Double

Academy of Noble Arms - Reboot (With gratitude to TheHangedMan)

Even for early birds, Drake's morning routine might have seemed a bit... excessive. Most early bird types might wake up one or more hours early in order to give themselves more time to dress, have breakfast, or any number of things. Drake on the other hand woke up at 4 AM sharp and spent about two hours doing squats and going on a morning run before getting ready for school even crossed his mind. Regardless of how extreme his schedule might have seemed, it still gave the Romanian transfer student a good chance to see some of the area he was now living in. It certainly wasn't the Romanian countryside he was used to, but it had its merits.

By the time he did reach school, a bunch of the local students were gathering and beginning to sing. He had no idea what the song was, not being well versed in this country's customs, but the students looked to be making a good time of it. He found the room number matching the one on his morning class schedule and pushed open the door. Within in he found other students, but like him they weren't locals. It seemed kinda quiet, almost awkwardly so at first. Well, Drake decided that if no one else would break the silence then he would do it, "Good morning." he said with a cheerful smile before finding a comfy looking seat to take for himself.

He wasn't empty handed. Apart from his backpack, Drake had with him a steaming cup of coffee he picked up on the way to school. Shockingly enough, lots of morning exercise could leave one drained by the time they got their actual daily life. The coffee was to give back some of the energy Drake burned away during his morning exercises. He wasn't sure if coffees were allowed in the school but he figured he'd be fine if he could finish the cup off before classes actually started.

Once the local students started filing in, Drake overheard one of them introduce himself. Believer in heroes, huh? He thought to himself silently. Then without warning he got up and approached the desk they were sitting at, "Only a believer in heroes? Guess I've got one up on you then, 'cause I do more than believe. I am a hero." he said, gesturing to himself with his thumb, "Name's Drake Lecarde, but give me a month at this school and I won't even need introductions anymore. You can definitely believe in that." but his big introduction went ignored momentarily. Another local spoke up, something about the President coming and then boasted about being assigned to provide extra security.

"El Presidente, huh? Must be a pretty big deal then." then he went over to that student's desk and leaned in closer, "Of course, when you think about it, this a school chock full of superpowered students. You'd have to have a death wish to attack this place, especially when heroes like me are around on campus."

Academy of Noble Arms - Reboot (With gratitude to TheHangedMan)

Drake

Name: Drake Lecarde

Age: 16

Nationality: Romanian

Noble Arm Name & Appearance:

Sky Piercer

Noble Arm Abilities:

Wings of Freedom: User summons a pair of wings that greatly enhance the height at which they can leap into the air. While airborne the wings can also be used for a time to maneuver their descent or even slow it down to a glide before the wings vanish.

Meteor Impact: A follow-up where, after using Wings of Freedom to leap high in the air and position themselves, the user crashes down onto their intended point of landing spear-first. The spear itself is a piercing enough attack but the actual landing also tends to generate a small shockwave directly around the user as well, hence how the ability got it's name.

Dragon Spiral: A more powerful variant of the Meteor Impact. In this attack, the user himself becomes the spear so to speak. Before they wear off, the user wraps himself in his wings and comes spiraling down on his intended target like a giant drilling spear head. The impact is greater and thus produces a stronger shockwave, and the drilling nature of the attack gives even more of a maximum penetration to break through most shields or defenses. As a trade-off, this variant is more taxing on the user's stamina and thus can only be used a limited number times before rest is needed.

A Hero's True Form: Rather than merely summoning a pair of wings, the user summons for himself a suit of matching scaled armor that greatly resembles the form of a silver dragon. While donned, the armor grants extra protection from enemy attacks and enhances the power of his other Noble Arm abilities. The form has a limited time, however, and once that time runs out the user is drained almost completely and is unable to continue fighting until they've had a period of rest. When the form does run out, the user expels the power by way of wrapping himself in a cloak of flame that immediately takes the form of a lunging dragon that flies forth to devour his opponents.

