02-26-2018, 06:07 PM
Ebony pushed open the double wooden doors with her magic, still clinging to Sonny's hand as she skipped into one of the training halls. Both practice and deadly weapons were plastered over the stone walls. The metal components reflected the eerie lamp and candlelight, creating faint beams in the ashen-saturated air. With a subtle wave of her hand, the dusty air parted for Ebony, a phantom gust of wind blowing the particles to the edges of the room and leaving a clean wake behind the duo.
The duelling area itself consisted of a raised platform - like a stage - coming up a bit higher than her waist. It was about ten metres wide and circular with no boundaries around the edge. They'd passed a few Koopa guards on the way, some of them chatting idly, others at their posts, but all of them parted for Sonny and Ebony. Faintly, if she was paying attention, she might have heard some of them whisper about her. Rumours and stipulation about what happened in the library. Some good: they'd fought off the evil skeletons. Some bad: they were the cause of it all. None of it had registered to her ears, and she'd simply smiled, but Sonny notably frowned slightly. He made an effort to cover it up with a genuine grin whenever Ebony glanced back at him, her warm expression transferring to him.
Deep down, Ebony could feel her mana bubbling, frothing and clashing against the imposing energies. It was active enough without her suppressing choker, but the growing dark energies only made it worse. Little flickers and specs of heat flowed through her blood, warming her fingertips. Gradually building. She hadn't noticed at first - only feeling a dull ache - but once the pain had begun to fade with the sharp stabs becoming a thing of the past, it was evident to her that the restrained power was building and building, yet never quite within her reach. Uncooperative, just as always.
Giggling a little bit, she let go of Sonny, awkwardly trying to climb over the ledge. Her belts jangled like little bells, and her boots kicked and scrambled against the wood with repetitive thumps. During the first attempt, she fell back down, landing firmly on her two feet after barely making an inch of progress. For the second, she started on the tips of her toes, hoisting her waist over the edge and then flailing a little. Eventually, she managed to get a knee up and roll over onto the wooden platform.
Sonny, having walked around to use the steps, was already there to meet her, looking down at her with an outstretched hand and an expression of amusement. One eyebrow raised and the corner of his smile curled upwards sharply.
Ebony blushed faintly but took his hand nonetheless, flushing more once she noticed the stairs she'd missed. She awkwardly clung to him for a little longer than necessary, sapping up his warmth like a cat by the fire on a cold winter's day. Letting go and stumbling back a moment later, she meshed her fingers together, suddenly finding that counting the exact number of nails on the wooden floor was a good use of her time.
"... Right." Sonny clapped his hands. A very faint rosy red bloomed on his cheeks, fading as he pulled out his whip. "We need to work on your skill with your scythe - you can't rely on brute strength alone."
"O-okay!" Ebony stuttered, jerking her back to stand up straight and make sure Sonny knew she was still paying attention - as interesting as the floor was, she didn't want to be rude. Especially when he was going out of his way to help her. "B-but... what if I hurt you?"
Just as he was about to answer, she paused, focusing for a moment and muttering a signature incantation under her breath. Her vibrant green eyes were engulfed with a faint glow, quickly shifting to a deep blood-red. "Forces of the darkness, hear my plea. Grant me a weapon, fight side by side with me."
She reached out her arms, twirling a translucent purple beam of light as her scythe slowly materialised in her hands. Purple flames splurged and dispersed from the tips, coalescing into a curved silver blade similarly - yet considerably faster - to how an icicle might form from dripping water. Clasping the warm ebony staff close to her chest, she closed her eyes, willing some of her magic through the conductive circuits of the weapon. Her scythe was bound to her - as unreliable as her magic often was, her ebonywood hellscythe never failed her. The silver crescent blade flickered, metal flaking off with wisps of purple fire leaving only a deep violet shadow.
"I think this should work," she commented, voice raised to a slightly higher pitch than usual, yet calm with a distinct pride behind it - as if trying to entice praise from her friend. Tentatively, she waved her hand through the holographic shadowy blade, feeling nothing but a faint fuzz. She beamed, waving her hand with more energy. She pulled away, harmless purple flames fizzling over fingerless gloves for a few seconds.
"Nice job, Eb." Sonny took a small step forward, reaching out and ruffling her silky hair. Ebony shifted onto the tips of her toes, pushing her head into his palm until the moment he moved it away, where she made a point of pouting and smoothing it out.
