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Eloquent Conversationalist
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 Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 9:06 pm
Maximos " Hello Mr. Kazamaru." And then turned, placing the small bag back his apron and immediately removing his gardening gloves to don a pair of fresh white serving gloves. " This is quite the surprise! Its a pleasure seeing you." Walter bowed, the sort of bow fit for a king or a queen. " What brings you all the way to Shadow Island?" Ryugi grinned at the man's dealings with the young vines. Creep Vines were predatory by nature, eating smaller animals usually, and larger ones had been known to attempt to eat the unaware passerby, if not properly trained that was. The Angaran Creep Vine was actually an intelligent plant, and capable of not only training, but understanding commands, and showing real emotions. It was any biologist's or botanist's dream. And it looked like Walter was on his way to training them to behave very well. As usual the pleasure is mine, Walter. It's good to see you. Ryugi made a little bow to Walter as well. He wasn't ever really used to the extreme formality that Walter showed him. Under all the armor, abilities, and the sword abilities, Ryugi was still a simple country kid, unaccustomed to such extravagant forms of respect and servitude. But he made his best effort to show his respect and greeting to the gentleman. After he returned, he answered Walter's question. Well, you see, Walter, I've recently gained some new abilities with Ragnarok. They're the most powerful energies I've ever had under my command. And as you can imagine, I don't generally have an opportune area to test and practice with these levels of powers. The last time I used them, I managed to blow a hole in a mesa cave with what I expect to be the beginning of the abilities.Ryugi then looked down at his boots, a bit of a sheepish expression crossing his features before he continued. So, knowing what Max is capable of, I figure he must have some sort of extremely durable training area where I would be able to train with, and gain a new understanding of these abilities. And I was wondering if I might be able to make use of it.
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 9:27 pm
Walter was not laughing, he was not smirking, and yet the soft smile on his face which outwardly was indistinguishable from any other smile on his face spoke at great lengths of deep understanding. And perhaps, even a bit of humor exacted from Ryugi's embarrassed glance at his toes. The butler gave the dragon a small moment to compose himself, and then bowed his head and said. "Certainly Mr. Kazamaru, the Master has recently constructed something in the lower levels of the manor which I believe you will find perfect for your purposes, if not at the very least interesting."
Walter's hands slid behind his back, undoing his apron ties. He slid the black garment from his neck and folded it evenly, laying it on a nearby bench. With a graceful gesture, the butler pointed towards the door at the base of the large windmill at the island, and again very politely said, "If you would be so kind as to follow me?"
And then continued right up to the wooden door, he slid it open, and very softly tapped what appeared to be a gas lamp hanging just inside the doorway. Something new happened, where as Ryugi's previous trips here required enchantments or items, at Walter's touch the lamp ignited with an odd sort of cobalt blue flame. As did another lamp. And another, and another, all the way down what was visible of the spiral staircase.
"Watch your step." The butler said as a simple precaution, and then advanced down the blue flickering flame lit stairs. "I would truly like to thank you Mr. Kazamaru, not only have your seeds provided several new tasty treats for the residents of the manor, but the vacation yourself and the Master embarked on has had quite a noticeable effect on him."
The butler gestured to one of the blue burning lamps as they passed it, "These lamps, for instance, are an innovation he discovered while reading one of the tomes purchased during your trip."
They were at the bottom of the stairwell now, when Walter turned to Ryugi properly. His pale face and silver hair sheened with a hint of ice and sky blue as reflected off of the nearest lamp. "Would you like any refreshments beforehand, or shall we head directly to the training facility?"
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 9:49 pm
Ryugi followed Walter into the windmill and the depths of Shadow Island. He was certainly, and pleasantly, surprised to see that the illumination was less of a problem than it had been on previous visits. He did his best to block out the strong magical readings from his magical eye, and managed rather well with some facet of concentration. The blue light was nice and cool, and rather calming as he listened to Walter's explanations of the Creep Vines and the trip to Angara.
I must say the lamps are far more convenient than glasses or incantations. I'm glad that our trip to Angara was so beneficial and enjoyable for the both of us.
The blue light illuminated Ryugi's silver hair, almost with a glow, even as his eyes seemed to change hues in the azure illumination. He looked to Walter as he spoke and answered as he finished.
I had a rather bountiful breakfast this morning, so I'm quite satisfied. But thank you for the offer, Walter. I'm rather eager to see the facility.
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 10:17 pm
The Butler simply bowed, and in a tone befitting all butlers and servants he said. "As you wish, Mr. Kazamaru. This way please."
