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year 5, quarter 3
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Their words are nothing more than empty threats, though the monk thought as Faris went to man-handle his arm, causing him to flinch. “H-hey, just because I took a potion to numb the pain doesn’t mean you heal it with brute force,” the monk snapped, though Faris’ own comment countered him. Guess he was more used to going rough instead of tactful. Still, the white magic did help nurture the arm wound quicker, taking away most of the bruise with the spell to help him get ready to whatever they had planned for him.
As he was roughly mended, he heard Aria ask him about a One-Eyed Healer, which seemed to have triggered something inside the monk, as his vision dulled out, his dream-like memories overlapping on top of the real world. It was a sensation he had gotten used to when seeing monsters from his dreams, but the fact it triggered from name alone caused him to jump a bit. He saw the inside of a cave, lit up my magically-fueled candles and the enchantment of Swish-swish-aroo! echoed around them. Before them was an elderly woman, asking for her crystal eye before flickering away later in the line (or at least later in another time as two of the party members had changed) when they returned it, and received a potion in return. In the back of my mind, a name echoed.
“Ma…toya,” the monk muttered as the vision went away and returned back to the present before Faris and Aria. “Do you speak of the witch, Matoya? I have heard of her… but I have not really seen her…?” he questioned himself. Why did those dreams always feel so real?
However, as he thought of the name, something struck the monk, causing him to bow to Aria as the same manner as he did the adamantoise. “Forgive me, but it seems the commotion made he forget my manners. I hope you understand.” Raising his head, he kept his hands the same as he told Aria, “I am Douken Sota, a monk from the town of Melmond, far west from the kingdom of Cornelia.
“However, you can say that my second home is here within the arena,” he told them, looking across as the next bout was about to get started. “For me to see this place get treated in such a manner, it is a disgrace. No respect for the opponent. No honor in the fight.” Turning back to his new combatants, he assured them, “Even if my opponent was a monster as was before, I still give my respects to them.”
He took a moment to listen to Faris’ small rant about the place before he poked at him, “Didn’t you drag me here to see my punch?” though have him a coy smile about it, as if to reassure him he was not at fault. After all, from his point of view, Faris didn’t know what this place was like either. “However, I fear something else is hidden in the shadow of this place already.”
Looking down at his glove as he placed it around his arm, he told them, “While that bite was fierce, it did not last that long. It had trouble holding its grip.” Sure, the punch could have made it gas for air, but for such a bruise, it meant its main form of battle was biting, meaning it should have bitten down harder. “Part of me thinks the beast was tired. Not at full strength. Maybe it was already weakened so these people think they can take them on easily.” Looking up at Faris, he asked, “Did that wyvern seem any bit fatigued than you?”
There was something suspicious going on here, and the monk did not like it. Turning to Aria, he told her, “I know we met, and there could be more we can speak of, but right now Faris is ready to raise hell, and damn it, I am too. They dared to insult this cherished sport while hiding something from these people, and I want to find out what. So, you can join us in shutting this place down, or you can find shelter away from here.
“Besides, I can’t get out of here without causing a commotion anyways,” he told them, looking over his shoulder to the exit side of their seating area. Sure enough, it seemed they had placed more security to ensure the monk could not get out. “As he said, ‘No exceptions.’”
Aria couldn't help but giggle as the two bickered about the red robed monk's small wounds, as it sounded familiar to when her brother fussed the scrapes when she went "adventuring" when they were little, but the sudden reaction to her question brought back memories for both him and her. Thankfully she was sitting down and the impact didn't visually effect her much, but it seemed to make the monk weak at the knees, nearly making him topple. "Matoya? No I've met her before, and though she is missing an eye, I was referring to my brother, Oran Canus. I just KNOW he's in this land as we are, yet I cant seem to find him in the places i would expect him..."
