Post by Jie Shan Lan Dian on Feb 5, 2016 13:34:21 GMT -5
(Heavy weights on!)
Jie Shan’s blade cut through the air like lightning, the sound of rushing air trailing behind it. But he was not going to stand still to appreciate the speed with which he struck. He flew to the side, as if dancing, away from the imaginary foe with which he was shadow fighting. He moved fast, even with the weighted armor. He’d grown stronger and stronger in the past few weeks. Maybe, he thought, just maybe, his father had been right about these damnable weights. Even if it he wasn’t, Jie Shan was getting used to them. He scarcely felt them anymore, and he’d learned to compensate for their presence in a fight. He was giddy to imagine how nimble he might be without them. But that mattered not. For now, he was simply training, biding his time until his sparring partner showed up for the day. And, as he thought of his partner, it came to strike his mind: Carota was late, damn him. What was with it and his old squad about punctuality? Were they allergic to it? For the life of them, they could not be on time for anything. Which, he thought as he sliced through the air again, was odd, considering how tight of a theoretical ship that Captain Cornel ran.
He could scarcely blame Carota, though. It was his vacation, so to speak. And Jie Shan somehow doubted that Carota wished to spend it training, but he’d managed to convince the Saiyan somehow. The promise of drinks at a bar in town had proven useful in his persuasion of the Saiyan. Not only that, Jie Shan had promised to introduce him to some of the ladies in the Soy Capitol… Maybe he’d made a mistake there. They’d be out all night if Carota was on the prowl for a love connection. Hell, thought Jie Shan, that’s probably what Carota was doing now, while Jie Shan was busy training. He would not put it past the Saiyan soldier. That man was blinded by the feminine charms. Not that Jie Shan did not have his moments of weakness. There was a certain Saiyaness with a fire in her eyes… But Jie Shan at least had some kind of discipline.
He’d damn well better. He had spent his entire life training and fighting. As did most of Saiyan-blood, but Jie Shan had taken too it like a fish does to water. Particularly the Elemi kind of training he’d been versed in by his mother. Even now, his jian flowed, his body moving in an almost zen-like state. These kinds of weapons were archaic, yes, but the Elemi had adapted well enough to make them relevant in the modern world again. Jie Shan loved the look of surprise some of his foes got when they found that a conventional weapon such as a blade could hurt them. It was usually the last time that someone underestimated him. Now, he thought, if only everyone else got the message before he had to bring it to them. Some people still cast an eye of doubt on the half-blooded, even after they’d proven their strength. Well, he thought, he’d just have to keep getting stronger, if only to prove them wrong. Not for his father’s sake, of course. No, never for his.
And finally, Jie Shan sensed a familiar presence. It seemed that his sparring partner had finally arrive, or was at least drawing closer. Let’s see what kind of trouble he can find between there and the door, he told himself. Jie Shan had, of course, begun training in one of the public training facilities. He could have made use of his father’s private ones, but he was loathe to take anymore handouts from that man. Jie Shan had no desire to take scraps from him. The hybrid would be wise, and he intended to be wise, to start consolidating his own resources. A ship, a compound, loyal comrades… He had a lot of work to do, if he ever meant to make it independently. And maybe he could get started, he mentally growled with annoyance, if Carota ever showed up. The Saiyan sure was taking his time getting here, probably stopping to chat up every skirt he found along the way. Jie Shan had wanted Cornel to be the one to train with him. But no, the old captain was busy, visiting ‘friends’. He sure spent a lot of time visiting his friends, thought Jie Shan. And he suspected that his friends lived at the bottom of a bottle.
Finally, Carota entered the training room. He was dressed casually, not for battle. No armor, no weights, nothing. Jie Shan rolled his eyes. Of course the Saiyan had chosen to go without. His good sense was often missing, just like his equipment. Or ability to keep a woman around for more than a day or two.
“Hey, Jie Shan, buddy!” Exclaimed Carota, “Sorry I’m late! Got caught up on something in town. I’m here now though!”
