Lords of Creation (Story Thread 2)

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Zaleramancer wrote

Little frighted ones.. all so alone.

Itself had fed. However..

Itself wished to play.

It creeped through tree branches until it was behind the frightful. Then hissed.

(6 motes previously +3 motes, Total: 9 motes)

Brynhildr jumped in a startled movement. She had not expected anyone to sneak up behind her when she'd had illusions up to hide her scent, appearance, the sound of her movements, and heat signature. She turned in a single fluid movement towards whatever was behind her extending out her fingernails and sharpening them to hold at the throat of whatever was behind her... Upon seeing the creature though, Brynhildr almost fell from the tree branch, "Wh-who or what are you?"

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Nayotake no Hime considered Kagehana's last fight. Kagehana'd copied a move that only Hime thought she knew. How had she done it?

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Likewise, the group of Boquabians that nearly passed by Brynhildr's tree stopped in their tracks, petrified at the sight of the monster that stood before them. Surely they had found the monster they were searching for.

[Zaleramancer]

"Itself is Itself. You touch Itself. Now, you go."

Itself send Brynhildr flying with a smack of several arms.

Itself turned towards the Boquabians and smiled, hair slipping past it's face to show jagged steel teeth.

Then it moved, dashing towards them.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

"I trusted you?" Aox answers as he pulls himself up.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

(9 motes +3 motes, Total: 12 motes)

Jigoku and Hiko walked around Spectropolis. The Homura in general had been told by Mina to go to the arena, but nothing specific had been issued to the two of them and they took advantage of that. They listened to any talk they heard in the city and were greatly interested in a rumored 'Vault of Titans.' It would be a nice thing to try to find. Jigoku and Hiko would tell Lady Mina about it later if they remembered.

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Brynhildr landed hard in a tree in the forests and hit her head on another tree falling unconscious as she does so.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

As Itself charged toward them, some of the Boquabians scattered, while others just stood, paralyzed in fear. A couple even fell to the ground and attempted to brace themselves against whatever Itself might do to them.

Only one stepped up bravely, out from between the crowd, to face Itself.

"NO!" Came the voice sharply, "LEAVE...MY...MOMMY...ALONE!"

The chubby, white-haired, green-skinned little boy pointed a wooden sword at Itself, and stared him down defiantly. His mother looked at him in amazement, and then her fear returned. Why wouldn't he stay home with his father like she told him to? She nervously motioned behind him, and called out to him, eyes wide with fear.

"Broda..." she whimpered, "Broda! Come back here! Come back here right now!"

But the little green boy stood his ground firmly, with courage beyond a grown man, silently daring the bizarre monstrosity to advance even another inch on his mother.

From above, Uburra-Namall, Jassi and Jissei watched the entire standoff; even they feared for his safety. But he stood his ground. But as far as Broda was concerned, it was Itself's move...

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Shige Yuri ran up the glistening ice stairs of the University of Elements. She was so definitely late for the lecture on Lightning Magicks by the Raiju professor and he did NOT tolerate being tardy in the slightest. Yuri entered the University through an archway formed from all 8 of the elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Ice, Lightning, Metal, and Wood, not even pausing to look at the motto written upon the arch in a flowing script until she tripped: "Do not fear learning from the bottom of your heart within these walls. You have naught to fear but fear itself."

Yuri contemplated the meaning of motto, but could not understand what exactly the Cold Princess and the Warm Princess had meant by the phrase when they had established the University. She picked herself up off the ground and walked as fast as she could to her class, past rooms filled with students studying, professors preparing for lessons or giving one-on-one talks or administrators working on paperwork. Yuri did not notice any of the rooms, focused only on her thoughts of class and studies in Lightning Magicks.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

It was an odd sight to see a god skipping, but that's exactly what Sarina was doing as she traveled about Spectropolis looking for something to hold her attention. Not that anything ever held her attention for long. While she skipped down on of the many walkways she had an epiphany.

"I should do something architect-y....like build something! Oh but what?"

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Yes!" he said, clapping Aox on the back. "What I did was called a feign, where you make like your going to hit a man one way, and then do something different." at this point, he's talking to everyone. "Noe, it don't need to be something obvious like what I just demonstrated. It could be as simple as pulling back your right arm, and hitting them with your left. Even a slight movement would be enough to distract an opponent: eyes are attracted to movement. They turn to follow it. It's automatic. Takes training to overcome, and mental fortitude."

"95% of a fight is mental. You don't fight with your body, but with your mind. Let the body drive, and you're a dead man. Give in to arrogance, or rage, and the battle is already lost! and don't ever start thinking you've won before they hit the ground, and your safely away."

