Spirit World Dojo

[kidcopious]

"Faithful Dog Hachi."

That was the mocking nickname his detractors gave him, back when he was the emperor's youngest general. He was thrown headlong into desperate conflicts across three continents and the oceans in between, and endured all the most hellish battles of a thirty year war.

Though his body is pincushioned by old scars from spears, swords, arrows and bullets, his foes all lie dead and buried, yet the Faithful Dog remains.

When he retired from military service he set his mind to master the practice of meditation. Two decades later, he found he could project his soul into the astral plane, and before long he stumbled upon this place.




A training ground for all the irregulars of the universe. Here is where ascended spirits and elementals come to make war on changelings and the whelps of gods.

By the unspoken law of the place, none of the thousands of bizarre beings that trained here ever killed one another. Hachi sparred three times with a Demon King, and was genuinely surprised each time that when he finally slipped up, and the black claws of the creature were poised to do what the world of mortals could not, the beast abdicated, simply walking away into the shadows.


The terrain was a bizarre patchwork of settings and landscapes from every region, and some that looked so alien Hachi assumed they must be other planets. He theorized that this dimension was made up of people's thoughts, and that when they arrived, they unwittingly projected a landscape from their memory onto the surrounding matter.

When he first phased into being here, he was bewildered to find himself standing under the peach tree he had watered as a child, down the river from his house, before raiders burnt it down in the early days of the war. His pet dog and the family's two sleek black buffalos were there, chewing hay contentedly in their stable.

He had even found his favorite green teapot, the very same one that steamed warmly in front of him right now. He refilled his teacup and drank, observing the leaves and flower petals that drifted by on the surface of a small creek.

 

[Raven]

Luna Roth

Spoiler

Luna is a apprentice mage. She has always been interested in the spirit world and unlike her master she can easily access her soul-self. She has heard of an arena where others battle and train their spirits in battle but no one is every killed. She has only found how to enter once but she did not fight but she is willing to try again.

Luna looked at her master. "Sir it is that time again you said to keep the darkness within me trued I must meditate well I found something that might help even more." "What would that be Luna?" "Well there is a place where anyone can go with there soul-self and spare, I believe it is another form of training for those of us who wish to truly master our spirit." "Well okay it sounds like a good thing for you. We start training back here in a few days lets say a day after you get done with this new place and maybe your first spare." "Okay yes sir."

Luna headed to her room and surrounded herself with candles. She took the lotus position and soon was within the realm of her mind. She was at the center which looked like a giant flouting rock. She looked up to see the door that was there when she first found that strange place that had nothing to do with her control. She got up from her spot as her soul-self and went to the door. Before she went to open it her friend that was her familiar landed on her shoulder. "Ah you decided to join me Revan?" The raven that landed on her shoulder seemed to smile at her. "Okay well then lets go through together." She opened the door and a path of rocks led the way down to an arena. She went on the path and her realm seemed soon far behind her and she was now in front of the arena.

 

[kidcopious]

Hachi drained the last of his tea, placing the cup upside down on his saucer.

He waited for an interval, looking out over the water with a placid expression.

Eventually he lifted his cup from the saucer and began to examine the fallen tea leaves.

"Hmm..." he mused, noting a thin, dark silhouette.

"A twig of a girl.. I should have no trouble sneaking up on her."

Suddenly another soggy tea leaf fell from his cup and landed near the shoulder of the tiny tea-leaf silhouette. It was split on the end, open almost like a bird's beak..

"Ah. A raven. That changes things."

Shrugging, he decided to abandon a stealthy approach and just attack the girl head on.

Carefully he plucked the tea leaf that had formed the figure's head out of the pile, lifted it to shoulder height and dropped it, letting it spin wetly down to the ground.

It landed with it's sharp end pointing north, and Hachi's eyes followed it like the needle of a compass. Finding that it pointed to a wooded path, he rose and set off, walking with calm, unhurried steps.



He soon crested the edge of a bowl-shaped valley, and saw the dark figure standing in the sandy floor of the arena.

He thought to himself, That bird will have gotten wind of me by now. Might as well introduce myself.

He bent over and selected a fist-sized chunk of stone from the rocky ridge, took a deep breath, and tossed it in the air above him.

In the seconds it took to fall back down, he moved his arms through a slow Tai Chi routine, his eyes closed. When the rock was almost at waist level, he burst into motion, exhaling forcefully as he snapped his leg out to kick the rock.

His sandal smacked into the stone loudly and sent it rocketing at fast-ball speed directly at the dark figure below.

