Fantasy For my Family

[Ninja_Onions]

Gerza's head was aching as the fight had finished, and he had a terrible headache after Karza had been absolutely pummeled. Every time he blinked his eyes would switch between a soft blue and a hard orangered. To make matters worse, he knew he had been tracking something before the fight, but couldn't for the life of him remember what. "My...my journal. Maybe...maybe it will have something to...to help." He struggled to talk as his head pounded. Flipping the book open he noticed the notes written about the mana explosion, and clarity came back to him almost instantly. His headache vanished, and his eyes stayed the same soft blue hue as before the fight. "I had been tracking...down the mana explosion source, that's right!" He exclaimed, shaking off the headache's effects. 'I can feel the mana signature around here, but it feels faint. I hope I can still follow it.' He said as he began his trek out of Neutral Grounds toward the Vejta area. 'I have to be getting close, I've been walking for quite a while,' He thought after long leaving the Neutral Grounds. He was almost too busy following the trail that was growing fainter and fainter to notice a house that seemed to appear. Startled, but not one to give up on something this new and strange, he ventured up to the front door, only to find it swing open. "H-hello?" Gerza said in a voice that couldn't even wake mice. "Is anyone home?" He said as he peeked in through the front doorway.

 

[Twizinator]

"Why are we whispering?" Mythia said softly as she mimicked Gerza in peering onto the home. She'd seen him approach while she was in the garden and snuck up behind him just in time to hear him whisper. She giggled girlishly when he nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise. "You're a new face," she said with a welcoming grin. She pressed a fingertip gently against his forehead and concentrated, sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth as she focused. After a few seconds she removed her finger and smiled again. "Ah, your name is Gerza, then? An heir to the Naejor line, related to the moon child Estelle. You are the sun child. You also are frail as tissue paper. You also have an extremely dangerous amount of power at your disposal should your temper get ignited." She giggled again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry so much. I'm Mythia. Welcome to my home." Inside, a cup of tea poured itself and drifted out to the porch to Gerza. "Please, drink! I rarely get visitors, today is definitely special in that regard. You're the third person within the hour!" she exclaimed and laughed happily. "So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

 

[Ninja_Onions]

Gerza regained his composure and grabbed the cup of tea, which he then proceeded to drop as the feeling of shock finally set in...a second time. "I-er-well-uh-I just-and then-so I-and the cup-I" He stammered as his thoughts sped like a train to catch up with him. "I dropped the cup."

 

[Twizinator]

Mythia laughed, amused. "So you did! Care to try again?" she said as another cup of tea drifted to him. "Did you come just to visit little old me? Hehe, I doubt it. From what I gathered from your mind, you're on the trail of something. What are you looking for?"

 

[Ninja_Onions]

'Okay, focus. You can do this.' Gerza gave himself a pep talk as he grabbed the cup of tea. He didn't drop it. Over-elated with pride from his disappointing accomplishment, he managed to regain his voice. "Er, uh yes. I was tracking a mana signature from an eruption over in the Neutral Grounds that was an odd mixture of different signatures, but the trail stops here, at least what I can tell from the fading trail." He said while he scratched his head sheepishly.

 

[Twizinator]

"Ah, you must be looking for Ryrax, then," she responded. "I doubt he'd be very cooperative with you even if you tracked him down. Fortunately for you, I might be able to help. I raised him, after all. Well, for most of his life, anyway. Point is you'll get more information about him from me than you would from that stubborn bastard himself!" she finished with another laugh. "Please, come in, I've still got some muffins if you'd like one," she said as she led him into the kitchen where Ryrax and Cerys had sat earlier.

 

[HilgenHoffer]

Rudd looked at Ryrax with an unreadable expression.


" . . . Why are you pretending to be in pain?"

 

[Cyrionessa]

Estelle chuckled as she got up to look out the window. The sheer stupidity of what Ryrax and Cerys had tried to pull was ridiculous. Why would they want to bring Rudd here, of all places, with such a ruse? There was no one here of note and nothing here of note. Estelle just couldn't figure out why they had decided to bring him here.


