GambolMuse

Under the Light of a Crimson Moon

We're Only Human

"Not good enough, do it again." Repetition until it became muscle memory and you could perform the moves in your sleep. It was a mundane and painstaking process but no less would do for prospective hunters. Though many of the worst beasts had been slain by his hand Edmund was not content to rest, and perhaps it was a sort of paranoia he'd grown over his years. Beasts rose and fell like a tainted tide and no matter how many were killed more returned, who was to say the larger, more lethal creatures wouldn't return too? Hunters had to be prepared for any enemy and to do that meant training until your limbs were heavy as led and your lungs ached. His students would hate him today but they would thank him tomorrow when their training saved their lives. Or they might hate him still, Edmund hardly cared. His job was not to befriend everyone who came into his Workshop but to train Hunters to protect and drive back the beasts. So long as that happened he hardly cared about anything else.

Not good enough. Not good enough. Not. Good. Enough. Praise was not something Kael sought normally but it wouldn't kill their master to at least acknowledge their efforts. They had clearly improved since they had passed through those gates and yet Master Edmund treated them like fledgling hunters. And in many ways he supposed they were, there was no escaping that. Glaring up at their mentor he grit his teeth and struggled to lift his Bowblade once more, raising his weapon and notching another arrow in the string. The amount of muscles that were required to simply fire a single shot was surprisingly high and repeated firing certainly took its toll. And no matter how many bullseyes Kael managed, and there were a great many, Edmund demanded more. Fine, he would do as they had done so many times before and go to the brink of exhaustion, and only then would their master allow them to rest.

Inhaling deeply through his mouth Kael held his breath for but a moment and steadied his aim. The arrow head aimed right at the target and he slowly exhaled, pulling the string back taut before letting his fingers unfurl and the arrow fly. A whine serenaded his ears as his shot sped to its mark and hit true, the arrowhead easily piercing the dummy and embedding itself deep within its chest. A kill shot on most beasts, straight to the heart.

"I don't get why you won't let us train outside... The beasts nearby are pathetic." It was a familiar argument between student and master, the former of which who thought they were more than prepared. Exhaling as he let his shoulders drop he sat on the grass, hands splayed out behind him as he stared at the target. "Shooting this isn't going to improve my skills any, its a waste of time. If you want us to be Hunters then let us be Hunters, stop treating us like children."

Edmund silently stared at the target for a moment before a soft sigh passed through his lips. "I will stop treating you like a child when you cease acting like one," the Hunter replied curtly, his green pupils swiveling to the corners of his eyes, giving Kael a disapproving glance. "Impatience will get you killed, and that's still a problem you have. I'm not going to let some of my best students out just because you want to fight. Fighting is about knowing your enemy's movements and countering them before they can even act, not just attacking bli-"

"Yeah, you've said so a hundred times. 'Know your enemy and their movements, understand what they'll do better than they themselves do.' We get it old man, but that doesn't change that this training is a waste of our time. Shooting at still targets, striking targets with a sword," Kael added with a gesture towards his peer, Josephine, "We need to fight real beasts. Otherwise none of this matters. Do you really think we'll ever be ready unless you let us fight them?"

"So you think you're ready then? To be a true Hunter?" Edmund asked, folding his arms as he turned and addressed Kael. Of course he would say yes, the boy had been saying he was ready on nigh a year now and would not take no for an answer. There was more to hunting beasts than simply knowing how to fight, you had to resist the blood yourself, lest you become one of them. You had to learn how to save people, the biggest priority of a Hunter, and you had to accept the fact that you may very well die doing so. Neither of his students were at that stage yet, though if Kael was so adamant... "Josephine, do you feel prepared to fight?" Edmund pressed, addressing the young girl with an arched brow, "I'll accompany you two, but you'll work together to kill a beast. If you two can prove you're ready then there's no need for these drills anymore."

Under the Light of a Crimson Moon

Master Edmund

Name: Master Hunter Edmund
Age: 50
Gender: Male

Weapon: Chikage and Hunter's Pistol

Appearance:

Edmund

Brief History:

How long has he been fighting the beasts for? 20 years? 30? In the eternal darkness of the unending night Edmund has long since lost count.
Having arrived to Yharnam all those years ago in hopes of helping extinguish the plague he has never left, in near constant battle against man and beast alike. What was meant to be a simple excursion turned into an adventure filled with battles unlike which he could ever imagined, defeating foes which many could only dream about. He'd traveled to every end of the world seemingly, always trapped within the Nightmare. Every battle seems almost meaningless as every beast he slays two more seem to rise and take their place. There is no end to the chaos that the Nightmare has unleashed, and if he ever hopes to escape its clutches he needs to find a means of ending it.

Defeating the Nightmare and bringing an end to it is no job for any single man, this much Edmund knew. In hopes of finding allies in his cause he set out further than he had ever gone before, traveling to the furthest reaches beyond Old Yharnam. It was here that he would find his staunchest life-long ally in Lady Maria, atop the Clocktower dutifully defending her post. Their first meeting was... Less than keen. In a fight that nearly saw the Clocktower destroyed he managed to calm the proud woman and explained his position, an idea that at first she laughed at. For who in their right mind could hope to do what Edmund preached? The idea must have grown on her however as before long she came to him and offered her support, albeit tentatively. To end the Nightmare and free themselves would require feats which seemed impossible to achieve yet they had to try, for it was better than continuing on as they had been.

