Sleepless (Grey)

[Grey]

((OOC: I don't think Grey has told Nanashi that he is a vampire, nor do I see how Nanashi could have known. PM me if you have some arguments, and if we agree that Nanashi should know then I will mod this post))

Grey was in the air once again, unable to gain solid foothold it seemed. But then his opponent changed his approach. He leapt into the air, once again summoning the flames around his blades. Grey still had a few trumph cards up his sleeves, but he decided to play an old card again this time. Twisting his body and calling upon his chi, he took the flaming strike, the tip of the blade harmlesly impacting on his chest while the flames burnt a lasting blister.

The good things about this situation were that as long as the blade didn't get to make lasting contact with his skin, the flames would not have time to do any serious harm, the way he had twisted his body combined with the force the thrust had bestowed him ensured that he would land on the ground with full mobility and last but not neccesarily least, the guy would now think, or at least consider, that Grey was impervous to attacks made by swords

Grey landed on all four and performed a swift backwards windmill to exit the reach of his opponent. Althoguh this was officially just a spar, they both seemed far more focused on it. Grey, not letting his guard down for a split second, relaxed his stance crossing his arms and smiling. "You fight well of your age, you really do. I would have loved to fight you in my prime, but alas, that has passed so long ago. Before we continue with our fight however, I would like to make a proposal." Grey widened his smile, revealing his fangs

"I need sustenence, and you'll need healing when we're done here. If yuo give me what I need, then I will grant you relief from your pain and your wounds, after the fight." Grey was not a healer, but the stolen lifeforce in his veins could be harnessed into a healing salve that worked marvelously on any wound, burn or damage to flesh, living or undead. "I know it doesn't sound nice, but think about it. You'll be able to continue training with everything you learned just now, and you won't feel the effects of our fight."

Grey was a despicable individual in many ways, but he had always tuck with his word. It was his only pride, a thing that he treasured almost as deeply as his Irish heritage, and he would give up neither no matter the price offered

Spell used: chi of the forsaken
Cost 1
Chi left: 5

[Nanashi]

Again, the fire had bit, but the blade had not. The most likely reason that this would be true was some sort of defensive spell... There was no armor that would specifically let fire through, but not a physical attack. So, fire seemed to be a weakness. Good thing to know, and probably a good plan for Nanashi to keep his blade ignited.

Grey had been pushed back by the impact with Nanashi's blade, and then moved back some more. Then, Grey looked like he was letting his guard down. But then he spoke, and in the process, opened his mouth. For the first time, Nanashi saw two things. One, simply because of the light of his burning blade, he got a good look at Grey's face. He didn't look terribly good, almost sicly, even. Then he saw the other thing.

Grey had fangs.

It was all piecing itself together inside Nanashi's head: Seemed old, yet... wasn't, weak to fire, fangs... Grey was a vampire!

"Sustenance indeed. I'm afraid I'd prefer to keep all of my blood, Grey. And I may remind you that I have yet to take a single blow, and I don't plan to. Wrap!"

Nanashi's scroll of fire, still burning, leaped from where it had been laying and made to wrap around Grey like it had before. Only this time, there would be no need to wait until it had wrapped to activate the scroll: It was already activated. The results could be... Disasterous.

OOC:
Sword Ignition (Last post): 1
Maintaining Sword Ignition: 1
Wrap: 1
Total: 3
Remaining: 13
Status: None.

[Grey]

"Whatever" Grey said as though it didn't really matter. And in truth it didn't, he was done playing around. Feeling the heat of the flames approaching he played one of strongest cards, infusing his every muscle with his chi. He charged in a blur, effortlesly avoiding the flaming scroll and heading straight for his foe. True, the youth had an advantage in range because of his swords, but Grey's newly increased speed more than made up for that.

