In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
Post by Valo Stark✾ on Feb 12, 2021 22:05:51 GMT -5
Valo Stark
"Don't need a reason to seek strength."
Babel. Some people call it the town of creation, the town of scholars, the place you come to trying find out the deep hidden mysteries of magic and mana. Babel was a very unique place to visit, it was always active and lively. But not like Aries Garse that came alive in the night time, Babel was active during the day. With wizards, mages, teachers, scholars and students trying to learn and figure out how to take magic one step further everyday.
The magical energy in the place was intense but for Valo it felt welcoming, this would be his second visit to the bustling city. The last time he was here he was sent to take down some giant cheese monsters. It was an odd experience. But this time he had different goals in mind, the young fire mage sat on top of his white dragonic golem as it was flying closer to the city. He was here to master Ki with his good friend Hans, he was able to persuade the dark mage enough to come with him and learn more about this Ki. But he knew it didn't take to much to persuade the young merc, he was probably just as excited as he was. But he tended to show it in a different way.
He was still holding up that Ki scroll that he found, the same scroll that led them here to Babel. He was searching for anymore clues on where to go once they actually got into the city. He knew he was looking for a name a Master Roshi, but where did this Roshi stay? Babel was a large town, to large almost. Valo studied the back of the scroll where it stated the name Master Roshi and Babel, but nothing else. It was just an empty page. Valo rolled up the scroll and sighed out loud. "The scroll doesn't say anything else, just Master Roshi and Babel. Where are we supposed to find this guy!?" Valo shouted in frustration loud enough for Hans to hear. The fire mage was twisting and turning the pages rather aggressively his frustration only growing by the second.
"Are we supposed to search the entire city for a Master Roshi!" he shouted again, his golem now flying into the entrance of the large populated city of Babel. Valo hopped off and tossed his silver staff Hinokagutsuchi into the air. "Hold." which meant that his golem was to catch his staff in it's jaws lightly and hold it for the fire mage, which it did with perfection. Valo was well equipped for this 'adventure' carrying the tools he normally would when out on a mission or dungeon. His red fighting gauntlets were hooked to his first belt resting on his lower back, his small lantern always attached to his side. He wasn't wearing his Green Mantis cloak though, deciding to leave it at the base.
Now done with trying to find answers on the scroll, he slipped it into a bag attached to his thigh and crossed his arms looking around. The duo would notice some not all but some people were passing by and looking at them a little longer than normal. Some whispering and chatting about, some with a little of a shocked expression others eyeing them down. A price of fame perhaps, while it wasn't overbearing it was noticeable. But it was another thing that annoyed Valo today, the fire mage wasn't used to...fame. He was used to being known by rival gangs and law enforcement growing up. But this kind of attention especially for racking up good deeds and successful missions was brand new to him. He wasn't sure if he liked it yet. He looked over to Hans with his arms still crossed. "People keep looking at us...I don't know if this fame thing is worth it." he said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Looking around some though Valo spotted something that caught his attention. It looked like an information booth of sorts, with two people sitting behind the desk. It looked like an vendors station, but with only papers and pamphlets on the table instead of valuable goods and food. "We should probably start over there." Valo suggested pointing with his chin.
The fire mage wasted no time walking over, if Hans followed the duo would catch the two girls eye that sat behind the desk. The one sitting on the right looked rather uninterested and annoyed, the one of the left however seemed to be holding back some noticeable excitement. As the two would walk over the one on the left had trouble holding back her excitement, before finally relaxing.
"Hey were hoping you can help us find someone?" Valo asked him leaning over the table.
The one sitting on the right answered first, though it was clear the one on the left wanted to speak but held back her tongue. "All information and services require a fee sir."
"A fee? You don't even know what I wanna ask though."
"All information requires a fee sir."
"Well maybe If asked my que-"
"All information requires a-."
"Listen I know how this stuff works! Your not getting a dime out of me, all we have is a simple question." Valo was clearly getting more vexed. Now placing both hands on the table and leaning in closer her.
"ALL. INFORMATION. REQUIRES. A - " She stood up as well with her hands on the table meeting Valo eye to eye, she was interrupted by the one sitting next to her though. But she didn't break her stare with the fire mage.
"Izza! don't you know who they are!"
"Doesn't matter Annie!, all information requires-"
"They are the next generation! The next generation of protecters for Clover!" Annie started to shout hopping out of her seat and swinging her arms in the air. She was clearly excited. Valo went from angrily staring down Izza to honest surprise when she stood up suddenly.
"The what now?""The what now?"
"The next generation of protectors! The Unrelenting Flame and the Nightfall Swordsman!" Annie said gesturing towards them both with a wide smile on her face.
Name of Spell: 真っ白(Masshiro / Pitch White) Spell Element: Fire Spell Rank: Intermediate Mana Cost: 20 | 10 Type of Golem: Balanced Applicable Perks:Puppet Master -
Puppet Master: This Perk allows your Golems to start with a bonus of +3 to all of its Stats. At Grand Rank this bonus increases to +5. If this Perk is applied to a Balanced Golem these bonuses increase to +5 and +10 instead.
Description: Masshiro is an all white long dragon, that Valo can summon to aid him in different ways. At full length of 6 meters long, Masshiro is a rather long and very slender looking golem. Masshiro is capable of flight, aiding Valo in the air as well. While it may not look as viscous as Valo's other golems it is just as strong, and aggressive. Masshiro is able to use it's arms, claws, feet, tail, horns, jaws and it's entire body to attack whatever Valo directs it too. When attacking it's jaws, claws, horns and tail are covered in flames causing at rank fire damage to whatever they hit. Masshiro can be used for transportation following the transportation guidelines for intermediate ranked golem spells. Carrying up to two people at a time moving at speeds of 10 m/s. They fully respond to commands given by it's user through a mana connection and also verbally.
"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
The return to Babel. This was Hans' second time coming to this town, the first being during the Yuletide to participate in some tree lighting. He was dragged here by his blue-haired significant other, but in the end...he was just glad that he got spend time with her during such a festive season. Now, the merc was coming here for an entirely different reason....but found himself sort of being dragged along again, this time by his good friend, Valo.
After a bit of persuading, Hans decided to tag along with the fire mage to uncover the secrets of the great energy known as ki as well as gaining the ability to sense it. The two have already set foot into this new territory, this ability that was new to them...but they still had much to learn, and a long road ahead of them if they wish to actually master it. The merc may not be as excited on the outside as the fire mage, but he still shared the man's enthusiasm...which is why it wasn't that hard for the dark mage to be persuaded.
The dark mage was standing on his own golem as it flew beside Valo's. A dark sword golem fittingly named Draconic Blade for its appearance. The merc kept his dark eyes forward, focusing a bit on trying to pick up on the ki around him. Even while on the move, the dark mage still found time to train a bit. With him focusing on ki, the merc could feel his speed diminish a bit, but that didn't phase him right now since he was on his golem. Just like with that mantis thug from before, he could see hints of energy flowing around the things around him, specifically within a twenty-meter radius. From the surrounding trees, other plants, and rocks...to even the little wildlife roaming about, Hans could see and sense that faint energy from them as he focused hard enough...but it was starting to strain his eyes, and gave the merc a bit of a head...so he had to stop for now.
Hans grumbled lightly in pain as he placed his fingers to his temples, but still, he wanted to try a little more...Perhaps work a little on reading emotions? Just as he thought of this, Hans could hear Valo fiddling with that scroll again, making the dark mage look over to him. The fire mage appeared to be getting annoyed and impatient...but did the dark mage didn't need to use ki to see that. The mantis knight was now shouting in frustration about Babel and this Master Roshi's location. Hans on the other hand didn't appear as frustrated. "The scroll didn't give us much to work with. I assumed you'd be prepared for a lengthy search." the dark mage claimed with a hint of jest before landing into the town with Valo. It seemed pretty obvious to Hans that this wouldn't be easy. Only a name and town...That is all that was given. "That little information could be dated for all we know." Hans added. He was honestly a little annoyed at that idea, but there was not much else to go with. They just needed to ask around and hope for any kind of useful information.