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Aox listened intently to the man lecture, absorbing the information with enthusiasm. To know so much about fighting smart, this man must be a veteran of some kind. It was all so obvious in retrospect though. Aox should have known to use his smarts rather than brawn in the tournament.

But it didn't matter now. Now, he was learning.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"But, once you've distracted your opponent, where you hit them? If you think you can hit it, always go for the head. The mind is your most important asset, and it's the same for the enemy. A good hit to the head won't only hurt, it will rattle their thoughts. Striking like this,"he brings his hand quickly around Aox's ears, stopping just before actually boxing them," has a chance of taking out your foes hearing. Another wonderful thing about the head, 4 out of 5 senses are stored in it. Go for the ears or the eyes. If, for some reason, you don't want to maim your foe for life, try cutting them across the forehead. The blood will drip down into the eyes, obscuring their vision. Dirt also works. As does a mixture of ground glass and salt, but that's getting into maiming again. It doesn't matter what you have to do, your only job in a fight is to get out of it alive."

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

(12 motes previously +3 motes, Total: 15 motes)

Magnas decided that it was time to go home and see what Lily and Kyouko had done since Lady Mina'd left. She got up and left the arena, headed to where Lady Mina was with Suna and Illusia, and told them of her request. Mina approved of Magnas' request but asked her to take a few Light-Scarred, Zombies, Kata, and Homura with her as well as Suna back to Mina's lands. Magnas and Suna did as Mina asked gathering up a few individuals of those races before leaving by way of Shadow-Scarred slipping through the shadows several times.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

How did they do it, Horizon wondered as the spectacle played out before her. They threw out lights that seemed to come from nowhere. They just formed, out of nothing! Or maybe, there was just something there that she couldn't see, something in the air that they could gather up and toss.

She sat in the arena long after the two left, thinking. Finally, she came to a decision: They only had two arms. She had four. So, whatever it was that they were grabbing out of the air, she would be able to grab more. That was logic. She moved her arms in little circles, feeling for something to throw.....

[Mik_Hael]

(Monsterking create servitor, to be filled in later, inherent action. The gremlins mentioned prior.)

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Aox raises his hand to ask a question. "Sir, what if you can't get close enough to get to their head?"

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Well. I'll tell you what to avoid hitting." He thumps Aox twice on his chest. "Feel that? That's the Ribcage. Behind it is your heart, lungs, stomach, all of the things that would takes someone out quickly. Don't try and get through it with your fists, and with a sword you have to slide it in between. If you have a blunt weapon you could smash it, but there are better things to attack."

He reaches out and lifts his good arm. "Most arteries are in the arms and legs." He flips the arm toward Aox, palm up, and runs a finger down it. "Here's a major one, try and cut down it if you can, not across." He flips it around. "Now, damaging this bit is useless unless you think you can break the bone. You naturally bring up this side of the arm to defend yourself, so there's nothing major here. The legs are the same, all the important bits are on the back end. Not only will they bleed like a stuck pig, they might lose control of that limb. Once they're bleeding badly, don't push your luck. Dance around outside of their range until they pass out from it. You can do that with the gut to, but that can take hours."

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Aox was absolutely fascinated by this information. it had never occurred to him how he could play the long game and use small attacks to take down big opponents.

"This....this is really amazing. I never knew there were so many ways to fight smart."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Smart, my friend, is the only way to fight. Some people don't agree with me though. Some would call my methods dirty or cowardly or dishonorable. But I say you've got to be like water: to change your shape to fit a situation. You learn all you can about who you're fighting, and then adapt your tactics and weapons to deal with them. Information is key. For example, if you know where someone is going to be, then turn that area to your advantage. Trap it, thoroughly. Here."

He turns away, and when he faces Aox again, he has a book in his hand. He hands it to Aox.

"That's over 1000 different traps in that book. Snares, pits, boulders, the works. Now, if you know your enemy doesn't have any ranged attacks, attack from range and from a position that will be hard to reach. If they have bad melee game, you get in close. If they have friends, you bring friends. If they don't have friends, you bring friends. In fact, never go into battle alone if you can help it, and always have at least 2 escape routs planned. Never be without a weapon, preferably a poison one. Never brag about what you can do, and make your enemy think you're weaker than you are. Spread rumors about a weakness that you don't actually have. Lie until the truth become so muddled, no one will know what to expect when they meet you in battle. Information is key, and victory goes to the one who can control the flow of it."

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Aox looked down at the book. Could such a simple thing really help him to be a better hero? He believed it could, he truly did. And as his impromptu mentor's words echoed in his head, he somehow knew he was destined for greatness.

"Thank you. I can't think of any possible way to repay the lessons you have taught me here today, but I hope that I can repay you some way."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"No problem son, teachings a joy. You headed out somewhere?"