Deleted user
"If you're up to it" said Arthur.
"If you're up to it" said Arthur.
Soren took a moment to think, before sighing. "Perhaps we should call it a day. I'm weak but I could still hurt you, and I don't want you getting hurt."
"Soren.. you still haven't forced me to go all out yet…" said Arthur. "I still have another level to go after the first you saw"
"If you go all out, I will be forced to shift if I even want a hope of keeping up with you.. As a demon I'm more likely to hurt you, and I dont want to do that." Soren pushed away his unfinished bowl having suddenly lost his appetite.
"Sometimes Skill is better than power Soren. You have a lot of potential, but some of the raw energy you theow out in a fight isn't being used in your attacks. Its just.. there." He said trying to reassure him. "I bet if you were to learn to tap into that excess energy and use it you'd force me to go all out long before you would have to shift in defense."
Soren laid his head on the table, groaning in frustration. "If you're willing to show me how to do that then sure, because I have no idea how I'd do that.."
"Im not entirely sure how to do that… but I can try" said Arthur thoughtfully.
Soren quickly sat up, rubbing the back of his head as he chuckled nervously. "If you can't then I won't force you too, my bad for asking. Shall we?" he gestured to the door.
"I never said I couldn't" said Arthur laughing and getting to his feet. "Just that I'm not sure how."
(Tappity)
(Ah! Thanks!)
Soren shoved his hands into his pockets and left the food hall. As soon as the outside air swept over him, he grinned, feeling free. "If I feel like I'm about to shift I'll pull back immediately and try and figure out a different series of movements. Does that sound okay?"
I approve.
I wasn't asking you!
Soren turned to find the shadow creature sitting on Arthur's shoulder with a broad grin on its face. Why do I feel like he's up to something?
Arthur glanced at the small creature as it nuzzled his cheek. "Sounds like a good plan to me" he said, pulling ahead into the woods, leading him into the clearing they were using previously.
Once in the clearing, Soren started by sitting cross-legged on the ground. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he focused on the quietness of the forest. He focused on how the leaves on the trees rustled gently in the breeze, and the faint chirping of birds in a nest nearby.
If I focus on the peace, I myself will be at peace. That's what mother said, right?
His blood flow soothed down, no longer filled with the adrenaline from the previous fight, no longer having the urge to change forms. Soren felt completely at peace, and he was determined to keep that peace during the next fight with Arthur. He opened his eyes to take a curious look at the boy. He was only a year older than himself, but he was a lot stronger, a lot more powerful, and a lot more broken than Soren. The half-demon had never really sympathised for anyone, yet something about Arthur brought out that emotion within him, reminding him that despite being only half human, there is still human there. He only wished that Arthur hadn't gone through such a traumatic life.
With another deep breath, Soren rose from the ground with a determined expression. The plan was the keep his demon locked away, no matter how far Arthur pushed him. He flexed his fingers and brought the shadows around them to his attention, watching as they crawled up his body and gathered at his hand.
"What method of attack should I use for this, Arthur?"
"Any" said Arthur simply, a few orbs of aura surrounding him, ready for use. "This time you'll start the attacks, I'll push you, but I'm gonna stay on the defensive for now" he said gently, watching Soren's every move, ignoring the small shadow creature on his arm.
(bump)
(Thanks)
Soren nodded silently and willed the shadows to create a small dome, concealing himself and Arthur inside. "I have some conditions. No flying and no blades or whips."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, "I can do the first and the last, but my blade stays. It's the channel for my magic." he said calmly, ignoring the shadows the best he could.
"Alright, fine with me." Soren smiled weakly, slowly approaching Arthur. "Before we start.. Uhm.." He stopped, a little under a meter away. "I was gonna ask if I could hug you. If I end up hurting you, I want you to at least have something comforting from me beforehand. That didn't make sense did it.."
He looked away, mumbling angrily to himself for being weird.
Arthur blushed again, "No, it didn't… but we can talk about that later….." he said, not really wanting to deal with those feelings and the vibes he was getting thanks to the shadow dome. Taking a step away, he reformed his Sabre, quickly morphing it into the form of a small knife. "Anyway," he began, trying to turn this into an actual lesson "I guess what we're trying to go for here, is for you to master your attacks. I'm going to stay on the defensive, and you're going to attack. If I sense too much wasted energy I'll let you know." he said, trying to sound confident.
Damn it he didn't fall for it, he's smart..
You're so stupid.
Can't blame a guy for trying!
"Alright." Soren nodded, keeping his eyes on the knife. He reached out to the side of the dome and took a chunk out of it, watching the gap close up as the chunk in his hand formed a large spike. Without another thought or sound, the spike shot towards Arthur's head, waiting for the right moment to actually hit his chest. Misdirection as some would call it.
Arthur shielded his entire body, deflecting the attack. "You're gonna have to be faster than that."
Soren sighed, taking a deep breath. "Gonna have to use a blade…"
The shadow blade grew in his hand, and almost instantly Soren was behind Arthur, holding the blade against his throat. I need to stop doing this.
Arthur was ready for that trick this time, and warped out of his grip just as the blade came to his throat. "You need to actually attack me Soren." said Arthur gently, "Don't be afraid of hurting me. I have and can, take way more than you think."
"Okay, another condition. No warping." Soren said as he lunged towards Arthur, aiming for, and purposely missing, the latter's cheek.
Arthur frowned, "then come at me head on with all you have" he said flatly, arms crossed. "Stop aiming to miss, and stop trying to use your own warping abilities to corner me without a fight." he summoned orbs of chaotic energy. "Attack. don't hold back. Trust me I've fended off worse than a friendly demon."
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