In order to bring about their goal they would need yet more help. To this end Edmund and Lady Maria both searched for survivors young and old who were willing to take up arms and fight back the scourge. Had it been any other Hunters they might have been scoffed at and turned away but by this time anyone alive knew of their prowess, and many agreed to take part. Yet not all that were chosen were effective Hunters and indeed many failures set back their plans initially. Their best recruits happened to be the youngest of the groups, and none were more effective than Josephine and Kael. Though they were but children when Edmund took them in they were quick to take up the life of Hunters and showed great promise. It would still be some time until they were ready to fight on their own. They were the future though, of this Edmund had no doubt, and with others like them his dream of bringing the Nightmare to and end may be realized.

Apprentice Kael

Name: Apprentice Kael
Age: 18
Gender: Male

Weapon: Simon's Bowblade

Appearance:

Kael

Brief History:
"We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood." Not exactly the most uplifting ideas for a child to grow up with. This was the reality in which Kael grew up however and these words were eerily common for him and his fellow Yharnamites. The blood was meant to help people, to cure illnesses and impairments and make the old young again, this was what they had been taught growing up. Yet as the saying went blood was anything but a godsend and more of a curse as it would lead to their people's demise. Partaking in the blood would lead men to become beasts, good men grew crazed and bloodthirsty and slaughtered one another, and sometimes their own family. On the night that the Blood Moon appeared the chaos began and it has still yet to cease.

Like many others Kael had grown up in obscurity, neither rich nor poor and the eldest of three children. Like other children his age he went to school, had friends, he helped around the house and planned one day to take up his father's trade of hunting. Their lives had been relatively tranquil despite the Blood Moon looming over them. Incense managed to keep the beasts at bay and what few Hunters remained took care of any who dared come too close. Yet with no outside supply of incense their own lanterns would inevitably dim, and with each light that faded the beasts encroached further and further. No one went outside anymore except for necessity, and even then only if it was absolutely crucial. One by one families and houses around them experienced the horrors of the Blood Moon. Family members were lost to the beasts or joined their numbers, those who ventured out to try and fight back the plague never returned, and families which were once close became strangers and isolated themselves from one another.

Kael's father was the first to go, slain while out hunting for food. He had been largely detached from that death though and only heard of it in passing, a strange blessing in disguise. He would lose his mother and his two younger siblings then and their deaths he would have to bear witness to, and it would come at the hands of his very own father. Lost to the beasthood his father tore them to ribbons and would likely have done the same to Kael if not for an opportune intervention by a Hunter. In the blink of an eye his mutilated father was cut down, sliced in two by the Hunter's sword. With his entire family slain and the world collapsing in around him he'd nowhere to go and may soon have given himself to the beasts, if not for the Hunter's offer.

"Join me and learn to fight the beasts. Don't let their deaths mean nothing."

So he did. His time was spent largely as a hollow shell, shambling mindlessly through training. Even so he showed promise and with a new lease on life vigor returned and Kael took to his new life with enthusiasm. Alongside Josephine he was one of Edmund's best students, taking up an iteration of Simon's Bowblade for his own. He would do whatever he could to help curb the beasts and bring an end to the Nightmare, he owed that much to his family, and to himself.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Just 'cuz you get it all the time that doesn't make it any better. Hell that makes it worse, you know? If you broke an arm or whatever all the time you'd be more careful..." Takeshi had no desire to fight Shu anymore, not with how very clearly his little brother was shaken up. The fact that Aito had even had to come down to see him now was clicking, if the doc saw a reason to see Shu then he was actually hurt right? Even if they spelled it out for the little guy he'd probably still want to fight and he didn't know how to make his brother back out. Would he get pissed if he just forfeited the match?

Takeshi did know what Shu was talking about, he'd been there too. Of course his punishment for being caught was nowhere near as bad but he'd been there, he'd lost what it was like to be free. Hell even before that he'd actively avoided people as much as he could and it was only because of Shu he'd gotten so involved. They could be part of this and not have to fight each other, the people would get over it and they wouldn't be any worse for wear. It was strange having a feeling of absolutely not wanting to fight. Shu seemed so adamant about it though and much as Takeshi wanted to just refuse letting his brother fight he didn't know if he had the heart to. This was about pride for Shu wasn't it? Even if the little guy didn't say so outright he didn't want to be babied and coddled, even Takeshi figured that much by how Aito was treating him.