Cerys smacked Ryrax upside the head. "Too overtly obvious!" She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring down at him with fierce cat eyes. "You can't act like it's too serious or they catch on! You are a horrible actor!"

 

[Ninja_Onions]

"Er, I guess I can, I mean..." Gerza fumbled his words. 'I show up looking for answers and instead get tea and muffins? What's going on around here?' He sighed. "I assume that you can give me a more detailed explanation for it, and I am not one to turn down hospitality." He smiled slightly and headed inside as the door closed behind him.

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax sat up and shrugged. "I know," he said simply. He'd never been a good liar in general. It was one reason why people didn't like him, because his honestly was also really blunt and never sugar-coated. Suddenly he stood up, reared back, and smashed his forehead into Rudd's. "Open your eyes, kid," he said cryptically with a smirk. "You're usually so awkwardly oblivious that it hurts. Gahahahaha!" he laughed at Rudd's naivety.


-----


Mythia was glad to hear that, and gestured for him to take a seat. As he sat down a small plate with a muffin on it flew over to rest on the table in front of him. "What exactly would you like to know about that guy?"

 

[Ninja_Onions]

"Well, he's intimidating, loud, boisterous, wears an eye patch, and is kind of sort of insane." Gerza said bluntly. "That's about it really. Everything else is just speculation." He said while rubbing his head.

 

[HilgenHoffer]

Rudd took a couple of shocked steps back, rubbing his forehead and uncrossing his eyes. "What in the name of crowin' at dawn . . . Yer actin' awful strange, Ryrax. Did you take a blow to the head? What do you mean, too obvious? Cerys, are you in on this, too? The hell--"


At that moment, one of the Vejta cousins busted through the doors. "Rudd! Evynne's been looking all over for you. She's really worried about something, says she needs your help."


"Evynne? What would she need me for? I ain't good for much but farming and fighting. Unless--no, she's not--" His heart dropped into his stomach. "Tell me she isn't fighting."


-----


Odom's eyes were drawn back to the rings below as a couple of familiar faces walked into its boundaries. The angry lightning man and . . . a girl from the Vejta hall? The one with the sunshine in her eyes. But the sunshine was gone now--her eyes were screaming in fear, screaming for help. He couldn't blame her; he remembered fighting the disgruntled static flinger a year ago. Most people spoke to the mana around them, and worked with it, but this man was different. His every fiber was so angry that the mana in the air ran away from him--only to be snatched up and forced into service. The way he shackled the life in the air around him was disturbing. It almost took the fun out of fighting him. Almost.

 

[Ixidor92]

Valk cracked his neck from side to side, barely paying attention to the young woman in front of him.


"I'm getting really tired of small fries trying to push their way up by beating me. Don't take this personally."


The entire arena was blinded as lightning seemed to strike the arena and an explosion seemed to occur in the center the instant the ref called for the start. What was left was a cloud of smoke, which Valk calmly walked out of. As it cleared, the girl could be seen in the center, smoke was rising from all over her form, and burns were everywhere


"Medic! Get a medic over here! She's barely breathing!"


Several mana risers jumped into the ring, quickly pulling the young woman onto a stretcher and running away. There was a hush over the area s Valk calmly walked away. He was not sorry. He was done dealing with challenges from people who couldn't hope to match him.


-----------------------


"What the hell..."


Jaeger stood up, one of his fists clenched


"He just about killed that girl--"

 

[HilgenHoffer]

The men hauled themselves over the edges of the ring to catch the girl, but when they got to where she was, Rudd was already standing there, holding her limp form, head bowed. No one saw him arrive--but now that he was standing there, he couldn't be missed. The air whisked around his hair and tunic, and static sparked where his feet touched the ground. The medics were somehow too afraid to approach.


The farmer turned slowly, eyes masked by his short mane. When he looked up, murder was in his eyes. "You. White-haired man. Don't move another step." And then he was gone, rushing through the crowd with a speed he didn't know he had. He didn't realize how fast he was going; he didn't care. He was going to save Evynne. And then he was going to kill the man in white.

