The connection of his opponents fist to his left forearm made it so that some of the electrical charge from his counter attack fed back into him. Rain was an individual that was very in tune with elemental forces and actively inflicted them upon himself in the form of various pseudo-power ups. So his own electrical charge feeding back into him didn't bother him to any significant degree. The armored aggressor, though, recoiled after they took the bolt to the head dead on. They had started to stumble but were quick to take measures to right themselves. Rain, for his part, stayed in the stance he had been in when the initial contact was made. His left arm out, bent at the elbow, left side forward with his feet spread and the knees bent. His right arm chambered at his side. That right arm was going to be a saving grace when it came to that rocket powered kick aimed toward the inside of his thigh. The arm slammed down in a palm strike to meet the kick before it struck the tender part of his inner leg.
The impact itself was a loud one as the air was blown outward. The impact would also send a noticeable vibration through her armor, at least the surface layer of it. Rain read this vibration much like dolphins read echolocation. In the brief time they touched he used it to gain some insight into the construction of the armor. Her body was more massive than his own though so without a way to get a proper footing Rain was lifted off of his feet and into the air. He was going to have to learn more about what the armor was made from before he could try and figure out how to penetrate it and do more damage. In the mean time though he had to make use of his current airborne state. So far he had used air and electricity. The former seemed effective when used to target vulnerable, smaller, mechanical bits. The latter didn't seem to do much.
Once more he drew deeply on the spiritual reservoir of elemental power that sat at the core of his existence. His elemental soul was utilized to pull forth energy into his body as he had reached the apex of his ascent and started to fall. The power that he was gathering, which his opponent might be able to read depending on their ability or sensor capacity of their armor, may have gathered in his body but it had also started to funnel into both of his arms. It seemed to start at the stomach and then spread outward so that it collected in his upper limbs and saturated him. Originally it'd read as base spiritual power, ki, or whatever you wanted to call it. He leaned forward a bit and gave a powerful kick as he angled himself down toward his opponent. His descent of a few hundred feet was crossed in a couple of moments. In that time he had brought his legs under him for his landing while his right arm was brought back just below shoulder level, his left extending forward to serve as a guard.
As he'd land he'd do it practically on top of his target, landing in front of them with his knees bending slightly to absorb some of the impact. His right fist cut through the air like a bullet as it was brought forward and down toward the shorter target. Mist billowed from his right arm as the temperature around it plummeted. He sought to bring his strength and the elemental manipulation slamming straight into the armored face of his targets helmet. Upon impact a rapid decrease of temperature would occur. Rain expanded the elemental energy saturating his fist upon impact to create a cooling effect so that the temperature dropped below -20 Fahrenheit, or the point at which steel becomes brittle. If she had managed to avoid it the fist would release the cooling effect regardless. The temperature still plummeted as the effect extended for a good 20 feet around them. The left fist followed up as the right would be withdrawn into a defensive position, his shoulders and hips acting like a lever and pivot point to keep the locomotion going.
The left hand swung in lower than the right, aiming to hit upon the middle area of the right rib and release another blast of rapidly cooling air. The goal, clearly, was trying to drop the temperature of the armor he was up against. In order to make it brittle and easier to break. Gas rapidly expanding could drop temperatures near instantly so Rain sought to utilize this concept to try and flash freeze the armor. Frost gathered on his coat and on the ends of his hair. But she'd have more than just the ice effect to deal with. Each of Rains strikes brought with them multiple tons worth of force down on the surface area of his fist. Each impact created a physical tremor that'd pass through the ground.
There was a lot of information gained in a very small amount of time. As fast as the armored assailant reacted to his attempt to damage their gear his own perception kept up, this allowed him to see each stage of their reaction frame by frame. The fact that they maneuvered themselves out of the way of the attack, so that it'd either miss outright or strike on a more resilient part of their armor, told him that the what he had done would have worked if it had found purchase. He was going to remember that just in case he ever found another opportunity to try and rid them of some of their devices. But that brief time of analyzing his opponent came to an abrupt end as their body took on a different posture. He felt the firing up of the thrusters as the air around her developed new currents. This method of propulsion was going to take him a moment to figure out as all previous encounters with similar technology had been either chemical base for powered strictly from within.
As they rocketed toward him his right foot slid a bit farther back as his stance suddenly dropped thanks to a quick bend of the knees. His right hand balled into a fist as he readied himself for the rapid advance and incoming strike. It was a good thing that he already had his left hand up and placed in front of him. With a limb around interposed between himself and his opponent defending was rather simple. He angled his body so that more of his left side faced them, narrowing the amount of surface area available to attack, while putting his left arm in a better position to defend. It rotated clockwise as it bent at the elbow so that her fist would swing in to slam against it. The moment before the attack met his defense Rain's right foot lifted a slammed upon the ground as he leaned forward to generate forward momentum. The resulting clash was a crack of thunder on a clear day as the brief motion he made generated equal kinetic force and momentum to cancel out the built up velocity and power. The ground cracked and broke around his feet while his hair was blown back.
In the brief moment that they'd stalemate the electrical charge that flickered to life on his right arm, which was currently chambered at his right side, surged through his body. It disappeared beneath the skin leaving no physical trace of it to be seen. If they had some kind of power sense or sensory array within their armor they'd be able to pick it up a moment before it reappeared. Otherwise the only physical indication was a brief flash of light within his eyes before his mouth ripped open and a bolt of lightning fired out at point blank range. A secondary crack split the air as the bolt struck out with all the fury of a tried and true lightning strike. Given the shorter height Rain had been looking slightly down toward his opponent so that the bolt would aim for the head.
The kinetic impact and blistering heat aside if her suit wasn't properly insulated the bolt would discharge all of its electrical energy into the armor. It'd seek to travel beyond the outer shell, through the layers, and into the more vulnerable bits within. @LeeRoy
It was good to hope that things would defuse whenever one found themselves in a tense situation. Especially when it came to cases of apparent mistaken identity. But Rain, in his long life span, had known better than to assume that a situation like this one would easily resolve itself. This person, whoever they were, was incredibly aggressive when it came to finding this Fury as seen by their chosen method of approaching him. This meant that he wasn't entirely surprised by the words they spoke following his claim, disappointment filled its place. She made her intent to attack known as her palm was exposed to reveal where her assault would come from. From within the mechanical device that was housed in her armor he'd feel the reaction and the heat build moments before it was fully unleashed, his senses being in tune with the elemental forces around him giving him the clues he needed. His outstretched left hand rotated to the left and he exerted some of his power as he drew it up from his spiritual core.
This manifested in the world around them in the form of a powerful blast of wind that'd come in from the side, Rain's left or Bita right. The plasma spray would be shoved away a safe distance to cover the ground after traveling on the current. This action swept Rains left hand partially across his body which stopped as it was about to cross the sternum. He pulled his left arm in, bent the elbow, and curled his fingers into a fist. As he did the air pulled inward around his knuckles and condensed. He then punched forward and stopped when his arm was extended about 90% of the way. From his fist a focused, twisting, spike of compressed air would aim to pierce through the plasma spray as it either continued or began to taper off. Its target was the exit point on the palm from which the plasma was released. Its intent was to destroy it so that particular method of attack could hopefully no longer be used.
This compressed air attack was focused and quick as it crossed the distance between them as fast as a round fired from a .50 caliber sniper rifle. It's speed and twisting aspects would seek to keep the attack stable against the heat so that it didn't fizzle out before it reached its target. Meanwhile the damage that it'd deliver was leagues above what it should be capable of delivering. Upon impact it'd seek to release all the tightly compressed air in a series of shredding blades that'd hopefully tear at the, hopefully, softer material within the armor and the more delicate internal mechanisms.
Now that he was more alert his right hand hovered near his hip with the fingers flicking softly back and forth as sparks began to manifest and build. "We do not have to do this..." He sought to appeal to reason one last time.
