|
|
Post by Shiver on Jun 26, 2019 14:09:49 GMT -6
"Is that all? Are you still hiding some power?" Shiver said awkwardly, trying her best to avoid sounding condescending. Before her, crouched in a position of agony, sat another Arcosian. This one had a slightly darker shade of skin than Shiver, and golden biogems complementing his frame alongside numerous jutting spikes. More importantly though, he was in his final form and already spitting blood onto the arena tiles. The other Arcosian definitely seemed to take her questions the wrong way, shoving himself up to glare at her with something akin to hatred in his eyes.
Shiver balked and stepped back, raising her hands defensively in front of her. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to insult you or anything! Its just that I'm still only in my first form and-"
"Shut up!" The other Arcosian said, snarling angrily as he gritted his feet and set his feet in a stance. "A no name like yourself isn't going to desecrate my family name anymore, because as a matter of fact. I HAVE been holding back." Shiver watched as the other alien's muscles suddenly bulged dramatically, power level raising in conjunction as a yellow aura surged to life around him. Oh! Shiver knew this technique, had actually used it herself a few times. Still, she feared it wasn't going to change anything in this situation.
Right on cue the other Arcosian shot forward, enlarged fists swinging away wildly at her. Shiver just sighed and met them with careful blocks, weathering the assault with gritted teeth. Well he was stronger now alright, even above her first form even by a decent amount. Yet he was still a complete novice in combat, as he'd been the entire fight. Huge haymakers and poorly aimed energy blasts, all the other Arcosian knew how to do apparently. He was young yes, an overconfident child of some great noble, but he was honestly worse than Shiver had ever been. And the whole point of this was to try and brush up on her fighting skills!
Biding her time carefully to get a feel for his rhythm, Shiver waited for the next wide swinging punch. When it came, she ducked down to let it shoot over her horned head, then pushed off the ground with all her strength to rocket upwards. Her small fist slammed into the underside of the other Arcosian's jaw with a loud crack, throwing him onto his back as Shiver landed on her toes. A careful inspection revealed the alien was unconscious, muscles dwindling away already, and Shiver sighed again. Well, this had been yet another waste of time. He hadn't been much weaker than her in these forms actually, but his complete lack of fighting ability had ruined any chance for a real battle. When she'd come to this arena for a little training and practice, she'd been hoping for a real challenge to show up. This was Arcose after all, but instead she'd gotten some weak soldiers and this guy trying to "put her in her place." Shaking her head, Shiver picked him up and started carrying him over to one of the benches off to the side of the ring. To his benefit at least, there weren't many bystanders around watching.
PL 65,000
|
|
|
|
Post by Ikra on Jul 9, 2019 13:53:02 GMT -6
Ikra’s PL: 100
Still holding out the hope that she might one day be free to walk in the light, Ikra occasionally enjoyed observing fights. Usually friendly bouts between Konatsian warriors. Being on Arcose allowed her to observe a new… style of fighting. Although, she wasn’t terribly impressed with what she saw. Arcosians were lauded for their genetic superiority and natural strength. A trait some of them seemed to take for granted as she watched some poor fool with no skill get floored by a silvery white Arcosian. Pity. Ikra had hoped that someone with some actual skill would appear to challenge the white Arcosian so that she could mimic her movements in the shadows. Alas. Ikra sighed, sinking further into the shadows. Most people couldn’t see her. Some could sense her presence, but even those were few and far between. It wasn’t as if she could step in as a challenger. Much as she might have liked to. Stepping into the light in any respect burned her. Until her dear Riis found the ritual to summon her, she was quite stuck. Ikra pouted. Well, maybe there was something that she could do. If not fight herself, she might be able to do a little shadow puppetry. But did she really want to expose herself like that…? Well, there weren’t many people around persay. So, sure. Slinking through the shadows, Ikra floated inside of Shiver’s shadow. Stealing someone’s shadow wasn’t something that she had done in a long time. She was probably out of practice. Shifting her form to match Shiver’s shadow, Ikra slowly rose up as an inky black and translucent Arcosian. Good! It worked. Of course, she was still linked to Shiver by a black line of shadow on the ground. Didn’t want the poor thing to lose her shadow after all. Leaning over so that the silver white Arcosian could see her, Ikra waved a little in a pretty generic greeting. Her ability to communicate was pretty limited, but at least she could spell things out in shadowy letters. She traced some in the air. ‘Hi there, little Arcosian.’
