08/08/2023 12:30 PM  Righteous Lad: Olympian Bloodline 1 [ Back At The Silver League Headquarters ]   "It's almost unreal how every lead we had and could've had just gone up in smoke. Literally." The Crow comments just as he leans back into his seat and crosses his arms. "It is..." Righteous Lad utters with his elbows resting atop of the table he and the rest of his team are sitting around. His hands held together in front of his mouth as his jade green eyes stare blandly at the surface beneath his arms.   "You should have just shared what you knew sooner. Maybe we could have salvaged something long before that explosion went off." The Crow nonchalantly adds.   "I should have..." The hero in charcoal black and cyan responds in the same low-energy manner, then goes on to speak more. "Maybe those guys that we took in could've been saved, too. Maybe I should have asked them questions, as well... See if they had any unique information or knew any more significant names amongst their movement."   "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. I didn't expect any of this, either. They didn't really seem like much of a big deal at first." Alexecute throws in a notion of reassurance.   "That hardly matters. Big or small, we should've been able to take them down fast. Crime doesn't just standby until we all have free time to deal with it. Every second counted, and a day was wasted in vain." The Crow counters.   "Hey, cool it, will ya? It was an honest mistake. For all we know, that place was booby-trapped to go up in flames the second we tripped over a wire or something." Matrix chimes in this time.   "Maybe... But he still has a point. If nothing else, I could have at least investigated the building myself the day before." Righteous Lad calmly admits.     "It's not exactly a great start, but the data they stole from the MOBA company will undoubtedly allow them to make plans for their next move. We can be more precise and quick to decapitate their schemes at the bud. The flash drive I found back in the CEO's computer has not even a single file on it, however I was able to discover it was transmitting to a lot of different places in the US, China, and Russia. I'm not entirely sure what sort of conspiracy it's implying, but they obviously have peers in different places." The Crow informs the group. Righteous Lad looks toward him right after.   "China and Russia?" Tyson repeats.   "That's right. However, there's no solid evidence. We can't go making any sort of baseless assumption. We'll just end up looking like a bunch of paranoid fools." The teen warns.   "What, what? Is there something we should know about China and Russia?" Matrix asks while shifting her focus between the two males of their team.   "Yeah, I think I get it, but I think I might need it elaborated, too." Alexecute adds.   "No, not necessarily. Theories of political intent without evidence is nothing short of promoting partisanship. For the time being, we have nothing solid to go off of. We have to wait and see if anything else they do can give us more crucial information." Righteous Lad explains.  It's then that the building's emergency alert begins going off, drawing the attention of every single samaritan inside, including Righteous Lad and company.   "Should we check it out?" Alexecute asks after a moment of silence between them allows the alarm to whine without interruption.   "Yeah. Yeah, maybe we should go and see what's up." Tyson answers before rising up out of his seat. His teammates do the same and follow him out of the room, down the stairs where the sight of a sea of their peers can be seen heading toward the largest gathering in the facility. The band of four join the rest in heading that way, as well. As a horde they enter a massive circular room with a navy-blue carpet flooring bearing the initials 'S.L.' in bold white letters at the center and an enormous supercomputer that takes up 1/3 of the wall in the room. The screen before them is 30 feet in height and 50 feet in width, allowing every single eye to see what's on display. A radar bearing an identical shape to the structure of the US on the globe, and one with a red ping giving off waves. One of the members of the establishment sits at the chair and hovers his hands over the wide panel in front of their screen, and soon a holographic keyboard presents itself. He uses it to zoom in on the distress signal and answer the call.   "I think I got just through! H-hello? Hello?" The first thing is to pop up is the face of a young woman with wavy blonde hair that cascades down the majority of her face and a domino mask with lenses that hide the color of her eyes by presenting them as monochrome pupils.   "We're here. What's going on, Glitter Pop?" The one sitting at the computer asks.   "There's weird guys who came out of nowhere. The local authority told us they just showed up out of nowhere and started causing damage in the middle of traffic." She explains - just before the sound of a flying car smashing into a nearby building rings out, startling the girl enough to cry out with a shriek. A masculine voice in the background then begins speaking.   "I urge you to stop wasting our time, humans! None of you have the mettle to face the likes of us, so lay down your pitiful attempts and just tell us where the young Olympian God who lives among you resides. Come now, the sun will not sit still while you stall!"    "Is he... talking about Captain Righteous?"    "Maybe, but I'm not sure. Judging by how vague he's been this entire time, I don't think they really know either." Glitter Pop answers. The onlookers inside the Silver League begin talking amongst themselves, filling the room with low and incoherent murmurs."Look, just send some help, okay? Especially heavy hitters! These guys are strong and flinging us around like dolls." She requests. "I think... I think they're talking about me... But..." Righteous Lad contemplates outwardly under his breath, soon realizing he's missing just one too many clues to piece it all together. Anxiety and a hope of resolving the conflict peacefully, the young man begins taking his leave. Moving at a speed that renders him but a barely noticeable blur as he exits the building and immediately take flight. He arrives at the scene in just a blink and a half. So fast, that his voice can be heard on Glitter Pop's live communication feed.   "Hey!" He calls out to one of the tallest of troublemakers firmly - the very one who pauses midway of chucking a cop car with two officers inside of it. The four beings who stick out like a sore thumb, all shift their sights onto the raven-haired newcomer. "I'm not 100% sure how close I am, but I think I know whom you're here for. Put down the car and we can talk this out. Clear up the confusion." The hero suggests calmly with a solemn expression. His approach seems to amuse the one holding the vehicle - the male cracks a smug grin. This one has a muscular and lean physique underneath a somewhat revealing attire. His skin is a tanned complexion that's decorated by a few tattoos on his arms. Though his short hair is as white as snow and his eyes a shade of steel silver, he appears to be, at most, 21 years of age. Lastly, he looks to stand at about 6'3 feet tall.         "Heh. Very well. At least one of you pests has some decency." The male of white hair obliges with apparent disdain before casually and outright tossing the car like a football into the air down the street. "Not like that!" Righteous Lad shouts as he lays witness with disbelief. With another gust of wind, he takes off like a bullet to beat the patrol car where it's bound to land horribly and levitates upward to catch the flipping vehicle between his arms sideways. His right arm hooking underneath while his left over the roof. "I got you, I got you..." He assures the two inside while carefully lowering to solid ground to set them down. "You guys okay?" He asks afterwards, now bending down to peer through a window. "Y-yeah... Oh, man.. Yeah, I think we're good."   "Thanks for the save, Righteous Lad. I thought I could see my life flashing before my eyes for a second there!" The two respond.   "I'll take it from here, okay? You guys did plenty by being brave enough to answer when people were in need of help." He smiles softly and gives a nod at the pair before ascending a few feet into the air and floating his way back to the band of troublemakers. On his way, one of the officers spare a moment to lean out a window and shout words of encouragement.   "Kick some tail, kid!"    Soon, Righteous Lad's boots come to meet the surface of the street again with around six or seven feet of space between him and the arrogant individual from before. "Amusing display... I suppose worthless bugs could only value other worthless bugs." The male comments, then proceeds to lift and fold his arms across his chest. "Is that all you see these people as? Not very fair, don't you think?" Righteous Lad responds.   "Fair? The weak are owed no such luxury. Such fragile beings... Blink and they'll age right into dust, as well! I can't even tell humans apart from one another."   "Fragile or not, that doesn't take away their value as living beings. Their lives hold value to me and to others. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers. Just because you don't care, doesn't mean someone else caring is less important." Righteous Lad reasons. His words wind up removing the other's grin and replacing it with a look of mild annoyance. "...What utter and useless drivel. The human species are NOTHING compared to the Olympian Gods." The male responds, now taking his turn in earning a disapproving frown from the hero. "I grow bored of this pointless debate. You said you could take us to the Olympian God who lives here in this region on Earth. Fulfill your claim or remove yourself from my sight." The tanned male adds and demands firmly. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Righteous Lad lifts a hand and places over the flag symbol adorning his chest. "You're looking at him..."   "YOU? You're the son of Apollo?" The other questions as if taken aback. "I am, but look... I would appreciate it if you didn't go back home and spread that little bit of info around. It's kind of a sensitive subject." Righteous Lad requests. Not concerned with the hero's concern, the white-haired male cracks a toothy grin while looking over his shoulder at one of his companions. A tall blonde with long blonde hair, fair skin, and sunny-orange colored eyes.         "Seems as if we found him already, Asclepius. How confident are you in this sap's words? I can check to see if he's telling the truth if you'd like." The male offers with mischievous delight. The two exchange looks for a moment before the blonde shuts his eyes and gives a reluctant nod. And with that, the male with snow-white hair returns his attention to Righteous Lad once more and begins sauntering closer. He rolls his neck in a circle and rotates his shoulders as he walks, stopping until he's standing side by side with the hero and facing the opposite direction. "Hey..." He calls to Righteous Lad without looking toward him. "We're taking this very seriously, you know. So I'll ask you one more time... Are you TRULY the bastard son of Apollo?" He proposes the question with a serious scowl upon his handsome features. The other, the hero in charcoal black and cyan, looks up and to the side where the other stands. Standing his ground, Righteous Lad answers as clearly as possible. "I am Apollo's biological son with no shred of a doubt about it." Is the answer given.   "I see." The tanned skin male utters before another grin he cannot hope to fight back takes form across his lips again. He lifts a hand and sets it upon the hero's shoulder. "Then you wouldn't mind if I pry undeniable proof from you..." Choice of words that lead to Righteous Lad arching a brow.   "What do you mean by--" Before the hero can finish that question, the other abruptly grabs hold of him with both hands, takes him for a couple of spins, and then tosses him away with such tremendous force, that the sound barrier is broken upon release. In just a split second, Righteous Lad is crashing through countless buildings, leaving debris of glass, bricks, metal, and stones in his involuntary wake. By the time he slows into tumbling along the street, bouncing off the roof of a few cars as he does, he's far over in Washington D.C. He ends up face down when he finally stops, but not out. In fact, he seems to be in a slight daze than any actual pain when he begins pushing himself up onto his knees. He looks toward the direction he came from and sees a sizable hole in the last building he smashed through, blinking in disbelief as he drinks it in. However, he isn't given any more time to gather his thoughts. His assailant was closing in and dropping down from above.   "DEFEND YOURSELF, SON OF APOLLO!" The being roars as a psychotic toothy grin takes up his entire mouth.   0 Comments  Report Post