Hopping off of his dark sword golem, Hans gave it a nod before it formed back into pure darkness and sank back into his grimoire. The book then flew back into its satchel which rested on the dark mage's hip while his two swords, Dark Edge, and Nightfall rested on in their sheaths on his other hip. He then adjusted his relic necklace, Cosmic Blessing a bit around his neck before turning to Valo to see if he was prepared. That is when Hans would notice the attention he and Valo were bringing...
Everywhere Hans turned, he would see some pair of eyes looking in his and his friend's direction. Back then, the dark mage would question this...but he knew full well about his growing fame and simply pursed his lips a bit in slight annoyance.
"People keep looking at us...I don't know if this fame thing is worth it."
"It's not." Hans simply said in return. If there was one thing Hans disliked a lot...it was drawing too much attention to himself. They may not have been attracting too many people... but it was still enough to be noticeable. Even as the two started to walk around, Hans couldn't help but still feel those folks watching them which again he didn't even need to use to ki to tell. Having had enough of this, Hans glanced over in the direction of a small group who were whispering among each other about the duo and flashed his dark intimidating aura at them, enough to spook them a bit and disperse....Still, it wasn't enough to deal with every single one of them...and with that, Hans' aura faded and he sighed before hearing Valo's voice again.
An information booth would be a good start...but Hans was still a bit skeptical. Still, it was better than nothing, so the dark mage shrugged and followed the fire mage. Hans blinked a few times at how one of the two women sitting at this booth appeared to be trying to...contain themselves, but other than that, the merc paid her no mine. His attention immediately went to Valo's talk with the other woman, and to no surprise at all, she wanted payment before even hearing what they needed to say. Things started to escalate between those two, causing Hans to cross his arms in a bit of amusement. He knew that this wouldn't take long to get Valo's temper going, and the merc was a bit curious about how far this would go before possibly having to step in. He can practically see the fire in their eyes, the electricity coursing from one's head to the other! They were probably ready to rip each other's throats out until...
"Izza! don't you know who they are!"
Oh, here we go...
Hans had his attention back on the other lady, Annie as she hopped out of her seat, letting that bottled up excitement from before loose!
"Next generation?" Hans repeated around the same time Valo and Izza had said their question. Hans looked almost as confused as the other two, but then his expression shifted to one of mild annoyance after hearing his nickname again, causing him to pinch the bridge of his nose and close his eyes. "E-er, Hans is fin-" "I can't believe it! Here, face to face with two rising stars!!" The woman interrupted before shaking her friend.
"How could you not know who they are, Izza!?!?!" Annie claimed as she continued to shake her friend. "Quit shaking me, dweeb!" Izza yelled as she slapped Annie's hands off of her before standing up, brushing herself off. "I don't worry myself with politics and junk." Izza claimed before crossing her arms. "If it isn't fashion, modeling...or money, then I'm not interested." Izza added before tilting her head upward a bit with her eyes closed. But she then peeked one open and glanced over at the dark mage. "Actually, speaking of models..." Hans then noticed her glance and rose an eyebrow. "You...don't happen to be one, do you?" Izza said, pointing questionably at the merc. "Err, no...Why would I-" The girl then picked up a...familiar-looking modeling magazine and gasped.
"No...way...." She then shoved it in Hans' face. "It's you!" Then shoved it in Annie and Valo's face. It was a picture of Hans in a pair of athletic shorts with hand wraps on, doing an athletic pose that resembled that of a mixed martial arts fighter. "It's him! My modeling dreamboat!" she claimed before hugging the magazine to her chest. With it like that, the others would be able to see another photo of Hans on the other side...this time partnered up with a familiar-looking blue-haired elf in a cheerleader outfit.
Hans looked completely...mortified by all of this. It was just a one-time thing...yet it looks like this will haunt the dark mage for the rest of his life. "Tell me, are those scars....and abs real?" Izza claimed as she tried to get closer to the dark mage who would back away with each step she took. "Err, this isn't why...we're...here..." the dark mage looked rather sheepish. He looked over to Valo for assistance, but Annie appeared like she was about to bombard him with questions regarding his strength and such. In all honesty, Hans would have rather dealt with the one more considered about the duo's abilities than...Izza.
"Just...tell us. Do any of you know of someone named Master Roshi?" Hans asked, finally finding some breathing room. Izza still appeared to be interested in the modeling stuff...but Annie on the other hand.
"R-Roshi!?" Her outburst caused both Hans and Izza to turn their attention to the woman. "The only time I've ever heard that name was at..." She paused, looking from left to right before whispering...
"...the arena."
[attr="class","hansheader"]N O T E S
Important notes here
[attr="class","hansheader"]S P E L L S
[spell]Name of Spell: Dark Golem Creation: Draconic Blade Spell Element: Dark Spell Rank: Grand Mana Cost: 50 (Initial) - 25 (Sustain) Type of Golem: Balanced Applicable Perks: Ease of Creation, Armament Description:
Using their grimoire, the user summons a dark sword(s) golem that appears draconic in appearance. Being a balanced type, this golem has no specific specialty, but it can be commanded to do various things such as attacking with its sharp blade, or could even be ridden upon as a form of transportation (speed remains at 18 m/s). Unlike most other golems its rank, these sword golems aren't the largest, only coming up to 2 meters in height, but that does not make them any less dangerous. (Can summon an additional golem per 55 Control (Ease of Creation), maxing at two.)
Type
Power
Durability
Sensory
Range
Speed
Health
Balance
130
130 (+10)
130
90
18 m/s
Grand + Int
[/spell]
[attr="class","hansinfobg"]
[attr="class","hansinfo"]
[attr="class","hansinfotext"]
WC 1,551 || TOTAL WC 1,551
TAGSValo Stark✾ ITEMS Dark Edge, Cosmic Blessing, Nightfall PERKS List 'em here
Post by Valo Stark✾ on Feb 16, 2021 15:27:53 GMT -5
Valo Stark
"Don't need a reason to seek strength."
Valo's eye twitched when he heard the eccentric girl named Annie state not only his but Hans titles out loud. Was this the future he had to look forward to from now on? Everyone knowing his name, his face, all these things about him. The more he thought about the more he felt slightly uncomfortable with the whole idea, still leaning on the table he dropped his head and sighed. This was the price he was going to pay by seeking strength and accomplishments, so be it.
So maybe coming to this table was a bad idea, he thought he could come over and ask a simple question for some simple directions. But it turned into something else entirely, and from the sounds of both Annie's and Izza's voice it was probably only going to get worse. The one named Izza who Valo was bumping heads with, stated that she doesn't really follow politics at all and was only interested in fashion, models and money. Valo stood up straight and rolled his eyes, his face falling into his right hands palm. But his eyes peeked through his fingers when she asked Hans if he had happen to be a model. Valo now looked completely confused, Hans was a mercenary a warrior through and through. Why would he be a model, or have any background in modeling. It made no sense to the fire mage. But he could not be more wrong.
Valo's eyes popped when Izza started to shove a magazine in his face with Han's on the cover. Turning into total shock Valo's jaw nearly dropped on the floor seeing a photo of Hans posed in a fighter like pose with hand wraps and some athletic shorts. Izza brought the magazine close to her chest hugging it revealing the other side, another photo of him but this time partnered up with Suna! If Valo's jaw could drop any lower it would, he was at a total loss for words. Eyes wide, mouth wide open his finger pointing at the magazine. But not so long after that his shock turned into a light chuckle, then a bigger one, his chuckled getting louder and louder and before he knew it he just burst out laughing with tears in his eyes. "Pft...pfffttt...ppffffffft. BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH JEEEEEZZZ!! HA-HA-HA-Haannsss. Your a model??! I never would have...hhahaha. Suna sure, yeah that makes sense. But yoouuu!? Ok ok ok.." Valo said trying to calm his laughter he took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Aaahhh my ribs hurt." Never in a million years did he thing his friend the brooding dark swordsman, would be caught modeling for a magazine. This was most likely going to be a moment he would never ever forget.