“Yes,” groaned Jie Shan, finally standing still, “Astute observation, detective. You must have really had to think about that one. Now tell me, genius, why were you late?”
The Saiyan grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “Well, you see,” he began, “I met this really pretty chick on the way over. I’d never seen her around before, so of course I had to stop and talk. So, we get to chatting, and she mentions that she was actually from one of the outer settlements, and she was here visiting. So, that explains why I’d never seen her. So, I ask her-”
“Carota,” interjected Jie Shan, “I asked a simple question. You don’t need to give me your life’s story.”
“Okay, okay,” sighed Carota, “But man, Jie Shan, you don’t understand. This girl was something else. I’m talking, like, perfect. Ten out of ten. The kind of girl that people would start a war over. You ever see a girl like that?”
Jie Shan thought he had. Yes indeed, there might be a woman that he would fight over. Or fight with. “Still,” said Jie Shan with a shake of the head, “What does it matter? Knowing you, you’ll forget her by tonight.”
“No, Jie Shan, this one is different. Trust me. Maybe I’ll settle down and have some kids with this one,” enthused Carota, his eyes wide with excitement.
“So, we’re not going to the bar tonight? And I don’t have to drag you around so you can look at all the women you missed while you were off-world?” Asked Jie Shan.
“What?” No, no, no,” stammered Carota, trying to back pedal, “We’re still going to the bar. And we’re definitely going to pick up women, man. Life is chaotic and too short to make plans. I barely know the girl, after all.”
“But you just said-”
“Nevermind that,” shouted Carota, “Look, did you want to train or not? The sooner we get done here, the sooner we can hit the cups.”
“If you say so,” sighed Jie Shan.
“I do. Say, what did you want to practice anyway. I noticed you have the sword of yours out… You’re not gonna hit me with that, are you?” Asked Carota, a small hint of fear in his voice.
“Why?” Asked Jie Shan with a grin, “Scared of a little metal?”
“Well,” admitted Carota, “Not usually. But when you’re holding it? Yes. Like, a lot. I’ve seen what you can do with that. Now, I realize a Saiyan usually shouldn’t admit fear and all that junk, but you swing that thing around like it’s nothing, like you really wanna make someone bleed. So, uh, no thanks.”
“Aw, come on, I won’t hit you too hard,” said Jie Shan, almost mocking his friend.
“No thanks. I like my body the way it is: whole, and not cut up like some kind of meaty side dish,” said Carota, shaking his head profusely.
“Carota, look, I just need to perfect this technique and…”
“And what? Cut me to ribbons doing it? Jie Shan, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re stronger than me now. Like, much stronger. Bud, I don’t know what kind of training you’ve been doing here on Natto, but let me tell you something: it works.”
“Carota, thanks for the compliment. But trust me, if you let me try this on you, I won’t hurt you. Look, I’ll even use the flat of my blade. The worst you’ll get is a little shock and maybe some bruising,” explained Jie Shan.
“Well... “ groaned Carota, clearly conflicted, “Do you promise we can just stop right after that and go to the bar?”
Jie Shan sighed and cursed under his breath. He’d wanted to have a long sparring session with his old squadmate… But, if it was the only way to get Carota to agree, then he had no choice. What was the point of this session if he didn’t accomplish even one thing he had wanted to do? Begrudgingly, Jie Shan nodded.
“Alright, we can go to the bar after this,” relented Jie Shan, “But you had better take this like a man. No complaining that I hit you too hard or anything.”
“Pfft,” sounded Carota, “Don’t worry. I’m a Saiyan. I won’t ever cry.”
“Yeah, sure,” said Jie Shan. He knew better than that, “Anyways, I’m going to try this now.”
“Alright,” exclaimed Carota, giving him a thumbs up, “Hit me with your best shot.”
Well, thought Jie Shan, he was certainly going to do that. Carota knew now what he was asking for. But Jie Shan was going to give it to him, especially if this was all he was going to get to do this day. Jie Shan held his blade before him and focused.