And then continued forward. At the bottom of the spiral staircase was a cave and beset at the end of the large enormous hollowed out cavern of stone was the entrance to the manor at the core of Shadow Island. It was easily three floors tall, and similar fiery lights could been seen faintly dancing from a few of the near dozen windows. At the center of the entrance was a large set of double doors large enough to fit a horse drawn carriage through. Walter approached the door, and without use of lock or key simply swung them open and led Ryugi inside.
The main receiving hall was different than the intersecting four way hallway Ryugi had sparred with Maximos in a few years back, this hall was more of a large living fully decorated with all of the antique furnishings one might expect in Maximos' home. The room smelled fresh wood, fire, and books and of course, was without even a speck of dust. It was an eclectic mixture of the robust and fancy, and the old and simple. Every item old and detailed enough in its crafting to have its own unique story. And yet without any hesitation for any of them, Walter simply continued through the tour.
They would walk for what might seem like a long time, without seemingly going anywhere. Each hall looked remarkably similar to the hall before it, which looked almost identical to the hall after it. There were similar desks, similar flowers on those desks, and similar decorations on the walls. Only the small details like the pictures on the paintings, or the angle of the head of the statue of a bird gave the hint you were someplace different. This place, might very well have been a maze. And yet, with the deliberate way Walter stepped through it, and past so very many doors that could have easily lead to anything, it seemed it was meant to be maze-like.
Walter made a turn, which lead to hall that dead ended in a door. The door was swung open without a word and behind it was a flight of stairs. Down and down the stairs went, until furnished wooden walls became stone, and the decorative lamps were swapped out for a planer more efficient design. The smell of wood and books and other niceties was replaced with the scent of running water, and both wet and dry stone. Though never mold or mildew.
After a few minutes, the stairway reached a flat floor and Walter lead Ryugi halfway down a very long hallway. The hallways length only given away by how long they had to walk until they reached a set of double doors, and how very much hallway was still left when they did reach said double doors. This was very nearly a dungeon, in the midst of all this darkness and maze, it may even frighteningly possible that a man could be lost down here and never seen again.
Walter turned, the dim lanterns gleaming off his monocle, leaving only the bottom half of his face and a blue white disc where his eye should have been visible. He bowed, and gestured formally for the doors. "Excuse my lack Mr. Kazamaru, but the enchantment will only work if you open the doors. Simply step in the room, and call for the lights. The rest should happen automatically. When you are done, a skellion will be here to guide you back upstairs, at which point you are welcome to visit the dining or lunching rooms where a meal will be prepared for you. Please enjoy yourself."
And with that, the Butler bowed a second time and began to walk away only to stop a few steps down the hallway. "Oh, and Mr. Kazamaru, please feel free to release any personal restraints while in the confines of that room. The training facility is quite private and quite secure, there isnt even a chance of you disturbing any of the other residents."
And Walter was gone, as he walked the lights snuffed themselves behind him until his form was swallowed by the darkness hole leaving nothing, even the sound of his foosteps.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 10:53 pm
Thank you very much, Walter.Once more, the majesty and strange dimensional properties of Max's abode did not cease to amaze the simple country boy under all of that experience. Sure, Ryugi had seen mazes and the like before in his many years of life, but none that was so beautifully crafted and furnished as the multitude of hallways and rooms that he'd just passed through. Ryugi turned to the doors as he listened to Walter's footsteps leaving, and allowed the cool of the darkness wash over him for a moment. He took a few calm, deep breaths and closed his eyes, not that it was necessary as it was more or less total blackness in which he was surrounded. But it calmed him, and steeled him for what he would be doing. He knew that this training would push his limits in ways he hadn't experienced before. But if he did not learn to at least have a great understanding of his new powers and abilities, what use to him would they be when he actually needed them? With a steely gaze that could have cut through the blackness, Ryugi opened his eyes, and grasped the handles of the doors, relying on his last visual information to do so. He then felt the creak of the handles, the weight as the spring mechanism turned and the slight sound of metal on metal as the hinges moved and Ryugi stepped into the room beyond the doors. He closed the doors behind him in the case that the incantation required them to be so, and then, he spoke with his voice as calm and clear as any warrior before battle. Lights.
