Description: Sokaku, Tyler, and Naerose meet up on Gedo Street by accident, but Tyler's potential is no accident! Sokaku sees into the depths of his soul, but what he drags forth makes the monk regret his decision!
He came from out of town, an old man in a monk's robe, a prayer staff in hand and beads draped about his neck; they gave him wide berth as he walked, his staff striking the ground like a walking stick and ringing out bell-tolls with each passing motion.
He was an old man from out of town, and he hated this place. Steel towers and little plots of land where nature was 'permitted' to exist by people who fancied themselves almighty gods, soiling the pure and ancient spirits of the land with their sick arrogance. Little better were those it glorified, the warriors who formed the new pantheon of this era - the street fighters who existed for their own strength, worshipped by the ignorant masses drunk on power.
He was an old man, and by the gods was he hungry.
He sits down, cross-legged, and dipped his hand into his pouch; wrapped and dried fruist fell into his hand, and he begins chewing on them complacently, staff resting against the graffiti-covered wall behind him. The land had been good to him this trip.
Heading home from yet another wonderful day at Gedo High, a young german student walks down the street in the direction of the old man. He's stride boasts a mixture of arrogance and confidence. A backpack slung over his left shoulder, holding onto the strap to keep it from sliding off of his shoulder.
Tyler quickly spots the old man in the silly dress as he draws nearer to them, he grins a bit cheesily at them, giving a passing comment as he gets within ear shot,"Nice dress, old man." He gives the man an up-nod of acknowledgement. Tyler's tone is the epitome of cockiness as he struts by the old man.
What does an old man, a Gedo high student and a witch have in common? They're all on the same street. That's what. Also on the same street is Mister Yoshi whom is very insistant that bills should be paid and while the woman dressed in red has some other thoughts about these bills, especially with the fairness of the advertised product.
"Miss, you must pay for your buffet, you can not just walk out on it," insists Yoshi.
"You said all you can eat and I totally didn't get that, cause I was .. no wait, I am still hungry. I'm so totally not paying," replies the woman - whom despite appearances, also doesn't ahave any money.. No wait, that's in addition to apperances perhaps.
"But miss," Yoshi begins and is cut off by the woman,
"I demand all I can eat."
Sokaku looks up at Tyler as he walks past, swallowing some of his food. His eyes, though not visible, still make their presence quite felt through the heavy straw hat, and he says absolutely nothing as he follows Tyler's progress slowly.
Another youth wasting away in this soulless environment. What a sorrow this world was becoming.
The old man finishes his fruit and makes a motion with his hand, thanking the gods for this blessing, then stands, looking at the commotion down the street. That woman seemed eerily familiar...
Surely not the girl from Russia? Sokaku heaves a sigh and clenches his staff in his fingers. Oh dear.
Tyler smirks a bit at the old man, stopping right by the old man as he hears the commotion as well. He turns to look back in Nae's direction, he tilts his head to the side slightly, he then calls out,"All you can eat does not mean all you can eat for free!" He chuckles to himself, then looks over at the old man again, sizing up his staff,"A walking stick? Take a cab." He then looks back toward the girl arguing with the restraunteer, and then he sighs,"Bah. Me and my generousity.." He grumbles and then moves down the street toward Naerose. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out his wallet he shuffles through it, counting the bills. "How much does she owe you?" He wrinkles his nose.
Tylor is like music to Mr. Yoshi's ears. He had been having an okay day, getting up at 6Am, and finding his shoelace ripped. A bad omen. He took his bicycle and rode in to work. He waited for the train to pass. He came in and got the kitchen into order. His cooks arrived. It was a somewhat slow day, customers just were not eating out so much in the current climate and then came Naerose. Usually foriegners were such a bother, but they paid well, so she was welcomed, at first. Mr. Yoshi had a all you can eat buffet for a reason, in Japan that usually meant you could charge more and pay less, people just didn't eat like they did in other countries. There were a few exceptions of course. He would cringe to see E.Honda or Li Xangfei walk through the door, but Naerose, this might of been the worst, he did not know this perfect nobody, so he seated her.
Two hours later.. she was single handedly eating..... everything.
"Oh thank you thank you sir-" Mr.Yoshi starts.
"Wait!" cuts off Naerose.
"I havn't gotten all I could eat yet, you can't pay for all I can eat when I only got not all I could eat." protests the woman in red.