It's at this point that seemed to bring the right timing for introductions again, as the monk bowed he revealed himself to be Douken Sota he continued by giving an more specific directions, stating he was from Melmond. "That name sounds familiar, Douken." Aria says standing up to seem more polite "But I've been beset by a memory problem of late, one that you seem to be suffering from as well."
He then turned back to the arena and stated, in general terms, that the Arena was where he grew up, an to see one that has been defiled like this made his blood boil. "Yes, the "sportsmanship" they show the poor creatures leaves much to be desired... Honestly I wasn't expecting much when I signed up for this, as I needed only enough winnings to support my travels, but this place is worse than any "Black Market" I've encountered."
Douken then turned to his fair haired compatriot and started talking about how the beast wasn't as strong as it should have, when Aria turned to peek once more into the pit, the fighter that was in there had just been cornered buy the tiger like beast(something very hard to do in a circular hole) and soon the beast was clawing the poor man to shreds. Though Aria quickly turned away, remembering part of how her brother's eye got carved from it's socket, the crows booed the man... and this was the last straw.
As she fumed Douken had started talking in her direction, claiming that Faris, his partner in crime with the purple hair, was about ready to tear these guys a new one. A smile crossed her face as a icy blue hue soon coated her eyes "What else was I going to do? Become beast food?" She then soon sent a shard ice flying towards the tiger like monster, skewering it and almost stabbing the still breathing person under it, before turning towards the guards that witnessed her magic outburst "Who's next?"
Final Fantasy V
23
YEARS
Trans Male
Single
Pansexual
245 POSTS
Fin
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
Post by Faris Scherwiz on Jan 13, 2017 8:08:18 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@douken , @ariacanus
Whooo! Fighting!
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
Douken didn't have the temperament for a brawl. Faris half-expected to resist the idea of revolt, but then he noticed the man's smile. “Didn’t you drag me here to see my punch?” he said. Faris blinked in surprise and then slowly nodded, matching the monk's determination with a much wider grin of his own.
"Aye, and I've yet to see the full strength of it," he said before Douken continued. The monk mentioned that his fight hadn't felt right. That the turtle (whatever it had been) had felt weaker than it should have, and he wasn't wrong. With a bite like that, the monster should have torn the monk's limb clean in two, but it had only left a bruise fixed by a single Cura. The monk asked if Faris' own fight had felt like that, and Faris had to think before answering. "Hm. That's a hard one," he said slowly, squinting up to the sky. "My spear would've ripped through any dragon's wings -- not a thing to it. It might've been. Or it might've not. It never got more than a snarl in otherwise."
Douken nodded and, to Faris' surprise, turned to the mage girl. Faris smirked at the mention of his own rage and readiness to 'raise hell.' "Damn right, I am," he muttered under his breath. The monk continued, making his intentions clear and offering the girl an invitation. “Besides, I can’t get out of here without causing a commotion anyways." His smile turned sour. “As he said, ‘No exceptions.’”
Faris laughed bitterly. "Well, we'll show these dullards a thing or two. If they're daft enough to think they can hold us in, then they deserve the hell we're bringing them." His stance changed. Faris pulled the red mage's sword from its sheathe, but frowned at the weight of it. It didn't feel right. There was nothing wrong with it, certainly, and the red mage class wasn't a terrible choice. But it was too balanced -- too clean. He needed something more aggressive. Something more abrasive. Something...
Faris looked to Douken, grinning like the devil himself. "Care if I join you?" he asked, and in a flash the wind crystal had enveloped him. The light burned from head to toe, ripping off armor, headgear, and swords in exchange for muscles and reflexes. In seconds, Faris felt lighter than he had in years. He hopped from one sandaled foot to the other, marveling at the speed of his white gi and bandanna. He tested a few punches at the air then glanced at Douken. "Want to make a wager?" he said, "If I can knock more heads together here, then you've got to travel with me a while longer." He threw back his loose hair. "I figure I've got a decent shot."
