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To reach the sky. [Mason]
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 17:48:02 GMT -5
"Good!" Mason smiled as the two circled around each other. He was more concerned about the movements of the the two, as oppose to the control of air right now. Gradual the small vortex grew and grew until the two slowed their motions and stopped, the air naturally fading and joining the natural air. Jones' questions was one he never considered. He stopped, rubbing the top of his head, to consider. He knew what it was, but never had to put it into words.
"Mhmm, good question," he said walking to stand beside the Professor turned student. "This is a very spiritual abilities, the strength of the air comes from the strength of your spirit. You have to want to. I know this sounds very odd," he said, chuckling, trying to grasp the right words. "You can physically feel the difference when you want to just punch, or when you're punching to create an air blast."
Mason closed his eyes and started to breath, his hands folded into each other as his chest and ribs rose from the intake of breath. "The concept of chi, might work for you, internal life energy inside the body," he spoke softly, his eyes still closed. "It's the will that causes the air to move as you want, you gather your infinite store of chi, or energy, and concentrate that energy into a body part of parts."
He finished talking, as started to move again, his movements slow to Jones could see. "Breath work is the most important in understand chi," he added. "It adds to the internal fire and builds in your core. Allow others to effect you, the energy from creatures, nature, and the universe," as he finished, he made a quick turn, opened his eyes and jumped into the air. His leg extended and another air blast came out. He landed gently on the ground again. "Is this making sense?" he asked confused, unsure if his explanation was clear or not.
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Post by Feos on Mar 31, 2016 17:56:08 GMT -5
Jones couldn't but smile, seeing the perplexed look in Mason's face as he was trying to put what was subconscious knowledge into focused words. He knew that this was one of the biggest offers of his lessons, making the student truly think, and when instinctive knowledge becomes a truly grasped concept, then the student could further elaborate and get deeper into their own art more freely, given tools in the form of knowledge and understanding. He wondered if Mason could understand that on his own, and if not, well, Jones would explain that concept at some point.
He listened carefully, and then nodded, to show that he understood. "If it makes sense for you, it makes sense for me." he reassured his student turned teacher, and very slowly, he started performing a Tai Chi form. Slow, circular movements and balance, and he even timed his breathing, every exhalation and inhalation, just like his master had insisted on doing. At first, nothing happened, but after a bit, a soft wind current could be felt with each of his movements.
"Makes you think if the original creators of internal martial arts had powers similar to yours, Mason." Jones said cheerfully and winked at his student, thinking that this comment might be felt as a praise. "The students of their students had no such power, and could not produce such results, but they still kept the breathing and internal techniques like a treasure." he continued his thought as he went on with the form.
"Do you have any simple training drills you can show me, to help me further adapt into this? I'm slowly starting to get the hang of this, Mason!" he said, and this time, the youthful professor's enthusiasm could be clearly shown in his tone of voice.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 18:16:48 GMT -5
It was bizarre having to explain something that had been instilled in him at such a young age. Mason had never thought about these things before, but having to explain it gave him a new appreciation to the art he thought he was close to mastering. He watched his pupil, slowly going through some movements and gaining some control over the air. "That's perfect! You're getting it mate!" he sound loudly, clapping him on his back. "You really are a quick learner."
A large grin grew on his face at the compliment from Jones. It was an interesting thought, and Mason really could think these various martial arts coming from people who taught themselves control over their powers through martial arts. It would then make sense that the art survived, since it not only enticed people, gaining elemental mastery, but also provided a solid self defence.
Another question posed to him that made him stop and think. "Training....?" he repeated under his breath. "Uh.. there are a couple of various training drills. The first thing to help with breathing is mediation. Days like today are the best when you're first beginning, since there is a constant air flow, and you can feel it on your skin. Meditation is meant to help your spirit to wander, like the air. It is supposed to be simple, with no chance of doing anything wrong. Breathing techniques teaches you to keep warmth and to gain proper breath control." As he spoke, he got into a beginners meditation pose, with only one foot over a leg, and the hands, now fists, press against each other at the base of the stomach.