Traveling was one of his favorite hobbies. Moving from world to world, realm to realm, in order to explore new places and meet new people was often quite rewarding. While it brought him fun and excitement it also, occasionally, brought him trouble. But lately trouble hadn't found its way to him. During a particularly long walk across an idyllic field he had started to feel the oppressive weight of the sun more so than normal. It wore away at his stamina and was one of the few things that could make him feel tired. So he searched for a hiding spot and found a tree with branches that spread wide, thick with leaves, which provided tons of shade. With a quick step and an exertion of his elemental powers he jumped to the shade and let out a sigh. He laid down, propped himself against the tree, and pulled his hat down over his face. With his hands folded on his stomach he decided to rest a bit and recuperate. He wasn't one to dream usually but this time he did and it was pleasant.
Not long after, maybe an hour, he'd feel a brief disturbance on his senses. He couldn't quite explain it but it pulled his attention. He woke up and began to lift the hat from his head when the realization of what was happening struck him. Something was descending through the atmosphere and it was almost on top of him. He moved quickly in a roll to his left and put his hand down upon the ground. With a strong push he sprung up from the roll and away from the position where the incoming object was going to impact. As the explosion of topsoil occurred and the crater form Rain was landing on his right foot as he finished his turn but he had hopped far enough away to avoid getting hit by the impact or the debris. His hat, unfortunately, wasn't so lucky. He wouldn't have to guess what had crashed down though as an armored figure jumped up to the edge of the crater and addressed him directly.
He was beginning to think this had been an intentional landing. Interestingly enough this creature, whatever they were, didn't have a regular pulse. But blood still flowed through their veins. At first his eyes narrowed in suspicion but when the question was asked they widened in confusion.
"The Fury?" He shook his head. "I do not. I am sorry if that disappoints you." His left arm was up to match her elevated and extended right, which put his left side slightly more forward with that particular foot in the lead. "If that is all you wanted to know we can part ways." His honey-brown gaze was focused on this armored figure.
While they were aggressive they didn't strike him as hostile yet. For all he knew they could have landed expecting The Fury to be here. It didn't stop him from remaining acutely aware of what was going on around them as his senses spread out through the air and the soil around them, both physical and metaphysical.
Description: Overall Rain is a fit and lean individual with a smooth and toned figure sculpted from years and physical training and extreme combat. His genetics have a lot to do with his well fit body and his flawless complexion, even the dual set of fangs that grace the rows of white teeth hidden behind his lips. He has long black hair, coming down just below the middle of his back with matching colored eyebrows that are thin and slender. His eyes, under normal circumstances, are a rich Honey-brown color but can turn to a toxic yellow under the right conditions. There's not a mark on him and those that view his facial features would put him at around early to mid 30's in terms of age, although looking really well for someone of that age bracket. He is typically found wearing a suit with a long coat and wide brim hat. The suit itself consists of a long sleeved, black, button down dress shirt with silver buttons tucked into black dress pants. A leather belt holds the pants up around his waist, the cuffs of the leggings falling just slightly over black leather shoes. Around his neck, under the collar of the shirt where applicable, is a crimson tie. The duster that he wears is crimson in color as well which matches the wide brimmed hat atop his head. Periodically Rain can see wearing white cotton gloves, a gift from his daughter Violet.
Racial Traits:
Vampirism: This is a different kind of Vampirism unique to Rains home world of Earte. Unlike the disease style of Vampirism, Rain posses a genetic kind. It binds directly to the genetic structure of the host and, when infected, replaces the hosts original genetic material with its own altered version. This means that they are not undead. They feed off of blood for sustenance and ability usage. They have a very slow pulse, roughly 12 beats per minute. The sun doesn't turn them to ash but does poison them with a unique type of 'sun poisoning'. Age allows some resistance. Holy energy/magic burns them. Religious items are irritants, unless significantly blessed, while holy water acts as a slow burning acid. Staking the heart does not kill, but does paralyze. Garlic acts as an allergy would.
(OOC Note: I call Rain a vampire for simplicity sake and because in all the years I have had him I haven't been able to settle on a name for the specific type of vampirism that is unique to his home world.)