Personality: Drake is a driven individual, but that alone is not particularly unique. It's what he is driven by that makes him stand out among his peers. Drake is driven by one thing, his desire to become a "true hero". What that actually means or entails... well he's always pretty vague about it as if he himself isn't entirely certain. He is, however, certain that it involves strength and honor and those things are typically what he latches onto. This makes him a particularly chivalrous sort, not afraid to leap into battle to protect someone weaker than himself or to simply punish an evil doer. That's what he says, anyway, but there is something else hiding in depths of his heart. A darkness rarely seen but dangerous if left ignored: desire for revenge. It's not something Drake would ever openly admit to, but to say the temptation hadn't ever shown its allure to him would be a lie. He does his best to keep it buried, to give that darkness no quarter in his heart. But one person's willpower can only do so much.

*Likes: Stories, Legends, Heroes, Reading, Training, Hunting, Fishing

*Dislikes: Corruption, Liars, Cowardice, Disablers, Cats (yes, seriously)

Fears: Losing his family, losing friends, and in some ways... himself

Bio:

Drake Lecarde was born in a small rural town, the name of which he can't even recall. When he was still a small child, the town was... "visited" by a segment of the Disablers. They believed an Arms Master lived there and they were determined to see them neutralized before they could become a threat. The Arms Master they were looking for was not Drake, but another man living in the town wielding a blacksmith's hammer as his summoned weapon. As for Drake himself, he was separated from his parents, left hidden in a barn wrapped up in his father's jacket like a blanket. The town's community was the kind that stood up for one another, and the townspeople stood by their Arms Master neighbor and paid the price for it. The town was practically reduced to a ghost town.

Drake would have starved, but as luck would have it, was found by a passing Romani family who took him in and raised him as one of their own. In the old days, during medieval times and even into the Renaissance period Romani often lived in caravans of traveling minstrels and entertainers, among other things. And while those caravans don't really exist anymore in the modern age, some Romani families maintain traditions revolving around song, dance, and storytelling. Drake's adopted family was one such example. Drake grew up on tales of heroes and legends, and chivalry and heroics. And when he summoned his Noble Arm for the first time, Drake instantly realized that he could become like the heroes in the stories he was told. Drake's first bit of training involved using his spear to hunt and fish.

But his first experience with the Disablers would not be Drake's last. They reared their heads again, having discovered him among his adopted family. He was determined not to lose another family, and it paid off. He was able to successfully defeat the Disablers, but Drake's adopted family saw something in him. They called it a darkness, one drawn to him by a desire for revenge. In end, agreed upon solution was to let Drake live somewhere among others of his own kind. Perhaps being around other Arms Masters and receiving real training and mastery of his powers would give Drake the clarity he needed to not let his heart be consumed with vengeful thoughts. Drake, of course, saw this as his big chance to finally become a true hero.

And so, Drake made it to Trinidad, now among the newest transfers beginning their first years there. He would have to start at the bottom like any novice, but Drake was determined to make his name known and to leave him mark as a True Hero.

*Current Goal: Become a True Hero. Right now that seems to equate to becoming the top ranked Arms Master.

Student Rank: 1500 (being among the newest transfers, it is natural he be made to start at the bottom rungs)

Academy of Noble Arms - Reboot (With gratitude to TheHangedMan)

Drake

Name: Drake Lecarde

Age: 16

Nationality: Romanian

Noble Arm Name & Appearance:

Sky Piercer

Noble Arm Abilities:

Wings of Freedom: User summons a pair of wings that greatly enhance the height at which they can leap into the air. While airborne the wings can also be used for a time to maneuver their descent or even slow it down to a glide before the wings vanish.

Meteor Impact: A follow-up where, after using Wings of Freedom to leap high in the air and position themselves, the user crashes down onto their intended point of landing spear-first. The spear itself is a piercing enough attack but the actual landing also tends to generate a small shockwave directly around the user as well, hence how the ability got it's name.