Once close, Grey would unleash a flurry of blows, mainly aimed for the face of his opponent, but ready to strike at the solar plexus, kidneys or the various pressure point on the boy's throat and arms. Grey had spent far too may years in streetfighting circles, reknown for his ferocious way of fighting, mixing his bestial rage with unholy finesse, and he was going to let this boy feel it all. The fact that Grey might no tcome out winner didn't bother him, he was far too smart for that. Right now, he was thrilled to see how the youth would react to the blur that Grey had become

This was an art his clan cherished as one of their ultimate achievements, along with transformation, mental indomitability and elemental bending. Vampires had run across water with this, leapt though fires and dodged practically anything, and althouhg Grey had far from achieved this level of skill he knew that he was well on his way. Grey didn't care that the youth had seemingly forgotten his legsweeping in the beginning, it was a testament to his overconfidence, Grey knew only far too well how easily that could get you killed

Spell used: Forgotten strength
Cost 1 chi
4 chi left

[Nanashi]

Well, Grey seemed to have given himself super-speed. However, in a direct charge at someone holding a sword, and a flaming one none the less, was not the wisest of choices. At that sort of speed, dodging to the side fell somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible.

Keeping his sword ignited once again, Nanashi assumed the stance he had started in: his sword parallel to the ground, in his right hand, with his left leg back in a horse stance. Putting such a simple obstical in Grey's way would either result in his having to run right into it, or severely disrupt his attack by making him have to move to either side or stop entirely.

Grey was not proving to be the tactical fighter.

OOC:
Maintaining Sword Ignition: 1
Total: 1
Remaining: 12
Status: None

[Grey]

The obvious defense, of course. Grey had expected more, but he had to make do with what he got. Knowing that the effect of his boost would wear off within seconds, he diceded to make best use of it. The blade was still on fire, but like any other sort of flame it required time to ignite whatever kind matter of matter it touched, and that included Grey.

He quickly showed the blade out his way, the back of his hand not touching the flames for more than a split second, before the hand firmly grabbed the boy's wrist. He then channeled all of his forward momentum into a puch aimed for the gut. He was more than ready to convert this into a submission stance, or to disrupt whatever counter the talented child would throw at him. Grey had made up his mind, if the child didn't concede within the next little while, then he would. He would have learned all there was to gain at that time, and there would be no point in continuing the fight

Spell used: strength of the forgotten
costs 1 chi
3 chi left

[Nanashi]

Well, shit.

Grey obviously knew the properties of fire quite well. What he had done was similar to flicking your finger through the flame of a candle: you were exposed for such a small time that your body did not react. Even to a vampire, so weak to fire, this was true.

Grey was easily moving more than twice as fast as Nanashi could, so he had no time to react. A moment later, two things were in severe pain: his stomach and his right arm. The reason his stomach was in pain was obvious: There was a... foreign object shoved into it. The arm was because the fight that would have come from the punch was held back by the arm, which had suffered dearly in the process of doing so.

"Little bas-"

Nanashi's insult was interrupted by a sudden bout of coughing, which spewed blood onto the grass.

"Little bastard!"

Nanashi's left hand violently erupted into flames. It almost looked like his hand had been replaced with a fireball.

"Amplify!"

The fire on Nanashi's had became even more intense: his hand wasn't actually burning, only the air around it. But the fire was so intense that the raw heat that it was giving off was burning Nanashi's hand and wrist, and even some of his forearm. The expression on Nanashi's face was not a pleasant one at all. He was rather unused to pain, and rarely took a major hit.

Now, to (ab)use that huge amount of fire. The first target was the hand that had prevented Nanashi from merely coughing up blood. Nanashi's hand shot out in an attempt to seize Grey's forearm, and hold it for at least five seconds. The result would easily be a fourth degree burn. It would be even nastier because Grey was a vampire. Now, for the next move.

"Earth!"

Activating the scroll took extra effort because it was rolled up and still inside Nanashi's robe, but Nanashi sure as hell wasn't getting it out of there OR unrolled. Regardless, the effect still took place: The large earth wall appeared behind Grey without fail.