While she fiddled and fidgetted, still holding her scythe with her other hand, Sonny experimentally brushed his hand over the shadow. He grunted very faintly but managed to recover and turn it into a hum, like one a scientist might make when examining a new substance in a test tube. A dull burning sensation enveloped his fingers, lingering afterwards. It didn't feel as painful as an actual cut, but his hand felt a little sluggish, like it was wounded but without the pain. He didn't show it on his face though - Ebony's new blade didn't seem to actually be harmful.
Swirling his whip in his good hand, Sonny took a few steps back, then opened his arms leaving his chest unprotected. "Come at me," he smirked.
Ebony took a step back herself, standing in a 'battle stance'. Her scythe was clasped with both hands, wound up like an oversized baseball bat. She twisted her foot, letting her cape flourish dramatically while using he magic to accentuate its movements - keeping her hood back. She bent her legs, winding up a little more and preparing to kick off the floor for a slight boost in speed - already forgetting his comment about brute force. Dark purple flames rushed over her skin briefly before fading away, casting a wave of heat over the room before it dispelled. No longer worried about hurting him, knowing Sonny could take the blunt force of the staff, she didn't hold back.
Sonny merely held still, patiently waiting and cocking his head, preferring to teach her by example. If Ebony was paying attention, she'd notice the faint light glow forming around him, a dense shield of air compact enough to completely deflect attacks heading too far off course.
Muscles tensing at the last moment, Ebony pounced, running and jumping forward with somewhat impressive speed for someone of her build. Footwork untrained, she skidded to a stop, spinning with all her might while her boots slid over the rough wood. Her scythe was held out far, its maximum length used for the attack with all of the force in the swing residing at the tip. The blade trailed behind. Flames raced after it, arcing and curling in the air before dripping down to the ground like glowing specs of rain. Ebony had to lean back a bit to counter the weight behind her spinning scythe - balanced precariously on her heels.
Perhaps, had Sonny merely been a pillar of stone, he may have smashed, shattering into hundreds of pieces or simply cracking into two. But, rocks didn't move, dodge, or block - but Sonny did. While Ebony began her swing, instead of moving out the way or trying to block like she expected, he simply stepped forwards, letting her arms weakly crash into his raised guard. Momentum halted, she wobbled, no longer able to use the centripetal force to keep herself standing.
With a clatter, the smooth ebony slipped out of her fingers, her arms flailing to try and help her stay steady. Her heels slipped out from under her nonetheless, and she experienced the brief moment of panic akin to leaning back too far on a chair, only for Sonny's arm to wrap around her back, catching her and bringing her close. She scrunched her arms in, instinctively huddling into his chest. He squeezed her shoulder before steadying her to her feet.
"What did I say about not relying on brute strength?" He tilted his head, not outwardly amused.
"T-to not to," she squeaked, skin heating up a little bit from the proximity. She drooped a little bit, disappointed in herself - she'd just wanted to show him how cool she was. "B-but if I don't hit hard, how will I smash a skeleton or beat something really strong? T-that's how I beat the darklings."
Sonny reached out, gently rubbing her shoulder and subtly turning her to face him. "I said not to rely on it - not that you can't be strong. You have to aim and refine your strength: control it, don't let it control you. You fell over because your swing was the only thing stopping you from doing so, and your attack was consequently too forceful that you had to lean back. If you'd attacked while standing still - maybe moving forward to support it - you wouldn't have had that problem. Your concentration should be on your target, you shouldn't be putting all your focus towards the attack itself."
Eyes wide and attentive, having shifted back to green the moment she dropped her scythe, Ebony tried to take in as much information as she could. Next time. Next time would be the one. She nodded affirmatively, and Sonny disengaged, moving a few steps back once again. "I-I'll try."
Clumsily, she picked up her scythe, fumbling with the long weapon - it was almost as tall as her, only a couple of inches smaller. Stepping back herself, she experimentally spun the long staff in her hands, letting the faux-blade cut harmless through the wooden floor, leaving thick lines of purple flames in the areas it touched for a second or so.
Crack.
A whip snapped back inches in front of her nose. She yelped in shock, protectively raising her weapon to cover her face.
"You won't have the luxury of time in a real fight," Sonny spoke. "Most opponents won't wait for you to make the first move."
"B-but I wasn't ready yet..." she mumbled. As much as she wanted to show Sonny that she was learning from his teachings, she didn't want to make a fool of herself again.
"Exactly." A moment later he grumbled something under his break, inaudible to Ebony. "I'm sorry for being harsh, Eb," he sighed. "But it's better to learn this now than in a real fight."