Eventually Hans was able to get the question in, asking the two if they know of a Master Roshi. Valo who still had his arms covering his ribs, and leaning over started to stand up. Being reminded of the whole reason they were here, to find a Grand master of Ki at least supposedly. Izza looked like she wanted to bother Hans about the modeling some more, but Annie looked left and then right before whispering the only time she heard that name was at the Arena.
"Arena?" Valo asked out loud looking confused but also intrigued. His lips though were instantly covered by Annie's hand. "SSSSSHHHHHHH!!!" her other hand holding her index finger over her mouth, and looking around some more. She gestured for the group to come in closer so she could continue to whisper. "The arena is not to be spoken of out loud in the public, not everyone knows about it or should know about it. I don't know a whole lot, but what I do know is. There is a secret underground fighting arena where tons of really strong fighters and mages and beasts test their worth. Ive only heard whispers of the name Master Roshi there, from what I know he runs the whole thing."
Valo interest was definitely increasing he started to rub his chin as he usually does when in heavy thought. It seemed like finding this Master Roshi was not going to be a simple task, a small part of his mind was thinking Hans and him could just walk into Babel find where this guy lived and learn more about Ki that way. But this was turning into something else, and the fire mage was not mad at it. Valo started to whisper as well. "Why cant anyone speak about the arena?"
"Babel's entire culture is based on magical research, people here are scholars, teachers, basically being the smartest people in clover. The rumor is that if it becomes public knowledge that there is a arena made just for fighting, Babel's reputation would start to drop. Kinda silly I know, but the old guys around here take their reputation kinda seriously. Buuuuttt. Apparently the...arena is used for magical research. To test how certain magic items and combinations would do in actual battle. And Master Roshi is in charge of it all. " Annie stated twiddling her fingers she was whispering but it was easy to tell she was excited talking about this kind of stuff.
"Mmmmhhhmmmmm. So it sounds like the only way to meet this Master Roshi, is to participate in this arena." Valo said looking at Hans, to see where his head was at all with all this. Valo was going to see this through to the end, he figured Hans would as well. There was nothing that was going to stop them from learning ki. If they had to bust a few heads to do it, so be it. Valo would nod at Hans to confirm they were all in, if he got that nod he would ask Annie another question.
"Alright. So where do we sign up?" He said grinning with his hands on his hips.
Annie fingers stopped twiddling and her eyes switched back from Valo to Hans, she was smiling from ear to ear. Her eyes were lighting up with excitement. Without warning she grabbed hold of Izza and started to shake her back and forth.
"It's happening, it's happening, it's happening. Two of the rising stars in Clover are going to take part in the most prestigious but also secret arena in all of Clover. Valo's competitive drive, Hans brooding mysteriousness a perfect match. Things like this don't happen everyday Izzzaaa. Do you understand? Do you understand what this means? Ok Ok Ok. Relax Anniieeee, relax." She spoke fast but also managed to keep to voice level to a whisper, it was odd to see.
"Let go of me Annie! Your embarrassing me in front of Hans!"
Annie let go and clapped her hands together looking at Hans and Valo.
"Ok. You can't just sign up. You got to prove you're worthy of the arena first. Almost like a test before the real deal. And i'll show you where that is, but under one condition. You let me and Izza here be both of your sponsors." Annie said wrapping her arm around Izza's neck. It didn't seem to bother Izza as her eyes were focused on Hans.
"Sponsors? Why do we need sponsors for a secret underground arena? Given some people know who we are already, shouldn't that be enough?" Valo asked looking rather skeptical.
"Secret Arena it may be and titles you both may have. But the arena doesn't let anyone just participate, unless said fighter is being sponsored but someone already sworn to secrecy. In this case you guys have us." Annie said grinning gesturing between her and Izza.
"Yeeaaa she drags me around to watch some of the matches. She's nuts about this stuff, I ended up being a sponsor too. She kinda forced me into it. She's been trying to sponsor someone for years, with no luck." Izza said rolling her eyes.
"But nows my time, my time to finally prove to those old hacks I belong in the research and development department! Not out here working behind a information booth!" Annie shouted out in frustration with her fists clenched tight.
"But with you two they'll finally give me a chance!" the eccentric girl dropped down to her knees in a begging like fashion. "Please, please, please. If you guys do this you can meet Master Roshi. It's a win win situation for both of us. You'll get to meet the master and earn some money along the way, and me and Izza can finally make a name for ourselves in this town. We can be your guides along the way, and we won't get in the way."
Valo rubbed his chin as he started to weigh the options. Annie was right, there was no harm in letting them sponsor them both. If not them they would probably have to find sponsors elsewhere. And who knows what they could turn out to be like, possible even more annoying than these two. The fire mage looked at Hans and gestured for them to talk a few feet away, away from the two girls. Facing their back to them he started with a sigh. "I know they are kinda annoying, but. I think we should do it. If we need sponsors they are right there, and they seem pretty honest. I dragged you here so I'll leave the final choice to you. What do ya think?" Valo said looking at Hans.
Name of Spell: 真っ白(Masshiro / Pitch White) Spell Element: Fire Spell Rank: Intermediate Mana Cost: 20 | 10 Type of Golem: Balanced Applicable Perks:Puppet Master -
Puppet Master: This Perk allows your Golems to start with a bonus of +3 to all of its Stats. At Grand Rank this bonus increases to +5. If this Perk is applied to a Balanced Golem these bonuses increase to +5 and +10 instead.
Description: Masshiro is an all white long dragon, that Valo can summon to aid him in different ways. At full length of 6 meters long, Masshiro is a rather long and very slender looking golem. Masshiro is capable of flight, aiding Valo in the air as well. While it may not look as viscous as Valo's other golems it is just as strong, and aggressive. Masshiro is able to use it's arms, claws, feet, tail, horns, jaws and it's entire body to attack whatever Valo directs it too. When attacking it's jaws, claws, horns and tail are covered in flames causing at rank fire damage to whatever they hit. Masshiro can be used for transportation following the transportation guidelines for intermediate ranked golem spells. Carrying up to two people at a time moving at speeds of 10 m/s. They fully respond to commands given by it's user through a mana connection and also verbally.
"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
Hans still had that look of utter bewilderment on his face at that magazine. At this point, it has been months yet people still had that issue!? The dark mage hated the sight of himself...in such a humiliating fashion. But at least this couldn't get any worse than it already was.
Or so he thought....
The merc heard that small chuckle escape Valo's lips, making him glance over at the fire mage. Right...He was not alone. As the laughter slowly grew louder, so did Hans' annoyance. "Don't....start...." But it was very much too late. Valo was in a fit of laughter, causing the dark mage's eye to twitch. "I-It was a one time job!" The merc protested with his fists clenched. "Suna talked me into it...and there was also yul!" Hans continued, though his almost comical protests were being drowned out by Valo. Yeah, there was no way Hans could talk himself out of this one...The pay wasn't even that good, to begin with. All he could do was sigh and rest his palm against his face before shaking his head slowly. He was never going to live this down...especially now that Valo of all people knows it!
Despite Valo's...unnecessary laughter and Izza's...fangirlish behavior, Hans was able to get the question out about Master Roshi, which thankfully caught the attention of at least one of the women, Annie.
She spoke of an arena which caused the dark mage to raise an eyebrow. The merc's questioning look only grew as Annie quickly shushed Valo after he repeated the word. Hans titled his head slightly and stepped a bit closer to Annie as she gestured to them. She started to talk about this arena...which was some underground fighting place...and apparently, Master Roshi was the one running it. "A fight club?" Hans questioned in a hushed tone, placing a hand under his chin as he pondered. Why would such a thing exist here in Babel? Fortunately, Hans would be getting that answer through the question the fire mage asked.