Sokaku stops. The young man was being selfless, a sort of thing one rarely saw in this day and age - cynicism was an incredible facet of his personality, and so it took him completely by surprise.
He waits, tilting his hat down a bit and clenching his staff in both hands. He would see how this played out, and then, if the situation required, he would intervene.
After all, fighting evil was important, but so too was encouraging good.
Tyler was ready to hand the man some money, although he has more than the poor girl who was eating them out of business, he withdraws back as Naerose yells at him to stop, he does. He considers her words for a moment and then grins,"I'm a bit hungry myself, now that you mention it. Let's head back inside..... WAIT!" Tyler sighs then looks around for a moment, then back to the old man in the dress, he turns and runs over to the old man and gives him a pat on the shoulder rather roughly, though it's a friendly one, he's just a strong youth is all. "You hungry? I think I got enough for you too, if you want to come in with us? Better than that dried banana?" He shrugs his shoulders helplessly.
Now the last thing Mr.Yoshi wants is Naerose Delphine in his resturant ever again. He's going to have to think really fast about this one, of course first he tries to reason it out,
"Please mister, even if she paid her bill now it wouldn't begin to cover the expenses of how much she ate.." But Tylor is trying to drag yet another person in. Getting more money is good, but if these people know that woman in red then perhaps they are as expensive eaters as she? And mr.Yoshi still doesn't know what the extent of her mouth is, could this be.. the end of the resturant? He stares at the ugly relatity of going out of business in the face and has to think fast,
"Wait! We have a no witch policy, I'm terribly sorry, but some customers are frightened by witches."
Naerose's face falls. How many resturants had she visted that instatuted similar no witch policies, it really was becoming a bother.
Sokaku is about to decline when the owner adds a 'no witch' policy. A sigh escapes his lips, and the old man slowly makes his way over to the fellow; drawing himself to his full height of 176 centimeters, a flash of his eyes escapes the hat, all his considerable presence directed towards the man.
Yes, he understood that the expenses were too much. But the man's 'policy' was at least a touch cruel - there were better ways to go about it, and Sokaku rarely liked such coldness.
His hat draws down, and the old man allows his truly frightening presence to recede as he steps past Yoshi, uncaring. After all, if the man really wanted to pick a fight with him after his fighting aura had been shown...well. It was his own fault.
Well, Tyler is certainly a 'big boy' by anyone's standards. He's genetically gifted in other words, and he himself, could eat who knows how much. "No witch policy?" Tyler stops and looks back to Mr. Yoshi, he frowns at that as he turns his attention to Naerose again curiously, looking her up and down a moment. She's a witch? He shakes his head in disbelief, looking back to Mr. Yoshi and says,"I've never heard of such a policy before." He smirks a bit at that. He folds his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes on Mr. Yoshi intently. Miles shrugs his shoulders,"I guess we'll just take our money somewhere else then. And she's right, you can't make her pay if your falsely advertising an ALL YOU CAN EAT buffet. Seriously."
"There's a better place down the street that we can go to?"
There was two conflicting things going on, one person was making it clear they would eat there, another was going to thankfully take their money elsewhere while a third was a blackhole, bottomless pit that ruined entire food supplies. So what was Mr.Yoshi to do. Ah hah. A solution.
"Look look, okay, look she doesn't have any money, I can tell." Indeed he was right, Naerose has no money, "So I'll let her in and you can all be seated but she has to work off her bill first." A clever Mr.Yoshi declares, well aware that this kind of person hates work, why else wouldn't they have any money.
"Umm wut?" Naerose asks looking a little taken aback by well, everything.
"I need a dishwasher," he replies.
Sokaku is actually waiting right on the doorstep for the other two, having more or less forced his way in through sheer force of, well, presence; he turns, watching them. Their decision, he reflects, would be his in the end; these people had something about them, a sort of aura that had his interest. The boy was kind, despite his facade; the woman was...well, gods above, below, and all around, how does one describe Naerose? 'Interesting', I suppose, is a capable starting point.
Sokaku so far has said nothing, allowing his presence to simply 'sway' Yoshi towards whatever decision in the end occurs.