Faris wanted to banter a little longer, but he was interrupted by a sudden roar. A glance in the pit showed the fight wasn't going well, and a scream told him that the poor fighter wouldn't last much longer. Faris' eyebrows furrowed. "Is no one gonna help him?" he muttered, glancing over to see that the crowd was jeering. His eyes narrowed. "Well, we'll just have to do it ourselves!" He started towards the ring.
The air cooled. The wind quickened. There was a crack and a shard of ice fell from the sky, skewering the beast like a spear thrown by Shiva herself. Faris froze, staring at the carnage before him, unable to make sense of it all. At first, he thought that the ringmaster had interfered again, but a glance showed that the shadowy coward was as shocked as he was. Faris glanced to the crowd to Douken and then finally turned to the mage.
She was on her feet, hands buzzing with magic. For the first time since he'd seen her, her eyes were ablaze. "Who's next?"
For a full second, Faris could only blink at her. Then he tilted back his head and let loose a fierce laugh. "Now that's what we need!" he cried. He glanced at Douken. "Remember our bet. I'm still waiting on that wager." His grin widened as he dashed ahead. A few bulky fighters had awakened from the shock and started towards Aria at a sprint. Faris met them before they could cross half the distance.
Faris' fists seemed to move on their own, jabbing in punches almost faster than the eye could see. He pummeled the first fighter four times in the chest, dodged another's sword and then dove in to deliver a swift uppercut to his attacker's stomach. They fell to the ground as Faris whipped around to face the third fighter who had suddenly gone still. Their eyes met.
"That woman's got a fire in her. If you want to throw shots at her, you'll have to go through me!"
The man hesitantly raised his sword. All around, more fighters rose, a whole swarm of them armed and ready to fight. The man in front glanced at his followers, and then straightened as though emboldened. "You can't take all of us!" he cried. Faris' eyes glinted darkly.
"Aye, I've heard that before," he said. "But I've got a bet to win."
To make his point, he dodged forward and punched the man clean in the jaw.
Aria’s icicle spear tempered the crowd with as much ferocity as the monk’s act of not killing his foe, riling the crowd to anger once more, with the only soft eyes being the stranger she saved from the ruthless coeurl. However, while he hid in the shadows, the head of the arena stock there in shock from the ice as well. However, as Faris’ attention turned away from him, that shock slowly turned to awe. “A human…. with magic… To think today would lead to such fruitful endeavors,” he muttered to himself in glee before turning over to one of the men next to him. From the bloodstained lab coat, it was clear he was a messy scientist. “You. Get your project ready. I think we will have our main event sooner than expected.” With a nervous nod, the man ran off to ready his subject as the head turned back over to the arena, a light purple fog coating his shoulders. “A champion with the strength of magic. Oh, how I wished for this day…”
As the commotion picked up, the familiar flash of light went and stripped him of his armor and weapons for a gi to himself, through unlike his, it was one that covered all of his chest region and seemed a bit loose in the stomach, unlike his own, which he more much tighter aside from the open gap for easy access to the potion vials he kept enclosed. That, as his master put it, “makes it more intimidating to see the ripped muscles.” Wouldn’t have been the first time he questioned his master’s sanity.
However, his bet felt more than a joke than anything, causing the monk to smirk as he stood up and faced away from Faris. “Honestly… if you are going to try and match a power like my own compared to one who has trained his whole life in it, then you need to make the bet something more worthwhile to fight. After all, working as a party would be beneficial to all of us no matter the circumstances!” Taking a few steps forward towards the angered crowd, he shifted his body into a new stance, holding his left arm behind his back as his right stood forward. “Just remember that these are normal people. No need to go too ruthless with them.”
Though his comment seemed more thrown to Faris, his eyes could not help but look at Aria as he said it, seeing her eyes roar with magic as she channeled her power. It could be quite scary facing a Black Mage. Though frail, their magic powers were not to be trifled with. Add in that hat, masking their face in shadow, only to be able to see that glow in their eyes when channeling magic, it can be quite intimidating.
However, he had to turn his attention back to those in front, who not only saw some of them around them get trampled over easily, but the monk before them holding a single arm out. Was he hiding his injury, or was he mocking them, saying he can face them with only one arm? Well, what better way to try and disadvantage a monk than with a weapon, and a few blades went out to try and face down the monk. However, all Douken could really do was sigh. “Do you really think those things will help you when you are not trained? A sword cannot be truly used by simply picking one up.” The monk’s comment did not seem to help as the made their push forward. With another sigh, he told them, “I guess I can tell you why from my own experiences the hard way.”
Douken dealt with the first blade by pushing it aside, all while curling his arm around the swordsman. “Your edge alignment is off,” he told him as he swept one foot against another while pushing his arm to throw him to the floor, “and your stance holds poor balance.” The next blade was ignored as he pushed forward with a quick elbow to the other’s ribs. “Your defense holds too many openings to exploit, making it easy to close in and counter,” before shoving him away with his arm as he as trying to catch his breath. Lastly was the great sword user, holding his blade way above his head, before being quickly taken down by a leg sweep. “And you, my friend, were telegraphing that attack last week.”
Moving himself back to his stance, the monk told them, “So, anyone else want to have a lesson with those trained in the art of combat their entire lives?”
As soon as Aria sent the ice shard the crowd started to send stones and curses towards the woman, she didn't hear a bit of it or feel the latest stone actually hit it's mark, but the most it would leave was a bruise as she came to the side of the now two monks as they readied each-other with a bet. "I'll take upon this bet as well... we'll discuss the reward for the winner or punishment for the losers later."
As soon as she spoke those words the two dashed off towards the large group that blocked the way out of the choke-point they were now being held in, Aria, deciding not to be left out of the "fun" and the challenge she set herself into, ran with them, though she stayed a little farther behind, knowing her own bodily limits, she soon had another spell on her lips. This should stun them for a while...mutters the mage as a bolt of lightning arks AROUND her two new allies and strikes roughly 5 of the opponents that were running up after they took out the first wave of foolish people to take on the two bare handed fighters.
She then drew her blade... Aria may not be too skilled with her newfound weapon yet, but she's managed to wield it decently in scuffles out in the wilderness before, though that was against simple monsters like Imps before... Maybe she should switch to her knife... "If only I was able to prepare for this trip, I wouldn't be caught up in this mess... Oh if I knew where my brother was."
Final Fantasy V
23
YEARS
Trans Male
Single
Pansexual
245 POSTS
Fin
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
Post by Faris Scherwiz on Jan 24, 2017 14:55:30 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@douken , @ariacanus
This was both fun and painfully stupid. xD I love it.
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
As soon as Faris' fists met flesh, he remembered why he tended to avoid street brawls like this anymore. Another lifetime ago, this three-on-fifty fight would have been the thing of legends. His name would have been whispered under awed breaths for years to come -- 'Have you heard about that pirate who knocked together a dozen heads at once? I swear it's true!' Back then, Faris had marveled at the brute strength of butting heads and at the rush of adrenaline when he met an ill-meaning eye.
That had all changed after his fated journey to the Wind Shrine. As a Warrior of Light, he'd battled towering, three-story beasts and ethereal phantoms torn from the Rift itself. A mob of street thugs just didn't stand a chance.
Faris tried to count the enemies that fell to his unarmed hands. He really did. But it was a lot easier said than done given the swarming men, flying fists, and waves of unkempt magic. He quickly lost track of Douken, and it was all he could do to try to keep the black mage nearby and defended when he could barely see for the movement and blood.
He didn't need to worry much. It was over in minutes.