It may sound silly, but Hans could sort of understand why the elders of this town would not want others to know about this place's apparent...brutish side. But why an underground fight club exists here at all was still puzzling to the dark mage. That is until Annie spoke about how it's used to research magic and such, making the dark mage nod slowly. Suppose certain magics can really only be tested through battles...But these experiments being done this way was...interesting to say the least. This made Hans wonder more about Master Roshi.
After that, Hans came to the same conclusion as Valo in his mind. If they wanted to meet this Master Roshi person, it was going to have to be through this arena. Hans looked over to Valo and returned a nod of his own before turning to face Annie. Hans had already traveled all this way out here with Valo, so there was no way he was going to back out of this now. He was just as determined to learn ki as his fire-wielding buddy.
As Valo asked his next question, Hans crossed his arms with a slight smirk on his face, contrasting the fire mage's grin and energetic demeanor. His smirk slowly faltered as Annie started to lose her cool and get all excited while shaking her friend again. The dark mage rubbed the back of his neck, hoping that Annie wouldn't faint from all of this before giving the duo the info....He doubted that Izza would be much help if this ends up happening.
Fortunately, Annie was able to remain on her feet, but unfortunately...getting into this arena wasn't going to be easy. There was no surprise there to Hans at least. He couldn't imagine that you could just go in and sign up for this underground fight club...but then the woman started to talk about sponsors which is what really caught the guy off guard. Hans wasn't the only one confused by this since Valo posed a question which the dark mage wanted to know as well. Her answer on why a sponsor is necessary made sense...even though the merc wasn't too keen on these two being their sponsors...especially someone like Izza...and her constant ogling.
After all of that rambling from Annie, Hans looked over at Valo, looking a little unimpressed by all of this before being gestured over by the fire mage. He walked over to Valo and started to listen.
"I know they are kinda annoying, but...."
Hans looked back at those two women for a second. Annie was jumping about, excited about finally becoming a sponsor, and proving herself to the others...while Izza continued to hug that cursed magazine to her chest, swaying back and forth a little.
"Very annoying." The merc chimed in before letting the fire mage finish. After Valo was done talking, Hans glanced back over to those two once more as he thought about this for a bit. What was the likely hood they could find someone else...someone less irritating to be their sponsors? He doubted that they could just walk around and ask publicly about this. The merc brushed his hand through his dark hair and sighed before looking over to Valo again. "Fine..." he nodded before turning to face the two ladies again. "We'll take you up on your...offer." Hans did not seem enthusiastic about this...but Annie sure did.
"Waaahhhh, you hear that Izza!?!" Again she was shaking her poor friend, this time a bit wilder. "We're going to be sponsors!!! Not just any sponsors, Izza, but the sponsors of two rising stars!!!" Annie claimed before gesturing over to the two mages again. "Uggghhhh, quit shaking me, geez!! I heard him just fine." Izza was able to push her energetic friend off of her, but that didn't stop Annie's joyful mood. "So long, dead-end job!" Annie claimed as she gestured at the information booth. "Hellloooo, glorious research!" she added, now gesturing to the two guys again. Izza simply rolled her eyes before looking back over at Hans. "Yeah yeah...As long as I can see those...muscles in action..."
At this point, Hans was starting to have regrets...but it was too late to turn back now.
Annie was now practically dragging Hans and presumably Valo down a busy path with her hands on both of the men's wrists....all while Izza walked uncomfortably close to Hans, constantly poking at his arm to get a feel of his muscles. All of this was certainly gathering a lot of unwanted attention, even more than the two mages were getting before. "It's just this way!" the eccentric girl whispered, but still able to keep an excited tone somehow. "I still can't believe this is happening! Me, Annie, finally a proper sponsor! With mine and Izza's wit and your combined brute force, we're going to get through this easy peasy!" Annie claimed with a spark of determination in her eyes.
Hans remained quiet, trying his best to tune these two out, but Annie's rambling and Izza's poking was difficult to ignore. "So like, what's it like being a model?" Izza asked, making Hans purse his lips in annoyance. "I am not a mode-" "Yeahhh I bet it's pretty great. I've been practicing on my off times, so we should like....totally do some together." Hans rolled his eyes and just didn't attempt to explain himself to the woman.
Eventually, the group would find themselves turning a corner, ending up at a part of town that wasn't as populated. They then ended up in some alley where a lone steel door could be seen at the end. "Alrighty! Here is where the test is taken!" Annie claimed as she finally let go of the two men. "I imagine the arena isn't located here?" Hans asked as he looked at the door. "Of course not! This makes the arena all the more secretive!" the woman claimed before stepping up to the door. Annie did some special knock to the door, causing a little slot to pen up to reveal a pair of intimidating eyes.
"Fresh meat." is all Annie would say followed by a wide grin. The slot then closed and if one listened close enough, they would hear a few locks being unlocked before the door opened, revealing a brutish-looking dude with a stoic look on his face. The guy looked down at Annie who waved happily then looked over to Izza who again just rolled her eyes and yawned. He then looked over at Hans and Valo, the former returning his own stoic-like expression. The brutish guy grunted before gesturing Hans and Valo to come inside. Hans looked over at Valo and gave him a nod. If Valo nodded in return, he would head through the door, assuming that Valo would follow. "Good luck you two!!!" "You better not like die or anything, Hans."
Once inside, the brutish guy would close the door, and stand in front of it with his arms crossed, staring at the two males. He would make another gesture with his head, causing Hans to turn around and notice a set of stairs...leading into a darkened area.
Despite how ominous this all looks, Hans started to head down these creaking stairs, making sure to go slowly and cautiously. The stairs went on for a bit...but eventually they, assuming that Valo followed would make it down there. It was completely quiet....and dark. "I can't see anything..." Hans said as he walked forward a little. "Valo, can you give us some li-" Before Hans could finish...he started to hear faint growls. The merc squinted his eyes, trying to see where this was coming from. It sounded almost like it was coming from all around the duo, but it was still hard to make out. That is when Hans closed his eyes and decided to try giving ki another go. He could barely make out signatures...dozens of them, just as the growls grew louder...and closer....causing the merc to quickly open his eyes, his hand already placed on the hilt of one of his swords!
"We're surrounded..."
[attr="class","hansheader"]N O T E S
Important notes here
[attr="class","hansheader"]S P E L L S
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WC 1,735 || TOTAL WC 3,286
TAGSValo Stark✾ ITEMS Dark Edge, Cosmic Blessing, Nightfall PERKS List 'em here
Post by Valo Stark✾ on Feb 18, 2021 23:05:14 GMT -5
Valo Stark
"Don't need a reason to seek strength."
"We'll take you up on your...offer."
Valo had to admit he was slightly surprised with Han's answer, he sort of thought the dark mage was going to decline. Considering he liked to keep a real low profile, and Izza seemed like she was going to constantly annoy him. Valo let out a light chuckle hearing his answer, then looked towards Izza and Annie just about ready to see their reaction. And of course Annie was just about ecstatic, but an amused smirk was on Valo's face. Despite the situation not being ideal or what he thought it would be, he was excited and looking forward to it actually.
Before becoming a magic knight, Valo was pretty accustomed to underground fighting arenas. Of course they were nothing to grand or big, but they were there and he used them often for training exercises. So he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, if they had prove himself in this test. So be it and even beyond that, if they had prove themselves to get this Master Roshi's attention then thats what had to be done. Why not make it fun.