Tyler looks between Yoshi and Naerose, he then smirks and shrugs his shoulders,"Yeah, she'll do it!" Tyler reaches out to grab her hand and pull her along inside,"Besides, I'd rather not spend my entire allowance in one evening.." He smirks at Naerose and pulls her inside, following behind the old man,"Come on, dishwashing? It won't be that bad. Actually, I could use a job myself... " He looks back to Mr. Yoshi and grins,"Are you hiring anyone else by chance?"
"Right this way, ah sorry, not hiring anyone else right now," Mr.Yoshi states and, not planning on exactly paying Naerose either, puts her to work right away, meanwhile Tylor and Sokaku are seated in the same booth she perviously occupied. How can you tell? The mountain of plates that gets bused right before they're seated and where are they going? Now don't in back for none-other than Naerose herself, mess maker supreme, resturant-owner-spooker, third world country gdp killer, and so on to wash. Mostly the and so on. The resturant at least is nice with a slightly asian feel with some western influences. This sort of thing was probably getting a ton more popular these days.
Tyler frowns at that, then he looks over at the old man as they're lead to a booth. He looks the piles of plates up and down, tilting his head to the side slightly, he grins and shrugs his shoulders,"I guess I know now why he was so afraid of her." He chuckles at that, shaking his head, he moves to slide into the booth and looks around for a moment, waiting for the waiter. He turns his attention back to the old man curiously,"So what's up with the dress anyways?"
Sokaku sits down, resting his staff against the outside of the booth. "I am a monk," he replies calmly, pulling the brim of his hat down on instinct. "The robes are ceremonial. Honoring the gods of the land."
Not that he expected this kid to understand what he meant by that.
"A monk? Like you know kung fu and stuff kind of monk?" He tilts his head to the side,"Like the kinds in the movies?" He smirks at that, sitting up now, seemingly a little more interested in the old man.
"A priest," he clarifies, "A sorceror, a priest, a follower of ways forgotten by this age of fighters."
He shakes his head. "And who are you, boy, who shows such generosity to a stranger in this age of materialism and modernization?"
Tyler shrugs his shoulders,"I thought she was kind of cute. So I helped her. Besides, I live by a sort of code you know? It's personal one, but just think of it as sort of a karma." He sits back in the booth, relaxing, he sets his backpack to the side. "Sorcery? You're kidding me right? I thought monks were like, awsesome martial artists or something. Now that's something I'd like to learn... Wish I could find a Mister Miyagi to teach me karate." He grins at that.
Sokaku either doesn't understand the reference (a likelihood) or simply doesn't care, crossing his legs in the booth and watching the boy with a detached distance. "I am not joking. I am a sorceror - a servant of justice."
"And what do you do, that requires you to live by a code?" His eyes once again lock onto Tyler, though he wouldn't be able to tell what with the giant straw hat and all. "Are you a warrior of good? A servant of evil? Do you wander the Earth spreading your philosophy?"
%"A warrior of good? ... Servant of evil? Spread philosophy? Can we say none of the above?" He chuckles, shaking his head. "Nah man, it's nothing like that. I just believe in karma is all. Kind of a personal religious code. I really don't believe in much, but I do believe in basic karma. Like doing good and what not." He shrugs his shoulders,"What goes around, comes around. I'm no preacher or anything like that either. As for warrior? Well, I suppose I am, but I just fight cause I like too, and if I need to."
Sokaku considers this for a moment as he watches the boy. "How interesting." He says slowly, his deep voice intoning each word with the care and precision of a sculptor working a piece of clay. "So few are willing to accept responsibility for their actions. And yet you wish to further your fighting arts..."
Sokaku gives a thoughtful 'hrm', still watching the boy. "Do you not believe that violence is an ill act?"
"Only when it's used as such. But it can be good, like competitions and stuff. Or maybe even to protect those you care about... or even yourself. So it can be good and bad." He shrugs his shoulders helplessly,"Just depends on the person really.... Anyways... I am starving." He slides out of the booth and says as he moves in the direction of the buffet,"I'm going to fix myself a bite to eat."
Sokaku nods. "I will remain here." He replies. "Do as you like."
Tyler doesn't fix just one plate, or even just two, he fixes four seperate plates while up at the buffet, each with their own variety. One for cold food, and three with hot. He makes his way back to the table and slides back into the booth, setting all his plates down infront of him and begins to dig in. He talks with his mouth full,"Shouldn't you be at like, a temple or monastary or something?"
