Practice of Power (Esme, request)

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On the far southeast of the landmass, there was a desert and canyon region that few bothered with. Isolated, barren, nobody would notice or miss if things started to just explode: a fact Adrain was counting on for purposes here. After awakening from his long slumber, the full minded Adrain needed a time to practice his abilities to recover strength. While his Mysu was still recovering, the body was out of practice. He wore a sleeveless white tunic and pants with leather boots as he tread upon the rocky lands. His mind's eye spread and scanned the area, looking for sentients or animals that could be impacted: finding none in this region he found it acceptable.

First, he touched the ground behind him, causing a crack to open below and water to begin to rise from the depths of the Earth, forming a water basin the size of a small pool. Thirst was likely a thing, and leaving a small oasis for the future probably would be a benevolent side effect for any other soul who travels here or the few animals around.

Satisfied and ready, he takes a deep breath and looks to a plain ahead. He holds his hands together forming a small hand sign as a powerful release of energy causes a shockwave of wind around him: Mysu and Mana began to combine in a small ball, pulsing black and purple of energy as he then propels it forward moments later when satisfied, causing a potent eruption of energy as a well of gravity contorts and twists violently, ripping ground and rock up and causing a small earthquake that might be felt nearby.

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Esme had been out; the dreams haunted her and although she already knew her decision, her head was spinning. She was hunting; practicing; hiking. Whatever you wanted to call it. She was out, roaming around, and fighting random things she came across. She didn't kill anything though; she didn't have it in her to kill innocent things simply because she was distraught.

It had been hours now that she'd been roaming, when she heard a low rumble in the distance. Narrowing her brows she began running in the direction she'd heard it. After a few minutes, she slowed down, finding a clearing. She crept behind a rock, slowly looking out at who was there.

It was him. The white haired man who'd helped her when she'd fallen. She'd found him amusing if anything. Slowly she stepped out from behind the rock. Sounds like you have some pent up rage; that or you just like to blow things up. Both are acceptable answers.

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After the spell was cast, he turned to the presence calmly. He could sense the approach, and that she wasn't an obvious threat. He looks at her with a slightly interested look, his newly short hair drifting in the dry wind, but then shrugs. "A bit of both, more the former than the latter. You'll have to forgive me, I am not quite the same person you may think me to be." he says as he then turns back to the plain.

"By now I'm sure you've had a dream about the Deyu. The short version is I have awakened as a response to handle the situation." Adrain says as he then turns back to his testing field and holds his right arm out. An unstable mass of energy gathers at the end, growing in ferocity and power, pulsating like a small star almost before being flung out a far way by his will, exploding in a brilliant flash of fire and light, raising the heat for just a few moments before the explosion settles, the pair being out of the reach of damage. As it fades, shards of glass may randomly be in the area from the heat and sand interaction.

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Esme arched a brow, noting the subtle changes. He was certainly acting differently, but she'd hardly gotten to know him before, so she wasn't quite sure. When he gave his cliffnotes explanation she shrugged. I dont really care to be honest. About you being awakened. I mean, whatever that's supposed to mean. she stepped out further, crossing her arms over her chest.

She watches in amusement as he sends another blase of energy flying. She let out a low whistle. You've got some power in you, thats for sure. She sighed. Yeah I saw the dream. And yeah, I'll end up in one of the groups heading out to Save the World she shot a fist sarcastically into the air. What about you? How are you going to help save the world as we know it?

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"Good, easier that way." Adrain says with no real sign of pushing forward for an explanation. He chuckled at her sarcastic remark about power, identifying the fact that she would have seen the dream, and intended to go off to deal with it. When asked how he intended to save the world, he rose a brow.

"Well...truth be told, I don't so much care about saving the world as I do about settling a score with someone involved. Your apathy so far probably doesn't care too much, but if it keeps the innocent alive by dealing with this individual, that's just a happy bonus." he says with a slight laugh, turning to her. She was a strong one, cute too. A powerful form, toned and confident from her eyes down, there was a fair bit to admire. He looks at her wryly, thinking.

"You know...were you the one I could sense beating on some goblin about fifteen minutes ago? I can sense the need to get something out of your system a mile away, perhaps I can offer something more entertaining." he says as he picks up a dried out stick and holds his hand over it, manipulating mana to cause it to grow to sword length, a branch near the bottom thickening and spreading out to form a faux hilt. He then reinforces the branch to make it durable as steel, turning and swinging it at a nearby rock, a sizable dent manifesting in the stone.

"How about a spar? Don't worry about holding back, even if you could harm me it wouldn't last for long. If you win, I'll grant you a wish, or something." he says with a slight eyeroll, leaning back and holding it at his side in a ready to defend stance.

"If you agree, you may make the first move, ladies first and all."

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Esme smirked; this guy caught on pretty quickly. Ahh, so its more of a vendetta for you then. Interesting. She chuckled, leaning against a rock he hadn't shattered just yet. When he questioned if it had been her terrorizing a goblin, a grin broke out onto her face, and she threw her head back in laughter. Poor punk! He was so tiny. But, he should have known better than to ask a tall armed lady if she minded losing her shoes. She "tsked", shaking her head slowly as she arched a brow at him.