"Well that was hardly worth the trouble," Faris said once the last body fell. Douken and the black mage were easy to find then. They were the only other two left standing. "They had the brains of a fruit fly and about the strength to match." Faris looked back to make sure the black mage didn't need a healing spell before carefully stepping through the field of broken limbs and groaning, half-conscious bodies. "I'd like to see them try to make you fight something now. 'Punishment round.' Hmph. That's the daftest thing I've ever heard." Faris stopped at Douken's side and crossed his arms decisively. "So, how about we get out of here and go-?"
The ground trembled.
"Eh?" Faris tensed and scanned the battlefield. There was nothing upright but them. "Did you hear tha-ah!" The earth wrenched out from under him with a thunderous clap and he pitched forward, barely able to catch his balance before his palms scraped the ground. A string of curses spewed from his tongue as he touched his bleeding hands and searched desperately for their distant attacker.
He hadn't thought to look up.
"Finally, after all of these years, it seems we've found someone worthy of our ultimate power! Finally, our champions have arrived to test the results of our labors. Bring in the proto-giant!"
"What?!" Faris stared at the shadowy outcropping above the make-shift fighting arena. There was movement above, but he couldn't make out a face to the insane rambling that came with it. "No. I've changed my mind. That is the daftest thing I've ever heard!" He staggered to his feet without taking his eyes of the shadows. "Did someone slip something into my drink? Because that's about as nutty as-!"
His words were cut off to a hideous screech of broken metal. Far in the forest, someone screamed. Faris took a cautious step back. There was a smash, the long whine of creaking wood, and a thunderous crash. The ground trembled with a rhythmic beat. Footsteps.
"Proto-giant..." Faris muttered to himself. "What in the name of the gods is a-?"
The trees before them burst into splinters. Faris raised an arm to shelter his eyes, and when he lowered it, his question was answered.
A proto-giant was a suit of armor about the size of a behemoth wielding a sword the size of a ship's mast. And it did not look friendly.
"Aye." Faris adjusted his stance and brought his fists before him. He glanced first at Douken and then at the black mage. "I'm changing the wager. If we all live through this, we'll travel together a while longer." He offered Douken a sly half-grin. "Let's give it a fight the crystals can be proud of. Show me what those punches can do."
Though Aria crackled with lightning magic to paralyze foes and Faris beating down those blindly throwing themselves at him, the monk stuck to throws and counters, trying to hold back on actually injuring them physically. If anything, he wanted to break their morale: realize that facing the three of them was a bad idea in more than one way. It didn’t take long for it to break as the numbers quickly dwindled and arms were being lowered. Even being filled with so much rage, they were forced to acknowledge the fact that they were no match. Those who could get up did so while backing up, and yet the party never pushed onto the crowd themselves.
After all, these were innocent civilians in this homeland who knew nothing of the struggles of these foreigners.
Faris seemed quite relaxed from the chaos that had ensued, casually heading over to walk out of the place before a tremor stopped his brain from continuing the idea. What they were presented with was a monster made up of an iron suit that challenged the tress themselves for height with a weapon that easily outmatched it. However, it did not act wildly like any other beast. No, more like a puppet.
“It looks like our main event will be now,” the host of the show stated as he peered over his stand, the purple gas emanating wildly off his shoulders. “Our three greenhorns with the strength of grand champions, you will be test with our latest creation: The Iron Giant, forged by man eons ago. However, we have tried to recreate the process of crafting them for our audience to enjoy as the grand spectacle of a dynamic battle. You three will be his first Guinea pigs!”
“You call something like that entertainment?!” the monk barked back. “The size alone endangers the crowd, and yet you give it a weapon that challenges that? No sport should bring threat to the audience.”
The host simply stared back in silence at the monk’s words, as if trying to process what was being said before saying back, “Not my fault if they got hit.”
Not only did this hit a mark on the monk, his muscles growing tighter as he tried to hold himself back, what remained of the audience were stunned at the statement as well. “W-wait. You mean you expect us to be able to fight that?” “Fight? We will die just trying to watch!” “I’m getting the hell out of here.” The statements were all starting to murmur into confusion before to panic before those who could began to run away from the intimidating monster before them.