Hi! Am not too strong but I figured I’d join your open! |
|
|
|
Post by Shiver on Jul 12, 2019 18:30:38 GMT -6
Putting down her fallen opponent, Shiver cast a slightly bored glance around the arena. She was still seeing a deciding lack of worthy challengers around here. Maybe she'd need to just try somewhere else after a few light exercises? Or that's where her thoughts were going at least before she felt something...weird. Shiver paused and glanced around, feeling as if someone had just laid a cold hand on her back almost. Or something like that at least, she sensed something, yet she didn't see anyone. It wasn't very powerful perhaps, yet it felt very....different.
Turning about as the sensation grew in strength, Shiver froze as something came into view. It...looked like an Arcosian, a shadowy image of one at least. Shiver backed away a few steps from the apparition, momentarily stunned as it waved at her with an inky hand. . "What...", came the deadpan reply, the only word she could manage as she tried to absorb this situation by continuously running her eyes over the figure. She quickly realized that it didn't just look like any Arcosian, in fact it seemed to almost resemble...herself. Shiver let her eyes trail down the shadowy figure to the ringed tiles, finding a black line extending towards her. She quickly looked down at herself, finding the black line ending under her foot. Shiver moved...and the black line moved with her! Also...where was her shadow!
Shiver returned her focus back towards the...thing to find it had just written something in the air. She peered at the smoky words in midair, calming down somewhat at the attempt at communication. Hesitantly, Shiver raised a hand to wave back at it, finally managing to string together a few coherent sentences. "Uhhh...Hello....person" Shiver forced a smile
for the greeting, trying to appear polite at the least. "If you don't mind...who and what are you? Also, what happened to my shadow?" Or was she supposed to write it back? Did the thing even truly have ears?
PL 65,000
Glad to have ya!
|
|
|
|
Post by Ikra on Jul 22, 2019 8:25:21 GMT -6
Ikra’s PL: 100
Ikra watched bemused as the little white Arcosian slowly noticed that something was very, truly amiss. She stifled a laugh at Shiver’s startled reaction. It did give her some joy to spook others. Fortunately, the dear thing calmed down just a touch when she managed to read the inky letters that she was tracing into the air. She asked a few questions. Ikra pondered how to answer them without absolutely frightening her. She was well aware that she was like a monster out of some cultures’ fairy tales. So many questions as well. Ikra shook her head and traced out her answers. ‘Just a lonely shadow. No one important. I stole your shadow. To have fun, I suppose. To become… more? Well, anyway, I’ll return it when I’m done. Now, my turn! Talking with someone is rather invigorating.’Ikra rapped her shadowy chin thoughtfully. She was curious about a few things. Plus, it was rare that she revealed herself for long enough to have a proper chat. She obviously couldn’t show herself to Riis like this. This form was not… not how she wanted to first present herself to him. No, she would wait for him to notice the note that she had left for him. In the meantime, she could have some fun chatting with this curious stranger. ‘What were you doing with that other Arcosian? Having a fight? Arguing? I only arrived at the end of it all, so excuse my curiosity.’
|
|
|
|
Post by Shiver on Jul 24, 2019 17:44:04 GMT -6
Just a lonely shadow huh? Well that was a new one for sure. Somehow Shiver doubted that this was just a shadow, probably some magical being or something of the sort. More importantly though, it had stolen her shadow. Shiver wasn't exactly sure how to feel about that, even if it was going to be given back to her eventually. Honestly, she was partly just trying to wrap around the implications of it. Was it even possible to lose your shadow, what would be the effect of such a thing? Would it grow back with time?
Eventually she decided it was best to just keep smiling and appearing friendly. Shiver still wasn't sensing much in the way of raw power, but it had literally possessed her shadow somehow. Angering this...thing, could result in her actually losing her shadow and discovering the results firsthand. It was writing again now, and Shiver stepped forward hesitantly to peer closely at the shadowy letters. So it had just arrived, well at least she wasn't being stalked or anything else nefarious. She relaxed a bit, just a little as offered up an answer.
"That other Arcosian?" She started off. "Yes, we were fighting. Well, it was supposed to just be a training spar. Towards the end though it got pretty heated, basically became a real fight for him. " She shrugged her small shoulders sheepishly, "I was just trying to get some good training in with a skilled opponent, and he...wasn't what I was looking for." She looked at the shadowy Arcosian critically for a moment. "And what brought something like you to a fighting arena?"