Dragon Spiral: A more powerful variant of the Meteor Impact. In this attack, the user himself becomes the spear so to speak. Before they wear off, the user wraps himself in his wings and comes spiraling down on his intended target like a giant drilling spear head. The impact is greater and thus produces a stronger shockwave, and the drilling nature of the attack gives even more of a maximum penetration to break through most shields or defenses. As a trade-off, this variant is more taxing on the user's stamina and thus can only be used a limited number times before rest is needed.

A Hero's True Form: Rather than merely summoning a pair of wings, the user summons for himself a suit of matching scaled armor that greatly resembles the form of a silver dragon. While donned, the armor grants extra protection from enemy attacks and enhances the power of his other Noble Arm abilities. The form has a limited time, however, and once that time runs out the user is drained almost completely and is unable to continue fighting until they've had a period of rest. When the form does run out, the user expels the power by way of wrapping himself in a cloak of flame that immediately takes the form of a lunging dragon that flies forth to devour his opponents.

Personality: Drake is a driven individual, but that alone is not particularly unique. It's what he is driven by that makes him stand out among his peers. Drake is driven by one thing, his desire to become a "true hero". What that actually means or entails... well he's always pretty vague about it as if he himself isn't entirely certain. He is, however, certain that it involves strength and honor and those things are typically what he latches onto. This makes him a particularly chivalrous sort, not afraid to leap into battle to protect someone weaker than himself or to simply punish an evil doer. That's what he says, anyway, but there is something else hiding in depths of his heart. A darkness rarely seen but dangerous if left ignored: desire for revenge. It's not something Drake would ever openly admit to, but to say the temptation hadn't ever shown its allure to him would be a lie. He does his best to keep it buried, to give that darkness no quarter in his heart. But one person's willpower can only do so much.

*Likes: Stories, Legends, Heroes, Reading, Training, Hunting, Fishing

*Dislikes: Corruption, Liars, Cowardice, Disablers, Cats (yes, seriously)

Fears: Losing his family, losing friends, and in some ways... himself

Bio:

Drake Lecarde was born in a small rural town, the name of which he can't even recall. When he was still a small child, the town was... "visited" by a segment of the Disablers. They believed an Arms Master lived there and they were determined to see them neutralized before they could become a threat. The Arms Master they were looking for was not Drake, but another man living in the town wielding a blacksmith's hammer as his summoned weapon. As for Drake himself, he was separated from his parents, left hidden in a barn wrapped up in his father's jacket like a blanket. The town's community was the kind that stood up for one another, and the townspeople stood by their Arms Master neighbor and paid the price for it. The town was practically reduced to a ghost town.

Drake would have starved, but as luck would have it, was found by a passing Romani family who took him in and raised him as one of their own. In the old days, during medieval times and even into the Renaissance period Romani often lived in caravans of traveling minstrels and entertainers, among other things. And while those caravans don't really exist anymore in the modern age, some Romani families maintain traditions revolving around song, dance, and storytelling. Drake's adopted family was one such example. Drake grew up on tales of heroes and legends, and chivalry and heroics. And when he summoned his Noble Arm for the first time, Drake instantly realized that he could become like the heroes in the stories he was told. Drake's first bit of training involved using his spear to hunt and fish.

But his first experience with the Disablers would not be Drake's last. They reared their heads again, having discovered him among his adopted family. He was determined not to lose another family, and it paid off. He was able to successfully defeat the Disablers, but Drake's adopted family saw something in him. They called it a darkness, one drawn to him by a desire for revenge. In end, agreed upon solution was to let Drake live somewhere among others of his own kind. Perhaps being around other Arms Masters and receiving real training and mastery of his powers would give Drake the clarity he needed to not let his heart be consumed with vengeful thoughts. Drake, of course, saw this as his big chance to finally become a true hero.

