Light as a Feather

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: Ash 8, 122
NOTES: -

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To Vinsue's query about the Kalzasern climate, "have you much experience with snow? The temperatures will drop quite a bit more, in time, as Ash wanes and Frost truly begins." If she were to reply stating a lack of familiarity with snow, Jae-Seong would happily inform her of such a weather phenomenon. He very much doubted such a thing was all too common in Ecith, though there would likely be some if one were to venture up to higher altitudes, he imagined.

Once the swordsman and his guests arrived in the palace training grounds proper, Jae-Seong did not summon his standard weaponry; there was no need to take the added risk with sharpened blades if one's intention was not to kill. That being the case, while Vinsue and Bonzi set down their gear and situated themselves, he strode over to collect blunted weaponry. These were made of a combination of wood and metal, meant to mimic the weight and feel of a proper sword without the sharpness. Once he returned to the two foreigners, it was apparent neither had any questions for him; he was met with but one phrase: 'don't hold back,'

There was, at that point, a roughly six-foot gap between the two combatants. With little warning, Jae-Seong's features would begin to shift in a manner most eldritch if one were not used to watching Rathari or Animists practice their transformations; he had begun the process of shedding his Zoan form to assume his Lycan shape. Prior to his opponent's ability to react and still mid-shapeshift, the now-revealed Rathari leapt into the air aided by a powerful gust of wind at his feet; an act enabled courtesy of his Elementalism. Though his Lycan form was still stabilizing, he was far lighter like this than as a man, allowing him to achieve greater heights.

Using further Elementalism whilst airborne, the swordsman lunged forward through the sky, ending up behind her in space and then utilizing magic-manipulated currents to spin himself around prior to landing. Effectively, this would allow him to come down as if he were a bird of prey; his goal was to knock the wind out of her with feet against the back of her ribs and blunted blades at her neck. Whether this endeavor succeeded or not would depend on her reaction time and ability to deflect him.

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'Thoughts'

"SynskritTongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"

[Vinsue]

"Never heard of snow. And honestly not a huge fan of cold." She would listen as he explained. Snow. Like rain that froze in fun shapes and fell to cover the ground. Rather than simply making mud it makes everything white. Snow was an interesting concept. But she was unsure she wanted to experience it.

When it came to the actual fight. She was ready. She held her spear at the ready. She adjusted her feet and kept eye contact the best she could. She had not anticipated that he could or would use magic. Nore did she expect him to take on bird attributes.

She was quick to turn but not quite quick enough to completely block his attack. It was mostly a blur of movement that left her breathless on her back. Her spear had effectively blocked his knives from her throat. She gasped for air as she kept his blades from her neck.

"Hay Vin, your friend is a bird Rathari. With Elementalism" he called. Usually bonzi was helpful. But this was on the less helpful, more smart alec side.

Vinsue had some choice words to tell him but the focus on getting her breath back was more important. So instead she focused on getting out of the trap. Once she could breathe again she used his strength against him. As she replied to her half brother. "No dip, Bonzi." She said using both knees to send Moon forward when she let her spear fall to her neck. Just quick enough to let it almost hit her then used her strength to push forward. As soon as the weight was off of her she did a kick up and turned. Quickly she stepped forward and did a series of cross strikes before slapping with the end of her spear. With each strike she would push forward. She would then step back ready to block.

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: -
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It was odd to him to hear that the others were so unfamiliar with snow, used to having all four seasons as he was. Jae-Seong however, just nodded; while he knew not everywhere got cold enough to freeze, he almost felt bad for people that had never even the opportunity to experience each of the world’s seasonal colors. Though was it really a loss? For as much as he liked snow, many did not.

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His newfound friend and student managed to partially block the first strike, which, functionally, would’ve kept her neck from being cut directly. This, however, would not be enough to have saved her in practical combat; her precarious position would leave her vulnerable for him simply pushing down, cutting off her air supply or even pushing the blades through the bone of her hands were they not reinforced well enough with gloves. This, however, was not practical combat– so Vinsue had neither of these fates to worry about.

Though Bonzi’s comment was inevitably meant to rile his half-sibling, it very briefly stole the attention of the swordsman, amused by it– teasing among siblings was cute, in a way. That distraction, however, resulted in him losing his immediate dominance. She’d moved to use his weight against him, sending him over and off of her, and though she was free, he landed some feet away with grace, softening his fall with another brief gust of wind.

The first few of her strikes almost managed connect, though he pushed himself out of range of the others with a backstep and the force of more wind in his feathers. Though he could use other elements, the only one he had power over with any fluidity was air. The others? Too taxing or too slow for him to actually utilize in combat; his finesse with wind was a bit of an oddity, but he considered it a blessing.

Jae-Seong’s next move was to summon a small zephy beneath his opponent’s feet meant to throw her off balance and disrupt her ability to block him as he dashed forward, swords aimed to cut into her abdomen (were the sharp enough to do so).

