Post by Jie Shan Lan Dian on Feb 3, 2016 8:03:39 GMT -5
(Heavy weights on!)
“You need me to do what, Jie Shan?” Asked Cornel, looking up at Jie Shan from where he was seated. Jie Shan had caught him outside of a bar, enjoying a cool mug of some foreign alcohol, probably something he’d acquired a taste for off-world. The old captain looked almost amused, as if a child had said something particularly interesting. He had a way of using that kind of look. Sometimes it drove Jie Shan to a rage. He hated to be treated like a child, even if it was only meant in jest. Even when he had been a child, few could have called him that in truth. He’d done mercenary work for most of his childhood. He had more experience soldiering than some people who had several years on him. So, in short, he did not liked to be treated as a lesser.
“I need you,” Jie Shan began to explain again, “To hold my tail until I can move again. It’s a liability, Cornel, and I can’t be lugging it around with me. It paints a giant target on my back, and I really cannot have that.”
“I see,” said Cornel, leaning forward on his hands, “And why don’t you just tuck it away like any other Saiyan? Or better yet, if it’s such a liability, why don’t you just get it cut off? You know, even if it didn’t paralyze you anymore, people could still grab you by it. Like that hair of yours, that you refuse on getting cut.”
Cornel smirked, satisfied with his own answer. He did have a point, and he knew what he was talking about. The Saiyan was an old warrior, and usually being old was a mark of talent in the occupation of soldiering. And the man kept his own advice; He had shaved his head of black Saiyan hair down to fine buzz. There was nothing to grab, in the way of hair, not even a beard. He kept that well trimmed, too. And of course, his tail was kept tucked away.
“Captain, it’s about being in control of myself,” explained Jie Shan, his patience growing ever thinner, “And besides, keeping in untrained only invites trouble. Someday somebody, under circumstances I can’t control, will get the cheeky idea to grab my tail. And if that happens, I am fifty kinds of screwed.”
“Okay, said Cornel with a grin as he stood, “But that doesn’t answer why you don’t just get it removed. I’ve known plenty of Saiyans to go without, and they do just fine. I don’t see why you can’t do the same, Jie Shan.”
“Because,” he sighed, “I don’t want to do it, that’s why. And besides, it’s what lets us access the oozaru. And the oozaru can prove useful.”
“True,” agreed the captain, with a cheeky smile and turn of the head, “If you can control it. If you can’t, well, the old way of doing things used to mean you getting shipped off world when you were a baby, landing on some planet that had a source of Blutz Waves. Then, the baby would go ape and clear out the populace. netting command an easy gain. Hell, sometimes they wouldn’t even use babies. Adults who can’t control it make good shock troops, too.”
Cornel paused a moment to look Jie Shan in the eye, and spoke, “Tell me, Jie Shan: can you control that raging ape inside you?”
Jie Shan maintained eye contact for a moment, his cheeks flush, before he finally spoke. “No,” he admitted, “But I’m working on it.”
“Oh, you’re working on it. Well pardon me, mister master warrior, I had no idea that you were ‘working’ on it,” laughed Cornel, “I’m sure everyone will appreciate you going ape the next time you look the wrong way at Blutz Waves.”
“Look,” demanded Jie Shan, “Are you going to help me, or are you going to stand around all day mocking me?”
The older Saiyan sighed and shook his head. “Easy now, boy, I was only having a laugh. Of course I’ll help you. You make a good point, and every real Saiyan warrior should have their tail sorted, one way or another. Even lil’ half-breeds like you. Hell, I’ll even help you with the oozaru. Later, though. One step at a time.”
“Excellent,” exclaimed Jie Shan turning to head down the street, “Now where should we-”
His voice froze mid-sentence as a shockwave ran throughout his body. Indescribable pain was the only thing he felt. All his muscles seized up, as if lightning, not his own, had shot throughout his whole body. His body trembled like a leaf on the wind, and slowly he began to crumble, falling to the ground. The fact that he was wearing his weighted armor only caused him to wall quicker, gravity sinking him like a stone.