Infractus Curator: This part of his bloodline comes from his fathers side of the family and can be considered his true form. Rains, though, is skewered compared to the rest of this race. His Elementum, before he acquired a soul, changed the form into something more. All of his physical and metaphysical abilities are increased by a descent percentage and his Elemental casting becomes near instantaneous. His skin darkens upon the change, turning to a dark bronze color. His lips blacken and his hair turns pure white with miniature blue arcs of lightning coursing through it and it floats around him as if gravity doesn't effect it. His body becomes so toned that it looks cut from stone and he grows a foot taller. His nails grow longer and blacken and his eyes take on the appearance of molten pools of copper. From his back sprout two brown wings with a twelve foot span, soft to the touch.
(OOC Note: Mostly used for story line scenarios or when a super form is required.)
Abilities:
Elementum Soul Core:
(The following notes where recovered from Janus' personal desk within his study.)
"From what I can tell, the Elementum Energy as Rain calls it is the energy of the elements. It is a vast and rich energy source that is directly tied to the elements, and is the common link between all elements. After some study I theorize that Elementum is simply a sub-energy of raw Spiritual Energy. However much like the Energy of the Mind, and the Energy of the Body once Spiritual Energy has been naturally or unnaturally modified into Elementum it remains as Elementum unless properly manipulated back into Spiritual Energy. Because of this difference in the two, when they are mixed together [ as they are with Rains Hybrid Core] they do not cancel each other out, but rather I have noticed that the Elementum is able to feed off of the Spiritual Energy within the core and strengthen itself into a potency just below raw spiritual energy. Because of this, as the Hybrid Energy flows down from the core and into the two other cores of the sentient self each core is filled with energy from the elements. This should have a profound effect upon Rains mental and physical self. The mental self would be granted new ways of manipulation of the elements, as well as a much keener edge upon the mastery aspects of such manipulation, making it easier and much more natural. I come to this conclusion for the Hybrid Energy, which is half Elementum, that enters the Energy of the Mind would no doubt open various knowledge of the elements through a sort of energetic genetic code. Knowledge imprinted directly into the Elementum itself, and fed into the Energy of the Mind. Perhaps even one day Rain could create new elements. One example being a flame that does not burn, but rather everything it touches turns to ice rather than ash. The possibilities are almost limitless at this point, however I assume there must be some sort of rule followed that is yet to be known. The physical self would be granted with various blessings of the elements. Air giving him the ability to jump farther, dispel breathable toxins away from the body, and perhaps compress air underneath his feet and stand upon it. Water, being known for various magical aspects, may allow him to breath underwater, walk on water, and dispel barriers and seals. Earth, the stone warrior, he could manipulate the iron in his blood and increase his bone density, physical strength and defense. Fire, the passion. Possible increased stamina, and a fire within his mind. To push past the limits mentally and go for broke. Using the Hybrid Energy directly from his core would allow Rain to create Elemental Constructs and shapes with little effort, much in the same way I craft my spiritual constructs. Much as I have unlocked the ability to access the Prime Energy, Rain should be able to harmonize all three paths within himself and create an Omni-Elementum. While unsure what this would be exactly, I theorize that it would involve complete infusion of the elements into a single being and it would be in this state that new elements with strange, unusual, and catastrophic destructive or creation potential could be forged. He would become a walking, living, Elemental being."
(Rain has shown extreme mastery of his soul core. Even before having it Rain had been able to manipulate the elements with microscopic precision, turning one into another and even breaking his own physical form down into various elements for travel and combat purposes. He can create elements from his own energy just as easily as he can work with the elements around him. Over his long life of working with the elements he's formed a bond with them, in most cases he can freely manipulate the elements as they regard him as an ally and freely offer their services. He's practically immune to elemental effects based upon their type, but not necessarily the effects associated with different elemental manifestations.)