Now that things were in finally looking to get moving, while Annie was busy freaking out. Valo called his golem over to him patted it's snout, before ending the spell he didn't want to have his flying golem causing some unnecessary ruckus while they walked through town. His silver staff hinokagutsuchi fell right into his open left hand, and he rested it on his shoulder. As soon as he was done though, Annie grabbed his wrists and started practically dragging them down a rather busy path. "Wooaahh slow down." Valo tried to say to the hyper active girl. But his words had no effect really, what made it more annoying was more people started to look at them. As the fire mage started to make eye contact with some of the people, who were just staring at them. He would make a scowl or angry face in a attempt to shoo them away, but there was a group of young kids who were smiling and laughing which caused a warm smile to appear on his face. Then he started to making goofy faces at them, making them laugh even more. The group would turn a corner and the population started to go down, and that lead to an alley way with no one in it.
"Modelling is actually a big passion of Hans, he takes it very seriously." Valo said hearing Izza asking Hans about modeling again. It was to good of a opportunity for the fire mage not to take advantage of. He enjoyed cracking some jokes and playing little pranks every now and then, they were for the most part harmless but they brought him pure joy. Valo used the hood of his cloak to hide his light laughter, before continuing. "But he doesn't like to talk about it much, it's not to be taken lightly." the fire mage added with a grin. Izza hearing this only become more engaged "Oh my gosh! I take it just as seriously! People think modeling is like not hard work, and it's totally not true! I knew you felt the same way!" Izza moved in closer to the dark mage. "I felt it." she whispered in his ear.
Annie finally letting the two go letting Valo scope around the place for a bit, it looked on the outside like a typical entrance for a fighting pit. After a special knock and stated she had some fresh meat, which made Valo raise one eyebrow. After that and a series of locks being undone, a brute of a man came out looking at the entire group. Annie waved, Izza yawned, Hans looked stoic as usual and Valo looked the brute up and down wondering if this guy was the actual test. After gesturing for the duo to come on inside, Valo looked at his partner and returned his nod. "We'll be right back."
Once inside the brute pointed for them to head down the stairs, the whole vibe sort of creepy but oddly familiar for Valo. They headed down where it was getting darker. Valo heard Han's request for some light, but right before Valo ignited some fire. He tried to use the little bit of Ki that he had access to try and sense what what is the room. He closed his eyes making his way down stairs, he was able to pick up some movement in the room but couldn't get an exact number or what exactly were they. As Valo continued to take another step he felt his movement was much slower than his usual, was this a negative effect to using Ki?
Valo formed three blue balls of fire in his right hand which were twirling around, finally giving them some light.
As soon as they was some light in the room, the hard steel doors closed down hard right behind the duo. Revealing they were now in a large square being barricaded by multiple metal caged doors. It looked like a fighting pit that had seen quite some action, what was more important was the dozens of off looking beasts that faced Hans and Valo. They were blocky looking monsters, with dark plated skin and some odd mist like energy being covered by the plates. They were definitely mana beasts just not ones the duo would have seen before, their size wasn't to intimidating at all they were kind of short. But they did have some numbers with about twelve of them.
"Let the show begin." Valo said looking pretty excited, the two had to start fighting fast. As two of the mana beasts came rushing in and tried to pounce on them both. Using his excellent control of his flames he did a roundhouse kick, and released an controlled arc of blue flames to hit the mana beast directly burning it and putting it down for good. Niji tenka
The beasts weren't really that dangerous, they weren't that fast and it didn't take a lot to put them down. This was looking like a perfect opportunity to try and practice how well they could use Ki. With a quick movement Valo sent a small ball of fire to light a nearby torchlight, he could have lit some more but decided not to. The light in the room was scarce, but it wasn't really enough to light the entire fighting pit. It left a shroud of darkness right where the mana beasts were, giving them an element of surprise when it came to their attacks.
Little did the duo know, there was a small group of people watching them up on a higher level. For now they were just figures covered by shadow. "Interesting. Why not just light up the whole room?""Foolishness perhaps?""Or perhaps a test?""A test within a test?""Interestiiinng."
"We should practice!" Valo shouted out to Hans, twirling his silver staff. He knew the dark mage would pick up on what he was talking about. Without saying anything else Valo prepared himself and stood ready, his eyes on the ground. Using his Ki to feel what as around him. It took some immense focus but it was doable, if he focused hard enough he could reach about 15-20 meters for things that weren't moving to fast. But the only thing was, his own movement speed felt like it was cut in half. He was still pretty quick but it was a noticeable difference. But nevertheless he had to wait, focus and wait.
He started to feel it more and more, the movements, the twitching the vibrations. Two more mana beasts started to move in and quickly. The full speed fo the mana beasts was about 8 m/s. Valo didn't move waiting till the last possible second, quickly tossing his silver staff from his left hand to his right. Then he swung twice, first one going right the other going left. One he felt the impacts both of them. He knew he had hit his targets, the fire mage looked up and saw two mana beasts knocked out on his left and right. A wide smirk was on his face, it was working he learning Ki.
"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
As Hans attempted to tell Izza that he was no model, Valo chimed in...and instead of helping, the man made things worse! "Wait...what?" One of Hans' eyes twitched a bit as he listened to Valo's nonsense. The hell was he talking about!? "That's not...Do not listen t-" The fire mage just continued on, causing the dark mage to give him a scowl. "Hey, quit messing aroun-" Before Hans could finish, Izza spoke up, believing all that the mischievous fire mage had to say. "For the last time, I am not a mode-" she then got closer, and whispered, causing Hans to try and move back with an annoyed expression on his face, but he couldn't really get far since he was still being pulled by Annie. The merc then sighed in defeat before glaring quietly over at the source of his current misery, Valo. Pulling pranks might not be his thing....but Hans was going to get that guy back by the end of all this....somehow.
But for now, the duo had other things to worry about...
Having made it to their destination, The flame and darkness mages were now creeping down some stairs, their vision limited from the darkened area. It sort of reminded Hans of Kikka which put him a bit on edge. They had no idea what to expect from the darkness back in that town...and the same could be said about this place. Unfortunately for Hans, being a dark mage did not give him any ability to see into the dark, so he was just about to ask Valo for some light before remembering about his ki. It may still be weak, but Hans' ki sensory should still be enough to 'see' in this area at least, plus it could help with his training. With eyes closed, Hans felt himself moving slower as he put full focus onto the area around him, trying to feel out the ki of everything. He could feel Valo, and had a rough idea of the area around them....but that wasn't all.
There was more movement happening around the duo...proving that they weren't alone. Low growls were now starting to be heard, further confirming this...
After Valo brought a bit of light to the room, Hans slowly opened his eyes and was able to make out some of these shapes running about. Mana beasts...but none that the dark mage has seen before at least. With his ki still active, Hans felt a jolt from the back of his head, and immediately unsheathed his katana, Dark Edge, using it to slice straight through one of those things as they attempted to lunge at the merc from behind! Hans' movements weren't as fast, however, and that attack was close call despite being able to sense it.
"Let the show begin."
"Hmph." Hans wasn't surprised at the least with Valo's reaction. Honestly, the merc was a little pumped about this as well. Another one of those creatures was now trying to pounce at the dark mage, but he impaled it through the stomach and sliced downwards, making the body drop off. They weren't difficult to deal with, but from what Hans sensed, there was certainly quite a bit of them. He then noticed Valo light up a few of the torches, but not all of them. It gave the area dim lighting that didn't really help much with the duo's vision...but perhaps that was the intention.
"Hmm, yeah..." The merc was all for continuing his ki practice, and these things were more than enough to serve as target practice. With that, Hans' grimoire floated up and was surrounded in a dark aura before being shrouded in that same darkness himself.
As this happened, the small group of folks watching from above took a bit of interest in this. "Is that...darkness magic?" "A rare element? Does this mean they have a four-leaf?" "Very interestinnnggggg" "Haven't tested anyone with a grimoire like that since-" "Doesn't matter what his magic is, as long as he's as capable as that fire mage."