“Here will do just fine, Jie Shan,” chuckled Cornel, “A fine place to teach a lesson, too. Never, ever, let your guard down. Even around people you trust. You never know who has a little seed of hate in their heart for you. Not that I do, of course, but it’s still a point that needs to be made.”
Jie Shan would have nodded, if he could. It was a good lesson, especially in a world as dangerous as this one. Though, he thought as his face finally came to rest against the cold ground, he would have preferred if Cornel had told him when he wasn’t a bit busy being paralyzed.
“Now,” continued Cornel, “For some practical advice. I remember when I was a young lad, not much older than yourself, and I was training my tail. Now, this would have been back in the days before the Alliance, back when all the Saiyans were under the empire, or at least most of ‘em. Always got them damn off-world Saiyans running around, but that doesn’t matter. The point is, back in my day, weakness was a whole lot less accepted than it is now.”
Slowly, the man twirled Jie Shan’s tail in his hands as he continued his speech, “Now, you might be saying to yourself, Jie Shan, ‘What the Hell is the old man going on about now?’ Well, I’m gonna tell you, now shut up and listen. Now that you can’t talk anyways, heh.”
The Saiyan captain tugged on Jie Shan’s tail, waves of pain shooting throughout his body. If only he could move… But no, he was face down on the ground, helpless. His face burned with anger as he imagined those passing by watching this scene unfold, laughing at the half-blood held by his tail.
“Where was I?” Cornel asked himself, “Ah, yes, I remember now. You might be wondering how anybody got by in the old days. Well, there’s one simple answer to that, Jie Shan. Willpower. Good, old fashioned, willpower. You see, if it’s one thing that we Saiyans have a lot of, it’s will power. Not a whole lot of sense, that’s for sure, but will power we have in abundance. ‘Course, you’ve always had a good head on your shoulders, Jie Shan, but I know that your willpower is just as strong as a fullbloods. So, I’ll hurry up and get to the point: Anything you want to do, you need the willpower to get it done. Whether it be training your tail, taking control of the powerful oozaru form, or just downright beating a tough opponent to a pulp, you’re gonna need to harness that willpower and apply it. Do you understand?”
Jie Shan tried to muster a nod, his head shaking slowly, just ever more so than the rest of his body. Yes, he thought, he understood. Dammit, he understood. Jie Shan grit his teeth, trying to move through the pain and the weight of his armor.
“Good,” said Cornel, “Now hurry up and show me. I can’t spend all day holding your tail, boy.”
Jie Shan knew that. And he knew what he had to do. It was just a matter of finding the power. He had always been tenacious, but this had always been something of a roadblock for him. Damn his tail, it was nothing but a problem sometimes. He could feel an anger in his chest rising, like his body heat. Sweat had already begun to bead at his forehead, his level of discomfort rising with every second. Through the pain, he felt almost claustrophobic, like his armor was pressing down on his chest, trying to force the air out of his lungs. His breaths became labored, especially with the arcing emotions working their way around his mind. A few sparks began to twinkle out of him, falling harmlessly to the ground. Was he really getting this worked up about it? He wasn’t being rational, but rarely were pain and discomfort rational.
And then it struck Jie Shan. He had to reach down, deep inside of him, whereever these emotions were coming from. They were just the same as his willpower, springing from the same well of power, that burning and crackling in his half-blood heart. Jie Shan closed his eyes, and began to focus, as best he could through all the stress. He reach a hand, so to speak, deep down into the pits of his soul, fumbling around in the dark for anything of use. And finally, he found something and gripped it tight, pulling it up with him as he went.