"Fine, you wanna fight squirt? We'll fight, it'll be our little rematch from our first tournament. That means you've got to go into this like you're gonna win, okay?" They'd have their match then, he just had to come up with some kind of plan before it began. No way was he going to fight his brother in the state he was, and truth be told Takeshi hardly cared about winning. Nothing was to gain from a mismatch tournament where, as Ricken had pointed out, it was grossly in their favor from the beginning. Even without Ki how was anyone supposed to match the strength and speed of Saiyans? Ricken and Sasha had been the closest and at best they'd managed a few seconds longer than others, which meant their fight was basically what this whole mess led up to. It should be epic then, but Takeshi felt like he'd just as soon throw it for Shu's sake. And he probably would. "Relax so your head stops spinning, and get ready to get your butt kick," the older boy teased, putting on as much a smile as he could, "I'm not gonna let you win."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

"Right... 'Cuz no one's ever won a battle that they were outnumbered in. Face it lad, your clan was just outmatched. You say she's weak and I agree, she's pitiful for some royalty. But you still lost to her, and if their royalty is as lousy as that then what are their average fighters like? Say what ya want, but your clan was weak." The number of times they'd evaded capture by the military or the Church was more than Gage could bother to count but it had been plenty enough for one lifetime. They had started as a ragtag bunch of misfits and only grew since coming into Cedric's circle, but they'd had plenty of fights they should never have walked away from. If Kensen was too proud to admit his clan just hadn't been up to snuff then fine, he could keep living in whatever world he was in. "And lad, don't you go lecturing me about Tali, you hear? I've known her years longer than you and this ain't her. She's done stuff you couldn't believe, only reason she's doing any of this, only reason she helped you, was that old bastard. She ain't doing it out of the goodness of her heart, its an obligation." No way in hell was he going to accept that Taliya had gotten soft, certainly not to the point she was extending a hand to anyone that needed it. That just wasn't her and it wasn't their job to try and save every damned Magi that stumbled into Mutebo. "Besta luck training them whelps though, considering how they did today they'll probably drop dead before they ever figure it out!"

Aside from the whole nearly dying and the broken arm things had gone pretty well for them. That said Ethan wouldn't mind going back to the compound and sleeping off the rest of the day now. Get bandaged up and healed, get some hot food in his stomach and maybe nuzzle up into Wyth's soft fur for the afternoon, that sounded nice. At least they had made it back to Mutebo by now and they were no longer at risk of being eaten alive by molten-lava-dog-things. It was almost relaxing if Kensen wasn't shouting at them to move faster. Smiling exasperatedly he tried to stumble forward faster but had Nymira grab his shirt and slow him, giving her a confused look. When he realized then she was now leaning against him and not the other way around he blinked in surprise, looking down at her leg and seeing her bloodied ankle. "Y-Your wound! Why didn't you say something? We need to get that fixed!"

"Shut up, it's fine. I just can't lean on it," Nymira retorted, gritting her teeth as she stepped down to prove her point, "Don't go running off, I need help walking right now." She wasn't going to have Kensen barking orders at them like that, they would move at their own pace and get there all the same. Obviously they would all love to be back and not in their current situation but shouting at each other didn't make anything move faster. Plus who was he to demand anything of them?

If they were anywhere else other than Mutebo he could understand Adrianna's disguise. Traveling was unsafe for Magi nowadays, especially those who defected from the Church, and the punishment for people who did as much was imprisonment if you were lucky. Lionel considered pressing her for more information but let it be as he decided she wasn't up to anything bad here. If she was still with the Church and trying to find them a way in he'd have to do something about it, but it was clear by her disguise that was the furthest thing from her mind. Smiling as she in turn questioned him he gave as vague an answer as possible and left it at that. Who he was exactly or where he'd come from didn't matter much, what he was doing now was all that mattered. Unsurprisingly she wasn't pleased with his reply but Adrianna took no further measures to get any answers so he took his turn again, asking about her future plans for Mutebo. Would she stay or would she move on? Only so many places were safe for Magi now and Mutebo was one of very few safe cities, if she left here then where would she go?

"I'm going to do whatever I feel like doing. The Church isn't telling me what to do anymore, so I just kind of plan on... Traveling," Lionel explained with a dismissive shrug. A smile crossed his face again as he slipped off of the crates and raised his arms in a stretch, humming as he rocked back and forth on his feet. "Maybe see the world, get to meet people, practice some of my skills. Who knows! I could spend my life as a fisherman, or I could take up a trade, or maybe I'll settle down and have a family!" He had plans of course but nothing he was going to divulge to Adrianna. Maybe if she was a good girl he'd throw her a little tidbit, just something to pique her curiosity.

Lionel figured they were good as done when Adrianna begun to move away. He was just as ready to depart until he noticed where she was heading, his shoulder slumping as he spotted Nymira and Ethan all banged up yet again. Hadn't they just fixed those two up yesterday? And by the looks of it they were barely keeping it together as they sluggishly walked along, presumably on their way back to the compound. Time to fix them again... Following after Adrianna he smiled politely at Kensen and Gage, waving to them before stopping behind the other "male" healer, peering over her shoulder to see her at work. "Ooooh, Luminous magic. Very cool, wish I could do that!" Lionel commented with a whistle, looking away from Ethan to Nymira, spotting her bloodied ankle. With a sigh he threw Kensen an accusatory glance before standing before her and kneeling down, reaching into his back pocket for a cloth. "You didn't bring any medical supplies with you? Either of you? Taliya would kill you if she found out..."