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 11:19 pm
There was a pop, the moment Ryugi's hands touched the metal door hinges, and then a jolt. It was something like shuffling your feet along the carpet and then touching a metal object, only instead of quick pain, this jolt would leave his palms tingling. The tingle would roll like tiny feet up both of his arm, and then at his shoulders it would spread in quick wave down his torso to his feet and up to the tallest lengths of his hair. And by the time he shut the doors behind him it was gone. Ryugi was standing in absolute blackness. But there was more to this void than the lack of light. Being that Ryugi was not human, he had other senses at well, and each one of them indicated the exact same thing. There was nothing in this room. No light. No sound. No smells. No magic. The air did not seem to even move until Ryugi breathed it in, and back out. And it tasted of nothing. And then the Angaran warrior gave the simple command. Lights. And the room responded. Light was exactly what Ryugi got. It was not particularly bright, and it did not come from anywhere. Instead, it came from everywhere all at once, and where once the room was pitch black, now it was pitch white. Below him, above him, and to all of his sides Ryugi would see. Ryugi. In effect, the dragon was standing inside a roughly 10x10 mirrored cube. Even the doorway had vanished. Mirrors that face mirrors reflect the mirrored image over and over, and over again, forever and ever. Ryugi would see a thousand reflections staring right back at him in a thousand copies of the exact same room, for infinite miles, and as far as the eye could see. Calculating spacial requirements...A soft male voice spoke, echoing faintly from all directions. Its voice lacked any life, coming across rigid, mechanical and prerecorded. ...calculation complete. It was somewhere between five hundred or six hundred reflections away that the far wall of the mirrored training room vanished. At a distance just at the edge of sight, Ryugi's reflection was suddenly standing beside a wall of white as opposed to a continuing infinity of reflections. The voice spoke again. Beginning sequencing...If the space between Ryugi, and his farthest reflection was real and not reflected, then there were hundreds of 10x10 rooms copied over and over again. And between each of those rooms were a set of mirrored walls dividing the enormous space beneath, above, and beside Ryugi. And then, without warning, those mirrored walls began to rise, like the armored slats of a fortress they shot up and out of sight, never to return again. As each wall vanished, so did the reflected Ryugi standing in it. And the more walls vanished, the faster they vanished until after a thunderous rush of mirrored lengths, Ryugi was standing completely alone with only a 10x10 cube of glass between him and what appeared to be an endless sea of blank white space. ...sequencing complete. And the four walls of the glass cube silently fell, the glass so clean that when it moved against the light, the light reflected off of it in a bright white that made it vanish entirely. This left Ryugi, standing in a seemingly infinite expanse of snow white nothingness. The voice spoke again. Training may now begin. Greetings...Ryugi Kazamaru. I am N. Zero. Cipher. Arcana Training Unit 1. Which training regime would you like to begin with?
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 11:46 pm
Well, that certainly was new. Ryugi didn't expect something like that in Max's home. Max was always a man of magic and its scientific practice. Never in 20,000 years would Ryugi have guessed that something as strange as this place would pop up inside what was essentially a closet. It was like some sort of hyper-parabolic quantum closet...or something. Not that Ryugi would know such a thing if he saw it, but the words sounded almost accurate, if he had to fathom a guess. Either way, the vertigo-inducing transformation sequence seemed to be over for the moment, and Ryugi had been addressed, by name no less! Ryugi tacked on "Mind-Reading" to the already bloated sounding name for this odd place, and responded.
Well, Mr. Unit One, I came here to practice and perfect training with the upper levels of my most powerful abilities. So, if you've got something for that, I guess I'd choose it. I'm afraid this is my first time making use of your...erm...services?
Ryugi wasn't sure if the non-emotive male voice was someone operating the closet, or the closet itself, but he figured he'd simply call it the "Being of the Magical Closet of White," at least in his head. Either way, he'd answered. These newfangled electronic thingies always confused him...
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 12:06 am
Scanning...The voice said. The room did not beep or chirp or make any mechanical noise, and yet Ryugi's magical eye would likely be able to sense intense spell crafting working behind the scenes. The detail, even the blankness of the place by way of the amount of magic being used alone had to take a very long time. ...Scanning complete. A pause again, and then voice continued. The Magician's magical research has led to the knowledge that memories, are transferable via magical methodology. Modern science has also lead research to conclude that no memory is ever lost from the brain, only lost to the areas of the brain we are able to access. Sequencing... Another pause. ...Complete. Taking into consideration these knowledges, I was was created. I hold in arcane reserved the full extent of the Magican's combatitive memories in combination with Heaven or Hell participant records and several text based record of individuals no longer living. This includes several Angaran texts, and legendary characters several of whom have been recorded as having achieved upper level abilities. These records include Helvena the Red, Amalthine the White, and Ryudo Kazamaru of the Shadow.