Ars Anima Soul Arts
“This aspect of combat revolves around using ones raw spiritual power to fight with. However unlike the ways of magic that cause elements to lace their weapons with their power, or even cause toxins to drip from their blades, this style infuses the already present spirit particles with the users own unique power, and any aspects their power may have. Sometimes this aspect can lean on the elemental side, fire or ice being two good examples. Or it can give a mental effect, causing its enemies to feel as if they simply cannot win against the face of such a fighter or weapon. My own aspect is slashing. My aura cuts anything it touches, constantly ripping and tearing away at any physical, magical, or spiritual forces it is pressed against.”
- Janus
(Rain has consistently shown the ability to manipulate not only his own spiritual energy but others at well, mostly at the permission of the recipient. In one case in particular he completely reassembled the soul of a particular individual. His manipulation of the soul and the energy that comes from it can be a great asset to allies as much as it can be a great weapon.)
Ars Mico Flash Arts
A sword style that teaches one that the spirit energy can be used to jointly add to the physical body’s potential to become faster and stronger. It also teaches that with great power comes the responsibility to wield it properly, or else you may find your energy literally tearing your physical body to shreds from the inside out. Once one of the most fearsome sword styles out there. It relies on a combination of fast movement and powerful but rapid, successive, and precise strikes. It is said that practitioners have shown unparalleled speed, intense strength and surgically keen accuracy. Also, grace and balance are needed if one is to perform the skills required of this style. Built around the idea that the best defense is a good offense, there are few blocks and parries found within the style, but many counters.
- Janus
Kenatsu: A basic ability to cut and harm enemies without physical contact. It takes the form as a storm of needle thin sword slashes that arc from ones weapon in wide and short angular curved paths that deals moderate damage to foes and can even strike a target when blocked if the sword is not stopped by an item (such as a shield or a wall spell). However, if one uses more energy, it releases as a red wave of energy which may completely disintegrate the adversary. The strength of this attack depends on how it is unleashed by the user. This is a foundation skill of the Ars Mico. Janus feels that this could be performed by any person who has enough control over their energy.
Nadegiri: A secondary foundation skill; This skill is a branch of the skill Kenatsu, as it requires a precise release of energy in a thin line outward from the edge and tip of the weapon.. This basic, but lethal, skill requires a precision cut of extreme force and speed. The cut can casually slice through large, multi-story high opponents protected by steel skin. The target can be killed with one swift slash so precise that they aren't even aware of until after it has taken place.
Enhanced Physical Abilities: All of Rains physical qualities are at or beyond super human levels due to his 1200 years of life and physical training. His speed is by far his best asset, followed closely by his stamina. Rain has yet to achieve a max speed and his stamina can allow him to fight, under the right circumstances, for days at a time. His physical strength follows next in line, with his lower body strength being double that of his upper body strength. He can easily crush metal and stone alike, create great shock waves and inflict titanic damage with physical blows. His physical defense falls last in his repertoire of statistics. Although still at super human levels Rain is much better at dealing out damage instead of taking it.
-Rain is an experienced melee combatant with both weaponry and hand to hand. When engaging hand to hand Rain employs Boxing, Kickboxing and Savate styles of combat. Primarily using quick, powerful, rapid strikes. When engaged in weaponry he prefers to use a sword of some type, typically one or both of his Katanas. With a sword in hand he employs either Kendo or Fencing as a style, with some swashbuckling on the side! It depends on the type of sword.
Disciplines: A different facet to Rains repertoire of abilities. The following three disciplines represent the vampire-esque side of Rains lineage. Normally a vampire would have to feast on blood in order to generate a pool of vitae in order to use disciplines. Rain no longer requires this ever since he acquired a soul of his own, since vitae is simply spiritual essence that can be found in the blood of the living.
Celerity: A Discipline that grants vampires supernatural speed and finesse that can be used for movement, attacking, or other physical feats. This extraordinary speed violates the laws of physics in that the Cainite doesn't experience any change in momentum, friction, etc. This comes in various levels of experience, in which Rain has nine while a 10th step is said to be achievable.