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12/15/2022 02:27 PM  Dragon Ball X #2 [ Some Time In The Distant Past... ] "Sorry, F r i e z a, but I'm cancelling your date with Goku." A young Trunks, the saiyan son of Vegeta back in the days of his adolescence, informs with snide arrogance lacing his words. Looking upon the cruel emperor who stands on the opposite end of the many corpses that litter the ground between them. The bodies being a product of the young man defending himself from the daring underlings of the beings before him. "Oh, so you know that worthless saiyan?" Frieza questions with contempt. "By reputation. But, I'll be meeting him soon enough. Any time now, Goku will be returning home... and only one of us is going to be here waiting for him. Get it?" "Oh, I couldn't agree more, Earthling." A third voice chimes in. It was not King Cold, but instead his 2nd son - the individual presently treading down the ramp of his father's ship to join them. All eyes suddenly shift toward him as he makes his way over at his own leisure. "Your little peformance up to now has been somewhat amusing, but my patience for your insolence wears thin." He adds with his sights locked onto Trunks. Then, his attention shifts toward his younger bother and his towering father. "How much longer do you intend to humor this meatbag of a punk?" "Yes, I've been wondering the same, truth be told. I don't have all day to indulge in insignificant worms." King Cold concurs. "Patience, father and brother. This is one holds no importance, but he certainly has helped kill some time. My only agenda is to meet that insufferable saiyan here when he returns and exact my revenge. One little boy will not derail my goal." "Who are you? I had no idea Frieza had a brother... There was never any mentions of someone like you." Trunks muses outloud as he studies the second tallest of the three. His words draw the eyes of the man in question once again. "I am Cooler, the brother of Frieza and the first son of King Cold. We're here to make the saiyan from Namek pay for what he has done. I am warning you now... Make yourself scarce immediately before I rid you from this plane of existing myself." Cooler threatens coldly and sincerity burning in his piercing red eyes "Hm?" Suddenly, something makes him arch a brow curiously. Before Trunks could get out another retort, another voice and presence joins the fray. One eerily familiar to the Saiyan from the grim future. "Funny. I'm here to give you that same proposition. You weren't invited to this little party." #17 chimes in with a remark of his own as he comest to stand at the saiyan's flank. His lips wearing his usual subtle smug grin. Though, Trunks doesn't react too fondly toward the android's sudden intervention or general presence. "S-seven.... Seventeen!!?" Trunks exclaims with a mixture of shock and malice, turning to face one of the two murderous machines that haunt his timeline. "You monster! How!? You're not supposed to be here!" He shouts with uncontained anger and clenching fists. Teeth gritting as he glares daggers at the android. The latter merely, and oh-so-casually so, shifts his monotone blue eyes toward him calmly. "Technically, you shouldn't be either." Is his calm counter. "I'm here to-- No, that's none of your business! I won't let you do what you want here, too! I refuse to allow a repeat of what you and your sister have done to this planet! I WILL change the future!" "And I'm not here to stop you from whatever objective you have. I'm only here to make sure you get back home in one piece, so don't get so worked up." "WHAT!!? Do you think this some kind of game!? I won't fall for whatever trick you have up your sleeve, Android!" "I haven't the slightest clue what you two brats are bickering about, but this isn't a theater spectacle. BOTH of you will perish this day..." Cooler announces with annoyance plain as day nehind his tone. Through his will, the villain begins building his power through a presentation of a transparent purple aura enveloping his entire body. The intensity of it grows by the second and begins sending tremors through the ground beneath his feet. And as if passing a threshold, his aura suddenly bursts as it expands in size and promptly shifts to a dark and sinister coloration of black and amethyst. In addition, his eyes illuminate with an eerie glow that pierces through his ki-aura with a deathly gaze.  "W-what...? Brother? Is that really your power? When did you... when did you obtain THAT much power!?" Frieza questions in disbelief. Trunks could certainly feel it, too. It was enough to stir a sense of uncertainty at his core. "So, truce for now?" #17 asks calmly, still smiling all the while. The saiyan jerks his head around to glare the android in the eyes again. His brows twitching with rising irritation and a realization. It was as if he was far too angry to do anything but growl. Then, similar to Cooler, Trunks begins building his own ki. His hair begins flowing upward as his power level builds, growing to a point his aura becomes visible by represenation of a white transparent aura - that suddenly shsifts to gold as he roars at the top of his lungs at #17 akin to a lion. A violent burst in accumalating energy results in his hair changing to blonde and his eyes to sky blue. "Only until we're done with them. Afterwarrds, you're THROUGH!" The saiyan reluctantly obliges and turns toward the mutual enemies in front of them, taking up a fighting stance. Meanwhile, #17's scouter gives him the best assessment of strength it could between the two. They were more less similar according to the device. "You're one, too!? Damn it....DAMN IT!!! You have eyes just like that miserable pest! Bastard... Bastards, the Lot Of Youuuuuuu!!" Frieza exclaims, driven into a state of desperation by the truama of his fight with Goku. His power begins swelling, quickly adopting a sinister shade similar to Cooler's. His power level was also roughly the same under the scouter's examination. "I won't leave a single one of you saiyans alive! Do you hear me, child!? This is your end!" Frieza shouts out. "We'll see about that!" Trunks counters as he reaches to idly grip the handle of the sword on his back. His momentary ally takes up a stance of his own with spread feet and bent knees. 0 Comments  Report Post

12/15/2022 02:25 PM  Dragon Ball X #1 [ The Time Vault ] "You know, I can't help but feel we could really use an extra pair of reliable hands here... My partner and I are an effecient team on a mission, but there's quite a number of time distortions and taking care of them all as they pop up is... Well, it's not always so simple. You know what I mean?" Trunks muses outloud to his peers as he and they both look upon the four time scrolls that lie upon the stationary table at the center of the circular room. Each of those mystic scrolls radianting with a wicked amethyst aura - a cue of a misdeed transpiring within histoy. "Yeees, I couldn't agree more. These distortions are unpredictable and sometimes even complicated. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have another set of muscles aound to help clean up these messes." Elder Kai voices his agreement with the young saiyan, nodding acknowledgement.  "Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought so, too. Which is why I took the liberty of seeking out another potential Time Patroller. You two have been working hard indeed, so I did my best to find someone who aid in our endeavor." Supreme Kai of Time informs with optimism vibrant in her tone. At such a claim, the other two shoot her curious looks. "O-oh? Who did you find?" Trunks asks. "I'd like to know that myself. Did you stumble upon a power and new warrior somewhere?" Elder Kai chimes in with his inquiry. "Powerful? I'd say so! New? Well.... Let's just say, he's a relative of a certain someone's wife." She answers rather coyly, grinning as she idly scratches just below her right eye. The hint seemingly eludes them both - or at least, for the time being. Trunks immediately adopts a thoughtful scowl as he crosses his arms. Elder Kai on the other hand presses a finger to his wrinkly chin as he looks up to the cieling, wondering just whom she could be referring to. "The relative of someone's wife..." Trunks repeats within a murmur to himself as he scouts his memories for someone who could match that description. "Certainly you don't mean the Ox King, do you?" Elder Kai asks. "Hahaha. Nope! It's not Chi-chi's father, but you're kiiiiiiiinda' close. Can you think of anyone else with a wife who has a close relative?" She asks in return, winking. Undoubtedly finding amusement in her teasing. Seconds of her asking that, Trunk's eyes winden with clarity. "Wait, do you mean you actually got him to help out!?" Trunks asks in disbelief. "Maybe! Just... don't freak out yet, okay?" Supreme Kai of Time requests a tad nervously, still upholding a small grin at she presses her finger tips together, forming a bottomless triangle with her hands. "Hm? Well, where is this mysterious fighter? Shouldn't he have been here some time ago?" Elder Kai presses, forsakening any more attempts at guessing further. Fortunately, he didn't need to do so. The sound of footsteps treading along a marble flooring draws the attention of the three toward the top of the staircase behind Trunks. "Sorry for the wait. Thought I'd look around a bit." At last, the individual in question comes into view and heads down the flight of stone stairs. He was more or less the same height as Trunks , and now sporting a letterman jacket with a red base and black sleeves that were rolled up half up his arms. The right breast of his jacket bore a red circle with 'TP' at the center of it - the same symbol that's also visible on the back of it, though in a far larger size. An article he wears over his typical attire. "Android seventeen!" Trunks calls out rather enthusiastically, drawing the attention of the cyborg. "Trunks, right? The guy from back when 16, 18, and I just busted out of Dr.Gero's lab. Been a while." Seventeen responds in his usual aloof tone, lips curving into a small grin. A calmness that contrasts the saiyan's display of emotion. It... It has. But, are you really here to help? I haven't seen you since... Well... since Cell. Were you really up for a job like this?" Trunks asks genuinely. "Yeah, I was. I am. I think it's about time I pull my own weight in helping to protect Earth. Besides, the job pays enough." "I don't know if that's adequate motivation to be a Time Patroller, #17. Things have changed, myself included. Despite how much stronger I've become, I still stumble upon the occasional notable threat. You--" Before Trunks could finish that notion, the cyborg cuts in. "I haven't been lounging around and doing nothing, you know. I've become stronger, too. Maybe this job will stick with me, and maybe it won't. I'm here to see if  I can make do." Seventeen explains honestly. "...I see." Was all Trunks could think of to say in response. "Ahem! Now that we've gotten that out of the way, why don't focus on working together as a team and taking care of these time distortions?" Supreme Kai of Time speaks up to disrupt the atmosphere. "Right." Trunks agrees and turns to settle onto the scrolls again. "This adjustment isn't an issue for you, is it, Trunks?" She asks with a tone of gentleness and concern. "Huh? No. No, no! I'm fine. I have no ill will toward him." Trunks quickly reassures her before turning toward his new peer again. "I don't know... YOU well at all, but I've resolved my goal long ago. I'm very open and willing to start with a clean slate with you. No worries about that." He adds. "Likewise. I've got no beef with you, either. Honestly... I still don't have much data on you at all, so it works for both of us." "Good to know! Now, let's get to work, shall we? These scrolls aren't going to solve themselves." Elder Kai informs. "You're right about that. Let's get to it, then. Let's see here..." Trunks moves to swipe up one of the scrolls and unrolls it upon the table to lay witness to the content inside. "Oh. This is when I intercepted Frieza when he came to Earth to find Goku." He explains, and the other three approach to view the scroll, as well. Everything seemed normal up until Cooler, Frieza's brother, suddenly makes an appearance in the middle of  the confrontation. Not only that, but their power levels suddenly spike. Outweighing the Trunks of the past capability of handling. "Yeah... that definitely isn't right." Supreme Kai of Time comments. "Definitely. I'm not sure how Cooler ended up there, or how Frieza became THAT much stronger, but it needs to be fixed. And since I can't exactly go and fight side-by-side with myself..." Trunks trails off, turning to shoot a gaze toward the male android. "Looks like you're up, newbie! I hope you're prepared for a fight." Elder Kai finishes in place of the saiyan. "It'll be more than a bit shaky given the circumstances, but there's enough wiggle room to work with here. That Trunks bears a strong hatred for the androids from his own timeline, so I can't see him being pleased to see you in the slightest. Still, we don't need you to stay long. Just help set things right and nothing more." "His timeline, you say? Is he some sort of time traveler?" Seventeen asks, looking over toward the Supreme Kai of Time. However, Trunks decides to fill in the blanks instead. "This is my history. And in this particular part of it, I lived in a reality where you and #18 were cruel, murderous machines. For a long time, it was impossible to stop them. I used a time machine my mother built in order to go back in time and change history. To save Goku and prevent the senseless destruction and murders. Sadly, I learned that I couldn't actually change the future. I could only help create a new timeline where none of those awful things I went through happen. This is when I went back to stop Frieza and give Goku medication for a heart virus that would've killed him later." Trunks elaborates. "Oh wow. You don't live a boring life at all, do you? I can't imagine what any of that was like for you." Seven comments. "That's one way of putting it. I'm counting on you to fix it, so be careful when you get there." The saiyan advises before rolling the scroll back up. "Oh! Before you go..." Supreme Kai of Time cuts in before extending a hand out toward Android 17, palm facing upward. Within seconds, a sphere of  yellow-ish energy builds taking form and building. Growing in brightness before eventually dimming and revealing a scouter device with a red lense. She holds it up for him to take - which he certainly does. "Here, this'll help us keep in contact with you. In addition, it can help you detect people. It's been modified to detect power levels that exceed that of a normal human, so tracking someone down won't be much of a problem. The buttons on the side? The top one activates and deactivates the scouter's power tracking. The bottom one is for communication. Hold it down when you want to speak through it." "Huh. I see." Seventeen responds while fitting the device onto the right side of his face. Once he finishes doing so, Trunks holds out the time scroll toward him. "Good luck." The saiyan nods. The moment #17 takes the scroll from his grasb, his body gradually becomes enveloped in a bight light before he's transported away. 0 Comments  Report Post

