Fractured Mana

[Blobblarg242]

"W-what? No!! I said 'has a crush on her' no 'wants to crush her!' He doesn't want to hurt her! I don't think..." Zeke explained desperately. He wasn't an overly pious person, but he prayed to any of the Elemental Lords that were listening that Luke would understand and not draw the attention of his Elementalist to their conversation. Unfortunately, James had heard more than enough. Zeke didn't see the boy sneak up on him, but was not very surprised when he saw the anger in his eyes. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't gossip about me behind my back, Fenris." James only referred to Zeke by his last name when he was extremely angry with the older man. "Beyond that, if I really did like Marissa, don't you think I'd have taken a chance already?" The actual answer was 'no' since James rarely showed his tender side to anyone, even his own family. If indeed he had feeling for this girl, which was somewhat unlikely as he had just met her, then he would hide it as long as possible.

[Icepelt]

"...Huh?" Luke was now more confused than ever. If James didn't want to crush his partner, then what did he want from her? He had heard the phrase plenty of times, but it always confused him. why use such a violent word to describe something? Fortunately, the Elementalist came over to speak with his weapon. Ah, maybe he could clear it up! As soon as he spoke, though, the blond realized what was going on. This boy supposedly liked Marissa, which he could understand perfectly. So, if you had a crush on someone, it meant you liked them. He would have to remember that in the future! Though now, he felt very protective of her. "Um...You don't have to get so angry. there's nothing wrong with...uh...Having a crush?...On a person."

Edited September 11, 2011 by Icepelt

[Blobblarg242]

James was sorely tempted to smack Luke across the face, but relented. "Look. I'm a warrior in the tournament. Marissa is a girl. I can't be involved with a girl during the tournament, nor will I try." It was at this point that Zeke interjected. "That's not true. You've try multiple times to-" And he was in turn interrupted by James. "Shut. Your. Mouth. Now." Zeke held his hands up in a defensive gesture, and instead of arguing with James any more, he addressed Marissa. "Is the food almost ready? I still wanted to sample some of that sushi..."

[Icepelt]

"Yes, sir, they just have to bake for a few minutes, but we’re in the Pyroshogunate, so it shouldn't take very long!" Marissa smiled, despite the slight annoyance building up in her belly. Luke looked really upset and confused. Well, he always looked confused, but this time was different. James and Zeke also seemed to disagree on how James felt about her. He hadn't responded to her advances in a way that she would have liked. There wasn't a single blush or nervous mumbled of words like there was with Luke. It would be better, perhaps, if she couldn't hear their words. It wasn't like the kitchen was large or anything. In fact, she was starting to get a little hot from the body heat. She leaned over the counter towards the males, standing on her toes and using her arms as support. She grinned, making sure her torso was revealed slightly. "Oh, the more you deny it, the more people will think you're lying. Hmm, I think your rather cute~"

[Blobblarg242]

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're referring to." James lied, showing no hint of embarrassment on his face. Along with clever, Beanna warriors were known to lie well. Of course, that wasn't necessarily a good thing when it came to reputations. Outwardly, James didn't seem to care in the slightest. Inwardly, he was actually a bit uncomfortable. "Look, I just want to grab something to eat and fight someone. I don't have time to deal with possible romances at the moment." James instantly regretted the phrasing of that sentence. "As soon as we get out of here, me and Zeke are going to practice our fighting techniques. And that's that. No interruptions, just training."

[Icepelt]

Marissa's smile faltered slightly. He seemed pretty serious about what he had just said, but he was just denying it so much. That sort of thing was always the biggest hint to her. She tilted her head at his final sentence. There was no time for romance? There was always time for romance; In her mind anyway. There wasn't a single day that went by where she didn't flirt with a cute boy. It just seemed so strange to her, as she had been like that basically her entire life. She chuckled. "Well, that's disappointing." she was now resting with her back to them, her head tipped upwards slightly so she could just see them. Her curly, black hair cascaded down. She was about to speak again, but then a cook came to her and told her that the food was ready. Thanking him with a nod, she straightened and got off the counter.