And so, Drake made it to Trinidad, now among the newest transfers beginning their first years there. He would have to start at the bottom like any novice, but Drake was determined to make his name known and to leave him mark as a True Hero.

*Current Goal: Become a True Hero. Right now that seems to equate to becoming the top ranked Arms Master.

Student Rank: 1500 (being among the newest transfers, it is natural he be made to start at the bottom rungs)

SAGA: Dragon Ball AU

Name: Yang
Race: Earthling/Human
Ki Color: White
Power Level: 910
Location: Starts: Ginger Town; Ends: North Capitol
Tag: Dyce, @IceHeart, @Weird Tales, @Chev, @King Cosmos, @Holy Soldier Open

Yang breathed a small sigh of relief. His newfound allies had apparently seen the opening he created with the Taiyouken and jumped on it. From Erika crashing her bike into him, to the tailed woman and two young men giving their contributions. Yang's eyes lit up ever so slightly when the alien appeared to turn tail and run. That could only mean he was on the ropes, there was indeed hope after all! However Yang found himself briefly distracted by the antics of another tailed person appearing to snatch the tailed girl into hug. There was some... banter between them and Erika? They were a little far for Yang to hear clearly. Either way they couldn't let Dyce escape.

"Hey!" Yang yelled after moving a bit closer to their position, "Now is not the time! He's trying to escape!" He didn't stick around for a response and instead took off to give chase. Unfortunately Dyce had gotten a little ways away during that time and so Yang would have to really make up the distance some how. The question was: How? That was when he spotted something in the distance. A figure? Looked like it, but they were too far away to recognize. Whoever they were, they'd come from the opposite direction and were clearly cutting off Dyce's escape route. It wasn't until their Ki lit up with white only to suddenly shine a silvery blue that Yang realized what was happening.

"MASTER!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to pick up the pace. He didn't sound very excited or celebratory this time, instead he was worried, knowing what the Master's plan was and wanting to do everything in his power to keep him from doing it.

---

Meanwhile, both Dyce and Ryuhei were shooting toward the position of a lone figure floating silently in the sky. His tattered cloak blew wildly in the wind as he watched the approaching alien. Soon enough he put up both his wrinkled hands and used them to form a sign with his fingers, "Rin..." came a voice from within the cloak. The wind seemed to pick up around him and an aura of white Ki wrapped itself around his body, "Pyō, Tō, Sha..." his white aura appeared to suddenly erupt into a shining silvery blue, "Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" with that last syllable the man's aura brightened further only to explode into a darker violet aura. As the wind howled around him his cloak blew away from him, revealing him to those watching.

He was an older man, in his sixties at least, perhaps more. He wore only a pair of tight black shorts accompanied by tattered bandages wrapped tightly around his hands, forearms, shins and feet. He had short, greyish white hair that swirled in the wind. He had a hard stare, a white goatee on his chin and a distinct scar on on his left cheek. The rest of his body, though wrinkled and frail with age, was covered in callouses from a lifetime of training and even a few other scars on his chest and back that likely each came with a story of a previous hard fought battle. But all at once, the frailty vanished, and the old man's physique suddenly expanded into a more toned and muscular appearance. The wrinkles of age melted away, and as the man's eyes began to glow red, a third eye opened on his forehead and also glowed red.

"It's about time we put you down!" he said, his voice sounding grizzled and with a commanding tone. He lunged forward, as if vanishing in the process only to appear again to slam his kneecap into the alien's gut. The old man followed this with a flurry of blows so fast it was almost as if he struck with four arms instead of merely two. He ended the flurry with a sledgehammer blow meant to send the invader crashing back down to the Earth.