She chuckled again at his prize of choice, uncrossing her arms and bracing a hand on the hilt of her sword. You might be powerful, but you have no idea who you're asking... I'm in. She grinned again. Sure she'd been beating on things all day, but she hadn't had a real sparring match in what had felt like ages! She arched a brow again as he gave her the starting blow. She pulled her sword from its sheath slowly, unlatching her shield from her shoulder. Once she'd cracked her neck, she came at him with speed, lunging forward for his gut, holding up her shield to hopefully block his defense.

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"Vendetta, obligation, you can pick your adjetive." he says nonchalantly. He chuckled softly as Esme did, the confidence on this girl being amusing. "Well I suppose the little bugger did get what he had coming to him, the fact you spared him from death is at least a mercy of sorts."

As Esme charged, his radiant purple eyes watched the movements carefully. The fibers in her muscles giving away each step before it happened. He sidesteps the stab toward his gut, and swung his makeshift weapon at Esme's shield full force, a tremendously loud clang radiating as Esme would feel five times a normal blow on the hardened metal. Adrain wanted to see how she could handle herself under the blow, but kept ready to backflip away if the sword followed up more quickly than the recoil of the shield blow might stun her for.

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I decided a long time ago not to kill anything that didn't threaten my own life first. She said calmly, her moment of seriousness gone as soon as it started.

As the battle began she knew he would dodge the moment she swung her sword. She saw his own weapon head down at her out of the corner of her eye, and lifted her shield to block it. The clang of metal on metal was deafening, and the impact was far harder than she had been expecting, pushing her over and nearly knocking her off balance, kneeling as she was now. She used the force to roll onto her side, hopping up when she could, and rolling out her shoulder. You're a lot stronger than you look, I'll give you that. She muttered, coming at him again. This time she kept her shield up and her sword in a neutral position until right before she would strike, bringing it out in a slash towards his abdomen.

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As Adrain watched Esme recover, he waited for her to return noting that she took a more defensive stance. As she got close, he waited for her to move, leaping over and above as she moved to strike, swinging his weapon firmly at her butt that was covered in the armor plates with the same force that she shield strike was made.

"You move well for being covered in such armor...I was trained to simply dodge so you didn't need to wear so much and have more mobility and agility" he says, resetting his stance and preparing for her next move unless she somehow didn't recoil as much as he thought she would need to.

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Esme grumbled quietly as he lept over her, dodging her yet again, aiming his weapon at her rear. She spun away in time, just barely missing the bar. After thousands of years, you no longer feel the weight of the armor. To me it feels like a second skin. She grunted out, leaping forward again. She slashed out first aiming for his chest, then his lower abdomen. Between the two slashes, she muttered silently the words "Guardian Shield". A light blue transparent sphere enveloped the blonde woman, stopping any attack Adrain was about to throw at her.

Assuming he was mildly stunned by the appearance of the shield, she lunged forward at him, throwing her shoulder against him to knock him down.

(Guardian Shield: She can throw up a shield/force field of sorts to block any magical or mundane attacks for 6 minutes (two post rounds). The shield is like a sphere, encasing herself and whomever she is protecting (up to 8 people at Advanced level, all of which must be within 15 ft of her.) The shield is visible, a sheer blue in colour.)

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The reaction from the angel was quick, as the reprisal was able to land on him, drawing a cut along his shoulder and chest, bleeding from about an inch deep across his shoulder and upper chest. The second swing he swiftly moved and barely was able to parry causing him to chuckle a little as he pushed his makeshift weapon against Esme's. He could sense a surge of mana begin and he disengaged to leap back before she could connect with her intended shoulder tackle.

"Oh that's good..." he says, touching the cut casually and exhaling. A surge of mana flows from his foot into the ground as it flies toward Esme's position underground, merging with her shadow as several shadow hands begin to reach up from the ground to...

...tickle her. Her armpit, back of left knee, and behind right ear. He watched Esme with an amused smile to see what happens next.

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A grin spread on her lips as she felt the satisfying slice of flesh against her blade as she made contact. It wasn't in a sadistic way, but she was thinking of it as target practice. She lept back as he did, barely faltering as her shoulder missed him.She arched an eyebrow, unable to hear what he was mumbling about.

She bent her knees ready to pounce again as something caught her eye. She glanced down just as the hands began to tickle her. Squirming around a bit, she charged at him, aiming to bump him with her shield. What. The actual, fuck.

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As Esme seemed flustered and charging him, he took advantage of the slight distraction to grasp his improvised weapon with both hands and leap at her with a wind empowered strike against the shield, slamming it with an incredible force that is accelerated by the wind pushing down, holding in place in the air for a few seconds as he pressed against the barrier with magical strength and force behind it.

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Esme stumbled back, not expecting the force. But she dug in her feet and held her ground, the sheild only inches away from her real skin. She pushed back harder, sliding back in the dirt slowly. She brought up her own weapon, but was too focused on holding up to swing it. What.. are.. you... doing...? she grunted out.

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"You wanted a test didn't you? So did I!" he proclaims as he then raises his weapon to smash against her shield or anything that pops up in between with a lot of force and hops back, watching the angel. His stance was open, showing that scales had grown over where Esme had struck.

"But I have to admit, I didn't think it'd be against a woman so cute." he says with a coy smile as he looks at her, walking around her licking his lips. Whether it was real attraction or a ploy would be up for Esme to decide upon. "Perhaps after we are done, if you aren't too sore I can extend hospitality to you.." he states, waiting to see a reaction. Once it was done though, he would close the gap and deliberately strike at the closest joint on the armor, attempting to strike it with enough force to dislodge a piece of it.