Summary. I can create nearly any fighter to have ever entered the Leviathan Stadium, the Heaven or Hell Tournament, or any of Angaran Historical Text present in the Magician's collection, to statistical accuracy of 86.5%. Please choose a sparring partner.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 12:32 am
Ryugi was stunned, and very very impressed. Suddenly, he understood what this place was. It was a magical library of every bit of collected fighter data that Maximos had ever encountered, and or could gather from any and all sources, and given the ability to be called upon to test any and all skills. It was... Amazing... Simply amazing.Ryugi pondered his options. He could go all the way back in time and fight Eclipse himself, to see the legendary strength of the Gold Dragon General himself. He could even go farther back and fight the famed Aurumak the Gold, the leader that brought Angara's different draconic states to order in the early years. He could fight Jack Slate, the man that had beaten him in Leviathan Stadium all those years ago. He could fight Ryudo, his brother and biggest rival. He could have this place manifest Joshua the Reaper, perhaps Ryugi's biggest direct rival for yet another rematch. He could relive any single Heaven or Hell fight he'd ever been in, even fight against those warriors that he'd never battled before. The multitude of choices he could make here was as endless as his ability to remember them all. But in the end there was only one choice Ryugi could possibly make. After all, in person or not, there was one fighter that Ryugi owed a rematch more than anyone else. My sparring partner will be...Ryugi closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, gripping Ragnarok's handle as he did so. He felt the faint pulse of energy tingle as it flowed up his arm, and he felt the link between himself and Ragnarok grow as the both of them knew what had to happen. He felt the small rush of adrenaline that focused his body and locked his mind into fighting mode. he was ready. There was only one person Ryugi trusted to test him and Ragnarok to their penultimate levels of endurance, and yet allow them the time to work out techniques. And that person was... Maximos Lucillien Dark.
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 1:18 am
Rendering...There was no pause, Ryugi named his opponent and the machine moved to create it as if all but too eager to see that bout brought to life. The rendering started very simple, it was an outline. Line and shapes filled the drawn edges bringing into view a blurry water color image of something like a man, in mostly black, spotted with some blue. The image moved, sliding its hands into its pockets and looked around the blank space tapping its foot impatiently. As if a lens somewhere was adjusted the image came into focus, it was Maximos painted in full color, wearing a blue pinstriped dress shirt and a black vest as well as matching slack and pants. But something was missing, the image of the Shadow shook his head, looked up and around and then slipped a hand from his pocket and snapped his fingers. The sky immediately went blue, and puffs of white like popping corn filled the pale blue expanse. In the same manner in which wave crash on the sore, green grass about the height of ones thighs rolled in, trailing behind it a garbled wash of colors and shapes. The wave passed, and Ryugi would find himself standing in a familiar grassy plain, beside a familiar cliff, with Maximos standing a few hundred feet opposite him. ...Complete. " Somehow..." Maximos' said, a smile on his face and restrained excitement on his voice. " Somehow I knew this would happen. Its really time, isnt it?" The Shadow extended both arms out to either side, and the Shadow responded immediately. In the same way thick jam or honey would fall off an edge in thick globules and ropes, the shadows rose. They reached and wreathed and covered their wielder, in thick non-descript black shapes. A suit of the stuff to cover his entire body as he took light, casual steps forward. The ichor was slithering across his head and face, as the Shadow spoke. " I've done my best to come prepared." Maximos looked like some sort of clumsy man made out of play doh, wearing a helmet that looked like a half melted motorcyclists helm exposing his smiling face. Despite the awkward nature of his garb, he moved gracefully, his hands upturned and his fingers splayed out. He stopped walking, his eye steadily igniting into a white plume as he spoke. " I hope you've done the same." SHING! His fists slammed into tight balls, archs of purple and indigo energy bounded across and through the chunky black material, furrowing through it line veins carving out an instantaneous shape and sending excess chunks raining off and out into the grass around him. This left Maximos standing dressed in something sleek, metallic and form fitting and yet absolutely bristling with what looked like electrical sparks and currents of blue, purple, and black energies. The Nocturnis Loricatus. Maximos' face was clearly visible, its pale white a stark contrast to the black armor of his helm. A black visor covered his eyes in a way similar to his Reaper's hood, but left his mouth exposed as he said. " I only have one request Ryugi..." CLACK! Twwwweeeeeee~! The mouth of his helm snapped across, concealing his mouth and giving his voice a deep echo that reverberated through the nearby shadows. Something whirred into life. " Dont hold anything back." BOOM! There were hundreds of feet to cross, and as Maximos' jet boots kicked in gear he crossed it, trailing a path of upturned turf and jet black fluid glow. He crossed it in exactly the time it took to cry out. "RISE FROM THE SHADOWS, ANKOKUKO!" And as his finished his fierce command, a single jet black serpentine shape writhed from shadow's beneath him. It coiled once around his leg, slithered around his torso and then leaped off his arm right into his waiting hands, snapping into it is true shape just as Maximos sent the blade slashing right to left training behind it an inky wet swath of black ether.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 2:49 am