The darkness surrounding Hans formed into The Hunt, a dark suit of armor that vaguely resembles that of a hunter. Not only was he well-protected now, but Hans now had a bit of a speed boost, making up for what his ki sensing was taking from him. Hans ran into the thick of the beasts and immediately sliced the head off of one just as another pounced at the dark mage. It landed on Hans' free arm and attempted to maul the merc...but it did nothing to Hans' superior defenses! The merc shook the creature off, and before it could hit the ground, Hans sliced it in half and followed up by stabbing another incoming beast! Even though it was hidden under his hooded helmet, Hans was starting to smirk as well. He was starting to get a hang of this ki stuff, a lot more than his attempts with sensory!
Another mana beast tried lunging at Hans, but instead of cutting it, the dark mage used his ki sensory to catch it just in time to turn around and throw it at the currently occupied fire mage. He did not warn Valo in any way of this, wanting to help test the fire mage's ki...and also as a small payback for the modeling thing he pulled earlier.
"What on earth is he doing!?" "Being a fool obviously." No, it looks like they are testing each other." "But we're supposed to be the ones running the tests!" "Even more interestinggggg!!"
The beasts would keep coming, seemingly in an endless amount, but Hans was not giving up anytime soon, and he doubted that Valo would give up too. Hans sliced away at his share, not letting the dim area stop him. But soon, the beasts would just stop attacking, causing Hans to halt with his attacks and raise an eyebrow. "They...stopped?" The rest of the torches that Valo didn't get to would light up, giving the duo a better look at their surroundings.
"The test has been concluded." a voice would say from above. Hans looked up, trying to see where that came from but then heard a familiar girlish screech coming from the stairs the duo came down from. Hans looked over to see Annie who was jumping up and down as Izza and that brutish bodyguard were starting to make their way down. "You guys are INSANNNNEEEEE!!!!!" Annie yelled as she ran down the rest of the steps at comically blinding speeds and pulled the duo into a group hug, bouncing up and down excitedly. "Does...this...mean...we...passed?" Hans attempted to ask in the middle of the jumping.
"Indeed...You both have passed with flying colors." Hans got his answer...but it wasn't from Annie.
Name of Spell: Dark Armor Creation: The Hunt Elemental Type: Dark Rank & Spell Type: Senior - Defense Creation/Physical Reinforcement Range & Speed: 70 meters - 40 m/s Mana Cost: 30 (Initial) - 15 (Sustain) Stats Effected: +20 m/s, (+10 Durability from Dark element) Applicable Perks: Full Blitz, Self Repairing Description:
With the use of their grimoire, the user forms a suit of dark hunters armor around themselves and/or others. This armor is not only used for defensive purposes but also forms a dark aura around the person that boosts their speed by 20 m/s. When more than one armor is summoned, its speed buff will decrease by one rank. (User can summon an additional piece of armor per 50 Control they have.)
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WC 1,146 || TOTAL WC 4,432
TAGSValo Stark✾ ITEMS Dark Edge, Cosmic Blessing, Nightfall PERKS List 'em here
He was getting used to it, using Ki while in battle. On the way to Babel he did do some concentration exercises that would hopefully help, and it looked like it was paying off. But even though he was able to to use ki in battle, his overall control and understanding of it still lacked very much. The downsides to using it were substantial, his speed was nearly cut in half. While the fire mage prioritized speed and really fast split second movements, he needed to be as fast as possible at all times. Mainly because he lacked true proper defenses, so he used his fast movements to get away from danger. But with Ki cutting his speed so much, using it was not ideal for him in a lot of situations. So he in order to counter this, he activated a spell. Flare Accel V 2. Small blue embers started to rise from his feet, his speed and movement were increased by another 15 m/s. Thus giving him the velocity he needed to keep up with using Ki.
Nevertheless Valo continued to make use of it when he could, while also enjoying himself quite a bit. With a series of spins and twirling his silver staff in the right places, creating images and movements of just sliver flashes. He was swatting away any mana beast that came towards him, most he saw with just plain eye sight. But others it was his ki alerting him of their approach. He knew what vibrations to look out for, the kinetic movements, the warning signs. He swung his staff left taking out a beast, swung right taking out another. He spun his body moving to his left dodging a pounce from another beast while landing a spin kick on another. He was really feeling a groove now, starting to shuffle his feet with light hops. But he felt another threat incoming fast, faster than the others! It was coming from behind he turned his body and swung his staff up knocking the beast high into the ceiling catching the eyes of the spectators before crashing back down to the ground. Valo saw where the beast came from, Hans had tossed it towards him!
"Hey! Watch it! I don't got armor like you do!" He shouted back to his partner, but from the tone of voice it was easy to tell the fire mage was actually having a lot of fun. With a series of two quick kicks, he sent two mana beasts back towards him as an attempt at payback! But it was probably nothing the dark couldn't handle easily with his use of ki. Right after Valo would continue his offense not stopping until all the beasts were done, but he had to admit it did seem to be a endless amount. Valo was about to land another kick on another mana beast, but he stopped his foot right before it met the beasts face. The creature seemed to stop it's movements, Valo took notice and looked around seeing all the beasts in the room stop attacking. "Hrm We're done?"
The other torchlights in the room lit up giving the duo full light to see everything. "The test has been concluded." a voice from above would say. Valo looked up and saw a group of four individuals, they were probably the ones testing them for this Arena. But Valo's focus was quickly broken with the voice of Annie "You guys are INSANNNNEEEEE!!!!!" she shouted from the top of her lungs. The fire mage couldn't but smirk, it was pretty clear in his opinion the two outdid themselves. He spun his staff and had it rest on his left shoulder, while starting walk around a bit. "Hey! Why don't you tell us we passed with flying colors already." he said out loud for everyone to hear.
"Oh! A confidant one? I like confidant ones." one of the people would say, she was an older female with noticeable grey hair. Another person this one taller and was male. "Question. Tell us why, you only lit just a few lights in the room? Also why you two seemed to throw the beasts at one another." his voice was rather plain, but other three around him peeked over quite interested in their answers.
"Answer. We're trying to practice something, lighting up only half the lights gave us enough to be useful. While also giving us some a perfect opportunity to practice. As for the throwing...more practice" Valo said ending his sentence with a light chuckle. There would be a slight pause for Hans to answer as well if he wanted.
"Is it ki?" another one asked quickly after Hans's and Valo's response.
Annie's eyes widened just a bit. Annie then hopped up and down. "Ooohh! So thats why you guys want to meet Master Roshi!! You guys are trying to learn Ki!" Izza on the other hand didn't look surprised. "Well duh Annie! What else could it be?"
"Not trying learn it, they already did. It's pretty obvious in their movements, though still sloppy. They are trying to master it, and Master Roshi is a true master of the art. Anyways yes you two did well...very well. With you...four being sworn to secrecy, we grant you the right to participate in the Arena. But be warned the level of competition in the Arena is absolutely nothing like this test. Even mages of your caliber will be tested. Don't be late." one of the individuals stated, right before all four of them walked out of the room. Annie waving them goodbye. "Thank Youuuu!!"
Valo looked up and asked the obvious question. "So whats next you two?"
Izza looking down at the two though her tone of voice seemed uninterested, she was also getting a tiny bit excited about all this. "Next is the Arena, we’ve wasted enough time here! Time to go!" she said gesturing for the two to hurry up and come along. Annie added in. "I know it seems like a rush...because it is! You guys have your first match in a few!"
"In a few!?" Valo shouted back rushing up the stairs, once the two were both up Annie and Izza would begin pushing them out the door and leading them to the location of the Arena.
The four would then arrive at large brown and golden mansion that was mostly secluded from the other parts of town. Some people were standing and chatting about, paying no mind to the four as they rushed to the front of the building. Two doormen stood guard looking at the four, Annie stepped up and showed them a special badge after Annie slapped Izza on the arm she did the same. "Were sponsoring these two for the Two Man tournament tonight!" Annie stated confidently.