Ki began to fill the blade. It was a familiar act, one that he had done hundreds, if not thousands of times before. It was, in fact, second nature. So, naturally, he was rather good at it. And what he was about to do was simply taking it a step further. Slowly, he twisted the blade in his hands, so that the flatside faced Carota. Jie Shan could feel the power coursing through the blade. Hell, he could see it. And hear it. The blade crackled with ki-lightning, sparks and strikes shooting from it like mad, a low and dangerous crackling filling the room around them. Yes, he thought, this power. It was perfect. He was operating at full capacity with this technique. Jie Shan grinned in satisfaction. This would do just fine.
And with that, he swung the blade through the air, towards his friend. It seemed to roar with his swing, striking like lightning, crying like thunder. Time seemed to slow as the blade advanced. And ever so suddenly, the blade crashed into Carota. The lightning discharged and flew all around them, and Carota fell to the ground shaking. As the energy dissipated, Jie Shan cast his eyes to his friend. “Hey, Carota,” he asked, almost panicking as he kneeled down next to his fallen comrade, “Are you okay?”
Carota’s body shuttered and he coughed. “Yeah,” he groaned, “Can we go to the bar now? I think I’m going to need that drink, Jie Shan. And some female attention.”
Jie Shan shook his head and sighed, but managed a small smile. “Yeah, pal, sure. Let’s go to the bar.”
Carota tried to raise his head and body, but fell back to the ground, “Cool, cool. Just, uh, give me a moment to get up. I can still kind of feel a tingling in my legs.”
“Oh, come on, I didn’t hit you that hard.”
“Well, excuse me. I think I know how hard you hit me. I’m the one laying on the ground, sparking like some kind of screwed up battery. Now, help me up, man. And you better buy the first found of drinks.”
Jian set his blade aside and put an arm beneath the body of his fallen comrade. “Sure, first round is on me.”
(Unlocking [OT-3] Perfect Stormbreaker)
(I’ll take PL, please. Heavy weights with my half-Elemi bonus!)
Jie Shan’s blade cut through the air like lightning, the sound of rushing air trailing behind it. But he was not going to stand still to appreciate the speed with which he struck. He flew to the side, as if dancing, away from the imaginary foe with which he was shadow fighting. He moved fast, even with the weighted armor. He’d grown stronger and stronger in the past few weeks. Maybe, he thought, just maybe, his father had been right about these damnable weights. Even if it he wasn’t, Jie Shan was getting used to them. He scarcely felt them anymore, and he’d learned to compensate for their presence in a fight. He was giddy to imagine how nimble he might be without them. But that mattered not. For now, he was simply training, biding his time until his sparring partner showed up for the day. And, as he thought of his partner, it came to strike his mind: Carota was late, damn him. What was with it and his old squad about punctuality? Were they allergic to it? For the life of them, they could not be on time for anything. Which, he thought as he sliced through the air again, was odd, considering how tight of a theoretical ship that Captain Cornel ran.
He could scarcely blame Carota, though. It was his vacation, so to speak. And Jie Shan somehow doubted that Carota wished to spend it training, but he’d managed to convince the Saiyan somehow. The promise of drinks at a bar in town had proven useful in his persuasion of the Saiyan. Not only that, Jie Shan had promised to introduce him to some of the ladies in the Soy Capitol… Maybe he’d made a mistake there. They’d be out all night if Carota was on the prowl for a love connection. Hell, thought Jie Shan, that’s probably what Carota was doing now, while Jie Shan was busy training. He would not put it past the Saiyan soldier. That man was blinded by the feminine charms. Not that Jie Shan did not have his moments of weakness. There was a certain Saiyaness with a fire in her eyes… But Jie Shan at least had some kind of discipline.