Sokaku shakes his head. "My disciples are handling the temple." He answers cooly, "My duty is to walk the world and right the evils I see."
Tyler gives Sokaku a quizzical look,"Right the evils? So you're some kind of avenging monk or something?" He continues to stuff his face as the conversation carries on. A few minutes pass and he's already cleared one of the plates of food. "What's the point when the entire world is evil?" He shrugs his shoulders helplessly.
Sokaku tilts his hat down. "It is an attitude of complacence that spreads evil as surely as evil spreads itself."
"You gonna eat somethin' or sit there and ramble on about evil this and evil that?" He tilts his head to the side slightly, giving the old man a curious look. "Y'know... I don't know about this sorcery stuff that you speak of or even the monk thing, though you seem like a good guy at least your heart is in the right place but I am looking for somebody willing to teach me some other fighting styles. What do you say? You willing to take on some pupils?"
Sokaku looks at the boy for a very long moment before making a motion with his hand. In the air, a monkey hangs, a construct of pure chi sitting on a cloud of pure chi, holding a chi-staff and wearing a crown of flames. A moment later, it vanishes, much to the certain relief of the poor, abused owner.
"Do you know how to make constructs?"
"Make constructs?" He shakes his head,"How did you do that?" He tilts his head to the side slightly, curiously watching the old man. "Wait... I'm not really interested in illusions, I want to learn how to physicall fight.... I want to turn my body into the ultimate weapon. Y'know?"
Sokaku stares at him. "Illusions?" He actually sounds vaguely offended by that. "You believe that to be an illusion?"
"Ya... What else would it be?" He shrugs his shoulders helplessly and continues to eat like usual. He doesn't stop eating to talk or vice versa.
Sokaku's attitude does a complete 180, and his lips spread in a very eerie smile. "Real, of course," he answers calmly, watching the boy eat with the same detachment. "As real as the red strength flowing in your veins."
"Red strength? What?" He gives the old man a funny look, he actually stops eating at that point to pay attention to him. "I don't get it. It's real? Explain."
Sokaku waves his hand again, the monkey appearing once more. It bends down to steal a piece of Tyler's food, trundling over to Sokaku and placing it in his hand before discorporating in a puff of smoke. "The soul you have is red, like a burning flame within your body." He answers. "Much as mine is empty, to better channel the soul of the world around me."
"Burning flame?" Tyler watches the monkey steal a peice of his food, he of course swipes at it, but it's gets away from him to quickly. He grins at the old man, nodding his head. "Okay, you got my attention, old man. I'm willing to bite... So what does all this have to do with knowing how to fight?"
Sokaku dusts off the pieec of food his monkey stole from Tyler. "Chi is the soul of the world, the soul of man borrowed from the world, and the center of true power. If you are a fighter, you must surely understand the basics of this - strengthening your own body, bursts of power from within hardening muscles and giving boosts of speed, breathing techniques. I understand the depths of these secrets in a manner you could not even begin to comprehend."
"Well, I can't really say I haven't noticed it when in a fight, but I wasn't sure what it was." He shrugs his shoulders, then he nods his head and asks Sokaku,"Well, sign me up then. Oh.. My name is TJ by the way, or Tyler, which ever you prefer."
"I am Sokaku," the old man replies. "You will call me Sensei, for as long as I see fit to teach you." The old man crosses his arms. "Close your eyes, TJ."
Tyler tilts his head to the side slightly,"Okay. Sensei.... close my eyes? What for? Y'know, I'm already paying for the meal, if you're thinking about slipping out while my eyes are closed." He shrugs his shoulders, then closes his eyes but doesn't stop talking. "So... where do you come from? Why did you become a monk?"
"Do not talk," Sokaku replies. "See. What colors appear before you as you seal off your senses from all but yourself?"
"Colors? I don't see any colors, just darkness... uh, cause my eyes are closed." He chuckles at that, shaking his head, he opens his eyes again,"What's the point of this anyways?"
Sokaku reaches forward to smack the boy upside the head with his meaty, strong palm. Whether he hits or not is immaterial. "Do you wish to learn, or do you wish to mock the methods I was trained on and thereby cut yourself off from your own hidden power?"
Tyler's head whips to the side as he's smacked across the head. He pushes his lips together tightly, his nostrils flare, then he closes his eyes again,"Fine." He then just sits there silently with his eyes closed, tapping his fingers on the table.