"If the kids were even half-able they wouldn't have ended up hurt. It's a miracle they even got out alive." Gage wasn't having any of Lionel's crap, the healer tried to shame them for not babying every single person that walked through those doors.

"Oh, so its their fault they probably were in over their heads. Good thing they had two perfectly capable men to do absolutely nothing to help," Lionel replied, smiling as he looked back at Kensen and Gage, giving a chuckle, "I'll be sure to mention that to Taliya when I get back! I mean after all it is my job to tell her if someone's hurt." Back to helping Nymira, he didn't have any real medicine on him but he had a spare cloth he could bind the wound with anyways. Once it was completely covered he smiled and gave the Dimuran a thumbs up and smile, her utterly perplexed look amusing him. "At least we know they won't drop dead! If they were any more bloodied they would probably have to be carried!" Reaching out and slapping Ethan on his just healed arm he seemed to not notice him wince as he turned then to Adrianna, gesturing towards Ethan and Nymira. "Since you're a healer would you mind coming to the compound with us? I could use the help of a Magi fixing them up, and I'm sure they'd appreciate it."

"Uh... Actually can we go and see Cecil first? If it's all the same," Ethan asked, looking to Kensen for the okay, "I mean if its not too much trouble, I just want to see how he's doing. Just to be sure he's doing alright, if that's okay. Plus I think Amuné wanted to see him, we should pick her up too before we go back." Before getting too carried away he looked to Nymira with a hopeful smile and added, "Uh... If you're okay with it that is."

"My ankle is bloodied, I'm not dying. If we must go see Cecil before returning then I'm sure I'll survive," Nymira answered before speaking then to Adrian, "If you intend to heal me then it can wait. We'll visit our friend before I worry about my little wound." Taking a step forward to move along the Dimuran winced and nearly fell forward as she put weight on her injured foot. Ethan suggested possibly even carrying her to make things faster to which she grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, forcing a smile as she spoke. "Just be there for me to lean on and we'll be fine. Now let's go, I'm sure Cecil must be fixed by now."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Er... Are ya sure you should fight? I mean if you're dizzy then you hit your head pretty hard don't you think?" Zero efforts were made to hide the concern that was etched on Takeshi's face as he looked at Shu's head, worried there might be some blood somewhere in that mess of hair he had. Aito had cleared him but now he wasn't so sure why, the little guy could barely sit without wobbling. Shu really did want to fight though and Takeshi had looked forward to it himself earlier. Sighing to himself he rubbed at the back of his head, watching as some crew members went about repairing the arena for the final. The announcer had declared there would be a short break between the semi-finals and the final itself so they had time to relax, and hopefully time for him to convince Shu not to fight. His little brother was awfully excited but the last thing he wanted was to hurt him just for the sake of them having a little match. Plus after the crap with Ricken and realizing what an idiot he'd been himself the desire to fight had, for once, gone away. It was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

"You know we could have a little match any time, we really don't have to do this whole tournament crap. We both made it to the finals, we already know we both kick ass." There probably wasn't any way he could convince Shu not to fight without outright telling him not to. Still he should try, if Shu ended up hurt any more than he already was Takeshi would hate himself. "Plus we wouldn't have to be stupid and put on a show for a bunch of people, you know? We're down here busting our butts and they get to have fun, kinda seems like a lousy deal for us don't ya think? Heck we can have our own tournament with just our friends sometime, that'd be fun!" He still felt like he was getting nowhere with these arguments and they were going to have to fight one way or another. Takeshi let out another sigh and leaned back on the bench, placing his hands out at his sides as he looked up at the crowd. Come to think of it why had he even wanted to do this? He hated the tournament back home and only had taken part because of money, he hated idiots that sat there and watched you bust your ass for their entertainment. How was this any different? The stakes were lower but it was the same exact thing. It was for Shu to have fun, and for his idiotic self to show off, but he didn't much care for the latter anymore. He just wanted Shu to be safe.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Where the hell was all of this coming from? Takeshi knew Ricken and Sasha had lost their home to Saiyans but why was the guy taking it all out on him now? It was just a stupid little tournament, not like they were fighting for their lives or anything. Maybe he just had a shitty day and was taking it all out on him? Ducking under a punch so strong the air around it seemed to concuss Takeshi frowned and pushed the offending arm up, twisting it around Ricken's back and trying to pin him down on the arena. Getting a head bashed into his nose he loosened his grip with a groan and was batted off, rolling over hastily to avoid Ricken slamming both feet down onto his back. Having to almost somersault to avoid another ax kick he grit his teeth and sprang up, throwing a punch into Ricken's false arm and using his other to deliver an uppercut, becoming wary when he felt Ki building up again. "Seriously, cut it out man! It's just a tournament, the hell you getting so worked up for?!"