He’d damn well better. He had spent his entire life training and fighting. As did most of Saiyan-blood, but Jie Shan had taken too it like a fish does to water. Particularly the Elemi kind of training he’d been versed in by his mother. Even now, his jian flowed, his body moving in an almost zen-like state. These kinds of weapons were archaic, yes, but the Elemi had adapted well enough to make them relevant in the modern world again. Jie Shan loved the look of surprise some of his foes got when they found that a conventional weapon such as a blade could hurt them. It was usually the last time that someone underestimated him. Now, he thought, if only everyone else got the message before he had to bring it to them. Some people still cast an eye of doubt on the half-blooded, even after they’d proven their strength. Well, he thought, he’d just have to keep getting stronger, if only to prove them wrong. Not for his father’s sake, of course. No, never for his.
And finally, Jie Shan sensed a familiar presence. It seemed that his sparring partner had finally arrive, or was at least drawing closer. Let’s see what kind of trouble he can find between there and the door, he told himself. Jie Shan had, of course, begun training in one of the public training facilities. He could have made use of his father’s private ones, but he was loathe to take anymore handouts from that man. Jie Shan had no desire to take scraps from him. The hybrid would be wise, and he intended to be wise, to start consolidating his own resources. A ship, a compound, loyal comrades… He had a lot of work to do, if he ever meant to make it independently. And maybe he could get started, he mentally growled with annoyance, if Carota ever showed up. The Saiyan sure was taking his time getting here, probably stopping to chat up every skirt he found along the way. Jie Shan had wanted Cornel to be the one to train with him. But no, the old captain was busy, visiting ‘friends’. He sure spent a lot of time visiting his friends, thought Jie Shan. And he suspected that his friends lived at the bottom of a bottle.
Finally, Carota entered the training room. He was dressed casually, not for battle. No armor, no weights, nothing. Jie Shan rolled his eyes. Of course the Saiyan had chosen to go without. His good sense was often missing, just like his equipment. Or ability to keep a woman around for more than a day or two.
“Hey, Jie Shan, buddy!” Exclaimed Carota, “Sorry I’m late! Got caught up on something in town. I’m here now though!”
“Yes,” groaned Jie Shan, finally standing still, “Astute observation, detective. You must have really had to think about that one. Now tell me, genius, why were you late?”
The Saiyan grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “Well, you see,” he began, “I met this really pretty chick on the way over. I’d never seen her around before, so of course I had to stop and talk. So, we get to chatting, and she mentions that she was actually from one of the outer settlements, and she was here visiting. So, that explains why I’d never seen her. So, I ask her-”
“Carota,” interjected Jie Shan, “I asked a simple question. You don’t need to give me your life’s story.”
“Okay, okay,” sighed Carota, “But man, Jie Shan, you don’t understand. This girl was something else. I’m talking, like, perfect. Ten out of ten. The kind of girl that people would start a war over. You ever see a girl like that?”
Jie Shan thought he had. Yes indeed, there might be a woman that he would fight over. Or fight with. “Still,” said Jie Shan with a shake of the head, “What does it matter? Knowing you, you’ll forget her by tonight.”
“No, Jie Shan, this one is different. Trust me. Maybe I’ll settle down and have some kids with this one,” enthused Carota, his eyes wide with excitement.
“So, we’re not going to the bar tonight? And I don’t have to drag you around so you can look at all the women you missed while you were off-world?” Asked Jie Shan.
“What?” No, no, no,” stammered Carota, trying to back pedal, “We’re still going to the bar. And we’re definitely going to pick up women, man. Life is chaotic and too short to make plans. I barely know the girl, after all.”
“But you just said-”
“Nevermind that,” shouted Carota, “Look, did you want to train or not? The sooner we get done here, the sooner we can hit the cups.”
“If you say so,” sighed Jie Shan.
“I do. Say, what did you want to practice anyway. I noticed you have the sword of yours out… You’re not gonna hit me with that, are you?” Asked Carota, a small hint of fear in his voice.
“Why?” Asked Jie Shan with a grin, “Scared of a little metal?”