 

[Cyrionessa]

"....who's fighting...?" Cerys raised an eyebrow. Estelle sensed the form of Rudd rushing towards her at full steam before he even came close to the building. Before Rudd was even through the door, Estelle's light ribbons were reaching out to take her away from his arms. Also before he could make it through the door, Estelle shuddered at the emotion she felt coming through the door and turned to Ryrax.


"Restrain your friend before he tries to go kill someone."


When Rudd came through the door, the light ribbons deftly slipped Evynne out of his arms and she was floated to the waiting bed next to Estelle. Anyone looking would have to cover their eyes as a seeming light explosion encompassed Estelle and Evynne.


Within the light, Estelle rushed to stabilize Evynne's heart that was currently beating out of sync due to the lightning rush. However, this was the simple task. Estelle could feel Evynne was wavering on the point of consciousness. Quickly, she sent Evynne into a coma to avoid her awakening and hurting her body further. It was then that she accessed the rest of the damage. Her arms shook and the light dimmed down enough for the others to see. She knew this person's mana signature. ".....Valk.....how could you.....do this.....?" The lightning had almost completely burned away the nerve endings in her extremities. The burning was less severe the closer to her core that you got but even after recovery she would probably only be able to feel minimal sensation in the extremities. And it was then that the sun was suddenly blocked outside by the moon. Estelle shook in anger, trying to repair the damage while keeping her emotions in check. Valk.....she had always wanted to put him in his place.....but she had never had a reason.... "Valk.....damn you....." Her eyes turned a shining silver and the golden light became a white-silver that seemed to seer the air around it.

 

[Ixidor92]

Valk sighed and leaned against the concrete just outside the stands. 'wait here'? Who was that? Her boyfriend? He didn't look like anything more than a simple peasant. Fine. If he had to make one more example just so he had more fights that actually meant something to look forward to, he would do so. The Trevastos family was not one you took lightly

 

[HilgenHoffer]

And just as he had arrived, Rudd was gone. This time, however, he walked. He walked with a strength that came from the ground, legs as the roots of a great oak. He walked with the passion of a blazing fire, eating away at even the air he touched. The rowdy crowd became hushed as he passed, parting the waters for a man who was visibly quite normal--but felt like an angry God. As he walked towards the ring, he saw the white-haired man leaning against the rail, and his eyes began to burn with rage. He said not a word--but he approached him from the opposite side, stood with feet shoulder-width apart, and breathed out, long and steady. The air around him became still as he meditated, and when he opened his eyes, all was clear. "I don't know how this tournament works, white man. I do not know if this match is official, or even allowed. I do not care. Fight me. I will make you kneel."

 

[Twizinator]

Rryax, having followed the distraught young country boy, stepped between the two. He grinned darkly and looked to Rudd. "You want to kill him, don't you?" he asked casually. "I can tell just by looking at you. It's a good look, but on someone like me. It looks wrong on you, shepherd. So drop it." He turned to Valk. "Beg pardon for my friend. It's his first tournament and he's unfamiliar with how brutal it can be. Still, if you really want to fight him..." his grin widened and he seemed to know something Valk didn't, "...be prepared to lose."


-----


Mythia opened her mouth to speak but stopped, distracted. She stood and quickly made over to the window, and sighed. "I think we'll have to do this another time," she said sadly and seriously. "You really should get back to Estelle." She was staring at the lunar eclipse above all of their heads.

 

[Ixidor92]

Valk slowly walked onto the arena, his stance notably lighter and more relaxed than the man across from him. A few wisps of electricity escaped his hair, as well as some of the metal he was wearing.


"How it works is simple. You challenge someone. You fight. You win. You keep fighting. But it would do you some good to make sure you know the strength of your opponent before making a statement like that peasant."


The last word was spat out with venom, and the ref on the side almost seemed reluctant to start. He had pointedly ignored the man in between them, who was ushered outside the arena. No one could stop this fight right now.