The girl walked over to the tiny over and brought out each one individually. She placed them on a large round plate that she managed to conjure from the metal in the surrounding area. Carefully, she carried it an empty area and set it down. Luke immediately moved from his spot against the wall, licking his lips as he picked one up and took a bite. He nodded at her, signaling that it was really good. Taking one for herself, she smiled at the others, "Dig in, everyone!"

 

Edited September 11, 2011 by Icepelt

[Blobblarg242]

James immediately tucked into the food, extremely grateful to finally have something to eat. The taste was somewhat foreign, but he overall enjoyed it. Zeke was also enjoying himself, devouring the sushi as though it were the only source of food he had had in days. "This is delicious." James said in between bites. "Absolutely delicious." Zeke nodded his head in agreement. "Cute and a good cook." James said aloud, at this point not caring one way or the other about people's assumptions. He was able to eat, he would soon be able to train, and he had just thought of a new way to use his electric powers in battle. It would be a wonderful day after all. "Xuong. Best of luck in the sparring. You'll be in for a shock..."

[Icepelt]

"Oh, so you do think I'm cute~" said Marissa after swallowing her food. Wiping the edges her mouth with the back of her hand, she smiled over at James. She laughed lightly at the small pun he made. Whether it was purposeful or not, she found it quite humorous, beginning to giggle. The girl placed a hand over her mouth as she did, as it would be rude not to. Resting a single elbow on the counter again, she lightly prodded the tip of James's nose. "And you are cute and funny." She continued to eat as the fight was mentioned again. She sighed and furrowed her brow. Even though they were supposed to be allies, there would probably be some disputes among them. She gasped and perked suddenly, an idea appearing in her head. "Hey, maybe I could be your referee! Oh, I could wear a cute little outfit and everything! I could put my hair up and I could have it off of one shoulder...Maybe not..."

Edited September 11, 2011 by Icepelt

[ShoukaSangenshiki]

"Warm the oven, got it" Xuong said, moving towards it. They had an oven back at the monastery, so he at least knew the basics of handling one. However, the one on the kitchen was a little different, with a lot more buttons and knobs. After staring at it for a few seconds, he decided he better ask one of the men around instead of risking damaging the oven or burning something.

 

He asked a man that was washing some fruit, and the guy muttered something before telling him which knob was the one he'd need to use and how much he had to turn it. Xuong thanked him and returned to his task, following the man's instructions. That finished, he waited, listening to the other's conversations. Zeke and the man that was with Marissa had been talking before James came and started arguing with his partner. Marissa had to go to divert the boy's attention. Luckily, the food was done shortly after, and the girl went to get it and put it in an empty space, where they all started to eat. Xuong approached, looking curiously at the azuma but without taking one; it wasn't technically his food, so it would be really rude to just grab one or ask for one unless he was offered directly.

 

That's when James mentioned the sparring again, making Marissa offer to be a referee. "Shock... hey, you aren't planning on using your element offensively, right? Are you sure you can control it that well?" he asked. Using elements to attack in a spar was something only the older monks did, and only when they were completely sure they could cancel any attack before it hit their opponent. No one in Xuong's age group could do that yet, though, so they only used the wind to speed up their movements and to make it harder for their sparring partners to approach.

[Icepelt]

"I'm sure the both of you can. After all, the both of you are so strong." Marissa giggled, taking a final bite of her pastry. She wiped her hands together to get off any residue and place her lace gloves back over her pale hands. Really considering what she was doing, she placed her arms around both boy's waists. She would have put her arms their shoulders, but they were too tall. Yanking them close, she gave them a toothy grin. Strangely, she could feel the strength coming from both of them. Mostly James, but that was simply because metal was a good conductor of electricity. She could literally feel the muscles underneath Xuong's clothing. "Mmhm...You're both handsome as well. Maybe I should fight the winner after I ref. After all, what boy doesn't want to see me dressed in a short skirt and stockings?"