"That though," he said, getting up. "Is something you can do on your own or at your leisure. At home, my father had these spinning gates, that you had to weave your way through without getting hit, finding the path of least resistance. To replicate that here though, try moving your way through a series of attack. One second," he said, grabbing his staff from the dog. He spun his staff, making it a glider and dove from the roof, leaving the teacher and dog.
He returned almost ten minutes later with a large sack of tennis balls. He landed a good distance away. "I'm going to lobe these at you. Your task is to not be hit by a single one. The goal here isn't to use air moves to defend yourself, but rather use your movements to twist and turn, evading the incoming attacks and gradually making your way to me. Make sense?" He grinned widely, spinning his arms around each other making a funnel in which the tennis balls would be launched out of.
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Post by Feos on Mar 31, 2016 18:26:16 GMT -5
The professor couldn't but laugh softly at the compliment and the clap on his back. "Oh, you'll be surprised." he said with a smile, and gave Mason a thumbs up. This was totally the opposite of how a professor was supposed to be with a student, but Jones was no ordinary professor, and he didn't feel he needed any sort of authority aura in front of any student, he only needed to inspire the feeling that he could, indeed, help them progress.
He focused intently on Mason as he demonstrated a meditation posture, and when he heard something specific, it clicked with an idea out of the many that were roaming in his mind, and his eyes widened, his mind quickly working on building that idea more and more, making it more defined and something he'd have to work on and then present it to Mason, if he succeeded.
"Ah...sure." he said, a bit surprised to see the student leaving, a bit curious too. He smiled at Lupo when the two of them were left, and once again proceeded to perform a Tai Chi form, minding his breathing, to further get a grip on this new sensation of controlling the air and creating wind currents. He could tell that he needed to harmonize his inner energy and his motions, and the more he succeeded, the more powerful the results. He could feel the truth of that thought, and it pointed towards the direction he'd have to focus on.
When Mason returned and explained the plan, Ignatius raised an eyebrow, but then nodded, trying to visualize this new task. "Alright...let's go for it." he said. He took in a deep breath, and then, he slowly started advancing. As he visualized it though, his steps were close to the floor, almost sliding instead of stepping in, and his movements were very minimalistic, trying to make the most minor adjustments in his posture and the less effort needed in order to dodge.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 18:41:46 GMT -5
Mason focused his gaze on his professor as he took his first position. Once the air funnel was created, it took simple, but constant gestures from his right hand, which allowed him to grab the tennis balls that hung over his shoulder. Mason started off easy, putting in one ball at a time, causing Jones to side step the incoming attacks. "Good, focus on your target and then advance accordingly," he yelled over the wind.
He started to get more and more complicated, sending a number of balls towards the teacher, causing him to duck, jump, and spin between two balls to dodge them. "Yes!" he encouraged cheerfully, impressed not only with his teachers skill, but will the energy the gaunt looking man had.
Lupo, excited collected and returned the balls as fast as he could. Mason stopped with the funnel and dumped all the balls in front of him. He would grab four or five of them, and send them flying through the air (both vertically and horizontally) held together by an air current. He sent a two slices at a time occasionally, causing the teacher to think quickly.
Mason only stopped when Jones placed a hand on his chest. "You're a smug prat, eh?" he chuckled. He took a step back and spun a couple times before through his hands forward, his back towards Jones. This caused a large gust of wind to assault the rooftop, causing Lupo and Jones to take a step forward to steady themselves, but then caused all the balls to slide across the floor, and roll towards Mason, collecting on the wall opposite of them. When he got out of position, the wind stop.
"So, any ideas Professor," he said, waking to the large collection of balls, slowly putting them back into the large emptied sack.
