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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-20)
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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 Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 10:35 am
DC:10
Train:9/10
Roll:1+3=4
Xenon froze, he landed at the base of the tree most of the leaves unstruck, tumbling into a save from his surprised state. He stood and stared directly ahead, his attention however, directly behind him. Ironically enough, Xenon was surprised. He hadn't been expecting to see her again so soon.
"Sanako..." He said aloud turning his head so as to look at her sidelong. "What an astounding coincidence."
Sanako seemed unchanged since he'd saw her yesterday morning. Kimiko's mother was staring at him with a dull expression. "I need a favor." Xenon tilted his head somewhat? his expression as dull as hers in his own way.
"Oh? Is that so?" he turned to face her fully. "Well I'm always ready to listen to beautiful woman...let's here it."
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
8
Total: 8 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 10:57 am
DC:10
Train:10/10
Roll:8+3=11
Training complete
Xenon landed yet again, victorious but preoccupied. "So...you want me to join her on a mission.
Sanako nodded "Yes. That's right." she had a distant look in her eye. "She's eager, but she's also incredibly reckless, I want someone with her who I know will be able to handle a situation should it turn out poorly..."
Xenon looked at her considering "I suppose that's a compliment... but why me?"
Sanako shrugged "Your the only person i can think to ask who I know wouldn't let harm come to her. Nothing all that more to it..." she pointed to him "Of course there's another mission in it for you, and you'll have the satisfaction that your "favorite toy" is fully intact."
Xenon leaned against the tree "I see...I suppose when you put it that way it makes sense, but then I was planning on taking another mission anyway." he raised an eyebrow "How then am I to get Momoe-san to agree to it?"
Sanako turned around "I'm sure you'll figure it out. She plans to go to the Mission boards at around 5:00 this evening... be there then...or not I suppose....it's up to you." she vanished in a flicker of speed...a shushin.
Xenon frowned. Speaking of which, this would interrupt his speed training...he'd have to think about it.
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
20
Total: 20 (1-20)
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:15 pm
Falling Leaves
Formula:1d20+Dex
DC:10
Train:1/10
Roll:20+3
Xenon spun about, his hand's flashing, eyes glowing. He landed with a fierce expression, his mind still somewhat annoyed. He had many reasons to go meet Momoe-san, as Sanako said, but he was...annoyed with that. He would rather not have known about the situation entirely, then he wouldn't have to worry about taking the advantageous path... but alas Sanako had made him aware, and thus he had no choice...
Still, she'd said five o'clock...that should leave him enough time to reach his quota... he jumped back into the tree, his determination completely renewed, he had to finish quickly if he wanted to maintain his schedule. "Okay...," he quickly grabbed a bunch of leaves as he ran down the branch a barreled off, tossing the leaves below. "Let's go!!"
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
7
Total: 7 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:28 pm
DC:10
Train:2/10
Roll:7+3=10
Xenon's speed alone allowed him to strike the last three leaves before finally hitting the earth. He wheeled about and off his pivoted foot barreled toward the tree, he knew he'd probably tire a lot faster this way, but he was certain that if he pushed away exhaustion he would be able to complete his training in time.
His chakra seemed to become sharp, he could feel it flowing like electricity in his coils. His body seemed charged and his eyes glowed, he wouldn't let himself fall behind his ideal of himself...
He smiled, at least at this rate...he wouldn't get bored...
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-20)
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:36 pm
DC:10
Train:2/10
Roll:6+3=9
Xenon muttered something... he'd missed one... he rubbed his shoulder. he was still sore from his inhumanly rushed training over the past few days... his body was having to develop so fast just to keep up with him... he sighed, still, he didn't particularly have much option now...with his unofficial appointment to keep he couldn't give himself time to rest. He jumped back onto the tree, still convinced he'd push his way through it, just as he had before. It would be a cold day in the Makai when he let himself be overwhelmed by his own weaknesses... and the ice realms didn't count.