Now, for the grand finale. Nanashi's still flaming left hand released the forearm, and shot with maximum speed to shove two fingers into one of the nastiest pressure points there was: The gag reflex. Located just above the collarbone in the center of the neck, the result would be Grey launching himself backward with all of his strength straight into a solid rock wall. And for added discomfort, one Nanashi had placed his fingers in the appropriate spot, he twisted, causing pain as his fingers scraped against the collar bone. All this paired with the burns to the throat would most likely kill a normal person, but since breathing was unessential to vampires, Grey would live: if barely.

OOC: ...I highly doubt that you're happy about my doing that.

Hand ignition: 2.5
Fire amplification: 1
Scroll of earth: 3.5
Total: 7
Remaining: 5
Status: First and second degree burns on left hand and forearm. Dislocated right shoulder. Coughing up blood.

[Grey]

Words, words were useless in a fight unless they served to distract, Grey knew that much. What most people failed to realize about the art that Grey had just used was that it heightened not only his physical speed, but the speed of his every process, including sight, reflexes and thought. Grey saw the blood exit the youth as he heard the words in slow motion, the speed at which reality was playing to him at this moment. Then the guy's hand caught on fire.

Seeking to minimize the effects of the unavoidable burns on his arm, he twisted it away in a wide circle, pushing against the weakest point of the grip, the thumb. Grey hissed with compressed pain as the flames tore off his skin, but he had been trained to avoid all sorts of pain. He would remember this mark. Continuing the circle of his right arm, he brought it into the boy's now unguarded left kidney in a vicious, upward hook, intending to return all the pain the still sizzling burns were causing him.

Then two things happened at once, very fast and very well planned. The boy's hand shot forward towards Grey's throat and Grey felt something rise out of the earth behind him as his foe yelled, blocking his backward escape. Grey's subconscious ran through the possibilities.

First, he could grab the boy's arm and spin around, attempting to break it on his shoulder. That however could not be done as Grey's instincts would not allow him so close to flames of such power.

Second, he could use the old fashioned boxing approach, and duck or weave around the blow, delivering an uppercut to a tender spot on the child's gut or upper body. This, however, could prove too dangerous as it would leave him in close, too close, proximity of the deadly hand.

Third, and final, he could make use of the wall behind him and do a thing he had been taught was called 'Jailhouse Rock', setting off against the wall with one foot and punching at the same time, the combined momentum of the punch and the forward movement dealing more damage and knock back than the two other forms of attack, dishing out more punishment and all but guaranteeing that the flame was knocked out of reach. This one was his choice.

Still tapping into his source of unholy speed, Grey coiled himself up in a springlike position, his head ducked below the flaming hand to avoid any damage from that area. The punch was aimed for the guy's gut, more precisely his solar plexus, one of the softest spots on the human body. If the punch hit home, then the momentum should be more than enough to knock back his foe several feet, leaving him vulnerable to another charge. Should something go wrong, like the guy grabbing for Grey's head with his flaming hand, Grey would trip, landing on his hands and launching a mule kick for the very same spot instead. This would keep his head out of range without sacrificing the attack.

He knew that the fight would be over soon, and he would remember to compliment the prodigious youth, but now he intended to make the last moments of the fight as intense as he could

Spell used: Strength of the forgotten
costs 1 chi
2 chi left

[Nanashi]

The grab had succeeded, partially. Grey had twisted so as to shift the entire strength of his arm against Nanashi's thumb, breaking the grab. Still, the process more or less skinned a good section of Grey's forearm. However, Grey made a counterattack: a kidney punch. Nanashi twisted his body, letting the punch fly past his back, effectively joint locking his wrist. But it didn't matter, Grey wouldn't dare seize Nanashi's hand now. As soon as possible, Nanashi un-twisted, making seeing Grey much easier.

And a good thing, too. Grey had ducked, and used the stone wall to his advantage to fuel another punch to the stomach... No, chest... Somewhere in between. Solar Plexus. Nanashi had no intention of letting that happen, and ducked as well, keeping his flaming hand right on course. The punch was still a problem, however, as Nanashi had dropped low enough that it was now on a collision course with his face. There was nothing preventing it from landing, and Nanashi cared little. It was nothing the medics couldn't deal with, and besides: what he was doing to Grey would be much worse.