[Blobblarg242]

"I can control my powers easily." James boasted. "I learned to channel electricity just after I could walk. It's in my blood to be a fighter. Long before the clans were even close to being on good terms with one another, the five major clans never stopped warring against each other. Beanna, Reithe, Mac tíre, Leon, and Seabhac being the powerhouses they are, never made alliances with each other and always fought. So, being from one of those clans, I was taught to fight. Sorry, I'm babbling." He apologized. He hadn't meant to go on and on about his history, but he just found the history of the Lightningclans to interesting, he often related them unconsciously. Even when nobody really care. "I wouldn't be opposed to sparring with you. But, I'd have to remove my chainmail first. No way would I let you use my own armor against me. So, I guess I'd just have to fight shirtless." It was in no way an attempt to flirt back, but when James thought about it, it'd be fun to see Marissa's reaction to that statement.

[Icepelt]

"Oh, I'd certainly like to see that. Mmm..." Marissa's smile grew more mischievous. She took a single finger and carefully began to trace circles on his chest. She looked up at him, her eyes half-lidded. There were definitely 'sparks' between them at the moment. Shaking her head, she chuckled lightly at her own joke. Releasing both of the teens next to her, as Luke looked like he was starting to get angry, her expression went back to normal and she turned to exit the kitchen. Before she left though, she stood on her toes to get closer to Jame's ear. "I'll make it extra tight. Just. For You." With a final giggle, she went down to her full height and left the room, followed quietly by Luke.

A few moments later, she returned, wearing new clothes. They seemed brand-new, as if she had just bought them. Of course, she hadn't, as she preferred to make her own clothing. Her black hair was now tied up in pigtails, pink appearing every now and then. Her pale face was decorated with black lipstick and eye makeup. Her clothing matched her hair, being black and pink in color and being held together by a strong around her neck. It lead down into an almost too short denim skirt. Now, she hoped that they didn't notice her full-back tattoo. They might not have known what it had meant, though, so it might have been safe. She grinned at both boys, "Are you two ready?"

[Blobblarg242]

"..." James blinked a few times as Marissa whispered to him. 'Is it wrong to feel attracted to her at the moment?' Leaving the subject up in the air for the moment as Marissa reappeared, wearing something on her lips. He'd heard about something called 'make-up' in foreign countries. As a warrior culture, the Lightningclans had never desired to use their resources developing beauty products. It made more than a bit of sense that James would never have seen such a thing in his life. "I'm more than ready to fight. After this sparring session, we'll probably start on our little trip across the world." Zeke leaned in close to James. "Do you have a crush on her now?" James nearly punched the Weapon in the face, which was becoming more of a habit than anything else in this point. "We'll see." He responded.

[Icepelt]

"That's what I like to hear!" said Marissa, keeping her voice volume equal to that of the noise in the kitchen. With a spring in her step, she grabbed both boy's hands and began to take them from the restaurant. "Now, if you're done eating, let's get this started!" She excitedly pulled them outside, far away as possible from the building. Out in the back alleys, there probably wasn't much room to fight. She hoped, though, that it would make this fight all the more interesting. Luke walked next to her, a sour look on his face. Oh, he just looked so upset. Letting go of one boy, she ruffled his hair. "Don't look so grumpy. If you're upset about him liking me, it's fine." He clicked his tongue and sent James a glare. She rolled her eyes and let go of the other boy, running up to jump on the barrel they used to rid of trash. She sat on the edge, one leg bent and brought close to her body, while the other hung down. She laid down on her side, resting an elbow on the barrel and smirking at them. "Now, I want you guys to fight as dirty as possible. But...Please try not to kill each other."

[ShoukaSangenshiki]

Marissa dragged them both outside the restaurant through the kitchen door after changing, pulling them towards one of the back alleys. Xuong had felt a little uncomfortable when she had basically hugged them, but now he was looking around, trying to see where they were going. By the time she found a spot she thought suitable, Xertos had already caught up to them, and was doing the horse equivalent of raising an eyebrow, obviously wanting to know what was going on. "It's just a spar" Xuong reassured him, making the horse look at James suspiciously. Xertos knew the Lightningclans were mostly warriors, and and such he didn't think Xuong's and James' definition of 'spar' would be the same.

 

It was by then when the girl let the boys go, getting comfortable on top of one of the few barrels lined against the wall. Xertos snorted at the girl's comment, trotting away from the two boys to give them space, but Xuong took it as a joke. Using cheap tricks was one of the lowest things one could do while battling, so he assumed Marissa didn't seriously mean it. "So, what are the rules? Are we using a point-based system?" he asked James.