1. Alacrity- If the vampire is aware of an action, this ability gives the vampire the option to preempt the action. 2. Swiftness- Allows for another action to be taken, when normally one couldn't be possible. 3. Rapidity- A sudden, and abrupt, increase in speed. 4. Legerity- Allows for the simultaneous activation of Celerity abilities one through three. 5. Fleetness- Causes the users body to temporarily vibrate at speeds that make them nearly weightless. 6. Precision- Allows the vampire to enter a trance where the operate with exceptionally fine manipulation. 7. Tireless tread- Allows the vampire to run up to 50 miles per hour for at least eight hours straight. 8. Shutter Step- A move that allows the vampire to move, instantly, from one location to another that is within 10 feet. The visual effect to this is that it looks like a camera shutter quickly closes over the vampire, opening the next instance to reveal the vampire in another location. 9. Between the Ticks- This can only be achieved through mastery of Celerity. It allows the vampire to move so fast, that he can perform any action in the time it takes for the 'second' hand on a clock to tick once. Anything can happen in that amount of time. It is, without a doubt, the strongest technique in the discipline.
Obtenebration: The control over shadows and the supernatural darkness of the Abyss. The unnatural darkness summoned by Obtenebration is, usually, extremely frightening to mortals, animals, and even other Cainites unaccustomed to its use. The exact nature of this Discipline is unknown even among its greatest masters, and it has been a subject of religious, philosophical, and metaphysical debate among vampires for millennia. Its greatest scholars are the followers of the Path of Night and practitioners of Abyss Mysticism, which draws on knowledge of this Discipline in its rituals. Also appearing on many levels, Rain is only at the first with this discipline.
1. Shadow Play: Allows the vampire to move and shape the natural shadows around them.
Senses and Awareness: One of the greatest racial traits available to him is a powerful and keen mind, with an intellect that has been honed through years of study and combat practices. Rains level of psionic activity and overall mental strength is not easily toppled by adversaries. This allows him to sense things around him for great distances. Psionic sensing is not the only way he can perceive the world around him. His physical senses also reach into super human levels of effectiveness, with a mind that is able to instantaneously process the sensory data that it is fed. Being vampiric in nature Rain can also sense the pulses of living creatures around him and over great distances and smell their blood. He also a keen tracker by sense of smell. His spatial awareness is incredibly sensitive and fine tuned, normally aware of what's going on around him in fine detail. He can also sense the souls and spirits of living beings, this also includes particular strong levels of spiritual or magical power. Rain can also sense things through the elements around him, or use the elements to enhanced or extend his physical senses. Allowing him to use them in ways he wouldn't be able to do normally. Long story short his ability to perceive and interpret the world around him and those within it is powerful, efficient and adaptable.
Mental capabilities: Due to his heritage Rain is a powerful Psion, Mentalist, or whatever label you wish to put on it. He is skilled in both Telepathy and Telekinesis, able to use both in a variety of ways to devastating effects if desired. He can read both surface and sub-concious thoughts, probe through someones mind, create illusions, alter perceptions, change and/or erase memories and experiences and has on one occasion completely rebuilt a mind from scratch. He's also capable of manifesting his Telekinesis in the usual waves, pushes, and pulls. He can generate it as a kinetic force, use it for fine manipulation, hone it to a cutting edge, and accomplish certain levels of physical manifestation. He's not the most powerful Psion, Mentalist, etc. Others who focus solely on their mental talents are far better at physical manifestation, and other aspects of the art, than himself.
Magic & Knowledge: Rain knows a variety of spells that have no combat application along with a wealth of knowledge on numerous topics.
The Speed Force: During a fight that Rain had with The Flash, Wally West, during a tournament he developed a spiritual connection with the Speed Force that grants The Flash and other speedsters from his universe their superhuman speed and speed related abilities. The Flash described it to Rain as a primal source of energy, supposedly left over from the Big Bang. The Speed Force is what allows speedsters to move at hyper-sonic speeds without suffering the negative effects associated with said speed, taking the force of a Field around the Speed Force user, while also granting other abilities like stealing and lending speed. Rains connection to the Speed Force is weak which forces him to only use it on a limited basis.