"What's wrong, weren't you going to win? You were so sure earlier, now you have a problem with it?" Scowling he let his Ki fade again and directed it to a speed boost, darting forward in a blur and slamming his arm into Takeshi's neck, hitting him and flipping him head over heels before catching him in mid-air. "You were going to beat me right?! Well come on then, Saiyan," he shouted, grabbing Takeshi's shirt and slamming him down onto the arena, "Show me what you've got!" No way was he going to lose to some arrogant, self-serving, loudmouthed punk like Takeshi. Leaning down to grab hold of the Saiyan's collar he winced when Takeshi suddenly kicked up and struck him in the gut, stumbling back and clutching it painfully. The Prince was quick to follow up and tackled him backwards towards the edge, and if Ricken hadn't struck him with a knee and stepped away he probably would have been thrown out.

So that was it? THAT was why Ricken was taking this so seriously? Just because he was a Saiyan? Sure he'd talked smack before the match but so what? Takeshi wanted to tell the rebel off for taking something so meaningless so seriously but he'd realized something as he was being yelled at: he was doing exactly the same thing. Save the blatant racism of course, that was totally on Ricken. But he'd been treating the tournament like a lot more than just a game hadn't he? Jura had said as much, that guy he'd fought earlier had called him a "hardass" or something like it, and now Ricken was calling him out on it. Was he really being that bad?

"Nothing to say now huh? All out of snappy comments are you?" Fine, maybe Takeshi would finally start to actually fight then! Sniffing in disgust Ricken started back towards Takeshi and was a bit curious when he just stood there, frowning and throwing a punch anyways. His fist was caught and he clicked his tongue before pulling it back and throwing another, eyes widening when Takeshi ducked and grabbed his arm, turning and flipping Ricken over onto his back. Slamming onto the arena floor he was then spun around and released to the edge of the arena, flipping and barely managing to dig his feet into the tiles to keep from flying off entirely. It was a short-lived victory however as Takeshi was already on him, and while he blocked the kick that came it didn't seem to ever be aimed to hurt but to push him back. Before Ricken knew it he had slid off and lost his footing, tumbling backwards and landing in the grass below. He'd lost.

The crowd was uncomfortably quiet after that match had ended and it took the announcer a moment to declare the match over. Takeshi watched as Ricken seemed to struggle with the fact he'd lost their match before he began slamming a fist into the dirt repeatedly, clearly angry about the result. Lips pressed in a hard line the Prince simply walked off the stage, heading back towards the bench and passing Ricken without a word on his way. Sasha was already getting up and moving to go speak to her brother which was great, it seemed neither she nor he wanted to talk to each other right now. Taking a seat beside the still shaken Shu the older boy sighed, rubbing his face with both hands before sitting forward in a slouch. Was that how people saw him too? Wound up too tight to enjoy anything and getting angry at the slightest thing? He got Ricken being mad at Saiyans for what happened, sure, but the guy couldn't relax even for something like this?

"Hey Shu... You doing okay?" Takeshi asked after a moment, looking to his brother and smiling slightly, "If uh... If your head hurts we can just not fight, you know? I'm cool with ending it here, I don't care if you or I win honestly." He'd been so excited to fight Shu again and have a chance to win he wasn't paying attention to the fact Shu was hurt. His brother had a history of hitting his head and it should be no surprise that doing so again left him like this. He couldn't fight him like that could he? "I mean... Aito said you're hurt yeah? The guy's a doctor so we should maybe listen to him, you know? I don't want you to end up hurt because we fought."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I knew they were going to do this... I knew the second their match was announced they were going to do this..." It came as a surprise to absolutely no one that Ricken and Takeshi were going to really duke it out for the final spot. It wasn't even so much reaching the finals as it was beating the other, that was what they were really interested in. Sasha felt fortunate she'd been paired with Shu over her rough brother but maybe their match up would have been better, he wouldn't have been nearly as aggressive with Shu. Probably. Sighing as she set herself beside Shu, Sasha arched an eyebrow as Aito did the same on the other side, curious to see him eating as casually as possible while he watched the fight. He was... Odd, to put it nicely. Watching the fight progress she felt herself cringing inwardly, hoping that neither of them was going to seriously hurt the other with Shu sitting here to watch. Very few matches today involved the actual exchange of punches yet Takeshi and Ricken had no problem trading blows, all but trying to knock each other's block off with each hit. "I'm so glad you're a good boy Shu..." Sasha laughed, smiling as she reached over and gently rubbed Shu's back, "Don't ever change. We need someone like you around, everyone takes everything way too seriously."

It wasn't just enough to have the Princes, having them meant nothing if they couldn't be relied upon to do anything. If all Shu and Takeshi did were pose problems then they were no better than any other soldier of theirs, again all their power couldn't reliably be directed. "I'll give them that their efforts in the field have been good, but there's plenty of reason to still be concerned. I won't relax until we're certain they don't pose a risk to the rest of our men, or to civilians." When posed whether he should be training or not Korian simply gave a "humph" in reply, narrowing his eyes as he continued to watch the fight below. Viral was specifically designed to fight those beasts so it was no wonder he was the best at it, everyone knew that. But his way of fighting them seemed to burn up quite a lot of energy, he would find a more efficient means of dispatching them. He knew Sayomi was just trying to get under his skin and it had worked, the Saiyan let out another huff before getting up from his seat. "I'm going to get a snack, I'll be back."