OOC:
Maintaining flaming hand: 1.5
Total: 1.5
Remaining: 3.5

[Grey]

Broken in half, Grey thought as he fell forwards, landing on his hands and delivering his mulekick to Nanashi's face. This would result in a serious blaze on Grey's back, but he didn't care. He was driven solely by killer instinct at this tage and was determined to make the last moments of the fight, or spar, as thrilling as he could.

After the kick Grey rolled away, staying within the distance that he would need to avoid entering the juggle from before again, but also out of immediate blade length of his opponent. The blaze on his back burned, and he just wanted to get the whle thing overwith. He began walking towards his foe, slow strolling steps. He would let him make the first moce this time, and then Grey would end the fight, with words or fists

[Nanashi]

The back? There were worse targets. None quite like the gag reflex, though. Oh well. On to the situation at... face. Nanashi had already taken a punch, and didn't plan to take another blow. A nosebleed wasn't nice, and a broken nose was worse.

To avoid the kick, Nanashi more or less fell over forward, breaking his fall with his right elbow. Very bad move. His suspicions, at that exact moment, were very much confirmed: His right shoulder was dislocated, and putting pressure on it burned like hellfire. Nanashi did what he could to push himself forward, landing on his arm again, and making it burn even worse. Still, it couldn't hurt much worse than practically pushing the bone through the skin above the shoulder, and at least Nanashi's face was intact.

Nanashi very carefully pushed himself to his feet, and faced Grey. The stone wall was now to Nanashi's back, so at least Grey would be incapable of striking him there. Nanashi's mana was very close to drained, he probably only had one more scroll left in him, maybe a tad more...

Or...

"Earth part two."

Nanashi muttered the word, and promptly, the stone wall behind him started to split apart. The chunks then proceeded to fly in Grey's general direction. This was all Nanashi had left in him. After this, he wouldn't even be able to fully rotate his sword, and would have to fight Grey close range, and left handed.

OOC:
Scroll of Earth Part 2: 3
Total: 3
Remaining: 0.5
Status: First and second degree burns on left hand and forearm. Dislocated right shoulder. Coughing up blood. Nosebleed.

[Grey]

Grey put his arms in front of his face as the shards came, bracing his skin with his unholy chi. He didn't have time to speed himself up, that would not have allowed him to dodge the shards of rock. He had chose to endure rather than avoid because he knew he would have felt his flesh stripped from his bone otherwise, not a thing that had the highest priority on his "To-do" list.

The shards had rained down on him like hail, tearing deep cuts into his clothing. When the 'storm' was over, Grey calmly rose from his defensive position and began strolling towards his foe. Grey's hair had also nearly been stripped off, but it would grow out during the day when he slept, as every change except his scars did. He smiled as he took one slow step after the other. "Are you sure that you wish to reject my offer?" He asked knowing the answer. It was just fun to see their reaction.

Spell used: Chi of the forsaken
cost 1 chi
1 chi left

[Nanashi]

"Quite."

Nanashi responded in an almost steely tone. He grabbed his sword in his left hand, his right being next to useless, winced as he compressed the burns, and charged with all of his speed. Even if his arms were in... deteriorated shape, his legs were still entirely fine.

The moment Nanashi was in range, he swung his arm forward, half thrusting, half slashing at Grey's neck. After his arm was across his chest, it changed direction, aiming a stab with the other blade to Grey's right shoulder. Both were intentionally aimed high, so that Grey would not notice Nanashi's right foot coming up and kicking Grey in the stomach.

Even if Nanashi couldn't win, he was still going to inflict as much pain as possible on Grey while he was still concious. Even if Grey could take Nanashi down, the worst that could happen was that Nanashi could loose a little more blood. He wouldn't kill Nanashi: not when he would pay dearly for doing so.