Slowly, Jie Shan began to rise. His body still trembled, and the pain ebbed and flowed, but he was working through it. It was almost as if he were doing a push up, the way he rose. It was an exercise, in truth, and not entirely dissimilar. And eventually the pain began to fade away as well. His heart began to slow, and his breathing returned to normal. Even the weight of his armor seemed to fade to the back of his mind. He rose to his feet, and began to brush the dust and dirt from his apparel. With a violent grin, he looked at Cornel, still holding his tail. “I think I’ve got it,” said Jie Shan, “So I’m thank you kindly to let go of my tail.”
And with that, he ripped the tail from the hand of the older Saiyan, nursing it gently once it was back in his own grasp. That was, he thought, unpleasant. But at least he’d not have to go through that again. He felt as if he had accomplished something here this day.
“Mastered it already, huh? And I was just starting to wonder if you’d ever get it. A shame. I was having fun with it. It’s not common that I have a captive audience for all my rambling,” Laughed Cornel.
“Heh, you know I’ll get you back for this, right?” Asked Jie Shan with a small chuckle.
“Oh, I’m sure you will. Probably once you go ape,” said Cornel with a sigh.
“Oh, are we doing that soon? I thought you’d talk my ear off for a month before we go anywhere with that.”
“No, no,” said Cornel with a shake of the head, “Best if we not waste time. It’s that time of the month again. We might as well get it done soon, or else we’d have to wait for the next wave of Blutz Waves, and that would be at least a month. And I’m not even sure if I have a month left on Natto before they ship me off again.”
Jie Shan nodded. Cornel was right. The brass were likely picking out an assignment as they spoke. Cornel likely only had a few weeks to spend on Natto.
“Alright, so when do we start?” Asked Jie Shan, eager to learn.
“Well, that’s a tough one,” admitted Cornel, “First, I gotta pick out a spot far away from any settlement, than I gotta make sure I have emergency precautions in place, and… You know what? I’ll come find you when we’re ready. Shouldn’t be long, maybe a day or two.”
Jie Shan nodded. “Alright. And hey, Captain…”
“What?”
“Thanks a lot.”
[ST-1 Tail Training unlocked.]
(PL, please! With heavy weights and half-Elemi bonus! Thank you!)
“You need me to do what, Jie Shan?” Asked Cornel, looking up at Jie Shan from where he was seated. Jie Shan had caught him outside of a bar, enjoying a cool mug of some foreign alcohol, probably something he’d acquired a taste for off-world. The old captain looked almost amused, as if a child had said something particularly interesting. He had a way of using that kind of look. Sometimes it drove Jie Shan to a rage. He hated to be treated like a child, even if it was only meant in jest. Even when he had been a child, few could have called him that in truth. He’d done mercenary work for most of his childhood. He had more experience soldiering than some people who had several years on him. So, in short, he did not liked to be treated as a lesser.
“I need you,” Jie Shan began to explain again, “To hold my tail until I can move again. It’s a liability, Cornel, and I can’t be lugging it around with me. It paints a giant target on my back, and I really cannot have that.”
“I see,” said Cornel, leaning forward on his hands, “And why don’t you just tuck it away like any other Saiyan? Or better yet, if it’s such a liability, why don’t you just get it cut off? You know, even if it didn’t paralyze you anymore, people could still grab you by it. Like that hair of yours, that you refuse on getting cut.”
Cornel smirked, satisfied with his own answer. He did have a point, and he knew what he was talking about. The Saiyan was an old warrior, and usually being old was a mark of talent in the occupation of soldiering. And the man kept his own advice; He had shaved his head of black Saiyan hair down to fine buzz. There was nothing to grab, in the way of hair, not even a beard. He kept that well trimmed, too. And of course, his tail was kept tucked away.
“Captain, it’s about being in control of myself,” explained Jie Shan, his patience growing ever thinner, “And besides, keeping in untrained only invites trouble. Someday somebody, under circumstances I can’t control, will get the cheeky idea to grab my tail. And if that happens, I am fifty kinds of screwed.”
