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(Suzu) Frosty Flamboyance

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:04 pm
by Rickter
Frosty Flamboyance
Frost 1st, 120th Year, A.o.S.

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Throughout the empty Proving Grounds the stands were seen being swept by custodians, for the light snowfall that pestered Kalzasi had blanketed many of rows at the front of each section. Not many warriors save for Sky Guard or guild mercenaries were found throughout the grounds themselves, so in actuality it gave a lingering duo ample room for some exercises. Dressed in their armors so that they could be accustomed to fighting in them, within the weather no less, Rickter and Telion were one of the few pairs among the small number of groups there that trained diligently.

"Hah!!" Telion's voice cried out as she assailed the big wolf, her staff swung in a downward arc and she slammed it hard into the shield on Rickter's arm. Though he wore chainmail he still felt enough force to actually retract his arm some, even backing off each time he felt her powered strikes smack at another part of his iron shield. Admittedly, the wolf could tell that the bard had grown a lot, as she was not only hitting him harder but moving just a little faster as well. Still, after her flurry of attacks, Telion backed off, brushing the surface of her palms along the leather of her thighs as she paced her breathing. "Still wanna go at it?"

The wolf simply grinned in return, his shield arm lowered a bit as he relaxed into a straighter stance, as his form practically towered over the blonde lady before him. "Absolutely. Hit me with everything you got!" In encouraging her Rickter lowered his shield arm once more, projecting it forward so that he could see above the rim, and prepare for Telion's next barrage of attacks whenever she felt ready. The bard took in a deep amount of air to breathe slower for a moment, and then with her iron staff in both hands, she charged at him once more. Striking from the right she battered the surface of his shield once more, using the recoil of his push away to carry the staff over, and bring it around from the right after a full circle rotation.

Bam. The force of her attack rattled Rickter's shield arm then, and he realized just how strong her attacks had gotten in turn. Nevertheless, the wolf didn't back down from where he stood, simply shifted his right leg a step or two to adjust for each attack. The wolf knew he could still shrug off Telion's blows as he was, and yet, it wouldn't be long before he found even her a challenge. Telion had been pretty dedicated to the physical training that Rickter provided for her, while in turn, he'd slowly been grasping more and more magic in their spare time together. With the Argent Hand tourney on the horizon now, however, it was high time that Rickter upped his own game; and showed that he was ready to conquer his enemies on the battlefield.

Telion moved in once again, her staff swung from the left as she clobbered his shield, following up with another hard smack from the right, before the bard finished her combo with another blow from below. The rim of his shield vibrated as Rickter's arm shifted, thrown out of its place from the underhanded force of her blow. Noticing the sudden retreat Telion realized the opening she'd finally generated, and moved in with the staff spinning between her hands, so that she might completely break through his impenetrable defense. This was good for her, and bad for him too but in a good way, as she was learning how to overcome obstacles with just might alone.

Yet while it showed just where Rickter's opening could be found, it also meant he needed to be able to recover in time as well. So when he noticed that extra swing from his companion, the wolf's eyes widened before zoning in on Telion and her form. Were she his actual opponent, he'd taken to squash her and beat her down using the very shield in his left hand. He'd have found a way to counteract her, or even flat-out subdue her for being so close to harming him. Yet this was just practice. And while he could've thought up several ways to react, the immediate response to her urgent strike led him to raise his right arm up in turn. Light flashed as teal-colored aether swirled past his wrist, coalescing into the metallic form of the bastard sword he'd use in actual combat.

Realizing what had happened Telion's movements slowed but barely, for the reaction had occurred in the thick of the moment, allowing their weapons to clash with one another the moment his sword materialized. Rickter felt a jolt within his own core then, as though something spurred within, giving him pause as he processed what exactly occurred at that moment. He'd felt a twinge or jolt in his wrist. A moment where he'd seen Telion stare hard in pure awe, as she'd been surprised by the fact he'd blocked her blow with his weapon. What was strange was he'd felt his weapon nudge him, so when the wolf realized it had happened with his actual Pact weapon? Well, you can imagine how confused he was.

Telion's minor retreat was only a few steps back, with the staff still held but in a carrying manner now, as the bard looked to him with astonishment and curiosity also. "Awe! You actually drew your sword!" She pointed out almost melodically as she remembered their first training session together, and the remark he'd made towards her before their accidental turn moments after. "I didn't... hurt you did I?" The answer was a firm no but even then... Rickter didn't seem to fully grasp the inquiry either. Rather he looked at his own blade then, his eyes thoughtful as he observed it in turn. Telion looked rather confused then, lowering her staff entirely as she watched him in turn. "Ricky?"