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Post by Feos on Mar 31, 2016 18:51:10 GMT -5
Jones was left panting, sweat dripping from the angles of his face and the tips of his hair, and he could feel his heart beating very fast in his chest. His muscles felt very tired, because of the focus this drill had required of him, the strain more being a mental one than a physical one. He knew that a proper, flawless execution of the exercise would be smooth and as easy as a stroll for a master of the art, but he knew he was far from that level. Still, Mason's question was answered by a pair of eyes filled with inspiration and light, and then Ignatius took off his glasses to wipe them clean as he answered. "Many, Mason. But you see, you're already quite advanced in what you do, and to start building even further, it will take me some time. I'll need to experiment on my ideas, and if it works, you will have to go way farther from what you might consider a comfort zone. But it's worth it." Jones said, almost grinning from excitement, a grimace and emotion he hadn't felt much in the past. He then stood there for a few seconds, with the perplexed face and active eyes of someone who is making many calculations in his mind, before finally speaking. "You've helped me lay down a basic framework. Our next class will be in..." he then paused again to think "two weeks from now, Mason. On this same spot, same time. If my assumption is correct, I'll be teaching you when that time comes." he said and winked at the student. "It was nice meeting you as well, Lupo." he said to Mason's friend. "Mason...In two weeks, I'll show you how gods and demons will all be terrified." he said, his tone extremely mysterious and with a hidden tease, the tone of someone who was giving a clue they knew the recipient most likely couldn't figure out. And then, he vanished. ( In the next post, skip 2 weeks ahead, with Mason arriving! )
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 19:06:16 GMT -5
There was an proud look on his face as Jones made his way through the exercise, though there was also a bit or worry from the exhaustion Jones seemed to be dealing with. He was happy to hear though, to be honest, that despite this all, Jones was still just as eager and willing to work. He was then surprised to hear that Jones was confident in his abilities. Two weeks? It was impressive to say the least. This excited Mason. "Two weeks," he said, as if holding him to it. "I can't wait!" he said as finished collecting the tennis balls and made it way.
~~TWO WEEKS LATER~~
"Fuck!" Mason cursed himself as he dashed through the hallway, His class ran later then he expected, and he was already five minutes late. He would have flew to the roof, but he left his staff in his room, and the halls were too crowded to dash through them at an enhanced speed. "Sorry!" he shouted and he pushed past people. "I'm late! ... Excuse me! ... Sorry, I'll buy you a new one!" he said, knocking someones dinner on the floor.
He bounded up the stairs, taking two or three at a time. Sweat covered his brow and some even dripped off his face. "I'm sorry!" he said, bursting through the roof door. "Whoops!" he shouted, blushed as he charged in on two students obviously sharing a romantic moment. "Wrong door..." he said embarrassed. "I'll just... leave you two alone!"
He leaved the couple and jogged across the roof, leaping between roof tops before landing lightly on the rooftop he was to meet Professor Jone's at. Jone's was already there, waiting for him. "Sorry I'm late Professor. Class got out later than usual," he said apologetically, wiping the sweat from his face.
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Post by Feos on Mar 31, 2016 19:15:41 GMT -5
"Being late, Mason?" a deep voice was heard from near Jones, a very familiar, masculine voice. "Being late might get you very, very dead. Don't forget that. After this class, Jones informed me that you'll be seeing me. You'd better have something quite intense to show me, kiddo." the voice said. And with a shift, the professor who was talking appeared, Professor Cross in his full, imposing, pissed off glory, for it was obvious that the man's mood was far from good. He turned to glance at Jones again, who, it was also obvious, was making a very dedicated attempt at keeping a straight, innocent face and avoiding eye contact, before leaving the roof top.
Everything at the roof top was as Mason had left them, apart from....well, the floor. The floor, at some points, seemed at if a very thin blade had left thin slashes many, many times. And apart from that, there was a single, deeper and wider cut, as if a much larger blade had cleaved there.