“Okay, said Cornel with a grin as he stood, “But that doesn’t answer why you don’t just get it removed. I’ve known plenty of Saiyans to go without, and they do just fine. I don’t see why you can’t do the same, Jie Shan.”
“Because,” he sighed, “I don’t want to do it, that’s why. And besides, it’s what lets us access the oozaru. And the oozaru can prove useful.”
“True,” agreed the captain, with a cheeky smile and turn of the head, “If you can control it. If you can’t, well, the old way of doing things used to mean you getting shipped off world when you were a baby, landing on some planet that had a source of Blutz Waves. Then, the baby would go ape and clear out the populace. netting command an easy gain. Hell, sometimes they wouldn’t even use babies. Adults who can’t control it make good shock troops, too.”
Cornel paused a moment to look Jie Shan in the eye, and spoke, “Tell me, Jie Shan: can you control that raging ape inside you?”
Jie Shan maintained eye contact for a moment, his cheeks flush, before he finally spoke. “No,” he admitted, “But I’m working on it.”
“Oh, you’re working on it. Well pardon me, mister master warrior, I had no idea that you were ‘working’ on it,” laughed Cornel, “I’m sure everyone will appreciate you going ape the next time you look the wrong way at Blutz Waves.”
“Look,” demanded Jie Shan, “Are you going to help me, or are you going to stand around all day mocking me?”
The older Saiyan sighed and shook his head. “Easy now, boy, I was only having a laugh. Of course I’ll help you. You make a good point, and every real Saiyan warrior should have their tail sorted, one way or another. Even lil’ half-breeds like you. Hell, I’ll even help you with the oozaru. Later, though. One step at a time.”
“Excellent,” exclaimed Jie Shan turning to head down the street, “Now where should we-”
His voice froze mid-sentence as a shockwave ran throughout his body. Indescribable pain was the only thing he felt. All his muscles seized up, as if lightning, not his own, had shot throughout his whole body. His body trembled like a leaf on the wind, and slowly he began to crumble, falling to the ground. The fact that he was wearing his weighted armor only caused him to wall quicker, gravity sinking him like a stone.
“Here will do just fine, Jie Shan,” chuckled Cornel, “A fine place to teach a lesson, too. Never, ever, let your guard down. Even around people you trust. You never know who has a little seed of hate in their heart for you. Not that I do, of course, but it’s still a point that needs to be made.”
Jie Shan would have nodded, if he could. It was a good lesson, especially in a world as dangerous as this one. Though, he thought as his face finally came to rest against the cold ground, he would have preferred if Cornel had told him when he wasn’t a bit busy being paralyzed.
“Now,” continued Cornel, “For some practical advice. I remember when I was a young lad, not much older than yourself, and I was training my tail. Now, this would have been back in the days before the Alliance, back when all the Saiyans were under the empire, or at least most of ‘em. Always got them damn off-world Saiyans running around, but that doesn’t matter. The point is, back in my day, weakness was a whole lot less accepted than it is now.”
Slowly, the man twirled Jie Shan’s tail in his hands as he continued his speech, “Now, you might be saying to yourself, Jie Shan, ‘What the Hell is the old man going on about now?’ Well, I’m gonna tell you, now shut up and listen. Now that you can’t talk anyways, heh.”
The Saiyan captain tugged on Jie Shan’s tail, waves of pain shooting throughout his body. If only he could move… But no, he was face down on the ground, helpless. His face burned with anger as he imagined those passing by watching this scene unfold, laughing at the half-blood held by his tail.
“Where was I?” Cornel asked himself, “Ah, yes, I remember now. You might be wondering how anybody got by in the old days. Well, there’s one simple answer to that, Jie Shan. Willpower. Good, old fashioned, willpower. You see, if it’s one thing that we Saiyans have a lot of, it’s will power. Not a whole lot of sense, that’s for sure, but will power we have in abundance. ‘Course, you’ve always had a good head on your shoulders, Jie Shan, but I know that your willpower is just as strong as a fullbloods. So, I’ll hurry up and get to the point: Anything you want to do, you need the willpower to get it done. Whether it be training your tail, taking control of the powerful oozaru form, or just downright beating a tough opponent to a pulp, you’re gonna need to harness that willpower and apply it. Do you understand?”