“Well,” admitted Carota, “Not usually. But when you’re holding it? Yes. Like, a lot. I’ve seen what you can do with that. Now, I realize a Saiyan usually shouldn’t admit fear and all that junk, but you swing that thing around like it’s nothing, like you really wanna make someone bleed. So, uh, no thanks.”
“Aw, come on, I won’t hit you too hard,” said Jie Shan, almost mocking his friend.
“No thanks. I like my body the way it is: whole, and not cut up like some kind of meaty side dish,” said Carota, shaking his head profusely.
“Carota, look, I just need to perfect this technique and…”
“And what? Cut me to ribbons doing it? Jie Shan, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re stronger than me now. Like, much stronger. Bud, I don’t know what kind of training you’ve been doing here on Natto, but let me tell you something: it works.”
“Carota, thanks for the compliment. But trust me, if you let me try this on you, I won’t hurt you. Look, I’ll even use the flat of my blade. The worst you’ll get is a little shock and maybe some bruising,” explained Jie Shan.
“Well... “ groaned Carota, clearly conflicted, “Do you promise we can just stop right after that and go to the bar?”
Jie Shan sighed and cursed under his breath. He’d wanted to have a long sparring session with his old squadmate… But, if it was the only way to get Carota to agree, then he had no choice. What was the point of this session if he didn’t accomplish even one thing he had wanted to do? Begrudgingly, Jie Shan nodded.
“Alright, we can go to the bar after this,” relented Jie Shan, “But you had better take this like a man. No complaining that I hit you too hard or anything.”
“Pfft,” sounded Carota, “Don’t worry. I’m a Saiyan. I won’t ever cry.”
“Yeah, sure,” said Jie Shan. He knew better than that, “Anyways, I’m going to try this now.”
“Alright,” exclaimed Carota, giving him a thumbs up, “Hit me with your best shot.”
Well, thought Jie Shan, he was certainly going to do that. Carota knew now what he was asking for. But Jie Shan was going to give it to him, especially if this was all he was going to get to do this day. Jie Shan held his blade before him and focused.
Ki began to fill the blade. It was a familiar act, one that he had done hundreds, if not thousands of times before. It was, in fact, second nature. So, naturally, he was rather good at it. And what he was about to do was simply taking it a step further. Slowly, he twisted the blade in his hands, so that the flatside faced Carota. Jie Shan could feel the power coursing through the blade. Hell, he could see it. And hear it. The blade crackled with ki-lightning, sparks and strikes shooting from it like mad, a low and dangerous crackling filling the room around them. Yes, he thought, this power. It was perfect. He was operating at full capacity with this technique. Jie Shan grinned in satisfaction. This would do just fine.
And with that, he swung the blade through the air, towards his friend. It seemed to roar with his swing, striking like lightning, crying like thunder. Time seemed to slow as the blade advanced. And ever so suddenly, the blade crashed into Carota. The lightning discharged and flew all around them, and Carota fell to the ground shaking. As the energy dissipated, Jie Shan cast his eyes to his friend. “Hey, Carota,” he asked, almost panicking as he kneeled down next to his fallen comrade, “Are you okay?”
Carota’s body shuttered and he coughed. “Yeah,” he groaned, “Can we go to the bar now? I think I’m going to need that drink, Jie Shan. And some female attention.”
Jie Shan shook his head and sighed, but managed a small smile. “Yeah, pal, sure. Let’s go to the bar.”
Carota tried to raise his head and body, but fell back to the ground, “Cool, cool. Just, uh, give me a moment to get up. I can still kind of feel a tingling in my legs.”
“Oh, come on, I didn’t hit you that hard.”
“Well, excuse me. I think I know how hard you hit me. I’m the one laying on the ground, sparking like some kind of screwed up battery. Now, help me up, man. And you better buy the first found of drinks.”
Jian set his blade aside and put an arm beneath the body of his fallen comrade. “Sure, first round is on me.”
(Unlocking [OT-3] Perfect Stormbreaker)
(I’ll take PL, please. Heavy weights with my half-Elemi bonus!)