There was a moment... and then it happened. He didn't quite understand it, but looking at the iron blade in his hand, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to occur. "Must've been my imagination..." The bard tilted her head then, resulting in the wolf looking at her finally, before lowering his weapon back down with a shrug gestured at her. "Don't worry about it. It takes more than a single hit to hurt me."

"I know!" Telion remarked with a light giggle, tucking the staff behind her back when she did. "But even so, you still feel pain when you dismiss your weapon right?"

"Sort of," the wolf started as he eased the grip on his hilt some, "when a Reaver draws out their Pact weapon, whatever it is, their very soul embodies that weapon. In turn, every blow we intercept or make ourselves has a bit of a backlash. It's not normally threatening, but the pain is something you have to overcome." As he elaborated on this the wolf released his weapon entirely, allowing the bastard sword to dissolve into particles of aether, as they swirled from its tip toward the surface of his palm. Within a blink of an eye, the weapon appeared to drop, dissolve, and disappear within the very air before Telion. "Which reminds me... I was hoping to request something from you."

"Huh?" Telion tilted her head at him then, showing that he'd piqued her interest with that last statement.

"I've grown accustomed to the practice of Negation, and I know I've a long way to go to master it. But I was hoping to ask, if you wouldn't mind sharing that rune of Elementalism with me as well." Telion quickly straightened out as she realized what he wanted now, her expression turning into a considerable smirk when she stared at him as well.

"You want to learn and practice the power of the elements?"

"I've still got no ranged form of weaponry yet, and while I plan to someday, I'd defer to making sure that I'm well practiced with it firsthand. That said I'm still short of power when it comes to distance, which is why I'm asking if you'd be willing to help in that regard." Rickter explained with a reasonable tone, likely sounding more logical or perhaps even analytical at best.

"Hah, bold of you to ask!" The bard answered in turn, raising a finger up to point it beneath her chin as she considered the request. "I might be inclined... if you can show me how good you've gotten with Negation!" She challenged briskly with a few more steps taken back, leading Rickter be the one who tilted his head this time. "Simply put, show me how far you've gotten with your Shieldcrafting! Impress me and I just may reward you!" She offered in turn, grinning widely at the proposal she gave him.

Rickter honestly didn't think he'd be any good since she was far better practiced, but if all she wanted was to see his prowess with Shieldcrafting, then all he had to do was generate a shield that could negate her magic. Right? How hard could that be?

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

Re: (Suzu) Frosty Flamboyance

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2020 5:53 pm
by Suzu
Suzu liked to people watch. She especially liked to people watch when she wasn't being watched back. The Rathari, although protected by her furs in her Lycan form, had bundled herself up in a cloak and decided on a long walk, heading where her heart took her. The daily treks up and down the steps to the Kalzasi Bank meant she could walk quite a long while before she tired out. The had no idea how long she had been out when she broke out of her thoughts and realized she was at the Proving Grounds. She padded through the light snow and crunchy, frosted grass to the seating, just behind the most interesting of the sparring she'd spotted. Most everyone else seemed to be Sky Guard or other mercenaries fighting each other, but this was a giant beast of a human trading blows with a much smaller woman. To be honest, Suzu had no idea who they were, and she didn't know whether or not they'd mind being watched - though if they were in a place with benches, she figured they'd expect it.

Either way, once Suzu was situated, she began spinning her web. Masquerade was a fun rune to have, and this was a rare opportunity to use it defensively. She took in her surroundings - the light dusting of snow, the benches she sat around, the frost of the grass. The light brush strokes leaving behind small trails of dirt and powdery snow from the janitors sweeping the seats and pathways did not escape her notice. The fox pushed aether through her pores and all around her. She paid special attention to how the bleachers looked behind her, and she attempted to recreate it in a shimmering web around her. She hoped, from the outside, that it looked like no one was there.

Now, the Rathari wasn't particularly skilled enough to use Semblance and Masquerade at the same time. It was a fault she hoped to rectify someday through practice. She sniffed the air, snout and all hidden from the world, and caught a scent she wasn't expecting off the pair dueling right in front of her - the man didn't smell quite like a human when he sweat. Something was off. All at once, Suzu dropped the web, her curiosity overwhelming her desire to people-watch in peace. She focused aether in her nose, and used sniffed the air again - there it was. This man didn't smell like a human because he was a Rathari! He fought in his Zoan form well, from what she could tell, but he must have been going easy on the little woman before him if he wasn't in his Lycan form. Now Suzu was interested even more. She leaned forward a bit, and with the help of her large, fluffy ears, she could hear what they were saying as they fought.