In a flash, there he was, albeit in a different outfit than Ryugi remembered. That made him grin. That meant that Ryugi was facing the most accurate recreation of Maximos he could get, one more recent than their last fight, ages ago that it was. Maximos " Somehow..." Maximos' said, a smile on his face and restrained excitement on his voice. " Somehow I knew this would happen. Its really time, isnt it?" The Shadow extended both arms out to either side, and the Shadow responded immediately. In the same way thick jam or honey would fall off an edge in thick globules and ropes, the shadows rose. They reached and wreathed and covered their wielder, in thick non-descript black shapes. A suit of the stuff to cover his entire body as he took light, casual steps forward. The ichor was slithering across his head and face, as the Shadow spoke. " I've done my best to come prepared." Maximos looked like some sort of clumsy man made out of play doh, wearing a helmet that looked like a half melted motorcyclists helm exposing his smiling face. Despite the awkward nature of his garb, he moved gracefully, his hands upturned and his fingers splayed out. He stopped walking, his eye steadily igniting into a white plume as he spoke. " I hope you've done the same." Ryugi's red eyes stared down the replica Max's mismatched orbs. They were filled with something that the shadow had rarely seen in the young dragon's eyes when facing him before, assuming it had memories of its own incorporated into its fight data. It was a look of pure determination, doubtless determination. Win or lose, Ryugi would be fighting tooth and nail, his limits completely removed. If Max had ever wanted to fight a fully powered Ryugi, with any reservations gone as far as holding back his power and stamina, he was going to get it in spades. This was about Ryugi and Ragnarok testing their limits as a team, and that required everything to be given to its penultimate level of arcane might. As Maximos spoke and prepared, shadows rising to connect with his body and spread across its surface, Ryugi gripped Ragnarok's handle tightly in his right hand, the blade's green crystal suddenly pulsing with horribly bright white and blue light. Ryugi's red irises began to shine as he continued to watch Maximos grow nearer, even as his own power began to grow. A wind began to pick up, flowing around Ryugi's body as his energy pulsed, moving into its released state, his scarf blowing dramatically in the ethereal gale. He grinned...no, smirked, as the energy continued to grow and he replied back to Max. Maximos SHING! His fists slammed into tight balls, archs of purple and indigo energy bounded across and through the chunky black material, furrowing through it line veins carving out an instantaneous shape and sending excess chunks raining off and out into the grass around him. This left Maximos standing dressed in something sleek, metallic and form fitting and yet absolutely bristling with what looked like electrical sparks and currents of blue, purple, and black energies. The Nocturnis Loricatus. Maximos' face was clearly visible, its pale white a stark contrast to the black armor of his helm. A black visor covered his eyes in a way similar to his Reaper's hood, but left his mouth exposed as he said. " I only have one request Ryugi..." Release... The word was spoken silently, mentally into Ryugi's conscious mind, directly towards Ragnarok's spirit waiting in the sword. But with that command, Ragnarok's powers were released, and flowed freely, the duo's energy level spiking again. The ethereal gale rose to a whirling torrent as the two energies mixed and coalesced into a single energy signature. Blue and white streamers of crackling energy shot up from Ryugi's feet, arcing across his body up to the tips of his spiked silver locks, and his red eyes burned with energy from within. This was the beginning... The ground itself seemed to shake as Ryugi and Ragnarok's power merged together, the local area beginning to saturate with raw elemental force as an aura pulsed into being around Ryugi. And as Max looked on, the streamers of blue and white crackled and hissed into the visage of a mighty dragon's head, Ragnarok's draconic spirit given shape, form, and matching its might with Ryugi for the battle ahead. Ryugi's voice reverberated from the flows of elemental energy that flowed through his body, and Ragnarok's being. And as he spoke, the aura around him crackled and hissed, almost growling along with him. And what might that request be, Max?Maximos CLACK! Twwwweeeeeee~ The mouth of his helm snapped across, concealing his mouth and giving his voice a deep