Jie Shan tried to muster a nod, his head shaking slowly, just ever more so than the rest of his body. Yes, he thought, he understood. Dammit, he understood. Jie Shan grit his teeth, trying to move through the pain and the weight of his armor.
“Good,” said Cornel, “Now hurry up and show me. I can’t spend all day holding your tail, boy.”
Jie Shan knew that. And he knew what he had to do. It was just a matter of finding the power. He had always been tenacious, but this had always been something of a roadblock for him. Damn his tail, it was nothing but a problem sometimes. He could feel an anger in his chest rising, like his body heat. Sweat had already begun to bead at his forehead, his level of discomfort rising with every second. Through the pain, he felt almost claustrophobic, like his armor was pressing down on his chest, trying to force the air out of his lungs. His breaths became labored, especially with the arcing emotions working their way around his mind. A few sparks began to twinkle out of him, falling harmlessly to the ground. Was he really getting this worked up about it? He wasn’t being rational, but rarely were pain and discomfort rational.
And then it struck Jie Shan. He had to reach down, deep inside of him, whereever these emotions were coming from. They were just the same as his willpower, springing from the same well of power, that burning and crackling in his half-blood heart. Jie Shan closed his eyes, and began to focus, as best he could through all the stress. He reach a hand, so to speak, deep down into the pits of his soul, fumbling around in the dark for anything of use. And finally, he found something and gripped it tight, pulling it up with him as he went.
Slowly, Jie Shan began to rise. His body still trembled, and the pain ebbed and flowed, but he was working through it. It was almost as if he were doing a push up, the way he rose. It was an exercise, in truth, and not entirely dissimilar. And eventually the pain began to fade away as well. His heart began to slow, and his breathing returned to normal. Even the weight of his armor seemed to fade to the back of his mind. He rose to his feet, and began to brush the dust and dirt from his apparel. With a violent grin, he looked at Cornel, still holding his tail. “I think I’ve got it,” said Jie Shan, “So I’m thank you kindly to let go of my tail.”
And with that, he ripped the tail from the hand of the older Saiyan, nursing it gently once it was back in his own grasp. That was, he thought, unpleasant. But at least he’d not have to go through that again. He felt as if he had accomplished something here this day.
“Mastered it already, huh? And I was just starting to wonder if you’d ever get it. A shame. I was having fun with it. It’s not common that I have a captive audience for all my rambling,” Laughed Cornel.
“Heh, you know I’ll get you back for this, right?” Asked Jie Shan with a small chuckle.
“Oh, I’m sure you will. Probably once you go ape,” said Cornel with a sigh.
“Oh, are we doing that soon? I thought you’d talk my ear off for a month before we go anywhere with that.”
“No, no,” said Cornel with a shake of the head, “Best if we not waste time. It’s that time of the month again. We might as well get it done soon, or else we’d have to wait for the next wave of Blutz Waves, and that would be at least a month. And I’m not even sure if I have a month left on Natto before they ship me off again.”
Jie Shan nodded. Cornel was right. The brass were likely picking out an assignment as they spoke. Cornel likely only had a few weeks to spend on Natto.
“Alright, so when do we start?” Asked Jie Shan, eager to learn.
“Well, that’s a tough one,” admitted Cornel, “First, I gotta pick out a spot far away from any settlement, than I gotta make sure I have emergency precautions in place, and… You know what? I’ll come find you when we’re ready. Shouldn’t be long, maybe a day or two.”
Jie Shan nodded. “Alright. And hey, Captain…”
“What?”
“Thanks a lot.”
[ST-1 Tail Training unlocked.]
(PL, please! With heavy weights and half-Elemi bonus! Thank you!)