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Training Time [Feos]
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2016 8:32:26 GMT -5
Before Mason had a chance to leave the class, Cross stopped him, resting a heavy hand on his shoulder. The weight of his hand actually surprised Mason, and the firmness of his grip was impressive for such a casual touch. Mason turned around excitedly. " Yeah? Thank you, you won't be disappointed!" Excitement built inside the adolescent boy and a grin grew on his face. He nodded and head to his dorm to change out of his street clothes, to clothes more apt to training. He moved around, throwing a couple punches in his dorm as Lupo rested up on Mason's bed, watching him. As Mason left of the door, Lupo let out a bit of a bark. It was clear his time in Mason's room was growing dull. " Sorry mate," he apologized to the dog. " I don't know how training will be, so I can't bring you." The dog's ears folded down and he lazily let his head rest over his paw. Mason left his room, and headed to the meadow. Various thoughts raced through his head. ' How does Professor Cross perform his lessons?' ' What does he plan on teaching Mason?' ' Is he as good as he thinks he is?' These thoughts brought him to the meadow. Mason arrived at the meadow a bit ahead of schedule, reaching the open area before his teacher. A gentle spring breeze blew through the air, rustling the grass and Mason's hair. He took a deep breath and walked over to the large, lone tree, the tree he met his first friend at the school Feos. After leaning against the vast trunk, Mason made a mental note to bother the phoenix at another time.
Time passed as Mason waiting for his instructor, which felt like ages but in reality must have only be a few minutes. He twirled his staff absentmindedly to help distract him, but he wasn't sure if Cross would permit the use of weapons. He figured it was better to bring it than not, as Cross might want a demonstration of his abilities, or even simply permit the use of his tool in their lessons. Worse came to worst, Mason wouldn't use the staff and he'd focus on his own prowess.
(Mason's outfit) Original artist: phil-cho.deviantart.com/art/Earth-Bender-Phil-OC-Commission-313928857
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Post by Feos on Mar 27, 2016 14:47:28 GMT -5
It didn't take long for the tall man to arrive, wearing the same clothes he had been wearing while teaching, his sleeves still folded up, revealing the man's toned forearms and big hands. He had been trying not to get too spirited and excited the entire time. Someone wanted to learn about true combat....could it be another failure, another false alarm, or was Brandon up to something here?
"This guy had good eyes, at least..." the professor mumbled to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he casually walked. Many students passed next to him, and he could see others relaxing, some having decided to go out for a pic nic while others were messing a bit with their powers. Foresta Academy....it seemed like a tranquil place, a safe haven, and for a moment, a bitter thought crossed Brandon's mind. How many of those kids would end up facing each other as enemies in the future?
The shook his head and sighed, trying to let go of that thought, and he halted his step, seeing the student already waiting for him in a small distance. "Eager too, huh?" the man mumbled, the corners of his lips curling in a small grin. He walked closer still, his steps a bit faster and his strides a bit longer than before, until he was a moderate distance away from Mason, around 20 feet.
"Alright kid, why don't you show me what you can do?" Brandon said, his one good eye focused on Mason. "On your own, not against me." he then clarified, and rubbed his chin with his fingers.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2016 16:08:02 GMT -5
The sun shined brightly as Mason rested in the shade of the tree, the occasional cloud passing over. His eye were closed, enjoying the feeling of the sun on his face, but he was far from unaware of his surrounding. He listened intently around himself, carefully trying to pick out the movements and sounds coming off from the world around him. He propped up when he hear someone walking towards his direction, and opened one eye to check his suspicious to see Professor Cross stop not far from him. He stood, smiling, though left his staff against the tree.
"Yes sir!" he said as he rolled his shoulders and head before getting into a relaxed fighting stance. Mason took a deep breath and started, slowly at first, walking in a circle. His elbows stayed close to his body, his feet barely skimmed the ground only placing the weight over his foot as needed. Both arms were bent, but his right arm was further extended out while his left arm rested over his torso. With a quick twist of his body, Mason shot both arms forward, intentionally sending an air blast not directly at Cross, but just past his head so he could feel the air, causing his hair to move too. Without stopping his momentum, Mason returned to his original position, walking slowing in various circles.