Ricken really wasn't letting up at all with his attacks. Takeshi blocked a high kick from the rebel only to have to step aside and push away his other leg as Ricken twisted around and tried striking him in the stomach. Gritting his teeth he threw a punch and managed to strike Ricken in the shoulder, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer before punching him in the face and letting him drop to the arena. Trying to get down to the ground and throw another Takeshi cursed when Ricken wrapped his legs around one of his own and pulled him down, ending up on the receiving end of a punch as he was thrown back onto the arena. Another punch soon followed, and another, and quickly Takeshi had to raise his arms to cover his face, tensing as repeated shots to his arms and body struck him. Getting fed up with it all he dropped his guard and sat up, smashing his head into Ricken's jaw to stun him before kicking him in the chest and knocking him away. Grunting as he got to his feet he wiped away blood from his mouth, scowling as he spit more out on the tiles. "What the fuck dude?! It's just a tournament, you know? Quit trying to beat the crap out of me!"

"Quit whining you damn monkey! Shut the hell up and just take it!" He was a Saiyan, they thrived when getting the crap beat out of them! Takeshi should be enjoying this, he'd only get stronger right? Whining then was completely idiotic, he had nothing to lose. Back on his feet he was abrupt in striking out again, slamming a fist into Takeshi's palm and lifting a leg to kick his head, growling as it was blocked as well. Spinning his body around and swinging his other leg down from above he kicked Takeshi in the back of the head, dropping to his feet and crouching before darting ahead and driving his shoulder into Takeshi's gut to try and knock him off the edge. Not only did that not succeed but he was grabbed and lifted off of his feet, being slammed backwards and yelping as he was grabbed by a leg and then slammed down a second time.

"Seriously! Get that stick out of your ass! The hell are you trying to do, put me in the hospital?!" This was already way more intense than most any other match in this tournament, and for that Takeshi would normally be grateful. But the way Ricken was hitting him and throwing punches it wasn't like he was trying to win this match, he was trying to hurt him. The guy looked to be in a rage as he just got up and all but threw himself at Takeshi, dashing aside to avoid him and grunting as he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and pulled along, being thrown off of his feet and flipping to land. "Relax! This isn't that big-" Again he was cut off, raising his arms and blocking a high kick aimed at his head. Grabbing Ricken's foot he swung around and tried throwing him out of the arena, clicking his tongue in annoyance as Ricken landed easily.

"Shut up Saiyan! Just shut the hell up!" Why did Takeshi think this was so strange? Was he really that much of an absolute idiot? Gritting his teeth furiously Ricken flexed his hand before forming an orb of Ki in his palm, hurling it at Takeshi as it was bashed into the sky and exploded over the arena. "Not that big of a deal?! It's just a tournament but your kind ruin it! How do you expect anyone else to even have a chance when a Saiyan shows up, huh?! How is that even fair?!" Trembling angrily Ricken threatened to form another Ki blast, glaring as the announcer began to get onto the stage. Realizing he might be disqualified he let it dissipate, turning his furious gaze back onto Takeshi. "You Saiyans think you can run everything, you run around acting like you're the best thing this universe has ever seen! Your entire race is built on slaughtering and destroying others, and yet you have the nerve to show pride?! I'm sick of it, I'm sick of the Saiyans acting like they control everything!" And Takeshi didn't think anything was wrong with any of that, nor did Shu. Even Korian and Sayomi were guilty of it regardless of what they thought. "I'm not letting a damned Saiyan win. I'm going to beat you, your brother, and show everyone the Saiyans aren't as dangerous as everyone thinks! People don't need to be afraid of them anymore!"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Aito's better judgement told him to pull Shu from the tournament and examine him more thoroughly just to be safe. Yet there was no visible wound and, all things considered, even if he did have a concussion it was an apparently minor one. Letting Shu continue on was terribly risky if he was struck in the head again, but hopefully Takeshi had enough intelligence to recognize not to do that... "Very well, I just wanted to be certain you were alright. Can't be too careful with blows to the head you see," Aito explained as he tapped his own skull, his eyes shifting to the corners as he looked at Takeshi, "I certainly hope no one else hits you in the head tonight Shu, because it could potentially be bad. Could be, you might be fine too. But whoever you fight next should probably be careful." Perhaps it was best that he remain down here nearby just in case anything should happen. When Shu was joined by his brother Aito took the chance to step away, heading to a nearby stall and getting the first bag of whatever was closest. It was some purple, puffy kernel snack from the looks of it, similar to popcorn but oddly juicy and almost like a grape in its flavor. He missed Earth food...