"N-n-n-no." She shook her head rapidly. "I understand." This was something she had to do. If she didn't improve now, then when would she? It was almost certain they'd have to fight monsters on their way to Omni. Idly, she wondered if there was a better way somewhere else in the Omniverse, through a different gate at the Nexus... But she didn't want to go back there. It scared her. The dull dead white was almost painful to look at - much worse than the lava at the Steppes and the toxic, acidic air. She was used to it by now, and her body naturally protected her from it well enough.
"Alright." Sonny shook out his whip, then coiled it up in his hand. "Let's try this again. Be careful this time." He turned up the palm of his free hand, beckoning her and restoring his defensive magic.
It took Ebony a couple more seconds to steel her nerves, but she nodded, humming gently and making it obvious she ready. Somewhat strategically, she tried to avoid tensing her muscles, remaining relaxed in her standing post, not making it quite obvious when she was going to make her move. She took a deep breath, looking like she was computing complicated algebra in her head. Finally, after a few more seconds, she stepped forward.
Unlike last time, she didn't break into a run or move particularly fast. Perhaps in her cautiousness, however, she was actually a little bit too slow. With a simple step back, the ethereal blade missed Sonny by an inch. Undeterred, she brought the scythe back around, this time thrusting during her swing - but not quite hard enough to subtract from her stability.
Crack.
His whip lashed out, wrapping around the staff and pulling it to the side. Enough that the blade almost nicked his body, deflected by the high air pressure surrounding his skin.
Ebony yanked, pulling her weapon free and resisting the urge to charge or be more forceful. She kept her eyes on him with the intention of manoeuvring her scythe towards him each time. It wasn't skilful by any means - and self-respecting swordsman would have parried and closed the distance within seconds of her first attack, easily delivering their final strike.
Thus, any observer wouldn't have found it surprising that, while she was trying to make subtler movements, Sonny stepped inwards with ease, raising an arm to block her staff once he got closer. As much as she'd tried to aim or concentrate on him, her attacks never seemed to hit - he wasn't even dodging that fast. His whip snapped again, hitting the ground. Ebony didn't yelp this time and instead simply reached out with her magic, instinctively shunting him back. Quick. Forceful. And unexpected. All while winding up another swing of her scythe.
With great satisfaction, the shadow sliced over Sonny's chest, leaving a lingering burning wound signifying her minor victory. She smiled faintly while he stumbled, proud of the attack and hoping she'd impressed him.
The duelling area itself consisted of a raised platform - like a stage - coming up a bit higher than her waist. It was about ten metres wide and circular with no boundaries around the edge. They'd passed a few Koopa guards on the way, some of them chatting idly, others at their posts, but all of them parted for Sonny and Ebony. Faintly, if she was paying attention, she might have heard some of them whisper about her. Rumours and stipulation about what happened in the library. Some good: they'd fought off the evil skeletons. Some bad: they were the cause of it all. None of it had registered to her ears, and she'd simply smiled, but Sonny notably frowned slightly. He made an effort to cover it up with a genuine grin whenever Ebony glanced back at him, her warm expression transferring to him.
Deep down, Ebony could feel her mana bubbling, frothing and clashing against the imposing energies. It was active enough without her suppressing choker, but the growing dark energies only made it worse. Little flickers and specs of heat flowed through her blood, warming her fingertips. Gradually building. She hadn't noticed at first - only feeling a dull ache - but once the pain had begun to fade with the sharp stabs becoming a thing of the past, it was evident to her that the restrained power was building and building, yet never quite within her reach. Uncooperative, just as always.
Giggling a little bit, she let go of Sonny, awkwardly trying to climb over the ledge. Her belts jangled like little bells, and her boots kicked and scrambled against the wood with repetitive thumps. During the first attempt, she fell back down, landing firmly on her two feet after barely making an inch of progress. For the second, she started on the tips of her toes, hoisting her waist over the edge and then flailing a little. Eventually, she managed to get a knee up and roll over onto the wooden platform.
Sonny, having walked around to use the steps, was already there to meet her, looking down at her with an outstretched hand and an expression of amusement. One eyebrow raised and the corner of his smile curled upwards sharply.
Ebony blushed faintly but took his hand nonetheless, flushing more once she noticed the stairs she'd missed. She awkwardly clung to him for a little longer than necessary, sapping up his warmth like a cat by the fire on a cold winter's day. Letting go and stumbling back a moment later, she meshed her fingers together, suddenly finding that counting the exact number of nails on the wooden floor was a good use of her time.