"Haaaa...." the old man chanted, bringing his arms together, nearly touching his hands at the finger tips to form a distinct shape, "KikoHOOOO!" he howled, sending a diamond shaped column of concussive energy hammering down on the alien, "KikoHOOOOOOO!" he yelled again, and again another concussive energy blast slammed downward. The old man stood his ground, continuing to repeat the attack. In truth, he was no match for this adversary. His attack would hold the alien in place for a while, but he would emerge from it still alive and intact. But just holding the alien in place, preventing an escape, that would have to suffice. Master Feng had already resolved himself to his decision, and he would continue to unleash his full power even if reduced his frail old body to dust, "Ki... ko... HO!"

"NO MASTER! DON'T!" a voice yelled, Yang closing in and finally close enough to be heard. Sure enough Feng's disciple made it to his side, "Please Master, don't exert yourself any further! I'll stop him now!" Yang jerked his body to face the direction Dyce had fallen in, similarly holding his arms in the same fashion as his Master, "Kikoho!" both master and student yelled in unison. The others needed to hurry. Even working together, Yang and his Master would only be able to hold Dyce down for so long.

SAGA: Dragon Ball AU

Name: Yang
Race: Earthling/Human
Ki Color: White
Power Level: 910
Location: Starts: Ginger Town; Ends: North Capitol
Tag: Dyce, @IceHeart, @Weird Tales, @Chev, @King Cosmos, @Holy Soldier Open

It was a strange thing, to be joined so suddenly by another. The stranger looked to be a little younger than Yang himself was, and yet was clearly capable of flying and likely a number of other fighting methods. It seemed the Master was right after all, the alien monster was already beginning to attract a number of enemies that were starting to gather together. Regardless of their backgrounds and walks of life, these three people so fundamentally different from each other had been brought together by a threat from beyond the stars. It sounded like something out of some old fairy tale, and yet here it was actually happening.

"If you can help us then our greater numbers might give us a better chance. I'm Yang by the way." he said but only briefly. Time was of the essence and they had to get to Ginger Town. Erika was supposed to pick up an important package that would help them, but Yang suspected they wouldn't be able to linger for long. Even from this distance he could sense the monster was further to Northeast, practically as far as the North Capitol. That meant they could have another destroyed city on their hands if they did not make haste.

When the intrepid trio reached Ginger Town and Erika's package retrieved, Yang glanced around himself at the town. Apart from the tension caused by reports of what happened in Parsley Town, Ginger Town was otherwise peaceful and normal. A bit of realization hit Yang like a bag of bricks. This wasn't some tournament fight or training session to see who was the strongest. This was a genuine battle for the safety of the world and everyone living on it. He'd only now realized that this was the first time he'd ever took part in a battle with such stakes. Losing wasn't about needing to train harder or being eliminated from a tournament... it meant death and not just for him, bur for everyone. While in those thoughts Yang's senses suddenly screamed at him.

"In North Capitol!" he suddenly shouted, jerking his gaze in direction. Just as he had sensed, smoke was billowing up into the sky from the distance, "He's in North Capitol! We have to hurry!" Another had seemingly joined their ranks, further proving the Master's words to be true. But there was no more time for pleasantries. The now-four of them had to get going in whatever method was fastest for them. Yang himself shot up into the air and let his Ki rocket him toward North Capitol at full throttle. Hopefully the others would also be able to keep up in a similar manner.

North Capitol could be found just past a large mountain range. As it came into view, Yang steeled himself once more. He couldn't shake the memory of his first encounter, but at least able to keep reminding himself that he was not alone this time. Hopefully that would make all the difference. It had to, otherwise they were all dead. At last, the alien menace came into view and Yang's eyes widened in horror. They'd raised their hands in preparation for a Ki attack! Something had to be done or it would be Parsley Town all over again.

"I won't let you!" Yang yelled out instinctively as he closed the distance suddenly putting his hands up next to his face after he was face to face with the alien, "TAIYOKEN!"

Justice League Atlantis

@Cyrania I really dig your character being a bit standoff-ish based on where people are from. I'll have Aquaman respond to her soon, I just wanna give the other players a chance to get in on the scene.