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
15
Total: 15 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:43 pm
DC:10
Train:3/10
Roll:15+3=18
In truth training like this was ill advised. Most people's bodies would just be worn down by this kind of extreme training, their entire physical health deteriorating, forcing them to recover, which could take days to weeks. If one over trained bad enough it could cripple them permanently. However, Xenon, and other prodigal shinobi, were different from the rest because one single advantage... their chakra. Chakra was present in all living things, but it was also true that chakra, and subsequently the control over it, was like a muscle, the more it was used, the more one developed it, the stronger it would be. The truth was humans were only limited by their chakra... their bodies, while the same as everyone else's at birth, could become godlike as long as they had chakra. Normal human limits simply didn't apply to them...Xenon counted himself lucky to among that number...even if he'd made himself so.
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-20)
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:51 pm
DC:10
Train:3/10
Roll:5+3=8
Again Xenon was slipping up, he'd missed two that time. True the wind had played a part, but it was his fault for misreading it, or so he believed. He wasn't even considering the fact that perhaps some would still consider it an impressive feat, that some might compliment him on his efforts, he saw it only as a failure, and failure was not an option when you were gambling with your life.
Xenon had usually been like that, even back when he was attending class, or rather, back when there'd been class to attend. He'd never taken the teacher's praise seriously, but it wasn't because he though him better then they, or even that they're standards were sub-par... that was just it, their standards were par, and being par was too risky. True, you be able to match most of the shinobi out there and defeat any below average fairly easily... but if you ran into one that was truly exceptional... you were dead.
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:58 pm
DC:10
Train:3/10
Roll:5+3=8
Again...he'd missed two... he sighed and ran back up the tree, his chakra still surging through his veins like a live wire.
Put into mathematical perspective. If one assumed that over 50 percent of shinobi were average, and likewise assumed that the remaining twenty five percent on either side were sub-standard and elite, then your odds came out like this being one of that fifty percent.
You had one fourth chance of entering a battle you'd win, a 50% chance of entering a battle you'd have a fair chance in, and 25 percent chance of dying.
It would be like a knife fighter being challenged to a particularly life threatening game of cups, or, that's how he'd imagined it when he'd pondered it long ago. The dealer has four cups, under two are sleeping cobra's, under one is nothing, and under another is a woken cobra waiting to strike. If the Knife fight is lucky enough, swift enough, he should be able to kill the two sleeping cobra's, and if he get's the nothing he walks free easily... still...even the swiftest knife fight will fall to a roused cobra's bite...
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
12
Total: 12 (1-20)
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 4:08 pm
DC:10
Train:4/10
Roll:12+3=15
An elite, on the other hand, had an entirely different game. For them the choices were between three cups with nothing in them, and one with a sleeping cobra. The choice between the two scenario's was so simple even a child could answer... which one had the better chance of survival?
That was why Xenon strove for excellence, it was merely, in addition to his own convictions, logical. The teachers at the academy didn't expect everyone to be excellent, there for average performance earned their praise... but it just wasn't enough, not if one wanted to be certain of their survival.
Xenon landed having struck half of the leaves twice... he was still shaking off his soreness, but he was still improving, bit by bit.
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
14
Total: 14 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 4:35 pm
DC:10
Train:5/10
Roll:14+3=17
To think he'd been so...slow all his life. He knew it sounded strange, but that's how he felt. Everything about him was faster... his mind, his reflexes, his every move...even the way he perceived simple things had changed. Since his training began he'd estimate his speed had increased 3, no, perhaps once fully recovered 4 fold. If he completed his training completely, he estimated a five fold increase, that wasn't even taking into consideration the later phase that would hopefully begin tomorrow.
He felt like a man who'd been using one hand his whole life, only to find he had another. He scaled the trunk of the tree with these thoughts in mind... and indeed he couldn't help but wonder... how much more powerful would he become... would what he was now someday become infantile to him? He then realized he knew the answer... of course it would.