echo that reverberated through the nearby shadows. Something whirred into life. " Dont hold anything back." As Ryugi's voice shot forth, it was echoed by an otherworldly roar as Ragnarok was shunted to the right rear side of Ryugi, crackling streamers of power flowing along the blade's entire cutting edge, tearing at the ground and carving small furrows into the battlefield at his side. Maximos BOOM! There were hundreds of feet to cross, and as Maximos' jet boots kicked in gear he crossed it, trailing a path of upturned turf and jet black fluid glow. He crossed it in exactly the time it took to cry out. "RISE FROM THE SHADOWS, ANKOKUKO!" And as his finished his fierce command, a single jet black serpentine shape writhed from shadow's beneath him. It coiled once around his leg, slithered around his torso and then leaped off his arm right into his waiting hands, snapping into it is true shape just as Maximos sent the blade slashing right to left training behind it an inky wet swath of black ether. Just as quickly as Max shouted out and brought forth the Caller of Shadows, Ragnarok was thrust to Ryugi's right side and straight up into the air. Ragnarok!! Shine and cut through the Darkest Night!! Another mighty roar echoed across the plains as the dragon aura around Ryugi opened its jaws in a fierce cry as it shot into the sky, spun about just as quickly, and rocketed down the length of Ragnarok until it struck Ryugi's body. The outburst of energy from the union was absolutely thunderous. A gold eruption of energy shot outwards from the point of contact in an expanding dome that tore the ground asunder and shook the terra firma below Max's feet. RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! But the most surprising thing was the sheer force that was unleashed as Ryugi let out a most decisively inhuman battlecry that sounded as much that of a draconic roar as a human shout that growled its way out from the back of his throat. Just as with Ryugi's attacks, his power reacted to the vocal outburst, erupting off of Ryugi's position like a raging torrent of hurricane force wind that stormed towards Max's incoming form, drenched in searing heat that wilted the grass as it advanced. The outburst was so mighty that it would even be painful to those that heard it. In effect, Ryugi generated that much energy just by roaring a challenging battlecry. It would be unlike anything Maximos had ever experienced from Ryugi before. This would be a whole new ballgame. The fight was on.
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 12:43 pm
Ryugi had torn the field and the very earth with the sheer ferocity of his battle cry. This truly was an entirely different ball game. And its everything Maximos could have ever hoped for. That's it Ryugi... Maximos grin split his face in half, his soft laughter echoed across the darkness but was ultimately lost against the explosive roar. For the Shadow the moment slowed. He watched waves of pressure flatten the grass in a ring around Ryugi, then just as quickly rip the green blades from the ground and reduce them to mere cinders as crackling energy shattered the soil and turf. His boots merely skated above the ground, but with its tumultuous upheaval even that was impossible. Show me your claws... Maximos leapt and flattened his form like a board, holding Ankokuko to his side. He felt power pulse from the blade, waves of cool midnight washing over his form as comforting as any water against the searing heat. Even while not swinging, he felt Ankokuko cutting, digging its claws into the Shadow Plane and pulling forth burst after burst of raw power. And with a thought that power was sent flowing into his boots, propelling the black Paladin forward like a missile straight into the oncoming wave with reckless abandon. What shattered ground lay beneath him immediately exploded backwards, leaving an lopsided hill of soil and sod and shimmering lines and wisps of purple and blue where he was once standing. Bare your fangs... The Shadows needed no commands. Just as Maximos struck the onslaught, what appeared to be two midnight black wings unfolded from his back. As opposed to flapping or aiding in his flight, the wings snapped forward and folded themselves over Maximos protectively, enshrouding the Shadow. As he struck the wall of force and heat, the wings immediately began to tear and burn, the black flesh-like membrane suspended between long black bones scaled away bit by bit, but via their sacrifice left their master unharmed. And as they died, they sung a dark and sombre melody. This was, a Dark Cadenza. And spurred on, Maximos shouted. His voice booming across the deepest blackness opposite the beacon of white that was Ryugi. " Show me EVERYTHING!" Flying through such force was like flying through molasses. The air was thicker, tougher, and yet not nearly enough to actually stop him. And in mid air, the Shadow spun, slashing his sword right to left. Maximos never stopped, his body moved like a top or a drill completing a single rotation and then flowing fluidly into the next, and the next, and the next. With each pass, Ankokuko sliced the air. Its blade moved like a paintbrush, detailing an angry wet line across the air that traced the arc of his slash and then rocketed forward at Ryugi in rapid, terrible, succession. This was a Rondo. And in a flash, Maximos was whirling dervish, spiralling wildly as he bore down on his draconic companion, with lash after lash after lash of vicious black power racing ahead of him with all the force necessary to carve deep dark trenches in the soil where their wild power thrashed past the mark. Maximos was a Black Knight. The Knight of the Round. And with each spin, and each slash Maximos built up momentum, speed. And when he finally reached the Angaran Warrior he brought all of that to bear, forcing his spin to a halt and bringing every bit of that force literally down on. As the Caller of Darkness sliced a black line in the open air, while falling into an overhead slam meant for one Ryugi Kazamaru.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 3:13 pm
