Mage - The Spiral [IC]

[loxmyth]

streets of Boston (?)
Boston, Massachussets (?)
October 2002, around 11:30 AM

Held back? Shielded? Jason didn't quite understand what she was talking about, but he knew he had to join her. There was only one thing holding him in that place, the unrelenting pressure that rested on his shoulder and kept him rooted to the spot. He tried to grab hold of the force he could not see, to wrest it away from his person, but his hands slid off of it as if repelled by the very presence.

Panic rose in his throat as he realized he was stuck here, would be stuck here forever. This can't be happening, he thought to himself, hands curled by fear and mania into claws that scrabbled futilely against his unseen restraints.

Then he looked to the Muse. The object of his expression, the one who sang to him of life in his dreams. She who put the stars in his eyes and the warmth of the sun in his heart. The one who comforted him when he was inconsolable. And he was being kept from her.

Resolve hardened in his heart, and his expression became determined. "These restraints aren't going to stop me." He told her, "We will meet." And focusing all his determination into one singular instant, he wrenched himself away as hard as he could...

 

[Keia]

The mountains (?)
Saturday 12:30, October 2002

"Cheap tricks won't work here, not on me..." He smiles a thin smile, showing clearly his feeling of superiority. "Buying time won't help you either. You entered my realm, no way out except through me. Guess you didn't know that, now did you? Sheesh, you really are clueless, are you not? Do you have any idea where you are?"

"Clueless? Maybe . . . Why don't you enlighten me? But from a few more paces away . . . really . . . not kidding about the breath mints," Leo said.

Leo used some of his running back elusiveness to fade back toward the center of the room. He looked around his surroundings for some clues as to his location (both time and place) - but only glanced. He focus remained on the wiry man, and looked to defend against any attack while trying to judge what the man might be capable of.

 

[Fanog]

Streets of Boston (?)
Boston, Massachussets (?)
October 2002, around 11:30 AM

Jason twists under the pressure on his shoulde. He can practically feel the old man's fingers digging in his flesh, trying to keep his hold. Jason finally feels the grip weakening, when the expression on the woman's face makes him stop. Her eyes are opened wide, she throws her arms about herself as if to protect herself. Here gaze is fixated on something that must be behind Jason. This is confirmed by the booming voice that comes from behind him.

"Fool! Stop that, you are killing yourself. What good are you to her if you are dead?"

As he spins his head, Jason sees the beast from his nightmares. A horned beast, sheathed in flame. Its hind hooves carry it along the air as swift as if it were firm land, two tusks protrude visously from its mouth as it runs forward. "Stand still now, lest you fall into oblivion!"

OoC: Jason
_______________________

The mountains (?)
Saturday 12:30, October 2002

The man lets Leo move to the center of the room, as he moves along the wall, circling Leo's position. Leo can gain a good look at his surroundings as he turns to keep facing the thin man. The building can't be anything except for an old dojo. The wood looks weathered, but everything looks decidedly clean. There are several banners along the wall, each of them bearing several signs in black paint. They look like Chinese writing to Leo, although it could be any of a number of oriental languages. While turning, Leo also notes several weapons hanging on the wall: Swords, spears, staves and daggers, all hanging in pairs.

"Enlightenment? Very well, let me show you, then... I am what makes you tick, what makes you go on when you are tired. How can you ever hope to defeat that?" The man takes only one quick pace before he pushes himself away from the ground. He jumps impossibly high, almost halfway up to the roof, his arc appearing to bring him right next to Leo. His left arm is stretched up to land a solid blow from above...

OoC: Leo

 

[Keia]

The mountains (?)
Saturday 12:30, October 2002

Leo looked through the room, noting the writings, and thoughtChinese? Figures. . . one language I don't know. But what if I did know it at one point. Could I tap into that knowledge, much like I'm tapping into the physical training.

Leo watched for an instant as the man leaped into the air. As the man descended, Leo thought, Death from above, neat.

"I don't intend to defeat you. If you're a part of me, perhaps someone who originally received the training I carry, then that makes things easier," Leo commented as he tried to back flip out of the way of the strike.

 

[Fanog]

The mountains (?)
Saturday 12:30, October 2002

Due to the height of the man's jump, Leo has enough time to flip away. He is already standing again by the time that the man lands. He bends through his knees to lessen the impact, but Leo can still feel the floor shiver lightly under the shock of the thin man's landing.

"Me? A part of you? Nearly correct, but in all the wrong ways." The man makes a menacing grimace while standing up again. "The knowledge you seek is here, alright. But it's not yours for the taking... It's been mine for countless years, and it will continue to be. The training of many students is locked in this realm. Each one has come here hoping for more than their own knowledge, seeking the knowledge of those who came before. Now, you didn't think I would give that up willingly, would you?"

The man suddenly shifts into a higher gear, advancing on Leo in a flurry of strikes and kicks. Left, right, left, low, right, left. Leo can parry each of them, but the man definately has the advantage of attack, and is pressing forward.

OoC: Leo

 

[loxmyth]

Streets of Boston (?)
Boston, Massachussets (?)
October 2002, around 11:30 AM

Eyes widening with fear, Jason tries to take an involuntary step back - and stopped abruptly as he found himself held fast by the pressure. His breath caught in his throat as the flamed monstrosity approached, bellowing its command.

"Wh-what do you want from me?" he stuttered, his body trembling at the sight of fury manifested. "Who are you?" His gaze found his Muse again, and as he remembered who he was, he clarified his question. "What are you?"