@Mistress Dizzy I'll shoot you a PM tonight or tomorrow evening and we can discuss what sort of thing you'd rather happen in your mermaid kingdom. There's a couple things I need to happen in no particular order but I want to let you guys have a larger role in how we move forward in the first arc. Will [insert villain] attack [insert kingdom] or [insert kingdom]? Will [insert player] lash out at [insert player] when something goes horribly wrong? Could Aquaman ever trust [insert player] again after [insert player] put us all in danger?!

And who will be the female transformed into the Creature Queen with ties to Aquaman's past?!?

- Ω

@Omega Man

Find out next week! Same Aqua-time, same Aqua-channel!

Justice League Atlantis

@Double

Would you mind if my character had a bit of a negative reaction to your character, due to past experience to your character's race? I wouldn't imagine wandering gypsys and wandering raiders would have many positive clashes. Mostly thinking at this point that she's more seen the aftermath of attacks then actually experienced any though.

She still has a bigger gripe against surface humans than his race though.

@Cyrania

Sounds fine to me.

SAGA: Dragon Ball AU

Name: Yang
Race: Earthling/Human
Ki Color: White
Power Level: 910
Location: Open Field; Ginger Town outskirts.
Tag: @IceHeart Open

Feng stifled a chuckle at the lady's rather... spirited reply. He didn't say anything though, mainly due to Yang being quick to shout back at her.

"Watch your tongue! Master Feng is the head of the world renowned Crane School of Martial Arts! He could crush us both if he truly wanted!" he clenched his fist, seemingly angry at the woman but really his frustration stemmed from his earlier humiliation. The woman just happened to be along in time for it to be directed at her, "And do you not see the blood on the ground where I was lying? Or the bloodstains on my clothes? I would be dead if Master had not used his secret technique to heal me!" he wasn't wrong. There indeed still was a deep stain of blood on the ground, and there was still bits of bloodstains on the parts of his Gi that the alien's bone blades had stabbed through.

Feng cleared his throat, finally tired of the shouting, "Peace Yang, she is a stranger and knows not of us or our discipline. Pardon my disciple, he still feels the sting of his defeat and it stokes his anger. He does not mean you any disrespect."

Yang closed his eyes tightly, grumbling through gritted teeth.

While Yang did not pay much mind to the sudden conversation between the stranger and the doctor who contacted her, Feng on the other listened intently. When their communication ended he looked up from his sitting position at the girl, "Young lady, am I to understand that you plan on seeking that monster out?"

"Her? Fight that thing?" Yang asked, almost scoffing. If he couldn't defeat that creature than some police woman like her stood even less of a chance.

"What my disciple is trying to say, is that two together fair better odds than one who fights alone." he sent a side glance at Yang to silence him before the pupil could object, "So allow Yang here to accompany you. That monster will not be beaten easily without a healthy dose of teamwork."

Yang stayed quiet. He wasn't much for fighting on teams, but he would obey his Master's wishes. But rather get on the girl's bike, Yang simply floated up a few feet before offering a smirk, "As if I need to walk or ride. Don't worry about me, I'll keep up with your bike just fine on my own. In fact you're the one who might have trouble keeping up with me." he waited for his new-found companion to take off on her bike before shooting after her in the air above.

As for the Master, he noticeably stayed behind, never having gotten up from his spot on the ground, "Young people these days... I'll catch up after a good meditation. Good spot for one, I think..." he said to himself under his breath as he closed his eyes and let his aura of Ki take on a faint white glow.

Justice League Atlantis

I think @Double is the only one that reposted a CS that hasn't checked back in. You still game bro?

We got another recruit from the iCheck to make up for the lost player, so if we have a full cast we can still move forward. I half started a partial CS for our Aquaman just so everyone was on the same page knowing what he's capable of as an NPC.