Never before had the two warriors unleashed this much power before in a single epic clash. They were complete opposites: Maximos, a wielder of the shadows and a master of the reflections of magic, Ryugi, a wielder of the light and the flame of righteousness and passion. These two mighty forces were unleashed already, and the battle had yet to truly begin. But even still, Ryugi's mind was working overtime. Maximos' Nocturnis Loricatus was a perfectly balanced pyramid of speed, defensive power, and sheer ferocity rolled into one package. But Ryugi's form was different. This form pumped Ryugi's attack power to his uttermost limits, Ragnarok's energies surging through him as his own, forgoing more defense for complete and total attack power. Ryugi's stamina, normally limited by his body alone, was supercharged by the flows of positive energy that coursed through his veins, and with more stamina came more ability to utilize greater amounts of power. His speed, his strength, his stamina were all augmented by this form. It was the Warrior side of Ryugi, and it was arguably the best form to combat this perfect balance of speed, defense, and power. With another battle cry, Ryugi's energy pulsed and in an instant bursts of power shot from Ragnarok, a Lightspeed Dash used to augment the sword's attack speed, even as the Weight Augmentation and Shining Sword abilities kicked in, the sword almost blurring from the speed at which Ryugi moved. CLANG!! The first Rondo was blocked. And then another, and another. The air was filled with sounds of metal on strike as Ryugi's attacks met Max's with speed unlike any Max could have seen from him before. A machine gun of clangs. But that wasn't all, Ryugi began to spin as Max shot through the air, his form blurring just as quickly as that of Max's. Fire and light energy erupted around his form, tearing away ground that was unfortunate enough to be near the epicenter of the whirling mass of energy. Quote: Adamant Twister - Ryugi spins his energy around at rapid speed calling up a massive fire energy tornado that he can send at opponents for burning, lashing, and cutting damage, as well as creating a sucking force equivalent to 50 MPH winds roughly five feet from the move. These attempt to draw an opponent into the attack. Max would know that this attack was even before Ryugi could say its name. Ryugi's Admant Twister was a rare move used by the dragon, but Max would know how the move worked. Or would he? Because as the two of their persons came close, Ryugi's eyes locked onto Max's, and a smirk was evident as he let out a thunderous command. ADAMANT -VORPAL- TWISTER!! Quote: Vorpal Slash – Ragnarok releases a superheated slash of energy that cuts the air in twain as it moves. The blade is capable of cutting through heavy defenses and armor for moderate damage to the target inside. If used against an unarmored opponent it can heavily damage an opponent, if not be fatal. Luckily, the attack is easy to dodge, being a single slash, unless used at close range where the high speed of the attack is put to its highest effectiveness. Named in honor of a blade said to destroy a powerful and formidable beast. Ryugi had combined two of his most powerful moves into a single attack. The Adamant Twister shot from Ryugi's form with a terrible slash from Ragnarok as the blade crackled with sparkling energy, but upturned itself and spun bottom down towards him, almost like a massive whirling drill of fire and light energies. The move sucked air in towards the drill's tip and sides, and roiling within was a blender of Vorpal Slashes. And with terrible speed, the move thundered towards Maximos, the air in its wake wavering and roiling in the heat. Under normal circumstances, Vorpal Slash was a massive gamble. It was a single powerful slash designed to cut through armor like a katana through a tatami mat. But it was easy to dodge except when used at close range, and even though the two of them were close, Ryugi was not betting on catching the legendarily speedy Maximos with a single strike. And thus, he'd combined the wide hitting radius and suction power of his Adamant Twister with the generally inaccurate Vorpal Slash to create the devastating Adamant Vorpal Twister. An armor breaking attack that made its own accuracy... Ryugi wasn't sure how Max would react to the new combination, but he wasn't counting him out. Not at all. This had just gotten started, and if HE wasn't holding anything back, he knew Max would not be either. As he finished the launching action of the Adamant Vorpal Twister, he jumped back to gain some ground on Max, and pulled Ragnarok back to his side, channeling energy into the blade and making the sword glow with power...
