, and I chose a tactic I had used before. If I could just immobilize him, then I could save myself the heartache of 'worse'. Instead of moving forward, I tossed my blade straight up. With the hilt being the heavier side, it would come back down blunt end first. I made a quick series of hand seals, ending them just as the sword came back within reach. Wrapping my hand around it, energy surged through my body and I dashed forward, a streak of light in Wan's eyes. If all went well, I slammed into, and then through the giant, releasing the raiton chakra into him to stun him, and then whirled on him, intent on dragging my blade along his back horizontally.
All the while, a small voice in me pleaded he would stop before we went too far.
❝ I've stopped running, I'm not hurting. I have my mind made up. ❞
Counter | 36 / 200 [Paused]
Active Effects: • Agility [5]: [.5] rank increase to physical speed. • Power [5]: [.5] rank increase to physical strength. • Kengona Kiban [Solid Footing]: Stance. [.5] increase to physical strength, [.5] decrease to physical speed.
Current Stats: • Physical| Strength: + 1.0 x Speed: + 0.0 • Spiritual| Strength: 0.0 x Speed: 0.0 • Power [5] || Agility [5] || Intelligence [3] || Chakra [1]
Techniques Used: • Raikou Henge no Jutsu [Lightning Transformation Technique] - D • Unnamed katana slash - C - B-rank Strength + D-rank Fuuton
tab The lightning struck Wan with all of the force Kaileer could muster into his technique, and as such he felt it. There was a roar as the pain struck him, as the spears fizzled out as his nerves and control were lost complete. Yet he wasn't down, not at all. No, a man down because of electricity was a fool. He convulsed, but he exaggerated them, so when Kaileer appeared a sudden, spasmatic jerk snapped his fist backwards to punch the side of the blade, giving his knuckles a nice nick in the process. Still, it would deflect the blow entirely, but that didn't mean he could suddenly control himself. In fact his control was nearly completely gone for the moment as his body fought to regain control. But even as he jerked, spasming, blood thrown everywhere from his wild swings, Wan was in control. With a roar he swung his fist down and to the side, ramming it directly into his face and shocking him back into control. Turning, Kaileer would catch the scent of sad and dust and stale are as Wanryoku brought his fists up into a boxing stance, one arm guarding his head and the other ready for fighting. "I die while you live, but I remain the same! Find me! Find me!" tab The final roar was followed by a sudden barrage of punches raining down from above, leaving it difficult to say if it was "find me" "fight me" that was said.
tab In the world of the living it became quite clear that Kaileer wasn't waking. Fiorzia was atop him, dressed in nothing, her hands pressed against his shoulders and shaking him as she soundlessly screamed at him to just wake up! Yet without a voice there were no words to express her terror as one of Kaileer's hands twitched hard and sudden, followed by a small contortion of his face. Knowing that sitting atop his chest wasn't going to help here she grabbed his sword sheathe where it lay upon the earth and began to slam it, butt first, against the walls to drag as much attention to it as possible.
tab Joel became impatient as they waited for the stoned bird to continue staring into oblivion. Whatever ******** it was up to he wasn't waiting for it. Taking Jean's hand he tugged on his doppleganger, flinching at the pale, smooth skin the monstrosity bore before finally having too much and recoiling with a shudder. "Come on, let's go! The longer I have this dead, unmoving flesh the better! Look, there's a place over there!" Here he pointed towards a building that may or may not be safe to be in from the look of it. "You lead the way!"