“Priority is keeping the people safe,” he loudly muttered to himself, as if to make sure Faris and Aria heard as well. “Get them out of the way before we take on their monstrosity.” With those words said, he tried to get some of the uninjured to carry those out of the area who they had taken out themselves. Some only thought of themselves during their escape while the few handfuls accepted the aid. However, the guards were not being helpful in anyway.
In fact, they were trying to stop the crowd from leaving! Pent up with enough rage about the place, the staff, their morals, and now this, the monk felt no shame in changing his fist towards the nearest guard trying to stop them. However, as his fist connected, his mind blurred as he subconsciously released his limiter, making his punch ring eight times into the man’s skull at his usual power.
”Hey &$%&*^, why are you even bothering attacking them?” he heard. The name was lost for a moment, but it was like he knew it was towards him. “You know physical attacks do nothing. Let me destroy them with magic.”
“Yeah, well what else am I supposed to do? Knit gloves? Even if they resist my attack, I am still going to because that is what I do!”
The moment was fast, but as soon as he came back, the man he struck was missing a head. However, he was still standing quite contently, and where his neck was was actually blue… goop?
“Place priority on taking out the guards!” the monk called out as the man-like figure began to change color and shape, oozing through the clothes and armor padding. “They’re flans!”
Soon enough, escaping with only a simple cut that clearly didn't need healing at the moment, the Black Mage soon helped take down the grunts and those dumb enough to attack them. "Speak for yourself, this is giving me quit the release of frustration I need, searching for a brother that may or may not have been brought here definitely makes one stressed! she said with a sigh as she looked at one of the poor souls that stood in their way "At least it was us who taught them that that wouldn't have worked, anyone else and they might not have been as lucky to escape with only a bone or two broken"
The remark Faris made definitely was mocking towards the head of the place, who had mysteriously disappeared, but Aria soon walked up to the counter and took her payment back "You wont be needing this..." As soon as she was gathering her last coin, and Faris stated something about leaving, the ground shook, causing the Black Mage to steel herself and walk back towards her new comrades in arms "What was that?" she asked in unison with Faris, she looked at the pit and didn't see anything other than the man she saved, and the beast he was saved from.
The rumbling and now a crazed voice declared that the three of them were the perfect test for what they developed. Though Aria wasn't familiar with any of this new technology, but even she could tell it would be bad, and as the voice declared for a "proto-giant" which made the woman look up towards the shadows where Faris was, he quickly started joking it off, stating that he must have been drugged before the screeching sound of rusted metal doors and loud, heavy footsteps sounded from the forest.
Faris was asking the gods what it was, and it soon answered, a giant mental man with a blade that could put the eleven castle to shame, she readied her blade, though she doubted the tiny thing would leave much of a mark on the iron giant, and the arena director suddenly declared the main event, clearly ready to sick the "beast" on the three of them.
Douken, being the more careful one out of the three of them, he calls out, declaring that it wouldn't be safe from the audience... Clearly the director has been touched by evil, as he just stairs blankly and acts like he doesnt care about the watchers. Aria could see the red robed monk's mussels tense at the mans uncaring nature and all the coherent watchers soon scattered, leaving them for the beast. Faris soon pipes up stating "I'm changing the wager. If we all live through this, we'll travel together a while longer." before teasing Douken saying "Let's give it a fight the crystals can be proud of. Show me what those punches can do."
The guards that tried to keep the group from saving the ones they just beat made Aria's blood boil, and as soon as Douken strikes one of them, they wobble and dissolve into familiar goo creatures, Douken soon called out the names of the gelatinous creatures as the Iron Giant slowly lumbered towards them.