"I've been taught and have been practicing Ba Gua since I was a kid," Mason say to Cross, though his attention was still on his imaginary opponent. "It's philosophy is to evade and defend, tiring the opponent out or stopping and deflecting their attacks with minimum effort. It is, like my areo kinetic abilities, a fighting style used to find the path of least resistance and use their whole surroundings to their advantage." As he spoke, he demonstrated various air blasts and forms. The first one was shot by Cross's head because air was not something one could really see, unlike a fireball.
Mason began to pick up the place, going from form to form, twisting his body, jumping high and stretching low, showing Cross the capabilities that Mason held. He used his air bending to hover for moments, as if dodging an attack, and speed up his attacks, even using it to bring his staff that was against the tree towards him.
As he grabbed the staff, Mason started twirling it around his hands, then arms, then neck and shoulders, even the torso. He showed both blocking and attacking bo staff forms, as well as showing his ability to focus his abilities through his staff. After a while, Mason stopped, planting the staff on the ground as he held it up. He turns to Cross and stares, hoping it was good enough for the professor.
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Post by Feos on Mar 27, 2016 16:18:03 GMT -5
Brandon crossed his arms in front of his chest and watched intently, as Mason demonstrated. He didn't blink when the air sphere went over his head, and he could feel that such a sphere could certainly push a man back. As he watched more, he could tell that Mason was a more variable martial artist than himself. Brandon had a good grasp of Muay Boran, and had even defeated some Thai masters of the art, but essentially, it was obvious that Mason was trying to develop many more techniques than what Brandon's art included.
It troubled Brandon a bit, but he kept looking. He could tell that Mason's balance was very well trained, and it was the first thing he noticed in a combatant, because balance takes a lot to train and develop. His body was flexible, relaxed and yet able to create bursts of speed, and the guy's technique seemed good to Brandon, even if he was unfamiliar with the style of Ba Gua. It even seemed that Mason's visualization was good, since the guy's movement could somewhat create a blurry image of the opponent's techniques in his mind.
And then, there was air manipulation too. And in Brandon's mind, it started becoming tricky. Brandon was a firm believer of committing and learning how to do one thing greatly, and then moving on to the next. There was the danger that if Mason tried to learn too many things at once, unarmed combat, armed combat, air power, it would take him many years until he wouldn't be mediocre in everything, since his effort and learning would be split at least into three.
Unless...unless this guy had molded the aforementioned three into one, single form, aerokinetic combat, and this was the one thing he strove to perfect, not simply combat or air usage. Would he ever be as powerful and in-depth with his air usage as someone who scrapped combat entirely and focused on manipulation?
"...who knows....hrrrmmmmm...." Brandon murmured, thinking. When Mason was done, Brandon nodded in approval. "Not bad, kiddo. Not bad at all. There's a good foundation, but this alone is not enough. Have you heard of my ability?" he asked. He was a bit curious, admitteldy. He knew that many were looking to professors with curiosity or admiration, and powers were being gossiped, but he hadn't used his own too many times.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2016 16:40:51 GMT -5
Mason let out a sigh of relief, let his head fall on his chest, and chuckled before regaining himself. "Thank you," he said with a smile. Mason was afraid that perhaps, despite his training, it wouldn't be enough, or what Cross was looking for, though that fear went away at the professors approval of Mason technique. "I started learning the fighting style to help control my abilities, and the two kind of go hand in hand, which is why I was hoping I could learn your battle tactics in practice," he admitted.
"I don't mind working hard though!" he added quickly, referring to Cross's words of Mason's demonstration being enough. "Especially if it's something I'm interested in!" When the professor asked in Mason knew his power, he began to speak, but quickly stopped, stumped.