Jones sighed when Cross finally had departed, and turned to give Mason a sheepish smile. "Professor Cross came to inquire about his student, and what was taking us so long. Forgive his bad mood, he doesn't like losing in a challenge." Jones said in a polite, almost cheerful tone, directly implying there was a clash that had taken place there. And truly...had Cross really lost to Jones in some way?
"So, Mason, how have these two weeks been for you?" Jones asked politely. The colour had returned to his cheeks, and he seemed more healthy. Also, if someone had an extremely sharp eye, they might notice that his arms, shoulders and thighs were a bit more toned under his black shirt and jeans he was wearing that day, compared to two weeks ago. Not a big difference, but if he hadn't been wearing clothes, his muscles could be seen being just a bit more developed in those areas.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 19:30:59 GMT -5
The tone and vibration of Cross's voice was clear and imposing, causing Mason to wince slightly. "Of course he's here today," he thought to himself, disappointed. He wanted to talk back and give a snarky come back, claiming that it could also save his life too, but his angry mood refrained Mason from speaking out of turn. One his good day, he might. Mason's eyes followed Cross as he left, which then focused on the ground, which was been damaged since his last time here. "Was there a fight?" Another thought he kept to himself as Jones addressed him.
Mason adjusted his training clothes looking at his Professor, who looked significantly better. In fact, the difference in two weeks was incredible, his Professor, still calm and relaxed, also looked full of life. He perked up as Jones referred to loosing a challenge. Did the two spar?! Mason would have loved to see that, especially since it sounded like Cross actually lost. He needed to know the details, but that was for another time.
"They haven't been bad," he responded a bit quietly, as if he hadn't done his homework or something. "Been busy writing a paper of the different between various nocturnal creatures this past week, and international law seems so much more complicated now, and..." he trailed off, realizing he was speaking pointlessly. He shook his head to focus himself.
"Sorry. What about you? You seem a lot better. I'm excited to see what you have for me!" he said excitedly.
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Post by Feos on Mar 31, 2016 19:40:56 GMT -5
Ignatius nodded and smiled. "There's...something vibrant in your power, Mason. Is it only about controlling the air? I can't exactly determine it, but I feel fresh. And well, you can't expect me to look like I did the first three days. The first three days...they are painful." he explained with a slight wince, which lasted only for a moment.
"Also, I got to work out a lot, those two weeks. There was so many things I needed to learn myself, in order to teach you. I haven't worked out so hard in my life before, I mean it." he said, sighing and rubbing the back of his neck. "Most of it will probably go away soon, but the technique will remain, and that's what's important." he finally said, then took in a deep breath, to focus his thoughts.
"So, when you told me you had combined your air control with Ba Gua, it made me think. To be honest, I haven't learned the things that you have learned. If you ask me to make a wind punch like you do...it won't work at all!" He admitted with a sheepish smile. "But you see, the name of your art, it rang a bell, Mason." he continued, starting to walk along the roof top.
"In the days of old, there was a wise saying. For...you see, Mason, your martial art...did you know it had...a sibling of sort, a brother art, let's call it? An art ancient like yours, different and yet similar in that both use powerful rotations-which are, we agree on that, the essence of how you control the winds-, arts that compliment each other." he kept on narrating as he walked.
"The saying went like this... "When pigua is added to baji, gods and demons will all be terrified. When baji is added to pigua, heroes will sigh knowing they are no match against it.". It has a very nice ring about it, don't you think?" Jones said, his tone revealing his excitement. "The ancient masters, it is recorded, would learn both arts, in order to further hone and compliment their styles, and create something supremely powerful. So...I've been venturing out of the academy, and found myself a rather...private man, who has great knowledge of the art, and agreed to show me the basics." Jones said.
"Are you ready to see something new then, Mason?" Jones asked, positively brimming with energy and excitement.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 20:07:23 GMT -5
This was more information than Mason expected. He was impressed and overwhelmed. He had always been so content with Ba Gua, and he'd never thought to branch out and see what was out there. "A brother art form?" he though to himself, the fire inside him building in excitement. Mason's eyes followed Jones intently, as he paced back and forth across the rooftop. It seemed surreal that this professor had discovered new things about his power in two weeks then Mason had in his life, and yet somehow, this only excited Mason more.
Mason repeated the phrase Jones said to himself, going through his memory to see if there was something there, but this was all completely new information. "Yes please!" he almost shouted. "You've made me wait two weeks mate! Don't make me wait anymore!" he practically begged, itching to get his hands on what Jones had. "Is is a new combination of moves? Can I make massive storms? What?!" he asked, each guess getting more and more ridiculous. He wasn't sure what Jones had, but he knew it would be useful either way!
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Post by Feos on Mar 31, 2016 20:15:43 GMT -5
Jones truly liked that this guy shared the enthusiasm. When he heard about storms though, his eyes squinted for a moment. "Hang on to that thought, Mason. That will be an ultimate lesson, if it ever happens..." he thought to himself without speaking the words out loud, but his mind was constantly racing and brimming with possibilities. It only lasted for a moment, this pause, and then he smiled again.
"So, the Pigua, Mason, is an art that employs powerful rotations in a different way. It's a long range combat style, where rotations are generated from the legs and hips." he started, making a sharp twist with his hips. "They are directed upwards, to the upper body, and through the absolute balance between relaxation and firmness, they power of the rotation is directed to your arms, that act like powerful whips. Now, do you know what that produces, Mason?" Jones asked.
He took a moment to focus, closing his eyes. Slowly, he started twisting his hips, to the right, then to the left, slowly, repeatedly. His arms were flailing at either side of him, relaxed. Each rotation became a bit sharper...a bit sharper...sharper still, the arms starting to look more like whips than as if made of rubber.
And then, Jones exhaled loudly and performed a wide, circular motion, twisting his upper body a bit to the side, so that his arm could perform an arc, downwards and then upwards, a semicircle. With a whooshing sound, a powerful and concentrated wind slash was created, his palm poised like a blade, not a fist. The slash travelled along the rooftop, grazing the floor and causing a lot of noise, but it didn't create such a deep slash like before.
"With Bagua, you have the blunt, bulgeoning force of a staff. With Pigua, you can have the sharp, razor wind of a sword. I can't get it quite right yet, but Mason, I'm sure we can do this." Jones declared, panting lightly but his eyes gleaming with excitement.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 20:38:29 GMT -5
The loud sound of a thin strip of air cutting through stone on the roof caused Mason to scream in excitement. "What? That's fucking mental!" he shouted excitedly, looking at the thin cut on the floor. "How did you think of that? Another art form!" he stood there for a moment, thinking rapidly. "This is a brilliant balance to Ba Gua! One more defensive, the other offensive!" he brimmed brightly. He turned to look at his teacher in awe, and then just laughed in exasperation. Mason started walking in a circle, repeating the things that Jones had said before his demonstration. "Stubble hip rotations... directed upwards... powerful whips..." he trailed off, practicing small imitations of of the movement that Jones had demonstrated. He breathed in and out, exhaling getting gradually louder and he focused on his thoughts. He started to do the motions, gradually picking up the speed and force generated by his grounded lower half. He didn't plan on using air, as he wanted to get the moves down. "Like this he asked?" partially distracted as he focused on the sensations in his body.
His movements slowed before stopping, and he began walking again, testing his how he could produce those sharp, flexible movements from fast moving evasive techniques from Ba Gua, trying to combine the two. At one point he got overwhelmed and tripped over himself, landing hard on his face. Mason cursed and tried to play it off. "Promise not to tell Cross?" he asked embarrassed standing up. A few more falters happened, but slowly and surely, the new motions and ides became clearer and clearer.
His determination was greater than that of his pride, and despite the clumsy form he originally started off with, it started to become more natural. Eventually, Mason's breathing steadied and he performed a few of his well known air blasts. Getting more confident, Mason again attempted the form Jones had demonstrated. After jumping up, he planted on one leg, before shifting his weight and placing both feet on the ground.