[Icepelt]

"It's simple." said Marissa, shrugging her shoulders and raising her eyebrow. Had what she said not been enough? They were no rules other than that they were not to kill the other. If they did that, then they would utterly destroy their chances of being loved by the people. Though, she honestly cared more for her own spot among the Elemental Lords, as it would earn her a great deal of respect. Cole, her rival, was always in her ear, though. The short, red-haired man was always taunting her and he always walked like he thought he was the best out there. She despised him. Marissa sighed and went back to the small competition in front of her. "Hm...Oh! I got it. You'll fight until the other is unable to fight anymore. Once they are too tired to fight, they will be taken out and the winner will fight me, or they'll just win me, whichever they choose." She waved her hand, urging them to go on. "Come on now."

[Blobblarg242]

"Right. 'til one of us can't fight anymore. Or until you scream for mercy." James said with a cocky grin. Rushing towards the monk, he grasped him in a bear hug, squeezing him against the rough surface of his chain mail. On top of this, James also began to spark electricity through his hands, shocking the other boy. There were a variety of ways Xuong could escape, none of which James would mention. The most obvious would be to use the wind in some way. Or to use the legs, if his nerves were in a fit enough state to kick in some way. James wasn't the best at unarmed combat, but grappling was something he could do fairly well. Some referred to his style as like 'an electric eel.' James didn't have the faintest idea what an eel was, but Zeke had referred to it as a type of underwater animal that shocked things and resembled a snake. Though he wasn't sure if eels actually constricted victims, he got the picture. Zeke had also described various ways to devour an eel, none of which James wanted to recall after being compared to one.

[ShoukaSangenshiki]

((I'm sorry if this looks like autohit or something, but in the videos doing it they were too fast to react. Please tell me if I need to change it))

 

"What is that supposed to-" Xuong started saying, when James moved. Without even explaining himself or signaling the start of the fight, the other boy pinned Xuong against his armor in a frontal bear hug, releasing electricity directly on his body. Xuong reacted immediately; he put his hands on James' hips, pushing out while summoning wind to create space between them. Then, moving as quickly as he could, he twisted his lower body so he was standing with it facing away from James and put one hand on James' left shoulder and the other on his back. Xuong leaned down, using wind to aid his every move, as he turned the upper side of his body, effectively using James' own weight to throw him to the ground. The wind picked up speed as he quickly jumped back, putting distance between the two of them without waiting to see if James had landed on his feet or not.

 

"What was that for?" he asked, wary of the other boy's movements. His right arm was twitching slightly due to the electricity; it was a luck monks were trained in control rather than strength, or he wouldn't have been able to even move properly. That, and the variety of defensive techniques they were all taught, and how to break offensive ones.

 

Xertos stomped the ground with one of his front hooves in frustration; he just knew something like that would happen. He should have warned the kid, but maybe that would teach Xuong a lesson about agreeing to everything his teammates said. He decided not to interrupt the fight unless it got out of control, and watched how Xuong had summoned wind near his feet in preparation for James' next attack.

[Blobblarg242]

((It's fine with me. I see no issues with it.))

 

James struggled to his feet, a bit startled that Xuong had pulled such a move. The monks weren't known for nothing... James laughed a little as he put up a fighting stance, almost feeling the urge to applaud the other boy for his technique. Of course, he hadn't come out unscathed, as seen by the twitching in his hand. "Well, fighting at a distance isn't my specialty, but sending bolts of lightning through an opponent's body is." The human body was a made up of mostly water, which made most lightning attacks rather deadly if they contained enough voltage. Of course, James wouldn't do anything lethal; he had learned to gauge his strength by a fair amount. It was at this point that James thanked Vestron that he wasn't fighting an Aquaraider, who could simply douse him with water and he would run the risk of electrocuting himself. In a form that resembled Geodynasty martial arts to a degree, as was the inspiration for the technique, James channeled a moderately-charged bolt of electricity through his arm towards his opponent, with surprising accuracy.