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-20)
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 4:51 pm
DC:10
Train:5/10
Roll:6+3=9
Xenon again fell victim to his weariness. He missed the very last one. He clutched his shoulder, trying to loosen the tendon. 'Damn it... if this keeps up then it's possible that I won't finish in time...that could set me back a whole day...' he made a rather perturbed face 'I can't afford that time... or rather...I don't want to give it up.'
He glared at the tree "No...I won't allow it to hold me back..." He cracked a few of his joints. 'Now let's finish this...' He lept up unto the tree, it's ridges familiar to him now. Now that he thought about it, he knew this tree almost inside out now... and he'd still have to find a way to pay it back.
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 5:06 pm
DC:10
Train:5/10
Roll:4+3=7
He twitched, his eyes looking visibly furious. Damn it... he knew he wasn't in the shape to be attempting this and expecting the results he'd been getting...but... he clenched his teeth. 'I might have to allow for the set back after all... squeeze time somewhere else... at this rate I may not have time to rest up for a mission... '
He considered the possibilities. 'Still, I still have time... I suppose I'll just have to plan for the worst, and try for the best...that's all I can do for now. Besides, despite my condition I should be able to recover before five if I visit the clinic... factor that in and I can train till four...' He nodded to himself 'Right... if all else fails then I'll just have to try that much harder on the rest of my training to make up for the lost time.'
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
12
Total: 12 (1-20)
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 5:12 pm
DC:10
Train:6/10
Roll:12+3=15
Xenon was relieved he still had plenty of kick left in him, achieving his goal by four o'clock was not merely a dream. He kicked off the ground again, his chakra reserves still in excellent condition. In retrospect he should have visited the clinic this morning before coming, on his way here, but that was a moot point now, he'd just have to weather and make his way through this challenge, the prize on the other side was time, and as any wise man would tell you, time was a priceless commodity.
He knew for certain that he could get a second wind at any time, his chakra levels still being what they were, but he also didn't want to have to rely on it consciously, that might cause some confusion in his training later, he wanted to feel the difference between his regular movement and his chakra aided movement... and thus if his chakra aided him, he wanted it to be unconsciously.
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
13
Total: 13 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 5:19 pm
DC:10
Train:7/10
Roll:13+3=16
Success. He was close now to 90%, just a little further and he'd finally reach his goal...
Finally reach his goal...no...no he was far from his goal, and he knew this very well. Xenon Maboroshi's "goal" was not so simple as this. It was just a stepping stone in his road. A road he himself would lay. Xen's dream, he laughed at the poetry of that, was to become unchallenged... to surpass all who could wish to oppose him, to eclipse his will. In this world the only way to be truly free was to be the strongest in all the world. In that way, only one person out there was truly free, without limitation. He didn't want it for any particular purpose either, merely to be such that he needn't fear, that he needn't bow to anyone else's ideals without his consent, that he would one day be able to do whatever he wished, whenever he wished. He didn't even know if what he'd do, if such preparation was necessary, but that was his dream, to attain that freedom, and of course, this being vital, enjoy himself along the way.
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome rolled 1 20-sided dice:
8
Total: 8 (1-20)
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The Ghost of Xmas Awesome
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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 5:29 pm
DC:10
Train:8/10
Roll:8+3=11
The only other self imposed rule is that he wanted to get their with as few regrets as possible, he'd already had enough on the road behind. He knew he might very well never reach such a lofty goal, he might very well fail, and die before he could reach it. But such a dream was not about achieving it, at least, not to him. He wouldn't feel some great sorrow if he died without having achieved it, and that was half the point, it was goal he could follow, one that could keep him walking, and one he could die happy despite knowing he hadn't achieved it. That's not to say he intended to die, but he accepted such a possibility in this vast unpredictable world. While one fought as best as one could, sometimes bad luck was just in your cards... that's why it was so important to load the deck with the values he held so high in regard.
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