PL 65,000
|
|
|
|
Post by Ikra on Jul 29, 2019 8:55:54 GMT -6
Ikra’s PL: 100
For the most part, it seemed as though this Arcosian was content to remain at least outwardly friendly toward her. Still, Ikra noticed the hesitation in her step. Well, it was to be expected. She got that reaction a lot. It wasn’t often a shadow demon bothered people in the world of light. Ikra had heard tales of her sisters stealing shadows and gathering enough strength to form their own bodies. But… Ikra wanted Riis to summon her. She didn’t just want to appear on his doorstep out of the blue one day, unannounced and uninvited. That would surely be the worst! Plus… stealing shadows to get a body would take a long time and result in several… mysterious deaths wherever she decided to do it. She couldn’t take any Konatsian lives. Riis would hate her if she did that. Nor did she care to take the lives of others. Well, anyway. Ikra focused back in when the white Arcosian started saying something. Ah! The answer to her earlier question. Right. Apparently, it was just meant to be a friendly spar. That wasn’t what it had looked like to her, but who was she to judge? Ikra shrugged indifferently in response. As to why she would come here of all places… well. When Riis did summon her, she didn’t want to be completely useless to him. If she could act as his shield that would be good enough, but what would be even better would be to be able to fight and die in his stead. Yes. ‘I came to learn how to fight, actually. I was just going to observe, but it ended so soon after I arrived…’She really didn’t want to press the matter too hard, so Ikra just shrugged. ‘It may not be what you were looking for, but would you mind teaching me? There’s someone I’d like to protect.’Ikra hoped that the white Arcosian would just say yes. She didn’t want to bluff or threaten the Arcosian. That would be in poor taste when she was asking for a favor like this. She supposed she’d just have to leave if the Arcosian said no. Yes, back to her beloved Riis. She missed him already.
|
|
|
|
Post by Shiver on Jul 31, 2019 13:19:23 GMT -6
"Um, well...."
Was Shiver's first response as she considered the shadow's proposal. Yes it was not what she'd been looking for here when she'd come to the arena. In fact, this entire day had become very full of things she hadn't come looking for. That really wasn't the reason she was considering the validity of saying yes though. In a way this was actually an opportunity for her, Shiver had long heard that teaching others also facilitated learning in whatever was being taught. There was also the potential "hostage shadow" situation to consider as well. The problem lay more in Shiver's own ability to really teach this shadow person anything at all.
Shiver considered herself an able enough fighter, though definitely not an expert. But she had taught exactly zero people before in her lifetime, nothing beyond a few minor pointers. And would anything she had to teach apply to the shadow person? It wasn't very powerful it seemed, and it appeared to shift its shape about maybe. Shiver liked using her natural durability and power to fight head on, with liberal use of her tail and energy blasts. A shadow likely wouldn't boast the same advantages, or even a tail at all sometimes. Her teachings might end up being a bad influence on it in the future. Eh...why not, it had asked and this was a good chance to learn more herself.
"I guess I wouldn't mind," she eventually said. "Since I'm apparently not going to find a good sparring partner around here. I warn you though, I'm not an expert or anything, especially at teaching." Shiver beckoned for the shadow to follow as she moved back towards the center of the ring, gradaully becoming more at ease with the creature. "So..uh, a few questions then. First, what's your name? I'm Shiver by the way. Second, would you mind giving me a rundown on...what you can do? Like, do you have a more natural form you usually fight in? More power locked away? Fighting background? Stuff like that you know."
PL 65,000
|
|
|
|
Post by Ikra on Aug 1, 2019 13:36:57 GMT -6
Ikra’s PL: 100
Left wondering in an agonizing silence that seemed to stretch out into eternity, Ikra swayed back and forth, glancing back at the tail that she had just acquired. Would Riis like a body with a tail? Hm. Konatsians didn’t have them, and she was not sure how well she would be able to alter her form once she had a physical body. Best to leave the tail off unless she discovered something new about her darling Riis. From what she knew from her many years of stalking him from the shadows, he probably didn’t care about tails. Anyway, Ikra was really hoping this Arcosian would at least consider it. Most of them seemed pretty hoity-toity, but maybe this one was different. Possibly. After what seemed impossibly long, the Arcosian finally said yes! If she weren’t comprised entirely of shadows, Ikra was sure that her face would have lit up. She was certainly grinning from ear to ear, though it might have looked creepy. Or maybe it didn’t. For all she knew, she just looked like a faceless shadowy Arcosian right now! Ikra just nodded in response to the warning and followed along eagerly when beckoned. Apparently, her gracious teacher was named Shiver. Ikra committed that to memory. With a little flick of her fingers, she answered in a hurry. ‘My name is Ikra. Nice to meet you properly, Teacher Shiver.’The second question gave Ikra pause. She didn’t have a fighting background unfortunately. If she did, she might not have even left her dear Riis’s side. She wasn’t sure how to answer everything, but Ikra figured that being open and honest rather than vague would probably save her some pain in the long run. ‘I’m afraid you’re dealing with a complete amateur. I wasn’t aware you could lock away your power. Unless you are referring to transformations? I can amplify my power a little, but not by much. I don’t have a physical body, you see. That’s why I had to steal your shadow. I can temporarily make it… sort of corporeal. But it’s not a suitable vessel for containing any sort of real power, you understand. I’d need my own body for that.’ |
|
|
|
Post by Shiver on Aug 3, 2019 21:50:18 GMT -6
"Its nice to meet you too Ikra," Shiver responded in return, a cheery tone masking dismay she comprehended Ikra's answers.