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10/18/2022 01:34 PM  Righteous Lad Meets Loki Halloween Eve was nearing its end, and on this particular late night Righteous Lad was taking the liberty to stay behind and decorate the interior of the Silver League Headquarters for the next day. By this point, he had gotten quite a bit of it done. One could even argue that he was just finishing up a few last touches - such being spreads of black & orange lettering that reads Happy Halloween in bold letters. He was tending to the first of the remaining two presently.  He steps up onto the chair he had placed specifically there for the purpose of lifting and taping the opposite end of the decor he gives his undivided attention to. Once he finishes with that one, he moves on to do the same with the other sign. A process in total that consumes the last crumbs of the date, inevitably giving way to the next 24-hour cycle. Just as midnight strikes and he climbs down from the seat he brought along with him, he suddenly hears the sound of the front door opening outside of the center hall lounge room just as the sole of his boot meets the marble floor again. He pauses in place as his head whips toward the direction the noise came from - though because double doors and circular walls obscure his view, he could only take a guess of who may have just entered. His questioning arching brow makes it obvious he has no clue whatsoever. Thus, he entertains his curiosity and makes his way to the redwood doors leading out into another secluded hallway, and pries one of them open while protuding a foot outside and poking his head out to look around. "Hello? Is anyone there?" He asks within a reasonably high volume, scanning around for a sign of anyone. Soon enough, he concedes that there's just nothing out there. Not even at the glass doors  at the front leading in and out of the building. He finds it rather odd, but reasons to himself that maybe the individual had a change of mind about entering. He mentally shrugs it off and steps back into the lounge room, allowing the door to shut again on its own while he treads toward the tables setup for the following afternoon. "Am I just hearing things...?" He utters nonchalantly to himself. "Oh, NO. I'd say you have exceptional hearing!" An enthusiastic and disembodied voice suddenly makes itself heard to answer. Masculine and smooth in tone. Going into high alert, Righteous Lad looks around for the owner of the voice.  "Who said that?"  "Who, indeed? You're not quite what I've expected. But perhaps I'm simply getting ahead of myself... I'm just oh-so-eager to learn more about you, my young good sir." The voice responds with genuine curiosity dripping from those words. "You've been spying on me or something? What's your game here?" The hero questions, still bearing no results as he searches for a face or a simple hint. "Ha-Hooah. My dear boy... when I want to play a game, my cues are as clear and sharp as my favorite chrystal dagger." The voice retorts with a sense of mischievious sincerity. "Then why don't you show yourself? Let me see you for what and who you are." Tyson reasons calmly. "How quaint. You have a tone of old fashion nobility to your cadence. Upper-class then, hm? You've not even a hint of Asgard tongue behind your speech, so it's safe to assume that your upbringing lies in the realm of Earth. But, yes-yes. You'd like to talk face to face, correct? Turn around..." The voice instructs, of which Tyson obliges with little hesitation. Upon doing so, the hero's eyes widen briefly in suprise. For what was awaiting him was a hooded man who stands at more or less 6'3 in height. A complexion a shade or two above fair, lips presenting a grin, and pools of illuminating emerald calmly staring into his jade pair. Just looking at him, Tyson saw something familiar in the man's more mature, yet fairly young face.  "Who... are you?" The hero finally asks after what feels like a long pause of silence. Before answering right away, the man in fashionable and decorative leather begins circling Tyson. Observing the hero in a similar fashion. "...I am the God of misfortune, mischief, chaos, and tricks." The stranger begins, still taking in careful details of the one he came to visit. He notes the young man's rather outdated 18th century-esque attire and the interesting color scheme of it. It was undoubtedly a rarity in this day and age, yet he develops the opinion that it suits the young man well despite such. "I am written about in legends and countless tales of misadventures - typically the antagonist of someone's epic. The villain of someone's endeavor..." The peculiar man goes onto to further explain. Suddenly, the dual sets of horns that protrude from the stranger's fanciful cowl begin to stand out in Tyson's eyes. As the hero listens, an image of the individual's characters begins forming within his mind. One not even remotely flattering thus far. "Some call me Laufeyjarson {La-fay Har-Son}--" He trails off again rather soon, though just until he comes to halt and stand before the slightly shorter male once more. He also brings his hands to meet behind his back, in a fashion of where his left hand securely holds the wrist of his right. "But I am far more commonly known as Loki. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my fascinating... friend." "Loki... I-...I see. It's good to make your acquaintance, too." Tyson responds with courtesy, though realization begins seeking in. His brows furrow a tad at upon becoming aware of his slip of unintentional lack of respect. "Now tell me, who are YOU? " Loki returns the question. "Righteous Lad." He answers rather instinctively. It earns him an unamused look from the Asgardian God. "Your real name." "...Tyson Luthur." "Are you sure about that?" Loki questions with a very evident tone of doubt as he leans in, peering solemnly into the hero's eyes. He didn't quite think the other was lying, but it was a clearly a name from the realm of mortals. With a face that felt so familiar, he just couldn't buy it. "Konnence. Konnence is what I was named at birth..." "Oh? I quite like that name." Loki comments as another grin curves the corners of his lips upward. "It fits the air you have about you. But that aside, I'd like to know something else now. What is your connection to Hel?" "She's my birth mother. And I'm your grandson." "I down right knew it! Your rather pale complexion, those eyes, and even the color of your hair. Ha-ha-HAA! But then that begs the question--" From laughter, Loki's expression shifts to wide-eye wonder. "Who is your father? "Apollo." "Apollo?" "The Sun God from Olympus." "That pompous prude with the tattoo of the sun on his forehead!? Really?" Loki presses in disbelief. "Yes, that's the one. He refuses to really talk to me, but he has at least admit to it." Konnence informs. "Oh, how ironic... An unfaithful husband, a mother who has held her secret quite tightly until today, and the bastard of light and dark. What an unfortunate not-so-happy family the three of you make. Heh!  Welcome to the family tree, by the way. I had wondered if your mother would ever find a suitor, let alone bear children.A shame it couldn't have been within better circumstances." 0 Comments  Report Post

09/14/2022 02:25 PM  Gray Heroics #5.4 "Hm. Surprisingly direct." Neath comments as he pushes each of the buttons one after another, testing out the inputs himself.   "Yeah, it usually is. Pressing certain buttons together will either give you an unique power attack or a grab. Pressing both left buttons together, or the right buttons, will always get you a grab."   "Like this?" Neath asks as he presses both right buttons on his side, successfully initiating a grab animation on Galivinth's character. "Oh. Looks as if I managed to do it."   "Yup. Grabs are decent ways to through someone's guard."   "That and kicking people's ankles in!" Shurman adds with a cheeky grin.   "A-heh-heh-hah... Freakin' Gink players..." Galivinth retorts disdainfully after giving a dry and feign bit of laughter. "But yeah, low attacks are also a reliable way to get damage in, too. For some reason, everyone kind of sucks at guarding their legs."   "Oh? Why is that exactly?" Naeth asks.   "Dunno', honestly. It's weird." Galivinth answers.   "And easy wins for ya boy." Shurman chimes in. Something Galivinth couldn't help but to halfheartedly roll his eyes at.   "Anyway...  The goal of this game is to K.O. your opponent three times before they do so to you. You can also win rounds by having more health than your opponent when the timer on the screen hits zero." Galivinth goes on to explain.   "Sounds simple enough." Neath states, taking a bit of time to mess around with the controls.   "Yeah, pretty simple. As you can see, there's more inputs you can do with your character. Not everyone can do the same things, so it's best to stick with a single character first and try to memorize the moves you learn while playing."   "A very reasonable suggestion. I'll follow it."    "Nice, nice. Go ahead and mess around with the buttons. Hope 3 minutes is enough for you to learn a few good moves. Oh! And you block low by holding down on the stick." For the next three minutes, Galivinth lets his relative practice freely while he himself spends that time on his phone. Casually leaning and resting an elbow on the control board as he aloofly looks over weekly news and article titles.    [ "Time up-- Raunhwao wins!" ] The in-game announcer informs at the end of the third round, drawing Galivinth's attention almost immediately.   "Oh, alright. Let's try playing a match this time." He inserts another coin and hits start. The two repeat the process of selecting their characters and the game begins the same way as last time. During, Galivinth decides to go easy on his relative. Usually attacking with light damage when Neath makes mistakes, which he intends to keep doing the entire game. From this method, Galivinth sees his relative learning from it. By the third round, Neath wasn't just carefully placing his attacks anymore, but also experimenting with counterattacks. Still, Galivinth ends up winning all three rounds with minimum effort.   "It's almost like actual combat. Very interesting."   "You were definitely getting a hang of it. Even surprised me a bit at the end. If you want, you can play again after Red has his turn."   "I certainly would like to try again. Maybe I can learn a bit from watching you two play, as well." Neath muses, moving aside to allow Shurman to take his place afterwards. He decides to stand beside Galivinth to watch the screen.   "Alright, lemme' show ya how it's done. I'm about to show G. that all that fancy karate don't mean a damn thing to the King of Grab City." Shurman confidently declares as he inserts a quarter of his own and pushes the start button.   "Yeah, okay." Galivinth retorts dismissively. The two swiftly pick their characters and load up into the match. As soon as they're given the cue from the in-game announcer to start, the two begin pressing buttons immediately. Naeth witnesses a flurry of attacks and a back & forth between the chosen fighters on screen.    "Look at you, already trying to do that dried up combo you like so much." Shurman teasingly jabs verbally.   "Hey, just don't press any buttons when it's not-- Oh Caught you pressing buttons! Yeah, you like throwing out those wild attacks when it's not your turn, don't ya? Yeeea-ha-ha, take another ONE. MMM! One-two, three, FOUR. BOOM! The round's mine."    "Ooohh, so that's how we're playing, huh? I got somethin' for you. I got somethin' for you. M'hmm!"    "Playing like what, bro? You're just getting out played."  Galivinth cheekily retorts.  The combination of banter and fluent gameplay Neath finds himself observing is something that takes him by surprise, especially when it came to Galivinth. To him, the energy behind the erratic sounds of buttons being pressed, the sound effects from the game, and the competitive nature it brought out in the other two was rather contagious. The excitement and anticipation to see who'd come out on top was washing over him like a tsunami storm.   "A-yo! How many times are you going to break my grabs? I swear nobody else does it as much as you." Shurman comments in amusement.   "As many times as you keep trying. Just stop, you're NOT getting one." Galivinth retorts.   "A'ight, fine then!"   "Oh, here we go with that ridiculous low kick..."   "Darn damn right, boy. Time to play my favorite guessing game." And with adjustments to his strategy, Shurman begins turning the tide of the match in his favor. For the next two rounds the two have a back and forth struggle, but the redhead ends up winning both and concluding the game.   "I hate playing this with you sometimes..." Galivinth mutters in annoyance.   "What can I tell ya? Shouldn't have been doubting my skills." Shurman smugly responds with a shrug of his shoulders.   "Yeah, yeah." Galivinth uses the next moment to insert another coin before pressing the start button. "Here, Neath. You can play him next." He offers his relative before moving out of the way. The three adolescents carry on playing various games all through the afternoon. By the time they finally take their leave, the evening begins drawing very near. As planned beforehand as well, the trio stop by the pizzeria across the street. Another hour passes, after spending time bonding with lighthearted conversation and tasty food, they head back home together. With Shurman living down the next two blocks down, he gives the other two a farewell and heads right for his house, while Neath & Galivinth continue on to the next one. Eventually turning at the corner on the opposite end and heading directly to Galivinth's home.  They settle in soon after. Galivinth sitting on his bed and playing a home console game, while Naeth lays on several layers of blankets on the floor and reads through Galivinth's collection of comics.   "Hey, Neath?" The teen finally speaks up after some time.   "Hm?" A nonchalant response as the elder of the two turns a page. It's seconds after that Galivinth decides to pause him game before continuing.   "I just want to say that... I don't blame you." A string of words that grab the cryonean's attention and leads to Naeth turning his head. "And I appreciate--... Eh.. Your positivity helps in dealing with things."   "I'm glad that's the case. I'm not one to dwell on less fortunate details. Though ironically as I say that, I have wondered if I had imposed upon your life." Neath responds, shifting to turn his body and sit up.   "Well... It's nothing I'd never think to ask for, but I'm not upset or anything. I mean, I feel kind of guilty because my dad could be in danger, but things are .. Mostly fine. I'm still glad we met."   "That's good to know, and likewise. We'll get past this before you know it."   "Yeah, I hope so. I also should really tell my dad about it... I don't know why I didn't. I wasn't thinking. He should definitely know about this whole thing. It directly affects him, after all." Galivinth comments with a solemn expression.   "A fair point, indeed. You can tell him when he arrives tomorrow morning."   "Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks, man."   "It's no trouble at all. As the Earthly saying goes, if I'm not mistaken; What are family for?"   End.   0 Comments  Report Post

09/14/2022 02:22 PM  Gray Heroics #5.3 "I guess you're right. It still sucks, though." Galivinth responds, still embracing Raice within that oddly lingering hug. And just as he was beginning to unwrap his arms from around her, she stops him with just a simple few soft spoken words.   "Just a little longer?" She asks, briefly bringing forth a look of surprise upon Galivinth's face before he obliges.   "...Just a little longer." He speaks just before the both of them re-fortify their cozy hug. A display that draws questioning looks from Qoreman and Naeth.   "Hmm... Well, anyway... We should resume your training today, and maybe prepare a real match on the third day as a means to introduce you to more experience. We should also work on building team synergy around you, too." Naeth advises, once more immersing himself within his thoughts as he looks up at the gray sky overhead.   The two youths, Galivinth and Naeth, do eventually go on to resume their scheduled training focused on improving aim with the two previous spells chosen the other day. An hour and a half passes before they conclude the session and Galivinth is taken back home. However, just as the teen was stepping down to exit the bus, he pauses in his tracks and looks over his shoulder.   "Hey, Naeth?" He calls out. And without hesitation, the mentioned individual rises to lean his upper body into sight.   "Yes?"   "Would you be up for hanging out today? You can stay over for the night too, if you want."   "...Sure. Yes, I'd be more than willing to do so." Naeth answers after a brief moment, initially taken aback by the sudden request. And with that, the two exit the bus.   "I'll arrive tomorrow at the usual time to pick you both up. Enjoy your afternoon." Galelith tells them. Though before he closes the door, his son places a foot upon the bottom step.   "And Dad..."   "Yes, Galivinth?"   "I... I appreciate what you've done and do for me. Thank you for being in contact with me."   "...I'm a tad embarrassed. I wasn't expecting that, but I am glad you're pleased. I know this may have been cultural shock for you, but you're managing quite well. I'm glad you're capable of adapting so well."   "It just took a bit of time. Having you and Naeth around has made me more accustomed to that city, too. Anyway, I hope your day ends well, too. See you tomorrow."   "Indeed you shall." And with that, Galelith shuts the door and heads back home, leaving the two boys alone on the sidewalk.  Shortly after his departure, Galivinth reaches to pull his wallet out of this pocket.   "Did you ask me to stay, because you seek my counsel?" Naeth asks, watching as the other inspect the confines of his wallet.   "You could say that. Aaaand... This is enough for pizza and a dozen or so games, I think. Let's go." Galivinth responds, shutting and tucking the item back away into his pocket before turning to head toward the corner of the block.   "Go where, exactly?" Naeth asks as he moves to walk beside his relative.   "To an arcade that's not too far from here. It's a place where you can play video games on cabinet machines within a public space. There's a pizza store right across from it, too."   "I see. Though, what sort of goods does a pizza shop sell?" Naeth genuinely asks.   "It's- it's food, dude. Steamy, cheesy, meat covered goodness. Or veggie, or just cheese, if that's you're preference." Galivinth answers.   "A place to purchase cuisine, then. I'm looking forward to seeing it for myself." The two adolescents make a left at the corner and carry on in lingering silence. It remains as such all through their little trip and until they reach the parallel businesses. The walk-in pizza shop, Mama Jane's, just to their left - and Arcadem Max, the local arcade, across the street to their right.   "Hmm... I think we can play first before grabbing a bite. I'm not too hungry at the moment." Galivinth muses, taking a short moment to look both ways of the street afterwards.   "So this is the location, huh?" Naeth questions as he takes a moment to observe his surroundings, noting the names of the establishments Galivinth informed him of. The two head across once it was safe, as well.   "Yup. Now, let me introduce you to another side of gaming culture." Galivinth responds as he peels open the arcade's front door by its handle, leading them inside to a cool interior with a myriad of sounds filling the entire establishment. It was a fairly busy afternoon, but not too many roaming people around that they'll spend too much time waiting to play the most preferable game machines. In fact, one of the better ones was currently vacant.   "It's... Comfortably cold in here. Though, it's also obnoxiously noisy." Naeth comments with an observing frown on his face.   "Yeeeah... You get used to it eventually. Took me three visits before I did. But uh, follow me a second?" Galivinth requests and leads Naeth over to a quarter dispenser, where he takes a moment to retrieve bills from his wallet and inserts his first dollar. In turn, the machine rattles out an equivalent exchange of four coins into an open pocket where they can be retrieved easily.   "What is the purpose of this device exactly?" Naeth questions.   "To give you the equal amount of money you put in back as quarters. Quarters that we can use to play anything here." Galivinth answers and hands over all four coins to his cousin. "Here, try a game or two out while I get more for us."   "Very well. My curiosity is piqued." From there, Naeth ventures off while Galivinth stays behind to finish his objective. The cryonean surveys the entire room and its bountiful selections as he mindful treads through it. There was a sense of indecisiveness within him. At least, until he spots something peculiar to his monochrome eyes. A ramp structure with half a dozen or so orange spheres and a rim adorned by a thin net of some kind. There were two beside one another, with one currently being occupied by someone else. He sees the individual make attempt after attempt after attempt to throw the balls through the open net as many times as he could before his time limit is up. By the time the clock hits zero, he sees the player has obtained a score of 12 points, and hears the machine's fuzzy voice announce that no new record has been beaten. It asks if he'd like to try again, but the individual had already turned his back to it and began walking away.    Wanting to give it a go, Naeth approaches to take his place. He examines the instructions at the slanting foot of the machine. How to start the game, the conditions of winning, and even the explanation of its built-in leaderboard. Once he finishes, he feels he's ready to begin. He inserts the asking price of twenty-five cents and almost immediately, the machine becomes audibly active again.    [ "Welcome! Can YOU beat the number one baller?" ] The machine's automated voice asks as the screen above the backboard of the rim momentarily displays the leaderboard, with 26 points being the highest of a list of eight three letter names. [ "35 seconds on the clock, champ! Ready?. . . GO!" ] The machine exclaims and releases its basketballs into the large open pocket that's easily accessible to the player. Naeth blinks curiously and reaches to pick one up at his leisure, not too concerned with the time limit at hand.   "I think it's done like this--" He murmurs to himself and lofts the ball at the rim. However, the ball doesn't quite go anywhere near the basket and roughly bounces off the backboard due to the unintended excessive amount of strength he put behind it. The orange sphere ends up flying pass his face and skipping along the carpet floor until it hits the back of someone's calf.  The individual does his best to keep awareness to his active game while also peeking down to see what hit him.   "Hey, you dropped this, dude." The teen informs. Eventually managing to pick up the ball, briefly turn toward Naeth before tossing it over.    "My apologies, and thank you." The latter catches it with ease and shifts his focus back to his own game, as well. Eight seconds had been wasted. Still, Naeth uses his time to stare at the rim contemplatively. Calculating the adjustments he'll need to make in order to grasp some form of working method. After another six seconds, he takes another experimental shot. Giving the ball a very careful overhead launch from the palms of his hands -- Just a gently jolt to send it flying and plummeting to his liking.   BRNK!    Even though the ball doesn't go into the net, the cyonean male manages to at least hit the rim this time.   "Better, but I can do far better." Naeth muses softly to himself, his features still wearing a solemn expression as he focuses. He picks up another ball and shoots.   BRNK!   Another rim contact, another miss. He shoots again, coincidentally just as the buzzer goes off. Yet again, all he hits is the rim.   [ "Only 0 points! Better luck next time, champ!" ]    "Well, that's absolutely unacceptable..." Words stoically spoken by him. Without wasting time, Naeth grabs another quarter out of his pocket and inserts it. The game starts up the same way as before and Naeth stands ready with a ball in his hands.   [ "...GO!" ] And with that, he takes his first shot of the second round. Which happens to be a complete miss. Nothing but air struck before that sphere lands and comes rolling back down to rejoin the pile of balls.  He exhales a breath of air and takes his time with the next one. Analyzing his potential trajectory once more, briefly, and then lets it fly--   KWOOOP.   He makes the shot and the ball goes almost absolute cleanly through the net, earning him 2 points on the scoreboard.   "Hmm..." He hums flatly in thought, not entirely convinced he's cracked the formula just yet. 12 seconds pass by. He picks up another ball and let's it go up and down in the same fashion as the last.    THHMB...   It barely grazes the rim this time. With that result in mind, he makes a little more adjustment to his posture and the positions of his hands. Maintaining that form onward, he takes his next three shots. One after another.   KWOOOP.   KSSSH.   S W I S H !   All three go in without a hitch. A satisfactory grin curves the corners of his lips upon realizing he's found the 'sweet spot' - one that turns into a mischievously smug one just seconds later. Just as he was prepping his next shot, the buzzer goes off. His score was 8 points in total by the end.   "Bah.. Again!" Naeth demands, plucking out another quarter to insert into the machine.   "Why am I not surprised? Should have known you'd go to a game like this." Galivinth banters with a grin, approaching to use the rim beside the one Naeth was using. He inserts a quarter to begin his own game.   S W I S H!   "Ah, glad to see you've finished. And I'm not quite sure what it is about this game--" Naeth begins his response, briefly pausing to take another shot. Simultaneously, Galivinth takes his first one, as well.   S W I S H.   THOOOM.   "But I find it compelling. The natural competitive aspect of it is one of its qualities that draws me in." Naeth finishes after making another shot. Galivinth, however, grazes the rim with a miss.   "Makes sense for sure. When you're invested in something, you do get pretty competitive. It's something I find admirable about you." The latter replies and picks up another ball. "It's pretty inspiring. It makes me want to do better."   "Oh?" Naeth pauses completely for a moment and looks over at the Galivinth with a faint look of surprise on his face, watching as his relative takes another shot. He grins again, fond of the notion. His attention shifts back to the game at hand afterwards. "That's good. Truth be told, I see it when it occurs. How you step out of your passiveness and comfort to face adversity. It makes me feel as if our camaraderie could conquer anything or anyone that stands in our way." He continues, tone radiating with a sense of pride before he takes another shot.   KOOSH.   . . . . .   S W I S H.   Both adolescents make it into their respective net this time.    "I feel that, dude. It's a mutual feeling, and one I couldn't have worded better myself." Galivinth responds with a toothy grin and a following soft chuckle. With both having under 17 seconds left, they shift their focus onto scoring. Landing as many shots as they could before the buzzards went off.  At the end, Neath achieves 18 while Galivinth hits 12 points worth.   "I'm already getting close. I'm determined to beat the top performance of this machine." Naeth speaks to no one in particular and proceeds to slip in another coin. More do in synch this time, Galivinth does the same.   "Go for it, dude. I think you got this." The latter encourages before they both pour all of their attention into trying to earn a high score. It initially seems like a back and forth, but partway into it, a gap forms and continuously grows. Unlike Galivinth, Naeth doesn't miss any shots this time around. The two match pace the entire time and until the machines give off a dual buzz. Naeth ends up with 26 points, while Galivinth barely manages to make 18 points.   "One more time... I've matched the top scorer's record, but I can still do better. I'll just have to be much faster." Naeth reasons to himself, retrieving the last quarter in his pocket to feed into the machine's coin slot.   "I already beat my usual score, so I'm good. I'll watch you, though." Galivinth informs before moving to stand off to the side a few feet from the other. However, it's almost immediately then that someone approaches him from behind.   "Galvin? Is that you, dawg?" A masculine voice addresses him, drawing his attention. Turning his head to look over a shoulder, it's there he sees a lean redhead male approaching to stand beside him. He squints, staring as he tries to recall who the individual is.   "...Shurman?" He asks after a moment.     "Yeah, boy! Big Red is in the building to-DAY. How ya been, G?" The latter answers with a toothy grin. In turn, Galivinth couldn't help but to stare with a wide-eyed dumbfounded look on his face.   Shurman, who typically went by 'Big Red' around the neighborhood, had undergone a mind-blowing transformation. He wasn't chubby anymore, and now was comparably built like an athlete. If it wasn't for his height of 6'2, the nickname wouldn't quite fit, but now the ginger had flipped the concept behind it to something quite admirable. The guy wasn't skinny, but sculpted. Broader than Galivinth in physique in a healthy way.    Shurman is an individual who is a year older than Galivinth. A young man with an ivory complexion, hazel eyes, low trimmed bright red hair, and an outspoken nature. A guy Galivinth knew to not let the weight of other's words drag him down. Shurman's attire is made of a white sleeveless jersey with 'Dungun' and the number 96 below laid out on the torso and back in bold blue characters. A white sports wristband on his right wrist, and a blue bandana tied securely around his left. Black loose jeans held up by a red belt, shin high socks, and a pair white & blue high top sneakers make the rest of his outfit. His head of red hair is low, but it looks as if the last time he had a haircut was about two months ago.   "I've been pretty good, but maybe not as good as you, man. Just look at you." Galivinth responds with a grin, extending a hand to share a mutual hand shake with the other.   "Yeeeeeeaaah, buddy! Been working on myself for a little while now, and now I'm almost cut enough to be a diesel motherf***er." Shurman responds while taking up the hand shake, giving an added shoulder bump in the midst of doing so.   "Yeah, no lies detected at all. I'm happy for you, man."   "Appreciated, bro. Also, that dude right there, that a friend of yours?" Shurman asks, motioning a pointing finger at the male who was currently taking shot after shot without missing.    "Yeah, that's my cousin Naeth. He's from Canada, I think." Galivinth answers as he returns to spectating the mentioned individual. Around the 16 second mark, it's then Naeth drastically changes up his method. The Cryonean goes from taking traditional shots, to using a hand under 'water splashing' motion, lofting ball after ball, back to back, at an absurd pace. Not a single one misses, either.    "Goddamn... He is going HAM right now. I don't think I've seen him hit a brick yet."    "Yeah... It's.. It's... I don't even know. I didn't know someone could do something like that." The two comment as they stare all the way through, unable to look away from the display. When the buzzard finally goes off again, the scoreboard shows Naeth had not only beaten the previous old score, but also belittled it tremendously. NOW Naeth was satisfied.   "You actually hit 46 points. I'm honestly amazed."   "Yo, for real. Big respect right there, man."   "Nothing beyond what I was capable of, but the praises are definitely welcomed. Are you an acquaintance of Galivinth, by the way?" Neath asks as he settles his attention toward the new face.   "That's right, we go way back. Like, back in Kindergarten. Name's Big Red, but you can call me Red. Good to meet you, homie." Shurman greets, extending a hand to offer a handshake. One that Naeth indulges almost immediately.   "Homie, you say? That is an endearment, yes?" The cryonean asks curiously.   "Yeah, it's a friendly acknowledgment. Anyone G. is cool with, is cool in my books, too. He's the closest thing we got to a boy scout around these parts." Shurman answers, grinning as he gives Galivinth a light push of his elbow.   "A boy scout? Hardly, man. I just prefer not to fall into those kinds of lifestyles." Galivinth responds.   "I know, and same here. But you're unfazed by all of it. On top of that, the way you... You know, uhh-- Articulate yourself. That reaches people, man. It helped me, too. I was sort of on the fence about it. The street sh*t, I mean. But after listening and hanging with you, I gave up on all that noise. I hold a bit of a rep down, but I'm chill. Ain't messing with all that negativity too much." Shurman goes on to explain.   "I'm glad for that, Red. You seemed way too smart for that stuff, anyway." Galivinth comments approvingly.   "As I said since the day we met, there's great potential in you. Seems like it's just as easy for anyone else to see, as well." Neath chimes in.   "You guys are killing me here... Enough about me, alright? We came here to play video games, not start a support group. Let's play something." Galivinth promptly changes the subject at hand, his wry expression making it quite clear he was over being at the center of discussion.    "Very well. What other machine here would you recommend?" Neath asks.   "I'll just tag along with you guys and play the winner." Shurman cuts-in with an informing statement.   "In that case, I think we should  introduce Neath here to King of Iron Fist 3 next." Galivinth announces and heads for the cabinet immediately.   "3? We have KIF Tag and 4 here now, you know? You don't have to take the man that far back." Shurman jokingly points out.   "Ah, it'll be fine. Besides, he'll have a chance to learn the basics before playing versions with game changing elements." Galivinth reasons as he plucks out two coins and inserts one into each slot below the pad table.  "By the way, I'm going to give him two turns to let him learn the ropes, if that's alright with you, Red."    "I ain't gotta' issue with it. Go for it, man." Shurman replies as he proceeds to lean against the cabinet behind him, lifting and folding his arms as he does. By then, Neath steps up to stand beside Galivinth.   "What sort of game is this?" Neath asks. Before answering, his relative pushes the start button on his side. Resulting in a sound of confirmation as the screen jumps to the game's character selection.   "It's a fighting game. One of my favorites and probably the only one I'm actually somewhat good at. It's pretty fun. Go ahead and hit that white button on your side." Galivinth instructs while taking a moment to point at it. Upon Neath doing so, a second cursor and character display shows up on screen.   [ "Kin Jazama." ] The in-game announcer calls out upon Galivinth's selection.    "You've got about 50 seconds. Take a look over the characters and pick whichever that stands out to you the most." Galivinth tells Neath. And so the latter does just that - cycle through a horizontal list of various characters. It takes nearly the entire countdown for the Cryonean to choose, but he makes the choice with absolute clarity.   [ "Raunhwao." ]    "Interesting pick! He kind of reminds me of you, too." Galivinth comments.   "Oh? He seemed stylish and disciplined in nature. Of course, I'm just going by his facial expression and hairstyle." Neath responds as the match loads up.   "I see, I see. Alright, so the top left button is for left punches, the top right is for right punches. Bottom left is left kick, and bottom right is for right kicks."     0 Comments  Report Post

09/14/2022 02:18 PM  Gray Heroics #5.2 "Yeah, definitely. Hope you are, too, Qoreman."   "I certainly am, my friend." Words spoke from the blonde with a warm smile upon his face.   "It's really nice to see you, Galivinth!" Raice speaks out this time, moving in shortly after the handshake between the two males came to an end, and wraps her arms around his neck to give a hug. Her head resting right beside his.   "U-uuhh.. It's very, very nice to see you again too, Raice." He responds with a nervous smile on his lips that he just couldn't fight away. Though hesitantly, he does embrace her in kind and returns the friendly gesture. Just as they break apart, new voices make themselves heard.   "...Are you three mental? I thought it was just a jest... I thought it was just a one-time thing. I THOUGHT you people would know better. But lo and behold, you've shown just how scandalously daring you are, Naeth." A male with sunny beige skin and amethyst colored hair styled in a trim part speaks up.   "What is your grievance, Nathaniel? He wouldn't be here if he wasn't allowed to be." Naeth retorts.   "That's just it-- He's not supposed to be." Nathaniel responds.   "He's right, Naeth. Why did you bring-- No.. Better yet, why did you strong-arm an outsider inside the Cryo Kingdom? Do you believe you're above the King's ruling now?" A female speaks up this time. One with fair skin and hair like the midnight sky. Long and styled within a high ponytail in the back, a part in front that allows her lengthy bangs to drape neatly down past her jawline - a deep blue at top that fades into an onyx black midway down.   "I've always thought you were a confident soul, but I never suspected that your ego and audacity would go this far." A third voice speaks up. A male with very low trimmed hair and a mocha complexion. By now, Galivinth was feeling a wave of guilt shifting behind his chest. Unsure of how to even respond in the moment.   "Hmm... I suppose it is bizarre that he'd be given special privilege to bypass such a strict decree from the King..." As much as it bothered him to do so, Qoreman comments honestly.    "That's true, but is it truly harmful in any way? He's merely one outsider, after all." Raice chimes in.   "All it takes is one before more get the same idea. It's bad for public perception, and Naeth is fully aware of that." Nathaniel informs snidely.   "Enough. This isn't up for dispute. You may feel however you wish about it, but he's been given clearance to be here. If you feel that there's some sort of foul play taking place here, then by all means... Take it up with the King himself and waste his time with your feelings." Naeth firmly rebuttals.   "Fine then, be the stubborn fool. Just don't go expecting the majority of us to give the halfling a warm welcome. He's still not and never will be one of us." Nathaniel concludes his thoughts on the matter.   "I won't. I'm not here to lecture you on why you should, either. Now, can you bunch go grab the cloaks and do some warm-ups? And don't wait up for us, I'm going to be aiding him for the most part today." And with those words from Naeth, the group heads off to grab the equipment and head outside. Just as the exit doors audible shut behind the last individual to step out, Galivinth speaks up.   "...I'm sorry. You know, for all that arguing I caused. I didn't come to make trouble for anyone."   "I know you didn't. I was the one who invited you back, so I don't blame you. But neither can I fault them for their point of view. I share it to some degree. That's not to say that I regret bringing you here, but if you were any one else, I likely would have been scolding at your presence here, too." Naeth responds honestly.    "I see..." Was all Galivinth could say in his uncertainty.   "You recall when I said most of us died when we crashed here? Well, we're repopulating and... Having outsiders come in and dilute Cryonean genetics would be a fatal flaw. You can understand that, can't you?" Naeth asks.   "Yeah, I think. The guards at the entree gate said something similar. That they were in a crucial time."   "Yes, exactly. I'm attempting to be sympathetic toward you, but I feel downplaying the circumstance of you being here would be a disservice to you. As my friend -- my relative, I feel you deserve better, and know you're capable of adjusting accordingly. You're not weak willed, despite how much you doubt yourself at times." Naeth continues, pausing briefly to take a second to place his hands upon Galivinth's shoulders. "I cannot stop people from speaking their minds, nor can I so easily sway the opinion of even a fraction of the masses. In fact, I will not deliberately try to. Just know that symbol on your arm is all the proof you need that you're free to walk among us here, even if it is just until nightfall. Develop an internal endurance for harsh words and conquer it. Treat it as if it's another aspect of your training here." Naeth goes on to advise.   "Okay. Okay, I can do that. I can do that for sure." Galivinth affirms with a nod and a new found sense of assurance.   "Good. Now, let's get you out there and practicing." And with that, Naeth lightly pats at his relatives shoulders before finally lowering his arms to his sides again and turning to head for head for the exit doors. "I haven't forgotten your slip up in our last skirmish match. We'll start by sharpening your memorization of a handful."   "Fine by me." Galivinth follows behind the other and steps out into the everlasting cold weather of the city. After leaving through the side of the building, the two make a right to join the others at the rear side of the building. There, they see the rest of the group setting up target stands in the far back near the onyx wall that formed a spacious rectangle around them, as well as serving as indication of boundary of property.    "Wait right here, I'll return shortly." Naeth instructs. While he jogs off toward the equipment and group, Galivinth takes the moment to take in his surroundings. It seems like it was designed for lounging and outside studying. It was mostly grassy for the most part, with stone pathways dividing the center and surrounding the edges. Several trees about. One to the far right and two to the left. Then, there were the navy blue bench tables that look to be made of polished wood near the trees.  The sound of magic casting draws his attention to his left, and his eyes shift toward the others who are now standing far from the targets they've set up. His eyes narrow with curiosity, as well as due to his nearsightedness, at the different gestures some used when discharging spells. Within a moment, he also took notice of how the targets didn't disintegrate on impact. It was as if their spells were met with an immovable force. He thought it was quite odd, considering he's seen plenty of them send people and objects flying with tremendous impact.    "Alright, let's get underway and YOU up to par." The sound of Naeth's voice grabs Galivinth's attention as the former jogs toward him. "I want you to memorize at least two tier 2 spells, and three tier 1 spells. Your arsenal of spells should vary and be wisely chosen. We'll start off conditioning you into using two spells for offense. Do you have any particular preference in mind?"   "Water and ice, I guess." Galivinth answers with a shrug of his shoulders. From there, his training commences. Naeth starts off by having him repeatedly cast the tier 1 ice spell in the form of a softball-sized projectile at the target he setup 50 yards away. By his 20th casting, Galivinth was a bit fatigued. Breathing as if he was engaging in physically taxing movement. It was also when Naeth instructed him to start casting without speaking the spell out loud, and instead speak the incantation within his thoughts.  And just as another round of the repetitive task was beginning, one of the others from the group yell in his direction to inform him that they were planning on heading to the front for a skirmish match. He encourages the bunch to head off without him, expressing that he was more focused on helping Galivinth improve. And they do just that.  Naeth continues giving instructions, including repeating the process with the tier 1 water spell at some point. This goes on until a little after 30 minutes have passed.   "Enough." Naeth finally declares, sated with the progress thus far. Within seconds of him saying such, Galivinth's shaky knees finally give out and he collapses onto them, as well as his hands. Panting and sweating in the cold weather.   "W-why... Why am I tired? I didn't do much of anything!" The teen breathes out.   "Well, of course. You've been casting spells for a little while now. It's only natural that you'd be taxed from doing so." Naeth tells him.   "What? Why?" Galivinth asks while tilting his head to look up at the other.   "The same reason you get exhausted when you're in active motion. You're demanding effort from your body. Just imagine how you'd be feeling if you had to follow my instructions WHILE running laps. Conquest Bout tests and potentially evolves your physical capabilities."   "Ah, man. You've probably been at this for years, huh?"   "Not too long. Just eleven years so far." Naeth answers just before offering a hand to Galivinth. Once it's accepted, he helps lift his relative up onto his feet again. "We'll conclude your training for today. For now, I want you to spectate the skirmish the others are participating in with me. Study the crucial elements of the sport. Wits, strategy, efficiency, and teamwork."   "All right, fine by me. I think it's pretty interesting to watch. Beats watching all of the sports back home." Galivinth admits. From there, another hour was spent spectating and discussing the matches between them while drinking from water bottles Galivinth along with him inside his backpack. Then, he was taken home by his father, accompanied by Naeth. They bid him farewell for the rest of the day and took their leave shortly after. Hours pass by rather quickly and the next morning arrives. Same as before, Galivinth gets up and ready to head out again. Same time, same means of transportation that takes him back to the Cryo Kingdom for more practice. On their way there, Galivinth strikes up a conversation.   "Hey, by the way. Why is that research building always empty? I never see anyone roaming the halls." The teen inquires.    "That's because it's not typically busy until well into the afternoon when lessons begin. I don't think you've ever stayed long enough to see it. Along with that, we're still growing in numbers." Naeth explains.   "Oh. Makes sense. Is that building like a college or something?"   "College?" Galelith repeats from the driver's seat. Then it suddenly dawns on him. "Oh, that. Yes, I suppose that's what you could call it. It's a facility meant for research and turning students into scholars of science and magic. It's a direct pathway into our city's political space, which isn't quite too... Sought after. There may be just around 50 students all together who attend the lessons. There's no fee to enroll, though. The only requirement is a diploma of basic learning, which you could think of as a high school diploma equivalent."   "That's a pretty big building for just 50 students, don't you think?" Galivinth asks.   "An overestimation of interest. However, the surplus of space is good. More opportunities to house individual projects away from each other. It's easier to conduct research without any cluttering. Also, we've arrived." With that response, Galelith lowers the bus down and their morning goes on normally. Same meeting space, though a different method of training this time around. One Naeth only initiates when they're left alone in the back.   "Alright, next--" Naeth trails and begins doing motions with his hands that make Galivinth narrow his eyes with confusion. With his point and middle extended out in front of him and pointing skyward at an angle, Naeth begins drawing an invisible circle and tracing upon it countless times. It's not until a sudden aggressive flow of wind makes itself heard seconds later that Galivinth realizes some peculiar was happen. That wind was a vacuum, drawing in every bit of falling snow within its reach and manifesting a growing sphere of white that keeps afloat in place. Exactly where Naeth was pointing. Once content, Naeth ceases the motion and then forms a tight fist, squeezing as if he was crushing the life out of something - along with that gesture came the crackling sound of the gathered snow solidifying into crystallized ice until it was formidably sturdy. It was the size of a beach ball by the end. "I want you to practice on a moving target today." Naeth finishes.   "How did you do that? How are you making it float like that?"    "Sorcery. Different from magic. I can manipulate my surroundings and change any property of it I want at will. It's floating because I'm using magic energy as a tether. I also gave it the property to defy gravity." Naeth explains, both youths unaware of the group approaching from behind.   "Giving a course on the subject of sorcery, are we?" A young boyish voice questions from behind the two. Turning to face the origin, it's there the two adolescents see various people. Some regal individuals, but most are peers of Naeth - the bunch that curiously stands behind two knights in onyx armor adorned by navy blue garments. The long cloth hanging vertically over the center of their bodies bears the symbol of a white sphere that resembles a planet with four bridges extending from it that lead to less detailed spheres. In front of those two stands a young boy who looks to be about twelve years of age, around 5'1 in height, has a rich mocha complexion, and short black and brushed over hair. Atop of his head rests a platinum crown with amethyst jewelry embedded around it, and upon his shoulders was a black cape with white fur that coils around his neck completely. Just by looking at the boy's eyes, he was able to discern that this fashionably pretentious kid was a full-blooded cryonean.   "No way..." Galivinth murmurs under his breath as he looks skeptically at the boy.   "My King." Naeth greets as he humbles himself before the crowned youth before him by taking a knee. At seeing him do so, a bit of panic arises within Galivinth. He eventually decides to swiftly take a kneeling position similar to Naeth. "I was only giving him an explanation behind my doing. My only aim is to help him develop into an adequate player for Conquest Bout." Naeth goes on to explain.   "And that in of itself is such a curious notion, don't you think?" The King responds. Then, he shifts his eyes toward Galivinth while arching a brow, especially upon noticing the armband. "And YOU, outsider. You are no subject of mine, nor do you appear to be anyone of importance. Spare me your allegiance and stand." He demands. And, though taken aback by it, Galivinth obliges and rises to stand again.   "Uh. Sorry.." Galivinth murmurs while adverting his eyes in embarrassment.   "And you may rise, Naeth. Tell me of your fascination with this outsider if such claims of your involvement are true." The King then commands the other. And he obeys.   "This is... My relative, my King. I met him the first time his father brought him to our city, specifically to this building. I had heard rumors of the outside world, with one of them being a sentimental closeness among relatives. I used it as an excuse to sate my curiosity of human society." Naeth answers.   "And now? Why does he suddenly dwell here at your behalf?" The King presses.   "I wanted to share a bit of our culture with him in turn after the many things he's shared with me. Even if it was only meant to be magic and a sport, I felt it was better than nothing. Having him experience it for himself was my intent."   "...Sentimental indeed. Foolishly so, as well." The king comments with disappointment lacing through his words. Then he suddenly begins approaching Galivinth, stopping just a meter away as he stares up at the teenager. The latter uncomfortable exchanges stares, but hardly for long. His anxiety was making it quite difficult to maintain eye contact. "It's just as the scientists have said. You're practically an abomination. You have defiled blood in your veins." The King finally comments, pausing shortly before continuing aloofly. "I hear your aging process is like that of the humans on this planet. A blessing to your curse, I'd say. A mistake that'll die out before too long."   At such words, Galivinth blinks in disbelief. The King's words were tactless, much like the typical Cryonean. It wasn't necessarily surprising, but it was still awfully outlandish. In truth, it left him speechless. Naeth extends a hand partially and opens his mouth as if he intended to speak out, but he holds his tongue and retracts his hand.    "From your own tongue, outsider, tell me why do you come here?" The King proceeds to ask.   "To hang out with Naeth, I guess. He seemed enthusiastic about getting me to play the sport with him, and I didn't want to let him down." Galivinth answers.   "Hang... Out? That's... Deceitfully morbid contrast to your further elaboration."    "It's a phrase that means to spend time with someone else, or at somewhere enjoyable."   "Ah. Strange... Very strange, indeed. So, how do you like Conquest Bout, abomination?" The King casually asks.   "...It's fun. I enjoy watching it, too. Maybe fairly more than playing."    "Good enough! Because I'd like to play a match against you. And because I prefer to keep things interesting, I insist that we put forth stakes between you and I. A sense of urgency, if you will. Is there anything you'd like to receive should you win the wager?"   "Uhm... No, not... Not really." Galivinth answers with a shrug of his shoulders.   "Then I shall decide on your potential reward. Hmm. If your team somehow wins, I'll grant you legal citizenship and one request of a favor from me."   "Oh. That's kind of cool, I guess." Galivinth comments.   "However, when you undoubtedly lose, I will forbid you from ever stepping foot in my kingdom ever again, have you killed on sight should you ever be spotted near the city's walls, and in addition I will have your father locked away for the rest of his life." The King informs.   "That's.. That's definitely not cool. Seems unnecessarily cruel..."   "I know! Isn't it exciting to think about?" The king comments with a grin that seems eerily out of place.   "No... I can't agree to that. I'd rather just not play and stay out of the city forever."   "So you forfeit, then? In that case, I'll grant you that proposal... And have your father executed."    "What!?" Galivinth blurts in horror.   "Was there a misunderstanding? I said I will grant you the option to not play and leave. And also--   "And also kill my dad!?" Galivinth finishes for the Cryonean royalty.   "Precisely."   "But why that last part? My dad hasn't done anything."   "Ha! Surely you know better than to think that, don't you? Or are you truly so mentally inefficient that you fail to realize the audacity of you frequenting this city, let alone just being here? I'm actually being more than reasonable and generous with my approach to Galelith's questionable behavior. I'm giving you an opportunity to become a legal citizen and absolve him of my scrutiny. Do you wish to reconsider your forfeit?" The king arches his brow again.   "Yes, I reconsider. Just please don't kill my dad, all right?"   "Splendid. Then it's settled." The king concludes and extends a hand to Galivinth.   "Yeah, it's a deal..." Galivinth reluctantly agrees as he reaches out to shake the King's hand in agreement.   "Your highness, if I may be allowed to speak on the matter..." Naeth speaks up with concern.   "Have you no shame, citizen?" A masculine voice from one of the guards rhetorically asks before both approach to physically withdraw Naeth away from the other two. However, a hand signaling for them to desists comes from the boyish King.   "I will entertain your input. Speak clearly and directly." The royalty demands.   "More time is needed to better prepare him. He wouldn't be able to provide much of a challenge at his current level, so I humbly want to request a few days to train him further." Naeth responds.   "Ah, well that won't be an issue. I don't have the time to play today, honestly. I'll grant you no more than five days to prepare, though. I expect to see you both at the coliseum on the fifth day, or else. Am I understood?"   "Yes." "...Yes." Both Galivinth and Neath answers.   "Satisfactory arrangement, then. I shall leave you two to your affairs now." And with that said, the King, knights, and who Galivinth could only surmise were high standing members of their society, take their leave through the building.   "Dude, what the actual hell!? That was your king?" Galivinth aggressively questions at a near whisper.   "Settle down... And yes, that was him." Naeth answers.   "Was he joking about that stuff? Killing and locking my dad away?"   "Probably not."   "Probably not? This is crazy... This is- this is a mess. My DAD could be locked away if we lose, man!" Galivinth exclaims in distress as he brushes his hands through his raven hair.   "I know. Which is why we should make certain that we don't lose." Naeth comments with a determined look on his face as he folds his arms across his chest. It's then that two of Naeth's peers approach them.   "That was more than fairly unnerving... Are you okay, Galivinth?" Raice asks with gentleness behind her tone as she moves to stand at the latter's side and place a hand upon his shoulders.   "Yes, that wasn't anything I, or any of us, could have foresaw coming. Are you feeling alright?" Qoreman also expresses his concern.   "I... Don't know. I'm nervous and worried about what's going to happen to my dad." He answers without tearing his eyes away from the ground.   "I can't imagine how you must feel right now, but you have my sympathy." Raice attempts to soothe his nerves, even going so far as to move to stand in front of him and wrap her arms around his neck to hug him. In turn, he coils his arms around her waist and rests his chin upon her shoulder.   "I shouldn't have kept coming here. This is all my fault..." Galivinth murmurs.   "Well, partly yours. Naeth shares the blame, too. You two were fully aware of our cultural stipulation, yet chose to neglect it." Raice, despite her upbeat tone, chides the two.   "She's right you know. You two brought this on. I wish it was otherwise, but reality has dictated the actuality of the situation." Qoreman comments in agreement.   "Unfortunately true, but we can't afford to dwell on the what ifs and the misfortune of the predicament. We have to be focused and battle ready. The King will not be thwarted by our dismay and complaints." Naeth firmly responds.     0 Comments  Report Post

09/14/2022 02:10 PM  Gray Heroics #5 "AND.... BEGIN!!" Upon Galelith's command from the sideline, the skirmish match begins.     "Fi-Ara!" Raice, one of the four associates Naeth has been bringing along to the training sessions, starts things off with a tier 2 fireball aimed at the weakest link on the opposing team - Galivinth. The male in question is startled, but manages to instinctively throw himself out of the way and onto the ground. In doing so, he leaves one of his team's makeshift 'towers' vulnerable to the attack. Well, Galivinth may have - but Naeth?   "FI-HARA!!!" He swiftly dashes over and fluently shifts into delivering a flaming roundhouse kick to that incoming ball of heat, sending it flying right back to the other side and at one of Raice's teammates twice as fast. Rayson, the new target of the burning projectile, only had enough time to raise his arms in an X-formation to defend himself before taking an explosive-like impact that sends him flying and landing roughly on his back with a grunt. The astounding athlete was already on top of his game, even if it was just a mock match.   "Don't let yourself get swept up in the heat of the moment, cousin. Keep moving and think fast." Naeth reminds Galivinth.   "Yeah, I kn-OOAH!?" Galivinth tries to respond, but there's barely seconds to spare in an active match. The other team were going on the attack again. The third member of the opposing side, Daevan, casts a tier-2 Earth spell -- a pillar-like structure of stone extending from the ground at angle. Continuously stretching outward with the intent of striking Naeth's chest with a thrust, yet the latter was more than prepared. Naeth sways aside with a hop and avoids the blow that stops just above his cousin's head, then dishes out a counterattack.   "Ligh-To!" Along with shouting out that incantation, Naeth throws a swift right boxing jab that sends out a tier 1 purple lightning bolt at Daevan. Too quick for the target to react, the bolt strikes its mark and sends the male staggering and briefly tumbling on the ground.   "Sharp as always, eh Naeth? Fi-Hara." Qoreman, the third member of Galivinth & Naeth's team muses and follows up on the attack with the same fire spell used earlier, only instead of discharging it with a kick, he sends out a tier 2 wave of fire by using his right hand to swipe widely in front of himself. But--   "Aqurmia!" Rayson steps up with an overwhelming counter attack; extending his hands outward and releasing a powerful tier 3 burst of water that's both great in size and pressure. It was more than enough to outright neutralize the incoming flame, as well as send Qore soaring over 10 yards away upon reaching him. Seeing this, Galivinth adopts a kneeling position and places his right hand flat against the grassy ground.   "I-Cé!" He shouts and promptly begins freezing over the ground before him in a linear path using a tier 2 ice spell, one that extends with the intent of freezing Raice and Rayson's feet in place.  The two effortlessly avoid contact by backing away horizontally as it passes vertically. However, Naeth was swift to apply more pressure. He merely recites the tier 2 fireball incantation within his own mind and casts the spell with a spinning thrusting side-kick, discharging the projectile from the sole of his sneaker and right for Raice.   "Don't let them exploit anything, let alone a supposed opening!" Naeth instructs firmly. Meanwhile, Raice acts upon the only option she has and leaps out of harm's way and into a roll. By then, Naeth was throwing out a leaning right jab as he casts the tier 2 fire-wave spell. Save this time, he sends it out at Rayson like a flamethrower instead of a sweeping wave. The latter had little choice but to turn away and brace under the scorching presence of the flames. Galivinth recoils with concern at such a display, and hesitates just enough to where when he goes about taking his next action, Raice is also about to take hers.   "Uuuhh.. Uh-- L-ligh..? Ligh--" For a moment, Galivinth forgets the incantation. And when it JUST comes back to him, Raice cuts him off.   "Fi-Ah." And upon that spoken spell, she shoots a tier 1 fireball from her left palm that strikes Galivinth directly in the face and knocks him onto his back.   "Guaah!?" The teen instinctively reaches to cradle his face. However, he was more startled than in actual pain. There was a bit of a stinging sensation and an abnormal feeling of warmth all over his face, but nothing even remotely serious. While he takes a bit of leisure to settle down and recover his wits, an all-out brawl of spells ensues between the others. The opposing team was pushing to take advantage of the moment. Qoreman, Raice, Daevan, Naeth, and Rayson were suddenly on a whole new level! The sounds of spells rapidly explosively going off from both teams fills the atmosphere in seconds.    Tink! One spell gets past the struggling duo during the 15 seconds it takes Galivinth to raise to his feet again.   "We got one! Keep pushing, they're probably panicking right now!" Raice enthusiastically shouts after knocking down her opposing team's far right 'tower'.   "Tch... Hold the line, Qoreman. They're getting ahead of themselves. Cousin, are you managing all right!?" Naeth asks without tearing his focus away from the onslaught of spells coming at them. In order to protect the two remaining towers, he was forced to stand his ground and repel them using a hybrid of Muay Thai techniques imbued with magic. Fire, water, piercing lightning - whatever he needed to keep cutting them down and stall for an opening.   "Yeah... Yeah, I'm up and fi--!?" Galivinth cuts off mid sentence when he turns around.   "Up and going down!"  There to greet him was Raice, grinning mischievously while placing her hands upon his shoulders. He was at a loss. However, he didn't have to think about it too much, because in the next moment she promptly hikes herself up with the elegance of a gymnast and wraps her legs around his face. Practically throwing herself backwards, she drags him off balance and along with her motion. The momentum used to throw & flip him onto his back with a thud behind her. A display Naeth catches a glimpse of in the midst of the chaos. He knows something has to be done immediately.  Just before Raice could get right back into helping her team apply pressure, Naeth takes quick initiative.  While prepping a spell, he rushes forward with a great ducking stride. Not to avoid, but to rise up with a lightning-imbued elbow that cuts through the very next fireball Rayson casts just as it manifests. It evaporates on the spot, taking his opponent by surprise. Continuing on with his rush down, Naeth gets two tier 1 spells ready, one in each hand as he runs up and leaps. Kicking off Rayson's shoulder first, then Daevan's, to not only throw them off balance, but also jump seven feet into the air before he takes his shots. Both fire-ball spells hit with precision and knocks over two of the enemy team's 'towers'.  But he wasn't done just yet.   "Galivinth, get to their fortress! They're venerable!" Naeth shouts just as he lands. And when he does, he quickly snaps around to run up and drop kick Rayson's legs from underneath him just as the opposing team realizes what he's done. Raice was quickly kept in check with a tier 1 fireball from Naeth to her midsection that sends her staggering. Daevan was preoccupied with doing his best to avoid taking a blow from Qoreman.   "Huh? Oh--!" And with that, Galivinth hustles toward the other side, nearly tripping over himself as he does. But it's all set and done. With no obstacle in his way, he sprints beyond the knocked over metal rods that serve as towers and lays his hand on the stack of crates that serve as a representation of the enemy's 'tower'.   "And that's the match." Galelith announces as he approaches the center of the field. The others all come together to gather around him with Galivinth being the only one who was a bit tired and sucking air.   "That was definitely as interesting as the other matches... But I'm starting to feel like this is a sport that requires more energy than I have to give." Galivinth complains as he begins slipping his protective cloak off.   "Ah, you did--... Well, no.. Your performance was subpar, but you at least did the bare minimum to help us win." Naeth comments casually, also taking a moment to take his cloak off.    "Yeah-yeah... I'll keep trying to improve." Galivinth responds, hardly bothered by his relative's bluntness anymore.   "You do seem awfully out of your league, but I think you did okay for the most part!" Raice comments with a warm smile, drawing Galivinth's attention. She was a full-blooded Cryonean just like Naeth. 5'6 in height, short black hair styled in a pixie cut, ivory in complexion, and possessed a rather interesting build to her. She wasn't quite all too slender, yet neither high in body fat or muscle definition. Just toned & curvy under an outfit consisting of a tucked white t-shirt, fitted blue denim shorts, and a pair of high-top black sneakers. Truth be told, Galivinth found her pretty attractive. She was sweet, cute, and upbeat. Much like every other Cryonean he's met, she was also quite honest when sharing her thoughts. But unlike Naeth, she's fairly more kind about her bluntness.   "...Thanks. It does help a bit to know that you think so." He responds, now folding his cloak and placing it between his waist and right arm. "You know, it's still unbelievable how these cloaks can protect you from fatal harm. I can't imagine what these skirmish matches would have been like without them."   "Well, they're essentially to the sport. Have been for most of the sport's lifespan." Naeth informs.   "Indeed, it's strongly advised that an individual does not participate without having one on. With that in mind, I'm curious as to how much it helps you, Galivinth. Any noticeable level of pain during our match or even now?" Qoreman asks in the midst of folding up his own cloak. He was a Cryonean male with fair skin, long and parted blonde hair that reached just past his pectorals, 6'0 in height, lean in build, and dressed in a navy blue tracksuit with a simple red t-shirt beyond his open jacket and a pair of white sneakers on his feet.   "Hmm... Not really. I mean, that fireball to the face I took was kind of painful and hot, but it didn't really linger. I don't feel any pain at all right now." Galivinth answers honestly. Though, he does think back to the day his father injected him with a syringe filled with peculiar liquid that was meant to "improve him" and suppress the human half of his genetic makeup. He considers the possibility that it may have truly made him nearly if not just as physically tough as the average Cryonean.    "That's good. I suppose there was nothing to truly worry about, then." Qore concludes.   "Can't be too cautious, though. Humans are pretty fragile, and I'm not too sure how much that affects him." Naeth chimes in. "So don't hesitate to let me know of any injuries you get inflicted with during our matches, cousin." He continues, initially speaking to Qore before shifting his focus toward Galivinth.   "If it's serious, then sure. But I'm not going to whine over a few bruises and a little soreness. I'll be fine." Galivinth assures.    "I'll take your word for it, then. Just be mindful. And since you feel that way, maybe now is a good time to transition to more accurate mock matches back at the Cryon Kingdom." Naeth proposes.   "I'd welcome the change to a more familiar and comfortable scenery. The weather this far out is a bit too warm for my liking." Rayson chimes in to express support of the notion. Another Cryonean male, one who stands at the height of 6'1, possesses a lean physique, and short silver that's trimmed low in the back while neat short tufts hang over his forehead. A snug, sleeveless, white and thin turtleneck on his torso - a pair of black accessory sleeves that reach from his defined biceps and down to his wrists, white skinny jeans with cuts littered along the left thigh on his lower body, and a pair of black converse gym-shoes on his feet.   "Ehh.. You get used to it. I felt it when I initially began visiting here, and I thought it was uncomfortable, too." Naeth shrugs his shoulders. "Regardless, this'll be the last time we use this location for practice. So with that said, cousin, I want you to be up and ready to head out by 10am in two days." Naeth continues as he points a finger at Galivinth.   "Oh, alright. That's fair. I can manage that." The teen obliges his relative's terms.   "I'll provide the means of transportation again, if that's alright. He'll actually need clearance from me to pass through the gate again, anyhow." Galelith informs.   "Sounds good. I have no issue with that at all. Of course, I'll still come along for the ride." Naeth agrees.   "By all means, Naeth. Do what you please."   "I shall. Alright, let's start storing away the equipment. Daevan and Qore, you two grab the rods from the left side. Rayson, with me to the right. Raice, grab whatever's left." Naeth instructs the group.   "On it." Daevan replies. He was the last of the bunch chosen by Naeth. He was about 6'1 in height, as well. Dark brown hair styled in a bowl cut, and fair skinned. Unlike the others, he came dressed in his usual formal fashion of a white button up shirt with a black bowtie, black slacks, and a pair of simple black boots. It takes less than four minutes for the group to finish, and upon doing so, Naeth walks back with Galivinth to the latter's home. After a farewell handshake, Galivinth heads inside while Naeth hustles back and takes his leave with the rest of the group on the 'flying' train they came on again.   For the next two days, Galivinth on and off spends short durations memorizing spell incantations. The majority of his time is used reading comics, watching television, and mostly playing video games - all of which devours his free time faster than he realizes. On the day he was to be picked up, he just barely steps outside in time, dressed in his usual fashion and carrying a backpack. The timing was immaculate. Just as he reaches the front of the building, a peculiar bus comes down from flying and lands in front of his apartment building. Surprising him, and shocking the people out and about in his neighborhood. The bus was something out of a steampunk novel. Silver and gold all over, and with its inner mechanisms exposed on the exterior. Triad of cogs near each wheel, pumping pistons at the center of the sides, and several pipes extending above the vehicle at the 'temples' of the font. Some expelling pale smoke, while others Galivinth surmised were used for--   Honk-Hooonk!   The sound of the horns blowing bellow through the air, snapping Galivinth out of his gawking stillness and startling others.  The entree door peels open just as one of the windows are being opened. Sticking his upper body out of that opening is none other than Naeth, grinning while arching a brow questioningly at his relative.   "Do you plan on standing there till noon? You can board the bus any time, you know? Now would be especially great to do so." He teasingly informs before settling back inside and into his seat.   "How did my life get so weird, so fast?" Galivinth murmurs under his breath as he hurries up and into the bus, immediately spotting his father in the driver's seat when he does. "Oh, hey, Dad."   "Morning, son. If you'd be so kind as to take a seat and buckle in, I'd appreciate that." Galelith responds. And upon that request, the teen moves to claim a seat right across from Naeth.    "Galvin? What the-- Did I just see this bus land after flying here?" Adam Ankerts, the veteran from across the street, questions as he approaches Galivinth's window.   "Uuuhh.... Probably?" The teen responds, unsure of how to even remotely explain the situation.  "But don't worry, sir. It's my Dad's bus. He came to pick me up for... Practice." Galivinth adds.   "Your Dad? Where did he even get this contraption from?" The older man asks, looking over the bus' design with absolute confusion on his face. Just before the teen answers, it finally begins moving forward. His father drives toward the end of the block they were facing. Briefly, Galivinth sticks his head out the window to give his parting words.   "Don't worry, Mr. Ankerts! I know it's weird, but it's totally cool! I'll see you soon, have a good day!" The teen shouts out as the distance grows. It's only then that he finally straps his seatbelt on.   "Was that the old man who ranted about Russians and a conspiracy about being targeted by them?" Naeth asks with a brow arched.   "Yeah, that was Mr. Ankerts again for sure.."   "Oh, sounds like he's been getting along just fine." Naeth comments with a grin.   "Galivinth, my son?" Galelith calls out from the front.   "Yeah, Dad?" The teen responds.   "Brace yourself for elevation and keep calm. We're going to ascend now." The father warns. And just as the bus begins tilting back and ascending, Naeth speaks up again.   "What's with the forewarning? You make it sound as if--" Naeth pauses abruptly in the middle of his comment when he turns toward Galivinth and sees just how incredibly tense his relative looks. "...Hey, are you fairing all right over there?"    "I'm fine." Galivinth breathes out while gripping at the bottom of his seat for dear life.   "He has a fear of heights." Galelith stoically informs. Before too much longer, the vehicle straightens out and begins moving smoothly straight ahead. The entire ride from then on out was calm and easy. It more or less takes about the same time to arrive there. And just like before, they go through security protocol where Galivinth is given the appropriate branding before being allowed to continue inside. Galelith pulls up to the facility where his office resides and parks beside the sidewalk before the three step off to head inside. Treading along the thin blanket of snow that covers the entire ground as an endless gentle drizzle of it falls around them.   "Huh... Looks different without that giant dome being here." Galivinth comments.   "It'll be back up soon enough. First, I want to introduce you to the others who'll be joining us today." Naeth informs him as they enter through the front entrance. Inside, Galelith speaks up.   "I'll need to take my leave for the time being. I still have obligations back at my lab, but I will see about sparing time to spectate your training session later."   "Not an issue at all, and it's understandable. You've got all week to catch at least one or a few of our sessions." Naeth responds.   "That I do. And Naeth? While I'm aware it's... Unusual to ask you to do such a thing, but can you stick close to Galivinth for a time? A few days or so of him visiting here. Just until he's comfortable among them." Galelith requests, earning a look from his son.   "I'm not a toddler, Dad. It'll be fine." Galivinth chimes in.   "Of course, son. I know you'll be."   "No need to dwell on it. I'd be more than glad to oblige your wish, Galelith." Naeth speaks up just after hooking an arm around his younger relatives neck and reeling him closer, much to the little annoyance of Galivinth. "Now, let's get going, shall we? I want to take some time in honing your casting."  Naeth shares, guiding Galivinth into heading left with him.   "Be well." Galelith gives his parting words and goes to the right.   "You too."   "As I hope you will, as well." The two boys reply while heading down the lengthy hallway before them. The echoes of their steps upon the navy blue marble flooring fills in the momentary silence that comes about.   "So, would you say you're bonding well with your father?" Naeth inquires just after removing his arm from the other's body. A bit taken aback by the sudden question, Galivinth looks over at him for a moment.   "...Yeah, I think. Getting to know him has been a bit weird, but I think we're making progress. How about you? Are you and your father close?"   "Close? No, that's actually quite unusual at my age. He's more like a peer to me, unlike what is normal here on Earth." Naeth explains.   "Huh? How old are you, exactly?"   "Development stage 4. Same as you, I believe."   "What? I have no idea what that even means..." Galivinth states with a puzzled frown.   "Ah, right. Earth estimates. Let me think here... Going by what you're used to, my exact age would be 51." Naeth informs.   "51!? But you barely look older than me. I thought you were 17 or something."   "You forget that cryoneans age much, much slower than humans, cousin. From my perspective, you've undergone a hyper aging process. How old are you?"   "I... I turned 16 last month in June." Galivinth answers.   "And already you're but a few measly inches shorter than me. It's unfathomable. I'm almost surprised at how long humans have managed to preserve for so long, truth be told." Naeth comments. "Maybe that's one of the reasons why humans are more emotionally attached to one another." He adds.   "Because our lives seem short? That has definitely been said more than occasionally. But, are you all really so detached from each other? You don't love each other? Someone?" Galivinth prods further.   "Love isn't commonly used in cryonean society. That's not to say that we don't care for one another, and there are certainly household lineages here, but self sufficiency is strongly advocated here. By the time we've reached development stage 3, we're expected to take some initiative and find a path that allows us to contribute to the kingdom in some way. With our numbers rather short, it helps." Naeth elaborates.   "Wow, things are so different here... But, what do you mean about your numbers being short?" Galivinth asks as they approach a door. After some time of walking and turning a few corners, they were finally at their destination. Naeth steps forward to open the door into the room.   "Most of us died when we crash landed on Earth 20 years ago. There's not even half a thousand of us on this planet." Naeth answers.   "Wha-- Dude, what happened?" Galivinth's tone was laced with concern.   "Another time, cousin." The two enter and proceed further into what appears to be a gymnasium, though one lacking any basketball rims and design on its hardwood flooring. No bleachers either. Just large double doors at the opposite end that seems likely to lead into a storage space, and right beside it is another set of steel doors that one may surmise leads outside.  Within, a group of 8 were gathered around a stationary bench at the right side of the 'court', waiting for their arrival.   "I've returned. We can finally begin training." Naeth calls out, immediately drawing their attention to him. The bunch rise from their seats and approach the two.    "Welcome back, Naeth. And hello, Galivinth. Doing well since last time?" Qoreman greets, extending an arm to offer the latter a handshake. One that Galivinth obliges without hesitation. 0 Comments  Report Post

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