He crossed his arms, interested to see what knowledge he could gain from her reaction.

 

[Raven]

Revan crowed and flew up high this alerted Luna. She didn't flinch she just moved swiftly to the side her left hand was extended waiting for Revan to return, and looked in the direction of the bolder.

Revan landed on Luna's hand and looked at her. Luna smiled at him. "It would appear were not the only ones here. You know better than I where that rock came from. Would you mind checking out who it is?" Revan took of as to reply.

He headed straight for the area they were attacked from and soon into view came a man.

 

[kidcopious]

Hachi watched the dark shape churning it's wings to climb higher into the sky.

When he knew the bird had him in it's sights, he pressed his right fist against the opposite palm and ever-so-slightly inclined his head.

He wasn't sure if the bird was telepathically linked to it's owner, or if she could see through it's eyes or what, but he hoped the girl could see his traditional gesture of respect between warriors.

Striding to the top of the ridge, he walked up onto a jutting piece of stone and jumped, his gnarled muscles launching him in what seemed like an impossibly high trajectory. He sailed through open space for what seemed like forever, his open kimono snapping in the fierce wind.

At last he touched down within a few yards of Luna, the impact mushrooming a cloud of sand into the air with a bang.

He raised his fists into a ready stance and stood motionless as the cloud of dust settled and slowly revealed him, waiting for the young mage to make her move with a steely expression.

 

[Raven]

Revan swore down after seeing everything he knew Luna had seen everything and already knew what he was thinking. He didn't land on her but instead circled the two waiting to see Luna's move.

Luna nodded before the man came down excepting his gesture. She decided to take her normal stance for when she is about to battle her master. Her two arms were out in front of her close together for any protection spell that might be needed.

Luna walked circling her opponent like Revan as though seeing the advantages of her position on both angles above and face to face.

She decided her first move would be to see his reaction if he would doge or if he could deflect it. She made a small sphere between her hand it was a sphere of darkness. She threw the sphere straight at the man.

 

[kidcopious]

Hachi's eyes flashed and his face broke into a smirk. A mage, he had guessed correctly.

Opening his right hand into the Silken Palm posture, he confidently reached out and caught the inky orb as if it were no more than an apple.

Instantly his eyes burst open in shock. What the hell is this?! his mind raced to process the feeling as the burst of black energy dissipated into his flesh, sending flashes of dark lightning up his arm. Every magical type he knew of could be neutralized by the Silken Palm. This wasn't arcane magic, he realized. It was something else. Something... older.

His hand twitched, still slightly smoking. The inner surface of his palm and fingers were bright red as if he had placed his palm on a hot oventop. Those black flashes... They traveled up my chakra lines.. He visualized the circuits of energy in the human body, as they were tattooed on the elderly body of his master, Abbot Rinpochay. The lines that he used to channel chi, the universal light of the universe.

"Light," he thought to himself...

This child wields the polar opposite energy of my light body...

Suddenly his face became much more serious. I have to get to cover, he thought. The fight was no game anymore.

He leaped, trying to put as much ground between himself and the small dark spectre as he could. His target was the rocky outcrop where he first appeared, and he gritted his teeth, wondering if an explosion of blackness would overtake him before he got there.




(heheh c:)

 

[Raven]

Revan looked at Luna curiosity on his face.

'Hmmm... So the shadows are his enemy. That means he's light.'

Luna watched him try and leave back to the spot he originally waited.

She smirked and surrounded herself to make her float. She looked at Revan. "Take me to him. I'm curios on why he ran we might need to see the effects. We might have to cure him." Revan took off to follow the man.

 

[kidcopious]

Hachi landed safely among the rocks, taking a second to wrap his palm in a scrap of cloth while warily looking over his shoulder.

He saw the small shape of his opponent take to the air. They both fly, he thought, pondering his options for dealing with their air superiority.

He wondered if the bird was some sort of darkness elemental as well, and shuddered for an instant at the troubling thought of the raven CAWing black lightning bolts from it's beak.

Digging his feet into the ground, he wrapped his thick arms around the corner of the large stone outcrop that hid him from sight, growling with strain as he lifted the impossibly huge chunk of earth above his head.

With a strained, "HUP!" he tossed it up, and instantly spun his body into a kicking position. His heel slammed into the giant stone with a noise like thunder, and a piece the size of a shopping cart splintered off the main mass and hurtled toward Luna.

He pivoted and kicked the remaining half with his other leg, sending a chunk of stone the size of a small car whirling after the first piece.