[ShoukaSangenshiki]

Xuong started running the second James moved his arm, heading towards his right to try to evade whatever the other boy was preparing. He used the wind to aid him in running faster; however, the bolt of electricity James shot was aimed towards where the other boy was heading to, not to where he was, forcing him to swiftly change directions unless he wanted to be hit dead on. Still, the dangerous thing about electricity was that not only it didn't travel in a straight line, making predicting its movements something only lightning users could do, but its power also affected things near it. Xuong managed to evade the bulk of the attack, but the electric current in the air hit one of his legs, making him grit his teeth as he ran.

 

Knowing he wouldn't be able to evade everything in the enclosed space, specially if James decided to use a wider attack, he jumped to Xertos' back, jumping again the second he touched it, using the wind to get higher. He stepped on the wall and used the rough surface and the wind behind him to get another jump, holding onto the roof of the building before pulling himself up and turning to not let James out of his sight, one of his hands on the leg that had been hit. It had taken more effort than normal to make that move, but if there was something the monks exceeded at, it was speed and stamina. He knew he wouldn't be able to win in a match of strength against the other boy, so getting away from his attacks was the most important thing now. "You didn't answer my question; that could have hurt me!" he said, looking at the other boy.

[Sunwolf]

The food was finally ready. The girl seems to be a pretty good cook and the cat weapon partner definitely loved her sushi. Balong looked at Huoyan, “Why don’t we join them?”

Huoyan shook his head, “No, I’m not hungry. You go ahead.” Balong sighed and leaned back against the wall. Huoyan knew that Balong did not really need to eat. He only eat when the food is well-prepared and to his liking.

 

After the meal, the two young men got ready for their spar. Marissa was to act as a referee and took them to a small alley behind the restaurant. Both Huoyan and Balong made sure to stay well out of way. It was still unknown how well those two can control their powers and it is best to be prudent. A horse that looked as if it belonged to the wind user came to the alley and then the fight started.

 

As they watched, Balong commented, “Those two fight well, I’m glad they are on our team.” Huoyan shrugged and just watched carefully, so that he will know what to do should he come up against someone from those elements. He dislikes fighting and hurting people although he knows that it is inevitable in the tournament.

 

[Skarx]

As the conversation went one Muol stopped listening, focusing his attention on finding Flay. He soon found him and to his dismay, he was ready to drop an egg he had found Lord's knows where on top of the people who walked around. Cursing lowly he moved away from the group to try and stop Flay by calling him. "FLAY! Come back here!" He saw the raven look at him and he could have sworn he smiled at him just before dropping the egg and flying away from the cursing pyroshogunate who received it on the head. Angry he ran after him leaving in his trail very confused people as none of them could see his hidden face under the shadows. To most he would just loo like a wraith if it was not for his legs. After five minutes of running he found Flay laughing in an alley. Muol walked to him and was served with Flay's widest smile. "Aw just admit it, it was funny!" Muol took a deep breath before speaking. "What PART of it was funny?! I asked you to be calm and not to play prank here!" Flay simply brushed his comment aside and went on for another subject, Muol knew it was nearly impossible to make Flay stop his pranks anyway. "Yeah sure, so how did you find the others?" "...The girl and her weapon are odd. The others seem ok. We need to go back to them before we lose them. Stay human and DON'T do any more problem here." Flay smiled and nodded, he had his fill for now so behaving would be just fine, minus one detail.

 

Muol slowly made his way back while holding a very unhelpful scythe, Flay's way of teasing Muol since he knew he looked rather vicious and special compared to a normal scythe and this made his human friend feels quite awkward when walking around with people he didn't know. When he reached the place everyone was he found the group, with four new members, moving away to somewhere. Curious he followed them from a distance. He saw them enter a building, but refrained from entering himself. Come on enter. Don't tell me you are too stressed to enter? Muol's silence told Flay all he needed to know. Muol was not the best people person around and his awkwardness in front of others always made him uncomfortable. To actually go inside a building with them randomly was not something he would do. Since the group was going to eat, Muol's took this chance to find the darkest spot around and sat there. He was very tired. "you stay here with me. I'm taking a nap. Keep an eye on their movement." He then fell asleep almost immediately as Flay took on the shape of a raven and sat next to him in the shadow.