"Be still. Focus not on your impatience, or on the time, or on the world around you. Look inside. Focus on yourself. Think about yourself, and form an image in your mind's eye."
Tyler sighs, he pulls his hands off the table and sets them into his lap, sitting back in the booth quietly and as still as can be. He just sits there, it's not clear if he's actually doing what is told but assumed.
"What do you see, when you visualize yourself?"
"Visualize myself? Well.. I don't know about that, but..." He opens his eyes, looking to Sokaku, shrugging his shoulders,"I seen a red dragon, it just appeared, like a flash before my eyes." He gives Sokaku a curious look with questioning intent, he clearly doesn't understand what this is all about.
Sokaku nods, as though he expected as much. "Now. Close your eyes once more, visualize the dragon, and visualize your control over it."
Tyler shrugs and nods his head, closing his eyes and assumingly doing as instructed. He tries to visualize the red dragon again, and as told he tries to visual his control over it. But what kind of control? Tyler furrows his brows, he starts to breath a little more sharply than before.
"Control your breathing. Reach out, and imagine taking the reigns over it, guiding it where you wish it to go."
"I ... " Tyler winces slightly, his usually latent chi becoming 'physical' or 'visible' in that sense, as a feint aura surrounds his being. "I can't..." He grits his teeth, a low, rumbling growl in hidden behind his words. "What's ... happen.." The boy's eyes then snap open, but they are completely RED. His facial expressions tell the story, the boy's face is contorted into a furious, look of rage.
Suddenly, the boy jumps out of his seat, taking the table with him as he flips it over across the room. His chi suddenly bursts into flames around his body, almost taking the image of a 'dragon' about him within the flames. "%cRDestroy.%n"
COMBATSYS: Tyler has started a fight here.
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Tyler 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Sokaku has joined the fight here.
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Sokaku 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tyler
Sokaku frowns. The burst of flame had caught him off guard, but moreover, it meant that this boy wasn't yet ready to accept the chi arts.
He had but one choice. Snagging his staff from the wall, the monk inhales sharply, slowly moving for the door, his eyes locked on TJ. "Follow," he murmurs, "Allow me to tame the monster within you, before it consumes you from inside."
Tyler bares his teeth like an animal would, his raging chi overwhemling the boy's form as he seems to become larger than life, figuratively speaking of course. The other patrons in the restraunt quickly start to flee away from him as this youth becomes a visage of terror and destruction in their eyes. Fortunately however, his focus is on the old man at the moment, because that is who happened to be there infront of him at the time of his 'awakening' in a manner of speaking.
The boy had never tried to control any chi, who knew that this boy's chi would come to life and overtaken him? His chi was strong, clearly too strong for him to control... an unusual manifestation occured, warping the boy's mind into something that it wasn't. All those times that Tyler used his anger to propel his actions, it warped that strength that resided deep within him into something monstrous and nasty.
Tyler stomps forward after the old man as he retreats away, fists clenched with the intent to maim, to maul, to destroy...
"...Destroy."
Some of the boy's chi seems to flow into his fists, it would seem that he's preparing to attack, and he does... Like a rocket, his fist rises from his side up into the air toward the old man, intent on knocking his head off his shoulders.
COMBATSYS: Sokaku blocks Tyler's One-Hit Wonder.
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Sokaku 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tyler
Sokaku spins his staff about like the expert he is, minimizing the attack as he traps it between his shoulder and his staff. His eyes, calm and understanding behind his hat, follow the raging boy's every move.
His free hand, however, is moving at a rapid pace, drawing in the air sigils in praise of things the boy and his chi could not, would not understand, arcane motions of command and praise to the ancient things below the world.
He roars out a primal shout, but it is not full of hate - it is full of power, and he releases the boy's arm as his staff slams into the ground.
The rings clash together like an echoing church bell once, twice, three times; they hover, separated by some mysterious force, as the staff wedges itself into the ground, cracking it open in a faultline beneath Sokaku and Tyler.
But it is not Sokaku who is harmed as the fire, guided by the sorceror's incredible mastery of chi, roars upwards; it is Tyler who was at risk of being caught in that pillar of Hell, that inferno of pure power, spiking to the sky in a vortex of flame.
COMBATSYS: Tyler Toughs Out Sokaku's Vortex Inferno!
