Takashi

Mirror, Fox, Key

TEAM RUTABAGA

Telio didn't understand why Fiammetta was making such a big deal over the drawing, and it even irritated him a bit when she began to criticize him; not his work, but him. Did she really think he didn't take pride in every piece of art he produced? Art was not just his livelihood, it was his life, and he was fortunate enough to be able to sustain himself with it. So when something didn't come out the way he wanted it to, or when something was ruined, it was his right to throw it away, for it was his life, not anyone else's.

"It was beautiful once. And it will be again."

For some reason, those words seemed to calm him. Indeed it had been beautiful, but how could it be once again? The picture was ruined; he would just have to draw another one, and he was certain that there would be plenty of other fascinating things on this adventure to draw. However, he could tell from the way Fiammetta held the drawing, that her gaze was not one of sympathy but of genuine admiration. He wondered what she saw there, but he didn't have to understand for the sentiment to reach him. "Thank you," he said. "I'm glad you like it."

That was all he could say before Spook issued them their first task: catch a felidrake. The creature was like something out of a fairy tale; all the lovable cuteness of a house cat splashed with the magical whimsy of a dragon... He wanted to draw one! He would get the job done nice and quick, and he would use all the free time he had to draw one of those delightful critters. He was certain that if he showed anyone in Enn his picture that they would think he made the creature up, but these were real things!

He was ripped out of his reverie by a sudden pop and felt a weight on his head, as well as several pointy claws. He looked up with his eyes alone, not wanting to tilt his head back. The felidrake looked down at him, apparently mistaking his head for one of those quaint little statues he saw them roosting on. It lifted its claws, and when they started to get tangled up in his hair, it realized that something was off. Slowly, Telio raised his free arm. If he could just grab it and get it in the cage... He went for it. He felt the felidrake's fur between his fingers for barely a second, and then, POP! Perhaps getting them "nice and quick" wouldn't be so easy.

Mirror, Fox, Key

I feel like I'm the only one who didn't imagine them as friendly. Sure, they're part cat, but I imagined that the dragon part would make them a tad aggressive. lol.

"Ki can make Ice too!?" Battle of Ki Users, Brighton vs Tanzo

@LeeRoy That's OK. I've been keeping busy with NaNoWriMo anyway. Think you'll be able to reply soon?

Mirror, Fox, Key

Here's another Daily Dose of Awesome for all you samurai lovers out there.

TLDW: Anime is real.

Mirror, Fox, Key

Have you had your daily dose of awesome today?

youtube.com/watch?v=-OXFEDR1u9o

"Ki can make Ice too!?" Battle of Ki Users, Brighton vs Tanzo

Had Ryozan thrusted full force with the intent of dealing lethal damage, the parry would have been the perfect counter. However, this was a strike of reconnaissance, not aggression. His primary objective had been to discover whether or not his opponent was safe to strike, and it was intention to draw the blade away quickly to begin with. Indeed, he felt the electric charge and it caused his hands to quiver in response, but only briefly. It was the tentative nature of the strike that saved his balance and allowed him to maintain a grip on his blade. As Mr. Sunshine rose his blade in the parry, Shirogami slid along the flat of the crystal saber and returned to Ryozan. The parry was not completely ineffective, for in the time it would take Mr. Sunshine to recover from the excess force of his slipped parry Ryozan would need to adjust the degree of deflection the strike had caused. He was not prone from the maneuver, but not fit for an effective counter.

Ki coursed through Ryozan's body, building from deep within his core and flaring through his body. The blade was already in a high position from the stance he had chosen, so to strike he simply needed to bring it down. The blade curved through the air in a downward diagonal motion, just as forceful as it was elegant... and then struck nothing. The blade halted in front of Ryozan, now locked into a defensive kendo stance. The flare of ki, the aggression in his eyes, even the snarl he gave as he moved, all existed solely to give credence to the feint. And, if the feint caused his opponent to doubt his safety for even a fraction of a second, then that was the only opening Ryozan needed to switch stances. Rather than give the kitsune a psychological shock, this brief exchange gave him a very valuable piece of information: it was not safe to touch Mr. Sunshine with his blade.

Now was the time for him to prepare for a mode of attack that would be far more effective. As he took his defensive stance, a brisk wind swirled about his arms. They seemed only to sparkle at first, but then a layer of ice emerged, taking the form of a gauntlet with a short blade protruding from it. These would be the first of many weapons that would be able to safely damage his opponent, but for now he waited to see Mr. Sunshine's response to the feint and prepared to defend himself with the ice gauntlets.

"Ki can make Ice too!?" Battle of Ki Users, Brighton vs Tanzo

Mr. Sunshine took a great deal of time, at least in Ryozan's opinion, admiring the arena, going so far as to vocalize an outburst of how wonderful it was. Ryozan agreed with the sentiment; it was exhilarating being surrounded by such a mass of fighting spirit. However, such spirit did not want them to stand there and admire it, it wanted them to fight before it, nourishing the spirit as well as their own souls. The stern and serious expression on Ryozan's face was no indication of a bad mood, but rather quite the opposite. His own spirit was swelling in the wake of the others and he felt more like a warrior today than he ever had before.

Ryozan was no fool, and picked up on the electric pun easily. So he was some kind of electromancer then? "Thanks for the hint," he said, not breaking his stance by so much as a millimeter. "But I would much rather show you my abilities than talk about them. Once we are finished, you will no longer have to ask what I can do." Ryozan didn't know if the electric sparks that danced about them were a passive aura, or just Mr. Sunshine showing off once again. Either way, he considered the possibility that wielding a metal sword may be detrimental in this fight. He decided that it was better to find out sooner rather than later.

Ryozan was done talking, and that much was revealed in his eyes. He pulled his sword up level with his cheek, the tip of it aimed at Mr. Sunshine's chest. The electric aura made his fur stand up and his whiskers twitch, but would it flow through a steel blade? He dug his feet into the ground and let his ki flow into his legs. Mr. Sunshine wanted to know if he was a ki user? Here was his answer. Raw kinetic energy burst from his feet as he made a short hop forward. He closed the distance between them in a blur and synchronized a stabbing motion with his momentum. One quick jab with the tip of his blade, and he drew back, this way if physical contact with Mr. Sunshine's body would do harm he would feel it, but he would not leave is blade in the current long enough to do harm.

RPGuild Ranking Headquarters!

@LeeRoy Yup. I should have a post up sometime tonight.

Mirror, Fox, Key

@Darinthus Does Roy cry when he chops them down?

Mirror, Fox, Key

I can actually see Telio being quite good at magic. As a cartographer he has to be pretty good at geometry and various kinds of algebra, which are skills generally associated with rune-based magic. I can also see him getting a bit reckless in experimentation...