"A little bump's not gonna keep you from fighting anyways, you're tougher than that!" Takeshi said as he beamed, patting Shu on the back again before sliding off of the bench. The arena was tidied up and the announcer returning, there was only one match left before the finals and they all knew what it was. "Don't get too comfortable there buddy, after I beat Ricken it's you and me!" Grinning tauntingly at Ricken he gave the other boy a slap in the arm before racing up to the stage, hardly waiting for the announcer to call them up as he took his place. Watching Ricken slowly make his way up he let the man get his piece out and introduce them for what felt like the hundredth time today. Seriously did he have to do this every single time?

"No hard feelings when I kick your ass yeah? Just gotta fight my brother, you know?" As if he was going to waste even a second talking smack and try to get under his opponent's skin. Grinning as the final words were spoken and the announcer stepped off the arena he began stretching himself out as Ricken simply stood there with a glare in Takeshi's direction. "Seriously, smile, lighten up! Jeez looking at you its like you've got something stuffed up your a-"

Ricken had moved halfway through Takeshi's prattling and closed the gap in a blink, gritting his teeth as he reeled back a fist and slammed it into Takeshi's jaw. The punch nearly made the Saiyan spin on his feet and he didn't much react as Ricken kicked out and struck him in the stomach either, that one taking him off balance and knocking him onto the arena floor. "Shut up you idiot and fight," Ricken snapped, lowering his leg and spitting in Takeshi's direction. "Don't waste my time with your crap, back it up."

"Cheap shot you ass, but fine... If you just want to get to me kicking your butt then we'll do it." Rushing in after Ricken and throwing a punch he whiffed entirely as it flew over Ricken's shoulder, grunting when he took a fist to the jaw and stumbled back. Throwing another punch and having it shoved aside he groaned when Ricken snapped the back of his hand at Takeshi's nose and hit him square between the eyes, sweeping his legs out from under him and grabbing one before lifting him and slamming him back down onto the arena. Only by rolling aside hastily did he avoid possibly having ribs broken as Ricken threw an axe kick into the ground, smashing through the tiles and cracking the arena straight to the ground beneath.

"Cool it! It's just a fricken tournament you know?! Stop trying to kill me!" Not even to his feet again Takeshi had to roll aside to avoid another kick, growling and throwing another punch that missed as Ricken jumped back.

"Tch, you're a Saiyan, you can handle it!" Always so prideful and arrogant, where did he get off thinking anyone would take it easy on him like that? The only reason the others in the tournament hadn't done the same was because they lacked the strength, but Ricken would be sure to pay Takeshi back for his arrogance.

"Fine, I suppose that's enough. It's just wasteful, they're Saiyan royalty and yet neither can be depended upon. They could sway this war themselves if they could only channel their strength properly." Perhaps he was being a little impatient, and with the war technically halted due to an armistice there was little reason to be so hasty. Better to be sure Shu was stable before pushing him he supposed. Sighing aloud he leaned back again and rested one arm over the back of his chair, watching the match below with partial interest. In terms of pure strength Takeshi should win but, like his brother, he had no idea how to wield it. It came as no surprise that Ricken had him on the ropes right on the onset. He didn't much care who advanced through this match and was only interested in seeing how Shu might perform in the finals, whoever his opponent was. "After this is over we should discuss how we're moving forward with them. Whether or not we're including them in our efforts to curb the beasts," Korian muttered, rubbing his chin and frowning as Takeshi was made out like a fool, missing yet another attack. "Or perhaps they're best left here to train."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"No Shu you aren't in trouble. A little harmless wrestling is perfectly alright," Aito answered with a small smile, holding a hand up in front of Shu's face, index finger extended. "Just follow my fingers with your eyes okay? Nice and easy." There was very clearly a loss of balance and difficult in speech, that was enough in of itself to say Shu had a concussion. Now there were two perfectly good reasons to pull Shu out of this entire situation and sideline him but if he did there was going to be a lot of fuss about it. So did he allow Shu to fight or did he take him out? Glancing over at the remaining competitors on the board he didn't particularly see anyone that would hurt him if he had to fight, and it was a safe bet it would be him against either his brother or one of the rebels. Still... He could scarcely walk in a straight line. "Shu? I think it might be a good idea for you to withdraw from the tournament. You hit your head and that's never good, you don't want to hurt it any more do you?" He technically had no authority here to tell anyone to stop fighting and his being a doctor meant little off-world no doubt but that didn't change the fact Shu probably shouldn't continue.

"Hey Doc, what's going on? Shu alright?" Kind of weird that Aito would come flying down just to check on Shu. When assured it was just a routine check up Takeshi let it go even if he had some more questions, figuring the doctor wouldn't explain himself anyways. Stepping around Aito he grinned broadly at Shu and sat beside him, giving him a slap on the back with a laugh. "Nice job buddy! Looks like you're getting into the finals! I wonder who you're going to be fighting next." As if anyone had a question, there were only two people left to fight before Shu's next match began. Lifting his head and meeting Ricken's disdainful and grinned tauntingly back, eager for the chance to beat his grumpy ass up. "Not like its even going to be any surprise. You'd better be ready to fight when I get to the finals too Shu, I want to have a fun fight with you. And I'm going to win this time, just you watch."