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Sokaku 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Tyler
Completely engulfed by the vortex of fire, the enraged youth stands there, he growls angrily, suddenly he bursts from the flames right at the old man, bright red chi enveloping his fist like before but with more intensity as he lunges at Sokaku with an immense velocity and unmatched ferocity.
COMBATSYS: Sokaku fails to interrupt One-Hit Wonder EX from Tyler with Lightning Staff.
-* CRITICAL FAIL! *-
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Sokaku 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Tyler
Sokaku brings his hand around, raising it to the sky as he moves his staff upwards at the same time. The wind whips up, the ground shakes, and far above, clouds gather to lend their power to their representative; the rings on his staff sing out in rage once more, and he raises it high into the sky, chi stretching upwards as the clouds burst open with rain. Lightning crackles down into the staff, and he swings it around in hopes that he might interrupt the boy's attack...
But no such luck. He's a touch too slow, and he goes flying, forcing him to backflip in mid-air and press his sandals against the wall before he's sent through it.
It would appear that the youth is shedding off any effects of fatigue, or pain, or any detrimental damage that the sorcery's attacks are doing to him.
Simply put, he's a wrecking ball right now...
And this wrecking ball is seeking to DESTROY anything in it's path, and right now, in it's path is the old man. Like before, his fists continue to glow a bright red chi, however, what is different about him now is that the bright red chi spreads to cover his entire body. Anyone could see the boy a mile away with his chi flaring up around his body like it is now. He dashes forward at the sorcery with blazing speed and fists of fury. Although his attacks are wild and undisciplined, his velocity is intense and inhuman. His fists seem to come from every angle imaginable, covering a wide area around the old man, making it difficult to avoid this insane attack.
COMBATSYS: Sokaku blocks Tyler's Storm of Fists.
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Sokaku 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Tyler
Sokaku, however, is far more competent than that. One by one, his staff is moved, lessening the blow of each fist as Sokaku breathes in and out, gathering the full strength of the chi around him. His wounds slowly begin to heal as he patches himself with his masterful command of nature, and Sokaku closes his eyes, allowing the wind to guide him in his moves.
His staff spins about his head, and after a moment, he slams it forward for TJ's stomach, hoping to catch the maddened young man off-guard with the attack.
COMBATSYS: Tyler endures Sokaku's Strong Punch.
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Sokaku 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Tyler
Tyler is struck in the stomach by the staff, the youth buckles over, but it only seems to slow him down as he then rises upright again as he tries to grab ahold Sokaku and lifts his knees high into the air, trying to nail Sokaku with one them.
COMBATSYS: Sokaku interrupts Tenacious Knees from Tyler with Thrown Object.
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Sokaku 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Tyler
Sokaku flings from his pouch one of the dried fruit from earlier. It's a small little object, but combined with the force of the monk's well-toned muscles and his powerful form, not to mention simple velocity and such, well, it's quite the powerful preventative measure.
Sokaku springboards off the wall, landing behind Tyler with his staff tucked under his arm. He could do this. He knew he could - he was far more powerful thant his wild spirit.
"Tame yourself, wild dragon, before I am forced to break you." His voice is calm, with the weight of ages of experience and indeed the strength of the world behind him.
That dried peice of fruit bounces off of Tyler's head, making his head whip back, but it quickly snaps back forward into place and those eyes focused on Sokaku very intently.... Something is different though... Something has changed... His eyes... They're black now, and slowly his chi begins to change into the same color, but not entire, instead only swirling streaks of black chi are laced within the fiery red. The fuel that is burning within the boy is quickly burning out, this manifestation is draining the boy's reserves it would seem. The boy becoming as pale as a soulless body now. Driven only by this dark chi... A dire sign it is.
"DESTROY!" He howls before charging at Sokaku again, a streak of chi left trailing behind him as he zips across the restraunt in Sokaku's direction, dropping his head down just slightly but keeping his eyes on the man as his shoulder droops downward as well, seeking to run the man right through like a freight train. There's only one way to stop it --- by derailing it.
COMBATSYS: Sokaku interrupts Raging Rush from Tyler with Genmu Jin.
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Sokaku 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tyler
Sokaku stands before a train. His only option, to deal with this freight train...
Derail it.
And so derail it he does. He does not move, he does not change; it is a simple motion, like the flowing of a stream.