"Well... I've heard some stuff," he said honestly. "Though they've all been different things. I can't say I know what your powers are," he admitted, hoping this wasn't part of some secret test. Was he expected to find out as much about his teacher, a potential opponent, as if he was going into combat. He looked at Cross a tad confused and hoped that his ignorance didn't hinder his lessons.
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Post by Feos on Mar 27, 2016 16:49:22 GMT -5
Brandon listened, then nodded. "It's just a trick, really." he said. Then, he knelt down on one knee and placed his left palm on the ground. His eyebrows furrowed a bit, and a foot in front of him, the ground started changing shape. A dome formed, ascending, but quickly narrowed into a cylinder of sorts, but it then, as it ascended got broader and wider....and as it went, a humanoid form was created, with vaguely male proportions but genderless.
It was made of earth, and it looked quite solid, though there was a certain variety in the colours of ground it was created. There were a few stones here and there inside it, and when it was prepared, within a few seconds, Brandon stood up again and nodded. "Now, this fellow here will be your opponent, kiddo. It's someone who has quite a few tricks in his sleeve, things you are not aware of. If I said that he's aiming for the kill, you probably wouldn't believe me....I can't blame ya. But I'll tell you, in all truth, that his blows can break bones easily. And they will do so." Cross warned, his tone serious.
"Now, let's see how you handle him. I'll count to three for us to begin....one..." Cross started, but the dummy actually started to run towards Mason very fast as he lazily counted. "...two..." Cross continued, but at the beginning of the word, the dummy had already stopped in front of Mason, and was firing a powerful round-house kicked with the right leg, aimed at Mason's left side at his midsection. It was obvious that such a blow would land before "three" comes.
Cross wanted to see how Mason would overcome this. It was a very simple first test, but by counting and saying something opposite to what was actually happening, it was one of those "confusing situation", that tended to affect the brain and make it lag, and the person had to forcefully snap themselves out of it and actually get into the situation.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2016 17:06:06 GMT -5
This was unlike anything Mason had really seen before. He had met people who could control the earth, people would could transfigure things from or to earth, but to see someone make a seemingly sentient being was both extremely interesting and slightly imposing. The rock creature stood a few heads over Mason, which was intimidating, but didn't shake his excitement. That is, until, Cross brought up the strength of the creature. "Kill?" he repeated, almost comedically.
As Cross began counting, Mason instinctively got into a fighting stance. It was, however, not as Mason expected and the heavy mass of rock came bounding at Mason at speeds much faster than one would expect of something so heavy—not to mention it was before Cross even finished counting.
"Fuck!" Mason shouted in surprise as the creature closed the gap between the two and swung to kick before Cross had even finished counting two. Instinctively, Mason threw up his left leg, and travelled down, squatting to dodge the attack while moving positions. "Are you mental?" Mason cried out as he twisted and threw a hard punch at the dummy's exposed right rib. The blow did more harm to Mason however, and he quickly withdrew his bruised hand, shaking the pain away.
He cursed, popping a couple knuckles back in place to speedily heal, and had to dodge another attack, leaping back substantially, landing beside Cross, hoping that being beside its creator might slow it down. "So what, am I suppose to break this thing apart?" he asked confused, while at the same time, a tinge of excitement could be heard in his voice.
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Post by Feos on Mar 27, 2016 17:15:28 GMT -5
Brandon observed and nodded to himself, seeing Mason getting into a battle pose despite his deliberately "faulty counting". He nooded once more in approval when Mason reacted to the attack even if he hadn't finished counting. According to Brandon, battle was a mix of skill, luck and instincts, and his classes in Foresta, he had decided, would be focusing on developing the students' instincts, a feel for combat. It was rather subtle and difficult, but Mason was doing pretty good.