OOC:
No mana used.
Remaining: 0.5
Status: Unchanged.

[Grey]

Grey snickered at the answer, he had expected no more but it was always fun when people tried to sound like heroes. The youth charged at Grey, swinging his sword in the hand that had previously been on fire. Grey decided to keep the last shred of energy he had in reserve, in case the boy did the same.

The vampires, as a species, had three main enemies: Werewolves, humans and themselves. Vampires rarely relied upon such young concepts as fire arms, most relying on the use of magic, manipulation or martial arts. Grey's clan had focused everything on their unarmed skills, which meant that they had to develop ways to deal with foes with superior reach and deadliness. Grey had been taught that these weapons that other used were but tools, and like every other tool they could be used against the one who wielded them.

The blade came at Grey's throat and he took a step back, shifting his shoulder to avoid the second attack from the blade. Grey took the kick, leaping back, wanting to make his opponent overreach or exhaust himself. Standing just three yards away he took a defensive position, waving the human child foward. He was going to end it, but like many other predators he would drag it out a bit, just to hone his skills

[Nanashi]

He's toying with me. Well, if he won't strike back, that gives me more time to strike him.

Nanashi dashed forward, and swung his sword up to his right shoulder, making an attack obvious, effectively drawing Grey's attention, and in the process very carefully brushing his sword against Grey's leg, making it emit a small flame. The result would be a small smoldering spot on Grey's pants, which would steadily grow to a decent blaze. That would be quite painful, and also would force Grey to put it out, rather effectively distracting him and making him easy to hit. And even if Grey had noticed Nanashi's discreet movement, he would still have to do something about it.

Now, to let that start it's work, and in the process see if Nanashi could land a hit or two. Nanashi swung his arm down, slashing Grey with both blades, the first being from tip to hilt, the second from hilt to tip. After his second slash had finished, Nanashi would quickly reverse the direction of his arm, aiming for a thrust to the stomach. He would then continue thrusting until it was either obvious that it was futile, Grey was somewhere else, or Grey took a hit, at which point he would decide whether or not to continue.

OOC:
Small flame: 0.25
Total: 0.25
Remaining: 0.25
Status: Dislocated right shoulder. First and second degree burns on left hand and forearm. Coughing up blood. Nosebleed.

[Grey]

Good and bad. Grey's plan had been fulfilled, but the slight flame growing on his pants had not been a part of those plans. Using what little energy he had left, he channeled it all into his arm, hand and fingers, tighly gripping Nanashi's left hand in the split second that the fist was pointing at him. Tighly squeezing the burnt tissue, Grey twisted his arm to force Nanashi to twist with him, causing pain and buying time.

Grey' undead mind was screaming at him in the same manner a mortal mind screamed for for air, telling him to put out the blaze before it was too late. It was a grand overstatement, but none the less Grey had no choice but to submit to the selfpreserving urges, although he would let it take no more time than he had to.

With an unconsciousess prayer of thanks to an unholy god, Grey used the little bit of his speed increment he had left. He had twisted Nanashi's arm so that the blade no longer blocked his apth, as he turned around, moving into Nanashi's closest square. He turned so that he would be standing with his back to Nanashi's gut, slamming his elbow into Nanashi's gut, then wrapping the hand that had held the sword-hand arond the sword-arm. The reason he had offered a thanking prayer was that Nanashi's earth spell had ripped his pants, making it far easier for Grey to simply rip off the burning shred. He did this with the arm he had just used to elbow Nanashi's gut.

Grey then lifted the, now flameless, leg up and performed a vicious back kick into Nanashi's gut, kicking him out of range. Grey would then turn around and, if given the opportunity, end the fight. It had been a good run, and he both learned from it and enjoyed it. "Will you concede, or shall I?" He would ask, not really caring. He had come here to learn, to regain his former power and to seek out and cure the source of his steadily growing pain. He had accomplished two of those here

spell used: forgotten strength

costs 1 chi
0 chi left