"Hmph... Like you have any hope of winning without Ki," Ricken grumbled, sneering as Takeshi told him to repeat himself. "You heard me. With Ki you Saiyans are strong, but without it you're hardly better than anyone else. You're an idiot if you think you've got a chance at beating me."

"Ricken! It's just a tournament for fun, it doesn't matter who wins or loses. Try being a good sport about this." Ricken snapped back about just doing what Takeshi was, to which Takeshi snapped back that he was only doing it because Ricken deserved as much. Groaning in frustration Sasha placed her face in her hands, dropping them to her sides and rolling her eyes. How could these two be so similar and yet clash so much? It was infuriating! The two of them began to argue yet again and got rather close to one another, almost to the point where they were screaming in each other's faces. Watching them in disbelief she sighed in relief as Aito grabbed each by the back of their shirts and separated them, moving to Ricken and taking his arm, dragging him away from the others. "You're unbelievable..."

"That's quite enough fighting, your match is coming up anyways," Aito laughed, smiling tightly as he forced Takeshi to take a seat beside Shu, "Try not to kill each other though, hm? This is a tournament for fun, as it it's not serious. You're going to have a heart attack if you can't relax."

"Look at the way they carry themselves, it's exactly the same. And field reports don't show any signs of them changing either," Korian explained in exasperation as he watched Aito separate Takeshi and Ricken. Their match was going to be messy, hopefully neither was actually stupid enough to break any of the cardinal rules of the tournament. The fact that Sayomi couldn't see any problem with the boys perhaps suggested they had been apart from their own people for far too long. Had she forgotten why Saiyans were a great, proud race? Did she forget they needed power to win this war and be rid of the King's tyranny? There was plenty of reason to be upset at the boys' inadequacies, least of all which was that it was bothersome. "Fine, but then our race has shown that Saiyan hybrids are typically stronger. So not only are they not as strong as they should be but they also lack control. And for all rights Shu is an animal. He's barely cultured to live among people, he's a risk for those around him, he needs a lot of work done." There were some among the group of Beastmen taken in that were becoming settled better than Shu was so what did that say about him? Sighing to himself he leaned back in his seat and rubbed his temples, casting a glance down at the stage as the announcer prepared to start the last semi-final match. "Put your sympathies aside and look at this objectively: You know as well as I do that Shu is a risk still. Whatever his reason for that is irrelevant, he's a risk. And afraid of himself?" Korian posed, frowning as he gave Sayomi a doubtful look, "That's idiotic. There's no reason he should be afraid of himself."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"That's right, food after the finals! Win or lose we're getting some more of that fruit!" Something to look forward to if not winning the finals themselves. Bumping their fists together in a show of camaraderie Sasha smiled and stepped back for Shu to jump down, raising an eyebrow as he stumbled and nearly toppled over. Had she kicked him that hard? "Good... As long as you're having fun that's what matters," she said with a smile, uncertain if Shu should even fight now. There was no blood but maybe she'd kicked him much too hard earlier. Looking around uncertainly as none of the doctors came forward to help she stepped closer to Shu and gently put a hand on his shoulder, easing him towards a bench as Takeshi and Ricken came over towards them. "I bet you're pretty tired after that, how about you sit down and catch your breath?" Hearing the announcer yelling at someone to return to their seats Sasha quirked an eyebrow and turned towards the stage and was surprised to see Aito flying down towards them. What was he doing here? He was completely ignoring the announcer and paying no mind to the two rebels who were coming around to probably take him back to his seat.

"I'm a doctor, just let me take a look at the boy." The rebels didn't seem sure about that yet Aito clearly wasn't going to be taken away regardless so they simply remained nearby if need be. Smiling at Shu he gestured to the bench and waited for Shu to be seated. "Nothing to worry about Shu, I just want to make sure you're okay after hitting your head there. It's standard stuff, everyone gets this treatment." Inspecting the young Saiyan's head briefly for any visible wounds Aito knelt before the bench, continuing to smile as he spoke to Shu. "I just need you to answer a couple of questions for me, okay? I need you to tell me what your name is, where we are and what we're doing. Also if its hard to think of any of that be sure to tell me too."

"No... But I've had my fair share of ordeals in life. The number of times I've nearly died and been beaten are too many to remember. My point is you can't play victim just because you've been beaten down. And Saiyans are known for becoming hardier and stronger for our defeats but they're just as careless and meek as ever. They've learned absolutely nothing, all that strength of theirs means nothing." It was infuriating honestly. No matter what side they were allied with at the end of the day they were all Saiyans, they had pride and they had their combat prowess which made them who they were. How was Sayomi not frustrated with them as well? "Train him? He can't be trained when he's afraid to even fight, that's my point. It doesn't matter who trains him, as it is he can't be trained." Seeing Aito descending from the stands and going to join the children he watched with a hard frown, furrowing his brow and almost rising out of his seat to follow. Just what was that man doing now? Coddling Shu again after a harmless fight? "Hmph... How are you not frustrated with this? We're SAIYANS!" Korian said angrily as he gestured to the display below, "We fight and we live on, that's all our people do. They're... They're unbelievable."