His hand slides back, he spins in place, and his palm strikes Tyler sheer on the chest.
And it is a strike of knowledge, of muscle, of pure, unmitigated power. The first step, the stopping of the train, was complete.
The next step was more complex. A shout of "IA!", and Sokaku's muscles, as one, flexed, demonstrating the old man's mastery over his own body; his hand ripples with power, and it is like the force of a god impacting Tyler's chest, despite the hand never moving from it.
Genmu Jin complete, he pulls his hat down and settles his staff straight on the ground. "I asked you, demon, to calm your rage. Now, there is no calming. I will crush you, and retrieve his soul from within."
The demonically possessed youth is struck in the chest by Sokaku and sent flying back across the restraunt from wince he came, hitting the buffet, flying through the buffet, into the wall on the otherside.
That was a pretty nasty attack, but the youth, despite the punishment, rises up off the floor almost like a possessed puppet shambling to it's feet as the strings are pulled. His fiery red chi slowly dissappearing and turning into a black void that surrounds him. The flames are quickly burning out, especially after that last attack by the old man.
Tyler then races back across the restraunt again, a relentless attack on the old man as he leaps into the air and soars a few feet in the air toward the old man, a knee rising up infront of him as he tries to smash that knee into Sokaku.
COMBATSYS: Sokaku endures Tyler's Running Knee Slam.
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Sokaku 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Tyler
Sokaku takes the blow, grabbing the boy by the arm and looking him right in the eyes. While the old monk's eyes cannot be seen, it's the presence that's felt; the sheer overwhelming force of personality fighting down the demon.
Above, the skies open up with rain. Sokaku's staff rises into the air, slamming down once, twice, three times, four; the rings toll like bells as chi spreads them apart only to bring them clapping together as thunder, and Tyler need not ask for whom it tolls - it tolls for him.
Above, lightning arcs - thunderheads - have begun to crowd about the sky. Sokaku's eyes flare beneath his hat, and he shouts "NOW!"
"YOU HAVE POSSESSED THIS BOY FOR LONG ENOUGH, DEMON!"
"FEEL THE FURY OF THE THUNDER GOD!" And with that, he raises his staff into the sky.
The answer from on high is unmistakable as raw power filters downwards, but it is not tame, controlled power like the earlier Lightning Staff - it is a dragon, a dragon of lightning and chi, held together by the sorceror's raw power, roaring thunder and screaming for justice. It soars downwards as Sokaku tosses the boy upwards, towards the open jaws of the sinewing construct, and his voice rises to match its determined roar, angry spirits demanding the boy's safety from the evil thing controlling him - whatever it may be.
COMBATSYS: Sokaku successfully hits Tyler with Thunder God EX.
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Sokaku 0/-------/-------|=======\=====--\1 Tyler
Boom.
How to best describe.... Obliteration? Well, that's it... Tyler is pretty much obliterated by the thunder dragon that Sokaku summons. The youth just stands there as the dragon passes through him, the electrical currents visibly arcing out from his body. His eyes roll back into his head, but not before the black void fades from them to show his normal eyes. The boy simply falls to his knees and then flat onto his face.
He's out, and it's not even sure if he's going to survive such a nasty attack.
COMBATSYS: Tyler takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sokaku 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Tyler can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sokaku 0/-------/-------|
Sokaku kneels, drawing a talisman from his pouch. He would not allow this boy to die, not now that he had conquered the demons within. "Purify," he whispers, chi flowing from him, embracing Tyler from the world around him like a gentle blanket.
Sokaku sits down, crossing his legs, and waits.
COMBATSYS: Sokaku has ended the fight here.
The boy stirs a bit, but he's not yet enough strong enough to become fully conscious or attain complete awareness again. That last attack pretty much wiped him off the map, his chi acted at a sort of shield against the attack but it was just simply way too powerful for even this boy to withstand. Admittedly, his chi is powerful, but no match for a Master of Chi like Sokaku, but perhaps if the boy were to get the right training, then and only after many years of training would he be capable of using that chi to it's full potential... but what the real concern is, why did it overcome him? Why did it drain him of his chi? And what was that black chi and where was it coming from? All questions with no answers as of this moment. There are definately mysteries about this youth that have yet to be uncovered.
Log created on 15:58:32 01/27/2009 by Sokaku, and last modified on 23:34:49 01/27/2009.