"Grant me and my allies the speed of the winds..." Aria muttered as all of the sudden each of them stared moving faster, lighter, but to them the foes were moving slower "I can take care of these creatures, Get the injured into the pit! Aria called as she cut one right up the middle, though it wouldn't do much damage, it would get the Flan's attention.
Final Fantasy V
23
YEARS
Trans Male
Single
Pansexual
245 POSTS
Fin
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
Post by Faris Scherwiz on Jan 31, 2017 10:33:11 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@douken , @ariacanus
Don't worry. He won't go OP and summon anything else. =3
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
Why did this always happen to him?
Once, a long time ago, Faris hadn't had anything more to worry about than a boat full of thieves and the pull of the wind on his sails. Back then, he'd had his share of action, but there'd been a kind of sense to them. If he'd wanted a boat, he'd fight to take it for himself. If someone cornered him in the back of a dingy bar, he'd brawl to show what happened to anyone who messed with him. It had followed certain rules that he made and could understand.
There'd been no evil warlocks, no comets flying to other worlds, no trees of lost souls. And there definitely hadn't been any sentient piles of goop somehow disguised as men.
"Augh!" Faris recoiled from the spray of blue jelly that showered from Douken's fist. The goo jiggled where it landed on the ground like gelatinous rain, and Faris dodged back to keep from touching it. Douken's victim wobbled on its back legs, head gone, neck oozing jelly like blood. For a long time, Faris could only stare at it, mouth slack and uncomprehending.
"You caved his head in," Faris muttered before cursing and rounding on Douken, fists tight. "You feeble-hearted, thick-headed murderer!" The crystal surged with his fury, and he felt his fists raise to the monk, even as their enemies surrounded them, even as the giant approached. The monk had talked time and time again of things like honor and mercy, and yet that's all it had been. Talk. "You can't just go punching men's heads off, you-!"
There was a crack of magic, and Faris dodged backwards with a rough "oof" as lightning pierced the place his arm had been only half a second before. It had come from the headless man, or more accurately, from the goo gushing from its ragged neck stump. Faris eyed it and cursed loudly.
This was, bar none, the stupidest situation Faris had ever gotten himself into.
"If that thing's made of jelly, then punching it'll do about as much good as picking fistfights with the sea!" He dodged back again, hopping anxiously on his heels as the goo overtook the headless man and formed around it -- two gelatinous eyes and a sticky mouth. Behind him, the ground cracked as the giant swung its sword, missed, and cleaved the ground in two. Faris glanced between them, begging for ideas to fire as rapidly as the curses from his lips.
'A red mage? Not strong enough, and we've got Aria for that.'
'A time mage? That'll stop them, but then what?'
'A blue mage? Ha! Maybe if I'd ever put a minute of time into it.'
He doubted either the jelly or the giant would care for a song and dance. As a geomancer, he might swallow them into the earth, but he just as easily might swallow his party or shower them in pebbles. 'Think! You've got the crystals, you dullard, now use them!'
There was another crack and another shot of lightning bolted past Faris' arm. He glanced from the first pile of jelly (its body had dissolved), to the other guards still approaching and now oozing blue from their mouths and eye sockets. Each of them sparked with electricity, their swords long left behind.
'They only use magic.'
Behind him, the giant creaked as it raised its sword for another swing. They didn't have time for this.
No time. Just like with Chaos. There'd been a slew of magic then too. Too much of it. Enough to send it all flying back when he'd changed classes to the summoner and-
Faris' eyes widened. "Leave the guards be!" he shouted and dashed out of the giant's range. The guards' attention followed him, eyes blank and leaking blue. As Faris ran, he called again on the power of the crystals. 'Water crystal, help me!' He felt its cool glow washing over him in waves. His fighter's gi cascaded into flowing white robes. His bandana elongated into a cone stuck firmly to his forehead. By the time he'd stumbled to a stop, he felt the power of summons coursing through him. He turned to the guards and grinned. "Learn some new tricks or it'll be the end of you!" he cried before bringing his hands together and muttering the ancient rites of the summoners.