Equipment:
Crepusculum: Meaning Dusk in Latin, this is a Katana like sword that Rain acquired when he was still in the growing stages of his Elemental powers. The sword itself was created by the elements and is one of two, a sister sword to Diluculo. This weapon is Pseudo-sentient and contains a natural ability to create and control the elements of Earth, Water and Air. This weapon is one of two that Rain used to help learn more about the elements from a young age. The sword sports a three foot long blade. The blade itself is curved, single-edged and tapered. It also has a Two-handed swept hilt with a circular guard. The hilt is not wrapped in fabric but seems to be an intricate mesh of metal and stone woven together naturally to form a regular hilt.
Diluculo: Meaning Dawn in Latin, this is a Katana like sword that Rain acquired when he was still in the growing stages of his Elemental powers. The sword itself was created by the elements and is one of two, a sister sword to Crepusculum. This weapon is Pseudo-sentient and contains a natural ability to create and control the elements of Fire, Ice and Lightning. This weapon is one of two that Rain used to help learn more about the elements from a young age. The sword sports a three foot long blade. The blade itself is curved, singe-edged and tapered. It also has a Two-handed swept hilt with a circular guard. The hilt is not wrapped in fabric but seems to be an intricate mesh of crystal and ice woven together naturally to form a regular hilt.
White Gloves: These are a pair of gloves that was given to Rain by his adopted daughter Violet. Other than serving as one hell of a fashion statement, they also allow Rain to summon bottles of bloodwyne with various gestures. The blood within the bottles is extremely potent.
Grieve Edge: Created for Rain by his friend Janus is a pair of dress shoes with various blade attachments. The dress hoes look normal but are extremely resistant to damage and serve as armor for the foot. A six inch blade curves up from the toe of each shoes, being single edged and facing while while contouring to the shape of his leg. On the outside of each shoe, following the 'blade' of the foot is a single edged crescent blade that runs the entire length of the shoe.
Picture above is original artwork done for the character, a paid commission from a friend
The roar of the crowd slowly subsided within the arena. Don't be afraid? That was something that kept one alive. IIt didn't matter where he fought or who he fought, there was always some fear lurking within the back of his mind. Especially when it came to someone that he had never fought before. One wrong move could wind up ending his time for good, being the human that he was. He narrowed his eyes in response. As she started to circle to his left Finnegan moved to his right so that he maintained his position in front of her and kept the distance between them the same, he wasn't going to let her flank him when it was just the two of them. He knew about the healers and how good they were, he was informed about what he needed to know when he wound up in this place, but still dind't find much comfort in the fact that he could die and they'd just simply bring him back to life. He maintained his stance as he walked, blade held diagonally across his body with his left arm held in a defensive position. She wasn't attacking, she was studying him. Once more that golden energy flashed across her body. He studied her form in these few moments that they had.
Enhancements had their tells most of the time. The way the body moved was prone to changing subtly as an increase in strength caused the wielder of it to adjust how they were moving, they didn't want to move too far too fast because of their added power. A strengthening of the body through a defensive enhancement would apply more resistance to armor pressing down upon the skin. Increased speed and reflexed might be shown through faster movement of the eyes, albeit subtle, as they took in everything around them as if it were being viewed in a slower rate of motion. Everything had a tell and he was looking for it. His own passive enhancement, Insight of the Leaves, made this a lot easier than it normally would have been.
Frankly if she wasn't going to be the one to start things then he figured it was going to be him, she seemed to be taking a strong defensive stance in this encounter. He slowly continued to circle with her until their positions were reversed, where he would be standing where she started and she would be standing where he had started, then he started to move toward her. He didn't run toward her but he did advance at a steady pace. The fifteen foot gap was closed to a ten foot one and then down to a 7 foot one. When he was at this seven foot distance he took a step forward like he was about to charge, pulling his sword back with the tip pointing out to his right side like he was winding up for a swing. After he took that step forward, sword primed and ready to strike once he closed the distance, he dropped it low. He hoped the feint worked and she would start to move to counter his charge. What he did instead was plant his left foot forward in that step, rooting his stance while bending his knees, while his sword swung down toward the dirt covered floor of the arena fighting pit. The tip of his sword cleaved into the floor with the edge that he then turned so that the flat faced Annabelle.