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'Thoughts'

"SynskritTongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"

[Vinsue]

Like her brother would gladly say back home. Learn. Her opponent was fast and liked the wind. Though seemed more reliant on it than any other elements thus far. As he got out of reach, she took a rock-solid stance. A low squat balance is easily held even with the wind. But the true advantage of the spear showed. A spear was used for distance. Swords for close. By getting distance she was given an advantage. She moved quickly. Her left hand moved to the butt of the spear as the usually sharp end moved to his center mass as he charged.

As soon as she got the chance, she moved the spear into slicing motions. Keeping the movements short. She advanced quickly and easily switching spear positions from simple stabs to full strikes. In truth an exchange of blows in a blade fight was quick and deadly. Once she was hit, she would step back. She would give a nod with a slight smile. This was fun.

Her brother shook his head and laughed. She looked over at him. “What?’ she said, placing the spear on her shoulder. “We both know you're toying around,” he replied. She looked hurt. And put her hand to her chest “me? I'd never” she said. Her brother raised an eye, and she gave a snort and rolled her eyes. “Ok maybe you're right. Or maybe I'm a little rusty.” she gave him a stink eye can’t build false confidence if your plan is simply laid out for the world to see.

Something in her switched. Bonzi wanted her to be more serious than she would be. She was here to practice and yet she was playing. Her stance changed to a medium crouch. Her teeth bared, her smile gone as she turned it to a snare and tail flicked to keep balanced, her spear held in her right hand and her left on the ground. She waits for him to get ready and charged. Quickly switching her targets to places less guarded. Including a leg sweep and a few more strikes and jabs as he almost danced around him. Meanwhile Bonzi watched quietly.

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: -
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Moon Jae-Seong was fully aware of the fact that the spear countered his weapon of choice and, generally, would avoid mortal conflicts with those who wielded them if he knew they were possessors of consummate skill. This, however, was of little risk to him. He and his sparring partner had no plans to kill one another, and, far as he could tell, he had more martial experience than she.

In truth, he was less trying to flex his swordwork and more trying to practice using aeromancy to augment it. In actual combat, he didn’t feel safe expending a lot of æther; he was but a fledgling mage and worried that he’d fumble in one way or another and end up killing himself. Perhaps this was overcautious, but again, this was the perfect scenario to help gain comfort in the wind’s embrace...and the other elements at his disposal.

Once he’d managed to best her again, he stepped back and looked on at the two siblings with simple amusement. Their banter was cute. He had siblings…but he didn’t spend much time with them; he was gone a lot.

Once he and Vinsue resumed, however, the woman fought with more ferocity than before. Jae-Seong adapted quickly enough; he looked pleased at her uptick in effort. Though she came close, her blows did not end up connecting. The swordsman used augments of wind on both her and himself to create distance, to knock her weapon away from him, to push himself back; all things considered, she did very well for one without her own combat magic to use against somebody of his relative experience.

Jae-Seong was fast, not particularly strong, so when he did parry a strike, he had to let the force of her strength ride through him, often relying on wind to keep himself from falling back. The reach she had over him made her distinctly difficult to get close to, especially now. In order to do so, he’d have to break her defenses. Utilizing earth this time, the apprentice Elementalist caused a short, small in radius, yet reasonably strong quake beneath his opponent’s feet, making the ground beneath her uneven in the aftermath as well as affecting her balance from the force of it alone. Anticipating her trying to move away from this, he would attempt to knock her over with a gale of wind aimed to her legs.

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'Thoughts'

"SynskritTongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"

[Vinsue]

As her strikes missed she became more and more glad that she had ignored the challenge when they first met. As the fight was drawing out it was becoming more evident that it would have been her blood on the street and not his. But she had made the right decision and now got to practice.

She stayed determined even if her strikes were missing and being countered. To her it seemed that she would have bested him if he did not have magic. But winning was not fun, winning could not grow. In practice winning only brings temporary joy and confidence. Losing helped prove the point that she needed practice. Losing showed there was someone who could teach her to be better. It also kept her from making cocky mistakes.

Of everything that could happen the earth moving beneath her feet was not expected. I mean he is an elementalist so she should have expected it. But he had been so reliant on air. Vinsue, like a mighty tower, fell to her hands and knees. She did not need to look at her brother to know he was thinking that she should have been ready for it. True some mage master only one element bit others master all basic and some combined elements. That ment that she should have been ready for water, fire, and earth once she learned of the air.

As the earth stopped moving she again pushed herself up to a squatting position. Deciding to use the uneven earth to her advantage. Wind would be less effective when she couldn't be pushed by it. She switched her grip to the center of the spear and switched to defiance. Unlike her opponent she blocked the strikes instead of avoiding them as she worked to tire him out.

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: -
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Communing with the spirits of air and wielding it well came to Jae-Seong far easier than any other element, and as such, breaking the ground beneath his opponent’s feat caused him more strain than he was initially expecting. It came to him easier than fire, that much was for certain, but the resultant pressure in his head made his ears ring; nonetheless, he pushed through the distraction and maintained his focus. He was nothing if not disciplined.