The words came like a river current, building with every click of his tongue. As the power surged through him, Faris gave the guards a devlish grin and cried, "Carbuncle!"
The furry, cat-like creature hopped from the void and landed nimbly on its feet. It let out a muted cry and lights burst from it in waves. Faris felt the warmth of that light seep into his skin, and then the summon was gone. A look at the other fighters showed that they, too, had gained a faint orange glow. Faris sighed in relief before touching at his head.
His temples pounded. He'd used too much magic. He wouldn't be trying that again anytime soon.
There was another crack of magic, and Faris didn't bother to dodge this time. It struck him head-on, but he hardly felt more than a pinprick before it had barreled back in its caster's direction. He heard the sizzle of burning jelly and then a thump as one of the guards collapsed. "That'll take care of it," Faris muttered before shaking his head clear and looking up to the giant.
It staggered forward with heavy, pounding steps. They had bigger things to worry about.
"You feeble-hearted, thick-headed murderer!" echoed within the monk’s ears as he tried to keep the gelatinous monster away. It was Faris, and it was thrusted right at him… but why? What was before them was a monster, so why would he be so upset about dealing such a blow? I threw it under the assumption he was human… echoed within the monk’s mind, causing him to freeze in place and register everything that had happened.
The place pushed him to rage, which took away some of his control. No, even being furious, he could hold back a lethal punch. But the skin… the impact and feeling of it was clearly not human. He felt it absorb the blow quite well, but he should have still held back during the thrust. What made him lose control? What made him lose track of… The dream… It was his only explanation. During the contact, his mind flashed back to his dream-like visions… losing control of his strength the moment it triggered. Sure, it mattered little since the being was a monster, but what if it wasn’t? What… what if he did that to a real human? Sure, they only triggered when things seemed familiar in that dream-like realm, such as the monsters he had seen, but would he had done the same thing if he attacked a band of pirates when in need of a ship?
Rage was building up in himself once more, but more at himself. All this time, he thought he was working towards becoming a Master, but he was nowhere ready if he could not keep control of himself and his strength. No, he clearly lost a grip over the basics. While he was ready to discipline himself for such a foolish action, he had no time to do anything as the enemy pushed forward, slowing turning to ooze one by one as their disguise had been found out anyways. Discipline would have to wait.
When Faris advised the team to revert their attention away from the guards, the monk could not help but question, “Why?” as he turned and faced him as he once again shifted classes before chanting out and…. calling forth a monster of his own?! Uhh, okay. Apparently, its name was Carbuncle, and from its forehead, it shined a light from a gem over the party and crowd, covering them in a light orange glow as Aria altered time around them. Movements from the enemy began to slosh down to more of a crawl as the crowd and the party was sped up, granting them more time to charge away, while the beast Faris summoned vanish, placed a shield around them that reflected the magic back at the flans. With this simple set up, it was easy enough for the audience to get away, leaving only the party of three, the flans killing each other, the giant, and the host.
“You hAve MAgiC toO?” the host asked, his voice being echoed as the purple aura radiated from his body heavily. “THaT’s gOOd. MoRE maGic mEAnS moRE chAMpiOnS for mE!” As he stepped forward, he tripped over, falling to the floor easily, through the smile not waning. In fact, it seemed it was a smile that was reflecting off the aura itself. “JUsT in tIMe toO. ThIS one has BEEn ruNNinG loW on suPPLy.” The purple aura seemed to have been growing bigger when it was in fact, leaving the body, leaving the person on the floor motionless as it moved over to the giant’s body, taking it over. “AS LONG AS YOUR BODY IS IN ONE PIECE, IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW YOU DIE! NOW, BECOME MY NEWEST CHAMPIONS!” echoed from the metal body as he flipped the blade around to the thick, blunt end, marching forward at the party.