The doormen looked at each other giggled and looked back at Annie. "Woah look whose back after all this time, finally got some more peeps to fight for ya huh? Hopefully these two don't go down in the first round like last the last time." one of them said, with the other laughing. Annie and Izza looked a bit embarrassed, apparently it looked they both tried this a few times and it didn't end so well.
Valo took a few steps forward looking at both the doormen, and getting right in their faces. He blew some hot air out of his nose that came out with a bit of smoke. It blew right into their faces causing them to back up a bit nervously "How bout you two open the door now. Or would you both like to be our first round opponents."
The two doormen didn't say another word, they just scrambled to get themselves together and finally opened the large doors. But inside wasn't a large arena but simple room with a Spatial Portal gate. "Alright you two the portal gate will bring us to the Arena, when we step through you guys will head to the Participants Lounge your match should be coming up soon! You'll be able to spot us in the Vip balcony. It's just the first round, I know you guys don't need it...but Good Luck Ok!" Annie said she was still her energetic self, but she was getting a little nervous.
Valo walked to the front of the gate, tapping his staff on his shoulder. "Hey. Don't be getting all nervous on us. We're going to crush this thing no problem." giving them a smirk and a thumbs up, right before hopping into the portal. Feasting his eyes on the Grand epicness of the Arena.
Name of Spell: フレアアクセルVセカンド (Fureaakuseru V Sekando / Flare Accel V Second) Elemental Type: Fire Rank & Spell Type: Intermediate | Physical Reinforcement Range & Speed: Self Mana Cost: 20 | 10 Stats Effected: Speed + 15 m/s Applicable Perks: Full Blitz
Description: Simply an upgrade to Valo's first Fureaakuseru. Allowing a much greater increase in speed, swiftness and reaction time. Using this spell in combination to Valo's natural speed truly pushes past the limits of an average human movement speed. The small embers still present this time growing a bit in size becoming much more visible to the naked eye.
"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
Even though it couldn't be seen under his armor, Hans smirked at Valo's comment. From the way the fire mage was able to react to that incoming mana beast, Hans could tell that he was also getting the hang of this ki stuff. The dark mage was not surprised about this at all....but it would've been quite interesting if Valo had actually got beamed in the head by one of those things. Valo of course returned the favor but instead of one, he chucked two of those beasts Hans' way! Part of Hans wanted to just let those beasts shit him just to show off how durable that dark armor of his was, but he decided against it and quickly sliced one of the beasts in half before impaling the second one, letting it stay on the blade like some kebab for a few seconds before shoving it off.
"Sorry, but you're going to have to try harder than that." Hans said, not as loud as Valo of course, but it still held a similar competitive tone. The merc was starting to get into this, slashing beasts left and right with his sword while using his ki to predict their movements. He may not be as fast or offensively powerful as Valo, but Hans' superior defenses and well-timed strikes were more than enough to make up for that, enough for him to keep up with the fire mage. The two are almost like two sides of the same coin, both in fighting capabilities and even personality...But the thrill of the fight, their desire to seek strength...it was something that these two have in common, making them really great allies...and friends.
Even with the seemingly countless beasts coming their way, the duo was not letting up nor was their fighting spirit faltering!
The battle however came to an end as the beasts stopped their attacking, and the room lit up completely. Hearing the voice from above, Hans looked up a got a peek at where the voice was coming from before getting distracted by the excited Annie. Both the fangirl's praise and Valo's confidence were a little contagious as it made Hans smirk once again under his hooded helmet. He looked back up as those voices spoke again, one female and another male. Even though only those two said something, Hans could make out three other figures up there as well but didn't comment on it. He just listened as Valo gave his response before nodding. "That's right." the dark mage added, plain and simple. This caused another one of those figures to bring up ki, showing how observant they were. This was Babel after all, so Hans wasn't surprised.
Well...not everyone in Babel was as observant given Annie's response...but Hans was honestly not expecting Izza to know...unless she was just faking it to impress her favorite 'model'....
Another one of those figures started to talk, referring to how sloppy their ki sensing still was which most would probably take as an insult...but Hans completely agreed. The two still have a long way to go before being able to fully tap into this ki business. But for now, it seems that they were given the clear to participate in this arena...of course with a warning of the challenges ahead, not that Hans minds...and he certainly knows that Valo feels the same way.
The merc dropped his armor spell and watched as those figures walked off from view while Annie shouted her thanks. His attention was now back on the group, just as curious about what was next as Valo was. Both ladies stated the obvious answer...but what came next out of Annie's mouth surprised not just Valo, but Hans as well!
"In a few!?" "Pardon...?"
A few as in...a few minutes!? What sort of arena moves this fast!? Of course, there was no more time for questions. The moment Hans and Valo were ready, they were already being comically pushed out of the area by their oddball sponsors!
Looks like it was time for a true scrap...
~~~~~~~
As the group arrived, Hans looked up at the large building and blinked once. He was honestly expecting the entrance to be not this...flashy since it was a secret arena...but he did find the appearance interesting. Plus the location seems to be a bit secluded so that probably helped. Hans crossed his arms and watched as the two ladies flashed their little badges at the guards. The guards didn't seem too impressed, however, taunting the ladies and by extension the two mages. Despite how...annoying these two were, this didn't really sit well with Hans...and it was clear that Valo wasn't having any of this as well. He stepped up to those two guards and wasted no time intimidating them.
Assuming that Valo went in, Annie would skip right in after him, sticking her tongue out at those guards along the way while Izza walked in next, subtly flipping the bird to them. The guards looked obviously angered by this and were about to say something to the ladies until Hans walked up last...but he stopped in the middle of them, and gave them both a glare, subtly showing his sheathed swords to them which was more than enough to make them hold their tongues. Without a word, Hans finally walked in, causing the guards to exhale the breaths that they were holding in....
The inside of the building was empty, however...save for one spatial portal. Hans assumed that's where the arena was being held and of course it was confirmed by Annie. She gave the two directions on where to go once inside before wishing the two luck. "Also like word of advice. I heard that fighting shirtless will improve your aerodynamics or whatever, so you guys should like totally ditch your shirts...Especially you, Hans." Izza added in as she crossed her arms with her eyes closed, causing Annie to tilt her head. "Uhhhh?" Izza then peaked an eye open before sighing. "Oh, and good luck, I guess?" Hans did not seem the least bit convinced...or amused, but hearing Valo's words caused him to nod in agreement. "This won't be a problem." Hans added before they all went through the portal.
~~~~~~
On the other side was a completely different sight! They were now in an entirely new building with stone walls but the place was well lit and structured well. It looked like they were in a main lobby-like area with various other folks. Fighters, sponsors, and spectators were scrambling about to get to their places. Annie took in the smell of the area and started to bounce a bit. "It is goooodddd to be back here again, right, Izza!?" Annie asked in excitement, causing Izza to roll her eyes. "Sure, whatever." Annie grinned and nodded before pointing down one of the halls for Hans and Valo. "Down there is where you'll find the participant's lounge. Won't be hard to miss!" Annie said before her eyes perked up in realization. "Oh! Almost forgot..." Annie was now digging through her pockets, causing Hans to raise an eyebrow before looking confusingly over to Valo.
"Tada!!" Without warning, Annie slapped a sticker on both of the mage's clothing! "Our official sponsor logos! Can't go in without em!" The logos were just a...poor drawing of Annie and Izza giving peace signs, the doodle of Annie having a wide grin while the Izza doodle had some hilarious scowl on it with the name "Annie N Izza" written on top. "Yeaaahhh, I did not come up with those." Izza quickly added, causing Annie to puff her cheeks up. "Hey! They're fine, right guys!?" Annie claimed before turning towards the two mages. "Er...We should get going now." Hans claimed which fortunately was enough to distract Annie. "Right, good luck you two!!" With that, Annie waved them off before walking to the halls on the opposite side with Izza, leading to the VIP balcony. Hans gave Valo a nod before heading down that hall.