"... Right." Sonny clapped his hands. A very faint rosy red bloomed on his cheeks, fading as he pulled out his whip. "We need to work on your skill with your scythe - you can't rely on brute strength alone."
"O-okay!" Ebony stuttered, jerking her back to stand up straight and make sure Sonny knew she was still paying attention - as interesting as the floor was, she didn't want to be rude. Especially when he was going out of his way to help her. "B-but... what if I hurt you?"
Just as he was about to answer, she paused, focusing for a moment and muttering a signature incantation under her breath. Her vibrant green eyes were engulfed with a faint glow, quickly shifting to a deep blood-red. "Forces of the darkness, hear my plea. Grant me a weapon, fight side by side with me."
She reached out her arms, twirling a translucent purple beam of light as her scythe slowly materialised in her hands. Purple flames splurged and dispersed from the tips, coalescing into a curved silver blade similarly - yet considerably faster - to how an icicle might form from dripping water. Clasping the warm ebony staff close to her chest, she closed her eyes, willing some of her magic through the conductive circuits of the weapon. Her scythe was bound to her - as unreliable as her magic often was, her ebonywood hellscythe never failed her. The silver crescent blade flickered, metal flaking off with wisps of purple fire leaving only a deep violet shadow.
"I think this should work," she commented, voice raised to a slightly higher pitch than usual, yet calm with a distinct pride behind it - as if trying to entice praise from her friend. Tentatively, she waved her hand through the holographic shadowy blade, feeling nothing but a faint fuzz. She beamed, waving her hand with more energy. She pulled away, harmless purple flames fizzling over fingerless gloves for a few seconds.
"Nice job, Eb." Sonny took a small step forward, reaching out and ruffling her silky hair. Ebony shifted onto the tips of her toes, pushing her head into his palm until the moment he moved it away, where she made a point of pouting and smoothing it out.
While she fiddled and fidgetted, still holding her scythe with her other hand, Sonny experimentally brushed his hand over the shadow. He grunted very faintly but managed to recover and turn it into a hum, like one a scientist might make when examining a new substance in a test tube. A dull burning sensation enveloped his fingers, lingering afterwards. It didn't feel as painful as an actual cut, but his hand felt a little sluggish, like it was wounded but without the pain. He didn't show it on his face though - Ebony's new blade didn't seem to actually be harmful.
Swirling his whip in his good hand, Sonny took a few steps back, then opened his arms leaving his chest unprotected. "Come at me," he smirked.
Ebony took a step back herself, standing in a 'battle stance'. Her scythe was clasped with both hands, wound up like an oversized baseball bat. She twisted her foot, letting her cape flourish dramatically while using he magic to accentuate its movements - keeping her hood back. She bent her legs, winding up a little more and preparing to kick off the floor for a slight boost in speed - already forgetting his comment about brute force. Dark purple flames rushed over her skin briefly before fading away, casting a wave of heat over the room before it dispelled. No longer worried about hurting him, knowing Sonny could take the blunt force of the staff, she didn't hold back.
Sonny merely held still, patiently waiting and cocking his head, preferring to teach her by example. If Ebony was paying attention, she'd notice the faint light glow forming around him, a dense shield of air compact enough to completely deflect attacks heading too far off course.
Muscles tensing at the last moment, Ebony pounced, running and jumping forward with somewhat impressive speed for someone of her build. Footwork untrained, she skidded to a stop, spinning with all her might while her boots slid over the rough wood. Her scythe was held out far, its maximum length used for the attack with all of the force in the swing residing at the tip. The blade trailed behind. Flames raced after it, arcing and curling in the air before dripping down to the ground like glowing specs of rain. Ebony had to lean back a bit to counter the weight behind her spinning scythe - balanced precariously on her heels.
Perhaps, had Sonny merely been a pillar of stone, he may have smashed, shattering into hundreds of pieces or simply cracking into two. But, rocks didn't move, dodge, or block - but Sonny did. While Ebony began her swing, instead of moving out the way or trying to block like she expected, he simply stepped forwards, letting her arms weakly crash into his raised guard. Momentum halted, she wobbled, no longer able to use the centripetal force to keep herself standing.
With a clatter, the smooth ebony slipped out of her fingers, her arms flailing to try and help her stay steady. Her heels slipped out from under her nonetheless, and she experienced the brief moment of panic akin to leaning back too far on a chair, only for Sonny's arm to wrap around her back, catching her and bringing her close. She scrunched her arms in, instinctively huddling into his chest. He squeezed her shoulder before steadying her to her feet.