Despite those thoughts, Brandon snorted a bit and cast a disapproving glance at Mason when he came so close to him and without a guard. He was the opponent too, dammit, and if this was a truly, genuinely real lesson, Brandon would have attacked Mason in the most direct and effective way he could have, to make sure Mason would experience this lesson with his own flesh and bones. Yet, this was still a trial, and the man managed to contain himself.
Despite that, the earth elemental turned around and followed fast, its limbs strong but not clunky or engrossed, looking almost as if having the general outline -though not the details and definition- of a sculpture. The thing halted into a stop again, and then proceeded to attempt a flying knee towards Mason's chest, leaping forth as it did.
Brandon just started speaking when the Earth Elemental started raising its knee for the said attack, another attempt to divide the student's attention. Even a percentage of losing focus was enough to tip a very delicate balance. "It's an enemy that came to you. You didn't choose him, nor do you know what he can do. What do you do then? You won't ask for anyone's permission or tips when out there." Brandon remarked.
Meanwhile, the man simply sidestepped just a bit, and he knew that since it was only one elemental, he could keep controlling it and dodging it, even if Mason was practically clinging onto him. With him having trained to control up to three and still being able to move around and fight himself, his multitasking skill and focus could easily keep up with such a situation.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2016 17:38:49 GMT -5
This was more intense than Mason had expected, especially since the creature seemed out of no where. As he slide to a stop beside Cross, both their hair shifted from the air around Mason. He glanced towards Cross hoping for an answer only to briefly see a disapproving look. If it wasn't for the mammoth of a golem coming towards Mason this might have distracted him, but he had far more pressing matters than a sour look on his teachers face.
He watched as the creature stopped in front of them before bounding in the air, knees aimed for Mason chest. He got ready to counter when Cross started speaking again. His split distraction, which Mason believed to be intentional, cause a delay in his movements. A counter would no longer be viable, so evading was the best option now. Inches from his chest, Mason leaned back, bending his knees so he could land on his back. The creature soared over his head and landing with a heavy thud past his head. Mason rolled on his back, but shifted directions and inside of rolling over, Mason performed a kip up to land on his feet, and twisted quickly to send a powerful blast at the rock. The wind was strong, but not strong enough from such a small movement, doing practically nothing to the beast.
Without looking this time, but listen to Cross, he growled. "Fine, if you're not going to help then piss off!" he said, running towards the golem, hoping to throw it off guard. As he ran, his opponent threw a punch aimed for his chest. Anticipating the swing from the wind up, Mason jumping in the air, spinning his staff rapidly to turn it into the glider, and landed on the golems head with the aid of his bending.
He used the creatures head as a launch pad, and jumped into the air, clutching onto his glider to stay a float, soaring above his opponent. He swirled in the air, building up momentum, before going into a dive, speeding quickly towards the golem. He sung his legs on their handles and spun the in air, kicking out his legs to send a powerful blast.
The air of this blast was going over 50 KMP and was concentrated, so when it hit the golem, chucks on its outer form broke off. This blast knocked the golem off it's feet, landing hard on his back. Meanwhile, Mason landed lightly on the ground, catching his breath and spinning his glider back into a staff. At this point, he wanted to ask Cross if he had passed, but his attention was completely on the golem, watching it to see if it would suddenly move as it already proved it was unpredictable.
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Post by Feos on Mar 28, 2016 13:43:44 GMT -5
Brandon raised an eyebrow when he heard the student's angry reply, one that didn't have a shred of respect towards him, and then he chuckled. This kid had guts! "Phew!" he said, looking Mason's narrow dodge from very close, and then seeing how the guy actually attacked the golem.
"Good, good, taking the initiative..." he mumbled to himself in approval. Of course, it wasn't that simple. Sometimes, one had to stay defensive and learn more about their opponent so as not to charge to their death, but at the same time, staying passive and defensive the entire time was a surefire way to lose. It was a very fine line, that between defense and attack, and while Mason seemed to have a good feel for it, Brandon vaguely felt Mason was hotheaded and towards the offensive side.
At any case, this time it would work for the guy, since the Earth Elemental wasn't going to have more tricks to its sleeve. Brandon controlled the movements and watched the battle, and again, he was impressed at Mason's powerful attack. It seemed to have some preparation time, but at the same time it was fast, unpredictable and executed from air, where many opponents couldn't reach.
"Nice, nice! You've already received some combat training, right kiddo?" he asked as he walked closer. For someone to have what was clearly defined as "battle techniques" such as that glider-kick combo, one must have trained for it. As he approached, the collapsed Earth Elemental dissipated into dirt and formed piles, as if the connecting force inside it that maintained its shape was lost.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2016 14:23:14 GMT -5
After the powerful attack, the meadow seemed to fall silent around Mason, even the breeze seemed to disappear, the only sound seemed to be his own heart beating and blood rushing. He staying in his stance, staff ready, body engaged, breath small. His eyes were glue on his target, afraid that the golem would suddenly burst sending rocks flying towards him in all directions. The sound of Cross walking towards him, as well as the speech, caused him to shift his weight and he began to swing his weapon towards his teacher. His attacked was abruptly stopped before it got very far as Mason quickly realized who it was. His body acted before his mind, still in its fight or flight mode, though the sight of his professor caused him to stop and relax, standing upright.
He heard his question and ignored it, still irritated. "What the hell was that?" he growled. "Are you trying to kill me? That thing would have easily snapped my bones," I said, recalling to when he punched the rock, only to have his own hand fracture. By now his wounds have healed, even the bruising gone, but it was besides the point. He stopped his angered speech and starred at his teacher, who was both happy and impressed, at least by Mason's thoughts.
He let out a sigh and responded to his question. "Yeah... I did have training. My father made sure of that when I was younger. Told me it was necessary if I was going to survive in this world." Mason voice was unimpressed, but calmer and more receptive than it outburst had been.
The crumbling of the earth elemental drew his attention, and he turned to watch the mammoth creature fall into rumble before rejoining the earth. The calm after the storm, Mason even let out a chuckle. "That was mental," he said, turning back to his professor. "That wasn't what I was expecting, to say the least. At least a little warning before next time eh?" He said. He wasn't so much angered that this was the class was, but that his teacher had been so aggressive in their first lesson. At the same time though, it got his adrenaline pumping and excited him. He wanted a class that wasn't sitting and listening, and now he got it. This is what he was looking for.
"Should I assume every lesson from now on will be as unexpected as this one?" he said with a smile now on his face.
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Post by Feos on Mar 28, 2016 14:50:29 GMT -5
The student's outburst was truly enjoyable to Brandon, and the man couldn't help it. He chuckled, but his chuckle turned into a hearty laughter, a deep and merry sound. It was one of his principles since he became a teacher: If the student didn't end up at least like Mason had, he hadn't done a proper job!
"Well, your father was right about that, kiddo. Be grateful, he has implanted the basics quite well inside you." he remarked, calming down and rubbing his chin in thought, his one good eye looking into Mason's eyes. Of course, Brandon could also see that Mason was talented. All the hard work in the world couldn't have that result and make someone brave or prevent them from losing their wit when the time for true combat came.
"There will rarely be a warning if someone's out for your head, kiddo. And what are you talking about? Nah, this isn't Pink Panther stuff, with me ambushing you at unsuspecting times. You will know it when I'll be coming for you. You just won't be knowing how." he said with a small grin, clearly implying there was more in his sleeve than simply making earth elementals.
"This was just a test though, to get a general feel for your level and skills. Not bad at all, but not yet ready for the world out there, kiddo. But if we work on this thing, perhaps you can actually become pretty decent." he stated, taking out his lighter and a cig and lighting it up, taking in a deep breath.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2016 15:04:08 GMT -5
The pair starred at each other intently, Mason glaring into Cross's good eye with a flurry of thoughts; a mix between excitement, annoyance, and guilt, which was from the mention of his father. He took a deep sigh and nodded, breaking his eye contact and scratching his head. He was relieved to hear that he didn't have to watch his back twenty-four seven, but he was sure that was the kind of feeling Cross was trying to teach, once he got out of the boundaries of school.