- Ω

@Omega Man

Still game.

SAGA: Dragon Ball AU

Name: Yang
Race: Earthling/Human
Ki Color: White
Power Level: 910
Location: Open Field; Ginger Town outskirts.
Tag: @IceHeart Open

From the very beginning of Yang's frightful encounter, he and his monster of an opponent were being observed. The cloaked figure watched the short and brutal fight, their expression remaining masked by the shadows of their hood. He instinctively shifted forward an inch when Yang attacked first, almost as if he considered offering his aid. But he remained grounded, hidden in some shadows within the crevices of a few boulders sitting near each other. His lips moved from under the hood, silently mouthing words as a reaction to every move Yang made. Were they praise? Concern? None but the man himself would ever know.

He took cover, shielding his eyes from the inevitable dust cloud formed when Yang's near-lifeless body crashed into the ground nearby. When he was certain the alien creature had departed, the cloaked man finally left his spot in the shadows and approached the fallen warrior. He wasted no time speaking to Yang, as any lack of action in this very moment would cost the young man his life. Instead the cloaked clapped his hands together to produce and loud and surprisingly powerful thud. His fingers twisted and pointed into a symbolic form as a white aura of Ki began to faintly wrap around the cloaked man's body. Then came words, chanted in a soft but powerful tone, nine chants in total.

"Rin... Pyō... Tō..." with each chant and each hand symbol, his aura of Ki glowed just a little brighter. But it also slowly moved, "Sha... Kai... Jin..." the energy of the man's Ki moved down his arms and into his hands, and its hue changed slightly more as it did so, "Retsu... Zai... Zen!" with the last seal and chant, the Ki had gone from white into a silvery blue color. The man placed his glowing hands upon Yang's body, letting them linger over the places where he had been run through by the alien's bone blades. The man's Ki seemed to spread out of his hands and blanket itself over Yang's body, and as it did so the mortal wounds he'd been inflicted with miraculously began to close themselves. The cloaked man was, in fact, healing him!

Yang's eyes shot open, and he gasped in a deep breath of air. He instinctively moved to cover his wounds but discovered that they were no longer present, "I... recovered?"

"Of course you recovered." said the man, who finally reached up and pulled off his hood to reveal himself, "Because I healed you."

Yang widened his eyes, somehow he was both overjoyed and ashamed to see the man before him, "Master!" he cried out, then gave a bow, "How did you know...?"

"I observed the entire encounter. You are quite fortunate, that wound would have killed you had you remained unattended."

"You were watching me? Then why did you not do anything? Together we could have-"

"It would have made no difference." Feng took a deep breath, feeling almost ashamed of himself, "Had I stepped in we both would have died, simple as that."

"Then, then what do we do? How can we stop that monster?" Yang demanded, still believing his Master would surely know of a way.

"We cannot do anything." Feng said, correcting him, "You were no match for that stranger, and I'm simply getting too old to be of any help in battle anymore. But monsters like that have a habit of attracting enemies. If he continues to attack and slaughter, there will be more who will make a stand to defeat him. Our only hope is for the World's greatest warriors to band together to stop him. But I think I need to rest a bit. I was forced to use the Sacred Seals in order to heal you." Feng sat down on the ground with a tired-sounding sigh.

"The Sacred Seals..." Yang clenched a fist. The Sacred Seals was his Master's trump card. They were like a meditative mantra that gave one a far stronger grasp on controlling their own Ki, and even using it to assist or hurt another in the process. But he also knew the Sacred Seals came with a steep price, the technique was incredibly exhausting even for the most seasoned master. Supposedly it would also shave entire years off of one's very life-span should they rely on it too heavily. Yang had attempted to learn this technique before during his training, but so far he was still unable to actually use it.

"Ahem!" Feng cleared his throat rather loudly, "It's alright! We mean you no harm!" someone had been watching them from a distance, and Feng had apparently been aware of them from the beginning.