Not taking long at all, the two, assuming Valo was coming along would enter the lounge, filled with a wide variety of fighters. Some were lounging about conversing with each other, while others practiced a bit of their techniques. None of them seemed focus on the two mages that just entered...possibly seeing them as not worth the trouble or something. Given that Hans does not like having too much attention on himself, he did not mind. Though unknowingly to Hans at least...there was one particular redheaded person sitting deep in the crowd of folks that had taken notice of those two....
"I suppose we just wait until they call u-" Before Hans could finish, a bell-like noise could be heard, grabbing everyone's attention. "The first match is about to begin! Participants, get ready for you are about to be teleported onto the battlefield!" Once the voice finished, the stickers on Hans and Valo's shirts started to glow. "Hm?" Without much warning, the stickers teleported the two away....
....and onto a wide battlefield, filled with cheers from all around!!!
Hans took a good look around, focusing mostly on the four statues that stood above. What they represented was unknown, but he felt that they held some kind of importance. His attention then went to the crowd and eventually a certain balcony that appears different from the rest. It was hard to make out from this distance, but the merc could faintly see someone waving their hand excitingly from up there....which could only be one person.
"Welcome once again to the one hundred and twenty-second annual Arena of Champions!!!!" an announcer yelled out, hyping the crowd more. "I hope you all are ready for some good fights because I sure as hell am!!!" the announcer continued, getting the audience even more riled up! "Down in the arena, it appears that we have TWO newcomers to our glorious fight, some of you may already be familiar with these rising stars, however! Sponsored by "Annie N Izza", I would like to introduce Valo Stark annndddd Hans Walker!!!!" The cheers had then gone silent....being replaced mostly by unyielding laughter! "Wait, "Annie N Izza"? Seriously!?" "Those poor guys!" "Bet they won't last a second!" were among the things being shouted out. Up in the balcony, Annie sunk a bit in her seat in embarrassment while Izza gritted her teeth annoyingly at some of the people.
Hans simply pursed his lips before noticing that two more folks were teleported in on the opposite side of the arena. "What's this!? Two crowd favorites have found themselves in the arena once again! The master of fungi and the bearer of shakudo! Sponsored by Dutch Ravencrest, I would like to once again introduce...."
"THE TWINNSSSS!!!"
-Exit- To be continued...
[attr="class","hansheader"]N O T E S
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[attr="class","hansheader"]S P E L L S
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WC 1,831 || TOTAL WC 6,263
TAGSValo Stark✾ ITEMS Dark Edge, Cosmic Blessing, Nightfall PERKS List 'em here
Post by Valo Stark✾ on Mar 9, 2021 10:29:35 GMT -5
Valo Stark
"Don't need a reason to seek strength."
Walking through that portal was almost like walking into a whole new world. Valo didn't make use of spacial portals often, it was rare he went through them. So he often forgot how far one could actually take you, especially when he didn't really know what was going to be on the other side. The portal led them to what looked like was the main lobby of this battle arena. The room was large, very large with strong stone walls keeping all kinds of people inside. Valo walked and took a few steps in turning his head from side to side, taking it all in. He saw other fighters, other mages, more sponsors and even spectators all around. This seemed like quite the event, Annie was ecstatic to be back it seemed like. She took in a deep breath with her nose, and nearly squealed with excitement. Valo had a wide grin on his face, he was very ecstatic as well!
Annie pointed in the direction for them to head to, the participants lounge. "Probably gauge the other fighters in there..." Valo said wanting to get a better look at the other competition. It didn't really matter though to him, he planned on crushing every opponent that came their way. "Thanks Annie. Oh...what is this?" he said with a confused tone. Annie had slapped stickers on their clothing, stating they were sponsor logos and that they needed them. Valo's first reaction when looking at the sticker was to rip them off, but he didn't. Despite the poorly drawn art the look on their faces, the fire mage knew somehow this all meant allot to them. Even Izza despite her I don't care about anything other than boys attitude. So he didn't dare take the sponsor logo off, instead he smirked. "Annie N Izza. I like it."
Luckily though Hans suggested that they should get going now to avoid speaking about the stickers all together. Annie shouted good luck as the duo walked in, Valo turned towards Hans and returned his nod. Walking into the next area was a different kind of energy, most of the fighters inside didn't pay any mind to Hans or Valo when they walked in. This was more the duo's speed, going unnoticed to it really truly mattered. Valo looked around quickly he always did like to get a good look at the competition if he could. He's been in plenty of small little fighting tournaments back in Kikka. But he never took part in something this large or grand.
Hans was in the middle of saying they should probably just wait here, but he was interrupted a loud bell and a announcement coming right after. Valo thought they would at least a few minutes to relax, but that seemed to not be the case. The very same logos that Annie gave them started to glow, and instantly teleported them right into the battlefield!
"All this teleportation is starting to make me dizzy." Valo said rubbing his closed eyes with his right hand, but then he heard all the noise. The loud screams and cheers, he opened his eyes and they popped when he finally say he was standing in the middle of a large wide open battlefield! "What...the..." Valo was a loss for words for the first few moments. He looked up around, down and around again his confused face was turning into something of pure joy. "Hans...I think I love it here." he said his eyes were practically glowing with excitement. He looked up into the crowds and saw one hand waving at them excitingly, it was probably Annie.
Right after the announcer started to speak, introducing them and getting the crowd all hyped up. Valo was nodding all along to his words with a cocky smirk on his face and crossing his arms. He was loving every moment of it, then their names were said aloud making Valo spread his arms out and wide in order to embrace the crowds cheers and excitement. But he was only met with silence and then loud laughter! Making Valo drop his arms to his side, his face full of anger and fury. He took in a breath of air, and let it out from his nose. He wasn't embarrassed at all, now he was even more determined to win and prove them wrong. "Were crushing every single opponent." He said to his partner knowing the dark mage would probably agree. Valo stabbed his silver staff into the ground and started to crack his knuckles.
The opponents they would be face arrived in the same manner via teleportation.
"What's this!? Two crowd favorites have found themselves in the arena once again! The master of fungi and the bearer of shakudo! Sponsored by Dutch Ravencrest, I would like to once again introduce....THE TWINNSSSS!!!"
Two blonde men one dressed in black the other in all white. Valo started to stretch his arms then his legs never taking his eyes off of his opponents. If they did try to attack Valo was fully confident in Hans to defend them, his plethora of defensive spells were nearly unmatched. It was fair to say this fight would gather not to much attention at least at the start, the overall reputation of Annie and Izza was they didn't really bring the best fighters to this arena. Hence why the crowd started laughing. But. On the other side of the VIP seating area, across from where Annie and Izza were sitting. The usual bubbly and energetic girl turned her head to look at a person in particular.
Master Roshi was sitting in the center of his group on the highest chair, his overall appearance was of older man with a warm smile on his face. Unlike everyone else he didn't laugh or shout boo's when hearing who the new fighters sponsored by Annie and Izza. He instead just had a warm smirk on his face, he did catch Annie looking over to him and he gave her a wink. The wink was for good luck, the old master admired the young girls determination. No matter what she always came back wanting to accomplish her goal, he admired it her tenacity. Soon after one of the judges from the testing room whispered in his ear. The whisper had Roshi make a face of interest, he looked down at the arena battlefield with a bit more attentiveness than before, rubbing his white beard.
Annie and even Izza witnessed this change in his demeanor, they both would be lying if they said they weren't the least bit nervous. Annie leaned forward her right leg constantly tapping the floor, Izza placed her hand on Annie's shoulder in order to calm her down. "Annie they are going to be fine they got this. The twins are tough but if what we heard about these two is right, they'll win easy. "
"I know. I know. I just can't help but be nervous is all. I'm tired of being the laughing stock."