So they were including magic into the mix. Suzu was a bit familiar with the rune of Negation, though she didn't possess it herself. Shieldcrafting must have been a part of it, and she watched eagerly to see how he would use it. Suzu didn't watch idly, and she was growing quickly bored of watching them spar. The fox hoped they didn't mind that she was about to spice it up a bit. To start, she simply made a reflection of the big Rathari man as he moved, and placed it just behind him, hopefully out of his range of vision.

Re: (Suzu) Frosty Flamboyance

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2021 5:41 pm
by Rickter
Frosty Flamboyance
Frost 1st, 120th Year, A.o.S.

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Rickter started by dematerializing his actual weapon, the Pact sword, before presenting his shield arm in front of him once more. He suspected that, from the manner she retreated, Telion was going to assail him with magic then. He wasn't wrong. The moment he held his free hand behind him to focus on channeling, the bard threw a jab into the air with her staff, channeling a small dose of her aether into the air when she did. The wolf felt a gust of wind brush into him then, a bit of snow carried into the gushing breeze as it pelted the surface of his shield.

Rickter remained steadfast, however, able to shrug the push off with his physical shield, while he still generated an anchor for the magical one in his free hand. Strange, for all intents and purposes, his left arm was meant to be the shield arm, and yet here he was juggling two aspects of a shield; one on each arm no less. Still, Telion didn't let up with another hurl of wind, pelting him with another brief gust of snowy air as Rickter shrugged it off once more, this time sliding a couple of feet as he still channeled aether into his anchor. Once the wind settled the wolf then shifted, his left arm rotating so that when he stepped forward, the physical shield was held behind him while his magical shield was projected from his right. Within his right palm glistened a sphere of green and blue, the aurora effect around his anchor immediately expanding when he loosened the clutch over his anchor.

In one single motion, Rickter spread out the aether within his anchor, willing for it to take the form of a flat quadrilateral surface. The very air in front of him looked to solidify, as though glass had manifested between him and his opponent. Telion's lips twisted into that of a grin, before she launched another spell once more, slinging another bout of wind at the wolf before his shield reacted with a glistening sheen before fizzling out. "Too quick Ricky!" She teased as she raised her staff once more, leading the wolf to bend his knees and brace to shift his posture once more. That is until she stopped, noticing something behind him apparently, before lowering her staff entirely out of pure surprise. What? "Behind you!"

His eyes widened and for a moment, he thought she warned him of a threat closing in. Almost innately the wolf threw his right arm out, sending it behind him as though he intended to strike without a weapon. Yet, just as natural as it seemed to dematerialize, the iron bastard sword from earlier manifested with a flourish of aether from his arm. In one single sweep it cleaved through the air, slicing at what looked to be... him!? The wolf's eyes went from full determination to that of awe, as he swiftly retreated from the fabricated figure that resembled him. Almost instantly the manifestation faded out, and yet, when Rickter attacked his blade simply phased right through it. "An illusion!?" Telion remarked with uncertainty as she drew near him, her eyes searching the arena floor for a possible suspect.

However, Rickter on the other hand, alert as can be after that little show, found a lingering scent in the air near them. They were too busy earlier for him to notice it before, but now, it was clear that another loomed within the vicinity near them. From the direction in which the wind blew, his nose led him to look towards the stalls instead, his blue eyes firmly fallen on that of another with her eyes on them. Hang on... The very air in front of her looked to shimmer, as though something between her and them faded out entirely. Was she a Negator too? No. That was impossible, shields could not create illusions... not to Rickter's knowledge. "There." He muttered lowly to Telion, who looked to him before following his gaze. Telion and Rickter both looked upon that of another Rathari, one who sat in her Lycan form as she watched them train together.

"So she's the Masquerader, huh?" She pointed out through minor observation, which the wolf nodded in agreement in turn. "Excuse me!" The bard then started as she planted the staff down by her, half-leaning into it as she tilted her head to the girl. While Telion wasn't quite aware of it, Rickter on the other hand could smell it on the red-head. The pointed ears and the color of her hair might've thrown it off easily, but it was easy to tell the scent of a fellow Rathari when one was near. Animalistic traits were what they shared after all, and though this one didn't seem to be the same as him, she still possessed some of the canine senses the wolf did. Sniffing the air he could smell the meadows of the Wildking's Forge coming from her, but also with a hint of the city's own musk itself clinging to her scent. "Are you the one teasing my friend here with illusions?"

The question wasn't honestly necessary, but it was Telion's way of building a bridge to somebody new. The wolf had found that she, like others, was great at making new friends; far better than he was, to say the least. That didn't go without saying that the wolf didn't try, however, just that he never actively pursued such notions before.

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

Re: (Suzu) Frosty Flamboyance

Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 6:55 pm
by Mirage
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Rickter

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