 

A while later, Marissa came out dragging James and another boy outside for what was supposed to be a duel. No rules other then not killing the other. This could prove to be quite fun. As soon as the battle began James's lightning woke Muol up in surprise. Completely lost as to what was happening and why both of them just stayed in the shadow and observed the battle. When the fight took a bad turn in Muol's opinion he stood and moved a bit closer and dared go back into the light hiding his face completely again in shadows to block the sun from reaching his eyes. This time he at least left the lower part of his face visible. Flay was on his shoulder in his raven form. He remained silent, but prepared to act if James didn't answer the wind boy's questions other than with another lightning attack. He focused on James's shadow, with the sun as bright as it was, the shadow was darker and this would make things a bit easier then he would have thought during the day. If James's attacked he would trip him with his own shadow by pulling his leg behind him in one strong pull. He sure hoped it would work, since the shadow would disappear just as soon as it will have moved.

Edited September 12, 2011 by Skarx

[Blobblarg242]

"Oh, come on. You honestly think I'd injure you on purpose while we're only sparring." There was a very fine line between injuring and hurting someone, injuring meaning causing serious harm to internal organs or limbs while hurting was merely a phrase for bruising and other such minor things. James dropped his hands and held a cocky smile on his face. "Though, you could always give up. That would probably be the best option, seeing as both your arm and leg are a bit electrified." Despite the monks apparent weakness, James had done a rather idiot thing by dropping his guard. Nearly every known combat instructor in the world would chew the boy out for dropping his guard. While Xuong probably couldn't end the fight in a single hit, James was still being far too confident. He simply didn't have the reaction speed to counter a direct attack if the monk came at him. Sure, it might not hurt him too badly, but it could still disorient him and knock him off balance. "If you think you can beat me, go right ahead. Come at me with all your might."

[ShoukaSangenshiki]

Xuong frowned; giving up was dishonorable after having accepted the challenge, even if he didn’t know what he was getting into at the beginning. For him, sparring meant attacking the opponent without any of your attacks actually hitting. The referee’s job was to decide if the attack would have been effective or not, and say so after each hit. If someone got carried away and did something stronger than touching the opponent, it was considered fault. The battle ended either after the time ended or after the referee decided one of the participants wouldn’t have been able to fight anymore. However, taking into account the way James was acting, it seemed sparring for him included actually trying to cause harm.

 

The boy changed slightly his position, putting more weight on his right leg; the left one still was feeling the aftereffects of James’ last attack. The other teen had dropped his guard, taunting him. Xuong could have ran towards him, using the wind in combination with the gravity to deal some damage, but he decided against it. He never attacked unless necessary. His fights were mostly won by evading and countering, tiring the opponent until they were unable to keep up with him.

 

He risked a glance at Xertos, noticing the horse was glaring at him with his good eye. Typical. His partner probably knew since the beginning. “Okay then” he told James. He took a deep breath and jumped down from the roof, stepping slightly on the wall before landing, making sure he didn’t put much weight on his left leg. He would rest after the spar; right now, he needed to be in control of his whole body if he wanted to live up to James’ expectations. With that in mind, he put his left foot forward, knees slightly bent, his right arm in front of his body and his left slightly extended towards James, both his hands outstretched as if he was going to chop something. “I don’t want to hurt you, but if that’s what you want, I’ll fight your way” he said, wind surrounding his legs and senses focused on the other boy as he waited for James’ next move.

[Blobblarg242]

"Well, so long as you present a challenge." James brought up his fighting stance again, a little perplexed that the monk hadn't taken advantage of the opportunity to strike him while his guard was down. 'Pacifism isn't my thing, I guess.' He thought. He considered his options, not quite sure how to go about this fight. He could probably fire a bolt of lightning into the air. It might screw around with the clouds in such a way as to cause a thunderstorm... but the cons outweighed the pros on that plan. The rain would make using his electric powers an impossibility and it would be rather obvious to the surrounding populace that something out of the ordinary was going on. Instead, the boy sent another bolt of electricity at the opponent, aiming a little higher than before, hoping the strange trajectory would throw the opponent off. Of course, it might have the opposite effect and just be even easier to dodge...