Vinsue was a fighter far more defensive than evasive, a choice in style that contrasted his own, but was no less effective in keeping her in the fight, at least, for the most part. The point, however, of knocking her to the ground was to take advantage of his avian nature; once she was low, he once again took to their with a gust of wind from his Elementalism and maintained it by nature of the altered anatomy provided by his Lycanthropy. Unfortunately, he was reaching his limit aetherically, and that throb of pain that wracked his head told him so. And yet, he managed to, gracefully enough, maneuver onto the back of his opponent, blades at her neck.

Stepping back, “...you really do fight well,” he panted; overuse of magic on top of physical exertion wasn’t the most pleasant of feelings. “But I’ve…used more aether than I should’ve, so I can offer you no more today.”

“That being said, how long, again, do you intend to stay in Kalzasi…? I’m always happy to have more sparring partners, and as mercenaries, we could work together.” Since she’d proven she could hold her own against him, he extended the offer as she had therefore also proven she would be an asset as opposed to a burden in actual combat.

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'Thoughts'

"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"

[Vinsue]

Yet again she found herself lying on the ground. This time blades at her neck, face in the dirt. When he let her up she got to her feet and dusted off. She rubbed the back of her neck. She couldn't help but think of how that would have felt if the blades were real. When given a compliment on her ability to fight she smiled and gave a slight nod. "So do you." She replied. He had tired himself out which was her goal in a since. In a real fight being tired would make one weaker and easier to take down. Though it would have ended 3 times by now and not in her favor.

She kept her breathing deep and steady despite physically wanting to pant as well. Though the effort she put in showed more with the shine of sweet on her skin then it did with her breathing. “We plan on staying for a few seasons.” Vinsue said. She gave a smile at his offer. “I would like that.” It seemed she had made a good impression on Moon. As he gave her the option to help him as a bounty hunter.

Bonzi got to his feet with a yawn and stretched. He then dug through his bag. After pulling out what he was looking for he shouldered his pack and picked up Vinsue's pack before walking over to join them. He handed Vinsue her water before putting her pack down. He than held out a dried root to Moon. "Chew this, it will help with the headache." Bonzi said. He could never remember what the plant was called but was very formillure with its use and flavor. Bonzi was given it when he first started communing with the elements as he was always pushing himself to his limits. He has kept some with him ever since in case he overstepped but figured someone willing to spar with his sister would need it more than he did.

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: -
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Jae-Seong had definitely overstepped a bit with his magical abilities, but he didn’t actually view that as a bad thing. While he did not feel great as a result, he knew that he’d made progress regarding his skills with the arcane, and that, to him, was very much a positive. Situations like these were endlessly useful– he could afford to push himself at no risk to his life.

“Glad to hear it! It is…always a boon to house more hunters here.” He sounded winded, but his point stood. Hunters of monsters or of men; it didn’t matter; Kalzasi had many of both that were better off dead.

A bit surprised at the offer, the swordsman accepted the root from Bonzi. “My thanks,” he replied with a soft yet somewhat strained smile. “Is this native to Ecith?” He very much imagined it was, but his botanic knowledge was entirely limited to the flora of the north.

After doing so, he spoke. “In the coming days, I’ll let you know if I find something worth killing– mind telling me where I'd be likely to find you?”

“I myself am usually not hard to find. If I’m home, I can let the guards know to let you in if you request me by name, too.” While he was wont to slip out with fair frequency, he did prefer to use his home’s sparring grounds for any combat training, and he could find relative peace in his own chambers. "...and if I'm not, you can usually find me at one of the libraries in the northern part of the city."

For the rest of Ash and the coming seasons, he’d still need things to do, even if he were tethered to the city proper for more political purposes. And to that end, staving off his propensity for bloodshed would be difficult without an appropriate outlet.

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'Thoughts'

"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"

[Vinsue]

They would both give a nod as he said he was glad to have hunters. Vinsue would shoulder her pack. “Yea, but it's not the easiest plant to find. What I have always called it translates to ‘cat’s claw’ but I can't render what its actual name is. It’s more or less a cure all back home.” Bonzi replied.

When asked where they would be, Vinsue immediately shrugged and looked at her brother. “Morning and most of the day we will probably be here training if that's okay. Come evening she'll probably be at a bar and I'll be somewhere studying local meds to further my research. Hopefully I can find a cure for the shadow venom before she believes she is strong enough to face the snake.” Bonzi said. Just to get a glare from Vinsue. She then weighed his words and realized he was probably right.

She was not the alcoholic that her brother thought she was. “My goal in coming was to train so I can face the snake though I'm starting to think magic may not be a bad idea. As such I plan on training as much as possible.” she said. “That said, trying new things in a new land is not out of question.” Despite the fact the commit was supposed to get under his skin he simply smiled. “Glad you think that, because I got some new weapons for you to try. That and you should try Shirako next time you're in town.” he would not let on that he both knew what that was or that the reason he was telling her to try it was for payback.

They would both nod as he told them where he would be at. “Actually a trip to the library may not be a bad idea.” Bonzi said. He will try to find the library later. As of now though he was ready to unpack and sleep.