"What did I say about not relying on brute strength?" He tilted his head, not outwardly amused.
"T-to not to," she squeaked, skin heating up a little bit from the proximity. She drooped a little bit, disappointed in herself - she'd just wanted to show him how cool she was. "B-but if I don't hit hard, how will I smash a skeleton or beat something really strong? T-that's how I beat the darklings."
Sonny reached out, gently rubbing her shoulder and subtly turning her to face him. "I said not to rely on it - not that you can't be strong. You have to aim and refine your strength: control it, don't let it control you. You fell over because your swing was the only thing stopping you from doing so, and your attack was consequently too forceful that you had to lean back. If you'd attacked while standing still - maybe moving forward to support it - you wouldn't have had that problem. Your concentration should be on your target, you shouldn't be putting all your focus towards the attack itself."
Eyes wide and attentive, having shifted back to green the moment she dropped her scythe, Ebony tried to take in as much information as she could. Next time. Next time would be the one. She nodded affirmatively, and Sonny disengaged, moving a few steps back once again. "I-I'll try."
Clumsily, she picked up her scythe, fumbling with the long weapon - it was almost as tall as her, only a couple of inches smaller. Stepping back herself, she experimentally spun the long staff in her hands, letting the faux-blade cut harmless through the wooden floor, leaving thick lines of purple flames in the areas it touched for a second or so.
Crack.
A whip snapped back inches in front of her nose. She yelped in shock, protectively raising her weapon to cover her face.
"You won't have the luxury of time in a real fight," Sonny spoke. "Most opponents won't wait for you to make the first move."
"B-but I wasn't ready yet..." she mumbled. As much as she wanted to show Sonny that she was learning from his teachings, she didn't want to make a fool of herself again.
"Exactly." A moment later he grumbled something under his break, inaudible to Ebony. "I'm sorry for being harsh, Eb," he sighed. "But it's better to learn this now than in a real fight."
"N-n-n-no." She shook her head rapidly. "I understand." This was something she had to do. If she didn't improve now, then when would she? It was almost certain they'd have to fight monsters on their way to Omni. Idly, she wondered if there was a better way somewhere else in the Omniverse, through a different gate at the Nexus... But she didn't want to go back there. It scared her. The dull dead white was almost painful to look at - much worse than the lava at the Steppes and the toxic, acidic air. She was used to it by now, and her body naturally protected her from it well enough.
"Alright." Sonny shook out his whip, then coiled it up in his hand. "Let's try this again. Be careful this time." He turned up the palm of his free hand, beckoning her and restoring his defensive magic.
It took Ebony a couple more seconds to steel her nerves, but she nodded, humming gently and making it obvious she ready. Somewhat strategically, she tried to avoid tensing her muscles, remaining relaxed in her standing post, not making it quite obvious when she was going to make her move. She took a deep breath, looking like she was computing complicated algebra in her head. Finally, after a few more seconds, she stepped forward.
Unlike last time, she didn't break into a run or move particularly fast. Perhaps in her cautiousness, however, she was actually a little bit too slow. With a simple step back, the ethereal blade missed Sonny by an inch. Undeterred, she brought the scythe back around, this time thrusting during her swing - but not quite hard enough to subtract from her stability.
Crack.
His whip lashed out, wrapping around the staff and pulling it to the side. Enough that the blade almost nicked his body, deflected by the high air pressure surrounding his skin.
Ebony yanked, pulling her weapon free and resisting the urge to charge or be more forceful. She kept her eyes on him with the intention of manoeuvring her scythe towards him each time. It wasn't skilful by any means - and self-respecting swordsman would have parried and closed the distance within seconds of her first attack, easily delivering their final strike.
Thus, any observer wouldn't have found it surprising that, while she was trying to make subtler movements, Sonny stepped inwards with ease, raising an arm to block her staff once he got closer. As much as she'd tried to aim or concentrate on him, her attacks never seemed to hit - he wasn't even dodging that fast. His whip snapped again, hitting the ground. Ebony didn't yelp this time and instead simply reached out with her magic, instinctively shunting him back. Quick. Forceful. And unexpected. All while winding up another swing of her scythe.
With great satisfaction, the shadow sliced over Sonny's chest, leaving a lingering burning wound signifying her minor victory. She smiled faintly while he stumbled, proud of the attack and hoping she'd impressed him.