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 6:11 pm
It was too much, and too fast and there was absolutely no way of getting away unscathed. Not unless... Noct damnit Ryugi...Maximos had absolutely no choice. He was already caught in an overhead attack, a wild and recklessly powerful swing. The blow had more than the force required for the job, but focusing it would take nearly all of his concentration. Maximos shut his eyes closing out everything but the pulse of power rippling through Ankokuko, and the whirling vortex bearing down on him with incredible force. He could feel each menacing rotation of Ryugi's attack, he could feel the raw unbelievable power reverberating through each deadly slash. And against it all, he focused. He had to sharpen his senses, just as much as the power he wielded. The rush of it was intoxicating. It was easy to blast things here and there with maximum force, and so hard to control it into something precise. His body screamed that he swing, that he slam his blade down and throw himself into the oncoming attack without a care or a thought. Attacks, defenses, possibilities all swirled in images and flashes in his mind, each tempted him into motion. But against the storm Maximos had to remain resolute. Focused. He could not lose himself. "Shadow..." He let himself feel every syllable, and through the length of the single determined word he spaced out his power. Spreading it evenly across the length of Ankokuko, across its blade, and into his arms. His muscles screamed, threatening to explode if he did not throw them into motion. And he focused. Raw primal strength pitted against sharp and determined focus. Maximos was not the wall, that stopped the cannon. He was not the strike that knocked the raging bull of course. Maximos was the blade that cut through the storm. He had to be precise. He had to be sharp, sharper than steel. He felt a contact. The very tip of the raging cyclone kissing Ankokuko's blade, and in that instant he brought the blade immediately downwards in single focused cut, pouring the power of his slash into a fine and focused line, to slice right through the wild and furious storm. . ...I hoped I could save this for later. And Ankokuko cut. Ryugi would see a single black line divide the entire length of the Adamant Vorpal Twister. No pops, no crackles, no explosions. His attack simply halted in mid air for a moment. And then Maximos shouted, releasing his restraint and letting the torrent of power free. Like a pressure cutter, letting water burst through steel he had punctured Ryugi's attack. And now, all at once that single slice of energy was allowed to explode free. And as it did, Maximos voice boomed out. "BREAKER!"
BOOM! A single focused force will always be able to pierce a larger, raging force. The trick here was that once the larger attack was pierce, the single smaller blast exploded, unsettling the entire rhythm of the larger blast and overtaking it from inside. In this case, spikes and lines of purple and blue burst from inside the Admant Vorpal Twister, and then all at onnce the entire attack exploded. Ryugi's energy shoved out of its twister orbit, his slashes cascading wildly in all directions, and at its core was a perfectly spherical orb of black, blue and indigo. For a moment, at its center was visible a serpentine shape coiled around the center of the sphere. It even appeared that the moment it broke its perfectly loop, the sphere began to crack and then slowly faded leaving absolutely nothing but a crater of cracked and ruined earth where the two fighters once stood. Maximos was on the ground a few feet behind the attack, leaving its ruination as the center point between both fighters. Ankokuko resting comfortably over his shoulder, the blade still bleeding snakes and ribbons of black. And the Shadow was laughing. Not mocking laughter, no prideful laughter, but the lighthearted laughter of someone truly and completely enjoying himself. "Haha! That was excellent Ryugi!" The Shadow said, his disembodied voice echoing as if from down a long hall. "You've grown alot stronger since the last time we crossed blades!"
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 9:41 pm
Maximos "Haha! That was excellent Ryugi!" The Shadow said, his disembodied voice echoing as if from down a long hall. "You've grown alot stronger since the last time we crossed blades!" Ryugi chuckled, but inwardly his mind was thinking tactically, his eyes still glowing with focus. While Max had dropped out of his attacking charge, Ryugi knew that frontal assaults were not his strongest suit, but thinking of counters was. He'd have to try something new, something different from his usual cache of abilities. And after thinking for a moment, he knew exactly what he was going to do. I'm just getting warmed up, Max. It's time for Round 2.And with that, Ryugi's form pulsed with power and he was gone, his form nothing but a blur as it sped towards Max. The heat and energy radiating from Ryugi tore a furrow into the ground as he closed the distance, and then, an explosion rocked the area in front of Ryugi. Had something gone wrong? But before Max could ponder what had happened he would feel a powerful pulse of energy once more, and Ryugi would erupt from the cloud of dust and crackling energy. Only Max's Reaper Eye would be fast enough to catch Ryugi at this rate. He was moving faster than Max had ever seen him move before, a sonic boom thundering across the field as Ragnarok glowed with power and expanded in size, a massive glowing energy representation of its former self. And as Ryugi neared, his energy spiking to enormous heights, overloading Max's magical eye with the surge, the titanic blade shot across in a massive horizontal slash that crackled and whined with energy. The air around it left a blurring trail from the fierce heat, the ground below blackening and being torn asunder...
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