"Start!"


The ref brought his hand down and then immediately backed off. Sparks were already flying from Valk's form

 

[Ninja_Onions]

Gerza was about to open his mouth again to speak, when he noticed a lunar eclipse which hadn't been scheduled. "Huh, tha-" The resounding sound of a teacup shattering, again. He felt a cosmic energy that he held, only slightly different. "...ESTELLE!" He leapt from his chair and bolted out the door, headed full blast back to the Neutral Grounds. "Nononononononononono, not again. Never again." His eyes began to flare to match the sun as he tried to hold off the eclipse while he ran. 'If I can just get to her in time, I can stop all of this before it gets as awful as last time.' He broke out into a full on sprint, focused only on getting to Estelle. He finally reached the first aid area, incredibly weak from fighting against a will as strong as his. "What *pants* happened? *wheeze*" He looked and noticed a very badly injured Vejta woman that Estelle was leaning over. "Who *gasp* did *cough* this?"

 

[HilgenHoffer]

Rudd stood where he was. The first rule of combat--establish your base. He bent his knees, shifted his hips, and sank into the ground with a gentle bounce.


The second rule of combat--never make the first move. Read your opponent, and when you know how he fights, anticipate his movements and move before he can. Rudd looked the man straight in the eyes, an unspoken challenge on his thinly drawn lips.


The third rule of combat--hit the bad guy. Air escaped from his nostrils as he sank deeper into his stance, arms loose but raised, whole body relaxed but simultaneously coiled like a spring.


-----


Odom leaned so far forward that his backside left his seat. What he saw now reflected what he had seen in the Vejta hall, but this time it was far more intimidating. Not everyone noticed, but he could see the air distorting around the farm boy as it flowed in and out of him, the mana flowing as so many tributaries to the ocean. The ground wound itself into his feet, nutrients to a grand redwood tree. His entire body, every inch of skin, every hair on his head, spoke out to the mana around him--completely incoherently. It made no sense, and yet the mana tried to respond. It was as if, not knowing what to do, it just threw itself at him, doing whatever it could to appease the requests of an illiterate man. And throughout it all, the boy didn't even seem to notice. He was deaf to the mana around him, and yet it bowed before him like a king . . . Odom had never seen anything like it. He had never heard anything like it. He tried to ask the wind what was going on, but it wouldn't listen to him. It had ears only for the Vejta boy in the ring.

 

[Twizinator]

Ryrax hovered over the heads of Rudd and Valk, cross-legged in the air and casually resting his chin on a palm. "This oughta be good," he muttered with a smirk. He sniffed once, and cought the scent of another spectator of note. He crossed his arms and flipped over backwards in the air, now upside-down to face Odom. "Interesting little brat, ain't he?" he asked, referring to Rudd. "He has no idea how much power he has at his disposal."


It was high time he learned...hopefully BEFORE Valk blindsides him into the next life, Ryrax considered and chuckled.

 

[Ixidor92]

A crack sounded through the air, and Valk was now sitting on the opposite side of the arena from where he had been. Smoke was rising from Rudd's figure. Valk flexed his fingers a couple of times.


"Well, at least you're sturdier than your friend. How much longer can you last?"

 

[HilgenHoffer]

An irritated frown crossed Odom's lips. "Wolf-man. The density of your face is detrimental to my view of this fight." However, even as he said this, his eyes began to widen with curiosity. "You come from within his circle. Everything that speaks the language bows before him, and yet he knows not the language. What is he?"


-----


Rudd's mind began calculating. That movement was too fast for him to follow. The man hit like a gorilla, too--he could feel the pressure on his sternum. However . . .


He shifted one foot back and, twisting his hips, turned in one smooth motion to face his opponent. "Try again, sparky."

 

[Ixidor92]

Valk narrowed his eyes. Fine. This peasant wanted to play games? He could play games. There was another blur as he rushed right at the man, then flipped around him and hit him with two kicks on the back instead of hitting the front. Then he whipped around and hit him once more. Each time his speed seemed to increase.