What happened as his blade swung forward was a spray of soil and earth firing toward her, aiming specifically for the face in an attempt to blind her temporarily. As a grounds keeper and landscaper he knew how much force was needed to launch the packed soil beneath his feet, all he had to do was walk on it a bit. The distraction needed to work only for a moment as he rushed forward as she would be dealing with the spray of dirt. He closed that seven foot distance to a rough four foot one. His right arm pulled back, bent at the elbow sharply, to bring the point of the longsword in line with his opponent. Hi sword was thrust forward toward the shoulder joint of her sword wielding arm, aiming to penetrate through the armor she wore and find a gap, in an attempt to hinder her sword play. He figured she'd be better with a weapon than himself so he tried to take that away from her, or at least make it harder for her to wield one. As per his stance his left leg was still in the lead, facing her with his left side closer than his right, with most of his weight at the moment even spread between both legs. He was ready to move when he reacted even if he didn't know what she was going to do.
It was a strange sensation that he had experienced. One moment he was working on the grounds at Concord Glenn and had decided to take a rest. His eyes closed and what seemed like barely moment passed. He opened his eyes again and he was within a brightly lit room that seemed to be underground, or at least under a very large structure. Around him were armor and weapons of all kinds. He took a moment to gather his surroundings and even inquired upon an armored individual to tell him where he was. He was in an arena, a gladiatory arena, and a man in robes quickly found him and had begun to explain everything that he needed to know. Finnegan was a bit out of his element but as he checked himself over he seemed to be alright, if only feeling a bit odd. He was told about his opponent and had the suggestion offered to him to armor up and grab a weapon of his choosing. He was currently wearing the blue jumpsuit that had the Concord Glenn logo on it, along with simple clothing under it for when he got off of work. He removed the jump suit and replaced it with a suit of hardened leather armor, something that wasn't too heavy but would still provide protection. It also allowed for the mobility that he was use too. The leather covered the important bits of his chest area.
The major muscles of his arms and legs were also covered and protected, making sure to wear padding under the armor. He didn't wear a helmet which allowed his blonde, tossled, hair to sit freely upon his head. He pulled off his glasses and left them with his things. Instead he pulled his contact lenses from one of the pockets of his word uniform and placed them into his eyes, blinking a few times to make sure they were secure, and then moved over to the weapon wrack. He grabbed what seemed to be a longsword. It had a 43 inch long blade with a cruciform hilt and a black handle with a round pommel, a grip that could be used with one or two hands. He swung the weapon through the air a few times to get use to it. Hand to hand combat was his forte but he had worked with weapons before. Holding it at his side he started to make his way through the underbelly of the arena and eventually made his way out to the central fighting pit. When he had initially arrived he was greeted by a raucous chorus of cheering and screaming people that filled the insurmountable number of stands around him. His grieves dug into the dirt slightly as he made his way into the center of the arena opposite the side of his opponent, which was a woman with pointy ears.
It seemed that he had somehow wound up in a fantasy world.
He took to the center and watched as his opponent took up their stance and then summoned forth a power. He figured that this was their particular form of Chi. The golden energy that ran over her body seemed to have a strengthening effect of some sort. He took a deep breath and summoned forth one of his own abilities. Insight of the Leaves. He studied her form, movements, how the energy played upon her body and would work to discern what affect the energy had upon her body.
His right foot slid back behind his left, his left arm stayed in the front while his right held held the sword at his side angled slightly so that it crossed in front of his chest. His left hand had remained opened and he moved to the balls of his feet instead of staying flat footed upon the ground.
"I'm Finnegan. Lets try not to kill each other, at the very least." He said with a thick Irish accent.
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