 

[Raven]

Luna and Revan dodged the first rock with easy. The second rock Revan was far enough out of the way but it scraped Luna's right arm.

Luna took a second and looked away from her opponent knowing Revan would warn her if she was in the way of something else.

'Good think I know how to fix such a small injury in here.' She whispered a small restoration spell which stopped the bleeding on her arm. 'There that will do for now.'

Luna focused back on Hachi. She landed close to him but far enough to not be hit by a fist or foot. She thought for a moment and then sent shards of darkness as if ice straight at him.

 

[kidcopious]

Hachi leapt up, his body turning upside-down at the upper part of his trajectory, and the knives of black ice whiffed harmlessly through his hair, leaving only a few white strands neatly severed.

He landed behind the girl and quickly launched an elbow at the small figure, aiming for the crook of her neck.

 

[Raven]

Luna ducked and did a swift low kick to knock Hachi of balance.

She turned around to face him knowing from experience to never let your enemy behind you.

Luna saw Revan aiming to dive at the two but quickly said to him. "Revan no stay back for now!"

Revan quickly went back up right before getting near the man's head.

Luna once making sure Revan was out of the way jumped back to distance her self once more from her opponent. In hopes of gaining an the upper hand.

 

[kidcopious]

Hachi was taken by surprise when his knee was suddenly kicked out from under him.

The girl's fast, he thought, stumbling for an instant.

By the time he looked up, she had darted away.

I have to close the gap without being shredded by her spells... Hachi mused, considering his options.

Deciding, he burst into a run, chasing the dark mage until he had halved the distance.

Then he kicked the ground with great force, launching a curtain of sand at his opponent.

Directly after, he targeted the spot where he last saw her lithe shape and leapt forward, timing events so that his approach was visually concealed by the thrown-up sand.

Striking blindly, he lashed out with his sandalled foot, kicking through the flying wall of sand.

 

[Raven]

Luna was blinded for a moment so she closed her eyes and listened.

She heard his foot right beside her left ear and it hit her shoulder but not fully because once it hit she let herself slide a little out of the way.

She thought to only Revan. 'Be my eyes for a moment. Where is he?' Revan looked carefully understanding why she had told him to keep distance. Revan replied 'He is still on your left really close you could grab his foot it's still in the air where you left it.' Luna smiled 'Thanks.' 'Any time.'

Luna grabbed his foot and while she had it used her free hand to wipe her eyes clear of the sand. Then quickly she let go of his foot and moved once more out of the way but this time she had leaped behind him. She felt it was wrong to attack from behind so instead she decided to ask. "Your a worthy opponent. What is your name? My is Luna Roth."

Luna waited for the man to reply and reposition himself.

 

[kidcopious]

The large man skidded to a halt and turned to face Luna. Looking her up and down with a grim expression, he spit some sand out of his mouth then replied with two harsh syllables.

"Hachi."

He extended his arm for a handshake, silently acknowledging the girl's prowess. Forgetting his injury, he held out his large right hand, scorched an angry red on the inner surface.

 

[Raven]

Luna let a smile show upon her face ignoring the harsh way he said his name.

She held out her hand willing to shake she knew that the fight could still be going, but didn't care for it was his injured hand he held out. She carefully griped his hand so that she did not reopen the wound.

 

[kidcopious]

Hachi stoically allowed the girl to do what she wished with his hand.

This girl is a being of pure darkness.. yet her aura is calm and pure, he thought to himself.

A strange bird indeed.

After letting a silent interval pass, he asked, "You've come here to train?"

 

[Raven]

"Yes. And you are you here to train or is this a hobby of yours?" Luna asked she was curious.

Revan noticed that they seemed engaged in conversation so he got a little closer so he could hear them both better, and to possible find a place to land while he waited.

 

[kidcopious]

"Life is war," he said flatly, as if that answered all possible questions.

A total stranger to social graces, he blurted out the first thoughts in his mind.

"That black fire. What is that? How do you make it?"

 

[Raven]

"Ah the black fire... Well first you have to understand both the element of fire and darkness."

Luna said looking back at his hand. "Oh and if you want I can heal your hand."

She then continued with explaining the dark fire. "I have been told that for some it comes natural and those who can use it at my level must have been born with it because of one parent. But those who train hard can achieve it through concentration and learning many things on the two. eventually they can make a simple ball of fire in one hand and a sphere of darkness in the other. And eventually they can combined the two in one making a Dark fire sphere or ball."