 

[Fanog]

Streets of Boston (?)
Boston, Massachussets (?)
October 2002, around 11:30 AM

The beast holds a few feet before the shaking Jason, making his presence unavoidable. Thin tendrils of smoke escape from its tusked mouth as it speaks. "I am Bachnur, demon of rage and fire. Many times I have helped you yet. And it seems that, once more, you need my aid." The beast opens its mouth and howls, the sound may even be something akin to laughter. "If I had not come here, you would have left your world for good. Only, the trade would not have been for the better. Trapped between your world and ours, eternally questing. Be thankful that I saved you from that fate."

The flaming creature spins its head, looking at the frightened young woman. "Be careful. not all that is nice and 'pretty', is desirable..." The beast howls again, leaning even closer to Jason, almost over the shivering young man. "It is good that you have found your way here, but do not assume that you belong here. This is our realm."

OoC: Jason

 

[loxmyth]

Streets of Boston (?)
Boston, Massachussets (?)
October 2002, around 11:30 AM

Jason stared up in awe at this monster made of fire and rage, that stood before him boldly and confidently. Those taunting words goaded something inside the young man, made him angry enough not to care if this thing could cleave him in half without a second thought. "Well then, where do I belong? 'Cause it sure as hell ain't back in the so-called real world. I don't fully understand this, or exactly what you are or what you want, but I know I've dreamed about her from the moment I could dream. I realize that seeing her is like finally being able to express some concept that I intuitively knew deep in my soul but up until now was absent from my vocabulary. I just want to figure my world out, man. And you come along to screw that all up. Why does it have to be so hard? Why?"

Jason realized he was trembling again, but this time from anger, not from fear. He was surprised at the strength and vividness of the emotion, and the way the fire demon before him seemed to swell and grow brighter, like an ember being fuelled by more oxygen. At that moment, the fight went out of him and his shoulders slumped, deflated of all passion.

"What am I supposed to do?"

 

[Keia]

The mountains (?)
Saturday 12:30, October 2002

"Give up? No . . . I didn't expect that, you . . .wouldn't be whatever you are with an attitude . . . like that. But aren't you tired . . . of being here just sitting around . . . waiting for challengers? Have you thought . . . that if you work with someone there may be some . . . benefit to you as well?" Leo asked. The pauses in Leo's speech were a result of his need to block an incoming attack.

Leo had been trained before in fighting: boxing, martial arts . . even a little fencing. He understood the value an experienced teacher could bring, though he wasn't going to wait around for long for the answer.

Leo continued to block the attacks, looking for an opening. Also, Leo was trying to vary the power behind each of his blocked, trying to determine whether the process governing his steps worked for this as well.

Once that was determined, Leo started to let himself go a little clearing his mind and concentrating on the task at hand. He ws going to free his mind.

 

[Fanog]

Streets of Boston (?)
Boston, Massachussets (?)
October 2002, around 11:30 AM

The beast's voice takes on a gentler tone. "Now, now... Don't admit defeat so soon. Chin up." The concern might be genuine, or just a joke on Jason. It's hard to tell...

"It's good to let it all out every now and then. Just remember that I am not the enemy. You've got plenty of guts, just not too much common sense." The beast roars a short burst of laughter. "You have found her, are you not grateful for that? There she is, you can talk, sing, cry or laugh together. Yup, it's terrible that you don't actually get to touch here, and that might piss you off real good. Now, you can whine about it, or you can use that anger for something useful. Now, that's where I come in." Jason could swear that he sees the beast lift a huge furred eye brow shortly, as if winking.

"Look at yourself now, slumped and defeated. I must say that I liked you better just a while ago. You've got plenty of life in you, except that you won't admit it. It only comes out when you're tricked into giving in. Now here... life and sense of self are everything. You leave you shell behind, taking only that which really counts. You refuse to accept everything you are, and leavy behind what you don't like. If you had taken that step towards her, you would have left half of you behind. The half that's actually the strongest part of you."

The beast crosses its arms. "So, you can reach her one day. And you can leave your world if you so choose. However, you should first learn all there is to learn about yourself so you won't accidentaly leave anything behind. Learn all there is to you, and to life, and you'll be able to leave it behind. I'll start, by teaching you anger and rage." The beast winks both eye brows this time. "Up for it?"

OoC: Jason
_______________________

The mountains (?)
Saturday 12:30, October 2002

The man's flurry continues, and the punches follow each other faster and faster. The pace does remind Leo of his steps while he was running. if shorter strides cost more energy, then longer should yield more result with equal effort. The effort felt a bit counter-intuitive as Leo made his parries wider and fathers away from his body. Stil, he found that the length of his gestures made them flow easier. It seemed as though his arms began moving slower, but he also found that was actually intercepting the punches and kicks earlier. Somehow, his slow moves had less difficulty in defeating the rapid array of incoming attacks.

"Hmm, so you do know something. Interesting." The thin man takes a step down from the grueling pace of his strikes to give him time to speak. "Yes, I'm tired of doing nothing. It's been too long for someone to dare seek me out. Lazy, most of them... And then you come here. So, I might work with you. That's what this is all about now, is it? Will I work with you, or will you work for me? Both teacher and student should know their place..."

Suddenly he stops the barrage of attacks, smirking at Leo. Sensing his opportunity, Leo takes a moment off of the defensive and makes a sideward strike at the boney chest of the man. Taken off guard momentarily, the man is unable to block and only barely able to dodge aside. Leo's hand brushes the man's bare torso, feeling just slight resistance as the man backs away from the strike at the last moment.

"Finally. Do you see what this is all about?" The man takes a slight moment to recompose, motioning Leo forward with his hand.

OoC: Leo