"If all I have to worry about is you, then I think I'll be fine," he teased, chuckling a bit at his joke. The humour mostly came from the fact that both knew Cross was at a skill level far beyond that of Mason's, and already even this one lesson was tougher than Mason was expecting. "If this was the test though," he said, turning to face back to his teacher. "Do I get to find out how I can improve on my skills then? I'd like to get better myself after all, not just pass."
This was something was determined about, though he wasn't actually sure of the reason why? Was it because of the fear that Mason's father instilled in him with his training? Was it a cockiness that had been growing in it? Was it to prove to himself that he had worth? If he had value to his life, then perhaps Mason's mother had meaning. He sighed again, shaking his shoulders to loosen himself.
"Those things will kill you mate," he said on passing, lazily waving his hand in the air to drift the cigarette smoke back towards Cross's face. "So when's the first lesson?"
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Post by Feos on Mar 28, 2016 15:22:02 GMT -5
"How you will improve your skills? Through combat, of course!" Brandon replied in a loud voice, and a tone of initial disbelief that this question was even asked, but he was grinning. "And a few tips here and there, from someone more experienced in combat." he added and chuckled.
"If that's what's going to kill me, kiddo, then I'll die a happy man." he simply said, still grinning but with a hint of bitterness in his tone. There were a lot of people out there, putting a big price on his head, whether it was brought back dead or alive, and he knew that dying from old age or smoking was most likely a dream that wouldn't come true.
"First lesson, huh...." he then said, scratching his temple as if he hadn't thought that far. He thought for a few moments, then nodded. "It was somewhat of a lesson. Now, I was too kind with you because I didn't know how serious you were. When we hold such sessions, I'm your opponent unless I declare otherwise. You are not allowed to come that close to me as you did before, not without expecting some sort of attack. And I guarantee, it will hurt." he said, his grin getting a bit wider.
"I like your style though, kid. Now, if you want to get more out of your skill and powers, there's other professors for that. With me, you'll be fighting non stop, different kinds of opponents who will be crafty or straightforward, and you'll be trying to put what you've learned and practiced into actual usage. Theory and real combat are vastly different!" he pointed out, taking another deep breath from his cig.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2016 15:43:21 GMT -5
"Alright old man," Mason said with a grin as he watch his teacher enjoy his smoke. For the first time, Mason stopped to analyze his teacher. The Professor Cross here before him now, was not one he had ever seen in class before. In class he was a gentle, kind, and usually enthusiastic towards his students. But now he was blunt, aggressive and stubborn.
Even relaxed the man looked greatly in shape, and could easily take on unsuspecting opponents at least twice his size. His determined and almost arrogant nature seemed somewhat fitting despite it being different than what Mason was used to.
He laughed but nodded when he mentioned that Cross himself would be his opponent, rather than just the creations he presents. "I wasn't sure if you were controlling it or if it had a mind of its own, but I was hoping that if I got close to you, it would stop attacking and give me a second or two to think up a plan," he told Cross his strategy. "Although," he said, contemplating the ideas of a new future strategy. "I take it that mean you should prepare yourself for an attack then?" Mason's logic was fairly simple, but it was from simple facts that important strategies could be made.
"I'm fine with that though," he said in regards to the "lesson plans". He crackled his right knuckles, which felt stiff after healing. "As long as we get to put into practice the theory, I'm ready to fight anytime you are," he said, he body naturally engaging (though unnoticeable to anyone), half expecting that his teacher would take him up on his confident and swing a punch or a kick.
It seemed clear to Mason that Cross was not someone to take lightly, and made sure to keep his guard up around him, even if it was only slightly. His teaching method could be brutal or unforgiving to some, but this was something Mason was accustom to.
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