A complete amateur huh? Shiver could barely stop a frown from appearing on her face as she reached the center of the arena, taking a moment to compose herself before turning back to Ikra. Well she was already deeply regretting saying yes if that was the situation. Offering up suitable advice for certain situations, helping a novice better hone their skills, that had been more along the lines of what she'd been expecting. Instead Shiver was now contemplating how exactly to go about starting from the very beginning, and she had no idea on where to start even.
She was also doubting the point of teaching anything again now too. No physical body? This was pretty far outside of her knowledge zone, especially in terms of applying such things to fighting. Unfortunately Shiver had already said yes, and she wasn't going to up and quit just because it was difficult. "Alright then, well Ikra, I'm just going to reiterate once again that I have no experience at this kind of stuff. But I'll do my best to show you what I can though." She smiled lightly and then gestured for the shadowy figure to get a little closer. Where to start where to start. She had an odd urge to do something absurd like yell dodge and then just start attacking, but that would be stupid. No, instead she was going to start where her own lessons had started.
She fell into a standard fighting stance, legs spread evenly in a slight crouch and fists raised together under her chin. "We'll start with striking basics then, just simple jabs and straights. Now, I dont know if you saw it, but my last opponent didn't even now how to attack properly. People often make the mistake of just swinging wildly and trying to land huge hits. That's what you DONT want to do. " Inwardly suppressing her power to extremely low levels, Shiver fired off several quick jabs for Ikra to see. "Just like this, you want to land tight accurate hits that are hard to dodge and block. Just because its not a haymaker, doesn't mean it wont hurt if they hit." In quick succession, Shiver threw several more quick jabs with her left, then a slower and more powerful punch with her right. "Even if its blocked or dodged, you aren't leaving yourself as open to an enemy, and you aren't unbalanced either. Its all about doing good damage and keeping control of the fight. You try now real quick."
Shiver fell out of her stance and opened her hands up in front of her, palms facing Ikra. "Short quick punches, aim for my hands as I move them. Don't break your stance and don't overreach. Even if you miss its ok, because like this your ready to try again or block at a moments notice. " Shiver would commence moving her hands about, bracing to receive a barrage on her small palms. If there would be a barrage that was, "sort of corporeal" wasnt very specific. That was fine though, this was mostly about accuracy and technique rather than actual impacts.
PL 65,000
Suppressed to ~100
|
|
|
|
Post by Ikra on Sept 12, 2019 10:54:02 GMT -6
Ikra nodded, trying to hold back a giggle at how uncomfortable her new teacher was feeling. She tried to hide it, but Ikra could tell. She lacked the overwhelming confidence and bearing of darling Riis. Watching Shiver fall into a fighting stance, Ikra let the shadow comprising her form to mimic its owner. This was what she liked to call Shadow Mimicry. But it was probably more apt to call it shadow boxing this time around. She followed along during Shiver’s explanation, getting a feel for the proper way to do the technique. She could replicate it herself perfectly usually after a few iterations.
As Shiver stepped forward, Ikra did as well taking up the fighting stance from earlier herself. She sent jab after jab at Shiver’s hands, copying her earlier technique. It was a little sloppy at first - at least as far as Ikra was concerned - as she got used to adjusting her direction and trajectory, but she soon was jabbing away flawlessly. The impact of her fist would probably feel strange. It was solid and felt like Shiver’s own hand would, but it left a lingering sense of cold and chill. If this form was pressed too hard, it would burst into a blast of cold air. Colder than it was already in any case.
‘Like this then? Is this sufficient? My shadow mimicry helps me pick things up rather quickly. I can observe and feel the right way to do something all at once!’
|
|