Twists in his hips let his arms move in rapid succession faster and faster. Finally, after building up momentum, Mason duck, twisted, and use his arms to bring his to standing, his blade like palms throwing upwards to bring him to standing. This caused a blade like crescent of air, almost visible itself, and created a long, deep gash along the floor.
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Post by Feos on Apr 1, 2016 9:58:26 GMT -5
Jones chuckled lightly and rubbed the back of his neck. He was still breathing hard after the effort, but he was feeling better than ever before. Teaching Mason, seeing the student's and his own excitement resonate at their shared learning, Jones knew in his heart that this was his call. "Well, that's what I'm supposed to be doing. Thinking stuff and coming up with ideas." he said and gave Mason a thumbs up.
He then fell quiet, observing Mason closely, seeing how the boy tried to attain the proper form. Often, he corrected him here and there, based on the teachings of the man who taught him for two weeks. "Of course, there's much more to Piqua than this whipping motion, and I truly encourage you to learn all of it, and much more deeply than I have." he explained to the student as Mason still worked on it. "But for now, improving this technique yields fast and impressive results, so focus on that." he continued with a small smile.
At that moment, Mason fell on his face and Jones shook his head lightly, trying not to chuckle and injure his student's pride, he just nodded in agreement, he wouldn't mention that to Cross. Probably. And when Mason performed the wind slash, Jones looked at the mark on the floor, kneeling next to it.
"Look close, Mason. Your mark next to mine. Your mark is deeper, meaning that you managed to put more force into it. That's good." he said. "It's also wider. This means, mine was sharper, more concentrated. This is what you need to work. The essence behind this technique is sharpness. For a blunt hit, your Baji wind control works excellently. You employ Piqua for its sharpness. Thus, I want you to practice control. To make a sharper wind, you need a sharper motion, not a stronger one." he continued.
"We'll train separately for a bit, so that what we gain won't be affected by each other. Thus, when we train again, each will have made their own breakthroughs and discoveries to share with the other. I want you to work on sharpness, and also, to control the size and trajectory of the slashes. Horizontal and diagonal ones, wide and narrow arcs, perhaps even a double execution with both arms. Work on all of this, Mason, practice it with Cross too, and I'll let you know about our next lesson." he said. He felt a bit of melancholy to know that their next lesson would take a while, but he knew that both needed time to absorb these new aspects of the power. Plus, Mason now had more than enough "theory" to practice with Cross.
"Also, here's my phone number. Call me any time if something comes up, Mason." he said, taking a simple white card with his name and number out of his pocket and handing it to his student.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2016 16:58:22 GMT -5
It was apparent to anyone watching the sharp rising and falling of Mason's chest after the wind slash. It's not that it was physically exhausting, but the energy needed to conjure this slash was something Mason never tried before. He panted slightly, trying to calm his breathing, still looking forward from where the crescent had vanished. This different use of energy took more out of Mason then he expected, and it would take some time for him to grow accustom to using this form.
He relaxed a bit, and walked over to Jones had kneeled beside the gash he had created in the concrete. He looked up and smiled at his remark on his strength, but it quickly faded as he mentioned that it was not about strength, but precision. He nodded in agreement, and traced his hand over his gash.
Mason rose as his teacher rose, listening to him giving him homework. "You better watch yourself," he grinned. "You're not the only faster learner here," he smacked Jones on the shoulder and chuckled. "Although," he added. "I would have loved to see that fight between you and Cross. Did you win? He didn't seemed too pleased," he said, walking away from Jones towards the exit.
"Oh, and thank you," he said, turning back around. "Professor." He made sure to press the word 'professor' as a sign of gratitude towards the teacher that taught him and encouraged him more then any other instructor he's ever had. "Remind me to bring my glider next time. I'll give you a flying lesson!"
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