Working Out the Kinks (Open, All)

Chris walked into the guild training hall with a small bounce in his step. He didn’t even know about the training hall until he saw something about it in R.A.I.N.E.’s database. No one really was around to give him the tour when he arrived, and when he wasn’t in the guild hall sipping a beer he was in his room working on blueprints. He needed to stretch.

And that’s what he did when he entered the hall. He leaned over to the side and stretched his muscles, first his arms and upper torso and then to his legs and lower back. He did a quick check on the ARMs he had on his person, making sure he didn’t forget any of them in his room. Blade of Flames, Little Angel, and Earthen Armor. Maybe…. He shook his head. He wouldn’t be able to use all three unless he had someone to spar against. But it was good to get used to having them with him.

Walking to the side he put a paper target on one of the pillars nearby and fastened it there. He didn’t know if the guild had any training dummies so he came up with an alternative. This would be sufficient target practice. Maybe. He just hoped that he didn’t miss and end up setting fire to the guild.

Once he had his target set up Chris walked to the center of the hall and stood still. He looked at the ring on his left hand and took a deep breath. The ARM worked, his family made sure of that before he even left home. This was just the first time he used it in combat, or practice as it were. Keeping his hand steady he spoke clearly. ”Weapon ARM, Blade of Flames!”

The ring transformed into a short sword with the blade completely engulfed in flames. He swung the sword twice before getting into a ready stance; the blade forward at a 45 degree angle with the tip pointed up. He was by no means a master of the sword, in truth he was more a beginner. But the only way to get better was practice. So he did some slow swings from different angles, but it was obvious he was less than skilled.

A fumble of the sword almost caused Chris to drop it at the unexpected voice. He turned towards the one who spoke and held the blade out from his body to the side. Even though his hands holding the sword were immune to the flames the rest of him was not. A small blush came to his face when he realized what the man meant. ”Ya. I grew up learning how to make magic items.” He looked at the sword he held in his hands. ”Didn’t really learn how to fight until I left home.”

He was going to say more, when a flash of fire seemed to cut his words from his mouth. Pain as if he was burned from the flames wracked his chest, and he looked at the sword in horror. Was there a flaw in the design? Did his family miss something that causes harm to the user? A feminine voice turned his attention away from the weapon. It was Misayo.

Somehow the woman caused the burn, though how he wasn’t too sure. Maybe it was a type of magic he didn’t know about, though he did know about the charm she gave Hiro. Did she place a similar charm on him? Or maybe a curse. He shook the thought out of his head and stood up. The burn hurt, but it was manageable. He contemplated using the charm at his waist, but mentally shook his head.

”A threeway?” His mind instantly went in a direction he did not want it to go, and shook his head to clear it away. Misayo wasn’t that kind of girl. Looking at her sword he gave a small nod. ”You mean like a fight? A threeway spar?”

Chris agreed with the man as well. A shout would have been the better method of getting their attention, but just Misayo coming into the room would have sufficed. There was no way to ignore the young woman, even if she looked a little older than Chris. Still the burn was a bit much.

Still rubbing his chest Chris looked at the other man as he spoke. The way he talked, Chris guessed he hadn’t seen much in the way of fights. Was it because of his magic or just that he didn’t like conflict. And if it was the second then why was he in a guild dedicated to fighting dark guilds? That might be something to ask the man.

Turning his attention to Misayo he opened his mouth to speak when a pink blur seemed to leap into the arms of the young woman. Chris was surprised to see a pink fox like creature with multiple tails cuddling in Misayo’s arms. What were those creatures called? Nekos? No those were cat demons. Kitsune, that was what they were called. He spoke before he thought. ”Well that’s a cute pet.” He froze for a moment; not sure if he said something wrong. Magical creatures could sometimes be a bit touchy.

Chris looked at the little fox like creature with amazement. He knew of magic creatures that could talk and were used as pets. But this seemed a little more magical than most. It was intelligent. With a slight shake of his head he tore his eyes away from the kitsune. This was not what he was here for.

Turning to Misayo he held out his sword with a smile. "Well looks like he's in no mood to spar. How about it?" He dismissed the blade and it returned to his finger as a ring. No use wasting his magic maintaining it until he had to. Besides, this would give him some better experience if he treated it like a surprise fight. "I'd try to go easy, but I'm terrible with a blade." He gave a slight smile, though inwardly he was worried. He figured Misayo knew how to use her blade.

Chris nodded and headed to the middle of the training hall. He took a slow deep breath to calm down his nerves, and then waited for Misayo to join. He wasn’t too sure how well he would do, and pretty sure it was not good. He held his hand before him, the silver ring glistening on his finger. He didn’t call forth the blade once again, at least not yet. He wanted as much practice as he could get, and ‘drawing’ it quickly was one of them.

In the back of his mind he wondered if he should also call for his armor. It would weigh him down, but it would also protect him from Misayo’s attacks. Theoretically speaking anyways. She demonstrated that the ‘sword’ she used was actually pure flame. It might be able to pass through his armor as if it wasn’t there. Still it might offer some protection. ”Nature ARM. Earthen Armor.”

The badge over his heart glowed brightly, and the dust and dirt in the hall gathered together to form an armor of stone breastplate. It didn’t seem very solid, as they kept the training hall pretty clean. Still there was enough to make the armor, even if barely. With the armor on he stood ready to ‘draw’ his blade and train.

Earthen Armor: