Double Dragons

[Kotone]

Galuna Island. Kotone had never been to this place. It was small and remote. And it had required a boat to get there. Dear spirits the boat ride. She was not looking forward to the trip back. As cool and calm as she looked at the moment, not an hour ago she had been trying not to die as the boat rocked gently (or if you asked her… violently) back and forth. She was away from the pier, and not yet ready to head into the little village near where the boat had landed. People weren’t her favorite creatures, and after a boat ride she was grumpy. She’d told Raven she would meet him in the village later. When she was tired of wandering alone in the forest.

It was warm. Very warm. And humid. Kotone had abandoned her jacket, handing to Raven and grumpily telling him she would be back for it, and that she would kill him if he lost it or left with it. She really liked her long black jacket, after all. But she was the ice dragon slayer, and heat was not really her thing. She was much happier in the colder months, or just plain colder parts of Fiore. It was spring, and this was at sea level near Fiore’s warm ocean currents. Kotone wiped her forehead, grumbling as she kept marching through the trees to find out what was in the area. Kotone had always enjoyed exploring, and she had grown up in the woods for the first part of her life, both before and after Krendall had abandoned her. If it hadn’t been so hot, it would have reminded her a lot of home.

Finally, Kotone stopped, looking up at a branch. It was time to sit down for a bit. She adjusted her blouse and skirt before crouching slightly and leaping up onto the branch gracefully. She stood there for a moment before letting out a soft, if slightly frustrated, sigh and sitting down on the branch. “Alright, Sid,” Kotone told the cat that had been napping in the backpack she wore. “I’m done romping for a bit if you want to nap somewhere less… warm.” As if he understood her, a little black head popped out of her bag, mewing softly before leaping onto the branch and curling up. If there was one thing about Sidney, it was that he understood how to relax. He did that a lot.

Kotone’s sharp yellow eyes darted around the forest as Sid laid down. Someone was around - she could smell them. They were somewhere upwind, but they weren’t making a ton of noise. It was like they were used to walking around in the wilderness. But then, that did make sense where she was now. Maybe it was one of the locals. Kotone decided to stay quiet and stay put to find out.

Word Count 480/1500 Ice Dragon's Claws

[Tatsuma]

Tatsuma had taken a ship to Galuna Island, running freely along the ship... freely at first until someone decided to try to snatch him off of the edge he was running on. In the end twenty people had held him down on the ship while one person tied him up and he had been in the rest of the ship ride had been total torture. Still, once he was off and untied he took off running into the forest like a bat out of hell. After about an hour he had pretty much run off all of the excess energy and his body had caught up with itself since he could move again. He had even managed to catch a rabbit.

The rest of his stay on the island so far had been uneventful, he carried himself upwind, sparked a fire with an electrical discharge from his hand and took care to cook his bunny evenly.
"Well bunny you were cute... But unfortunately you're made of meat." He said to the cooked rabbit as he chomped into it. Finally he had managed to find a cave where he could hold up for the majority of the night once the sun set. The high humidity made plenty of static available in the air and he snacked on that a bit for desert, enjoying the freedom of not having to deal with the magic council and being able to


By this point he was having fun with his little forest excursion, but that was before he caught a wiff of something that smelled like another person. He couldn't really tell where they were at the moment, but he got an idea pretty quickly when he jumped from a tree branch and started lancing toward her at a speed most wouldn't have been able to react to. Unfortunately, Tatsu counted as most and while he was able to twist in the air to keep from running full speed into her his foot hit the branch catching the tip of the cat's tail and his momentum carried him into the girl anyway.

It wasn't a big deal to twist in the air so that he could land on his feet and hands and roll forward to minimize damage, and he could have thought of worse things that could have happened besides crashing into a random girl in a tree. He hadn't really gotten to check her out mid crash, but he took the time to do so after he landed.
"Um... Hi I'm Tatsuma and I'm an alcoholic?" He offered with a smile.

Word Count 429/1500 Lightning Scalpel

[Kotone]

Kotone had been waiting on the smell to come closer, but she certainly hadn’t expected it to come crashing towards her in the form of a slightly younger kid. Sidney yelped loudly as his tail was stepped on, hopping down out of the tree even as Kotone thudded to the ground under the boy. She could have caught herself if not for him blocking her movements. It hurt, but it wasn’t that bad. Kotone had taken much worse in her seventeen years. She had let out a strangely girly squeak when he ran into her. She’d expected him to come from the ground not a tree! Now he was basically on top of her, and obviously looking her over like some sort of pervert. Kotone quickly covered herself with one hand and shoved him off roughly with the other as he introduced himself.

She leapt to her feet quickly, her one arm still covering her chest while the other was ready at her side in case he decided to attack her or something. “What kind of moron goes crashing into girls in trees?!” Kotone demanded of Tatsuma, her scowl revealing her dragon fangs. She looked to be a mix of embarrassed from his actions, and angry at the same time. There was a slight rosy blush to her cheeks, and she was slightly flustered. Which didn’t help her reaction any. “How dare you just check me out like some sort of animal!” she growled.

Word Count 724/1500 Ice Dragon's Claws

[Tatsuma]

He got off of her as she shoved him and without resisting at that. He was even kind enough to extend to help her up, but she was on her feet before he got the chance to ever fully extend his arm, at which point the he extended to help became the hand scratching the back of his head.
"Normally when I'm in the forest I'm the only one in the trees. It makes it easier to hunt and get around. Why where you in the trees just sitting there?!? Don't you know that's a high traffic area?" He said pointing up to some birds that had been startled by the recent exchange.

That was about the point he realized that he hadn't addressed her question about checking her out.
"And as for checking you out I was on top of you. I don't know just label it as me wanting to make sure that you're okay." He said with a smile, scratching the back of his head a bit harder, but stopped when he realized what he was doing and put his hand down by his side. He wasn't sure what exactly she was doing in the forest in the first place, but Galuna Island wasn't commonly where people came for vacation because of all the rumors.  That meant to him that she either hadn't heard those rumors, or she was a confident mage... or her boat was stuck... okay so maybe it wasn't such a random occurrence for her to be here.

"I'm sorry I stepped on your cat." He added, trying to get her to calm down. That was when he noticed the fangs. It was odd, but he didn't think of it as anything at the time.

Word Count 720/1500 Lightning Scalpel

[Kotone]

“High traffic area? What are you a gorilla?” kotone asked, folding her arms and lowering her defensive stance for the moment. She still wore a glare, obviously angry at Tatsuma for running into her and then looking her over without her permission. Not that he or anyone would likely be getting her permission in the near future.  Fortunately for Tatsuma, Sid was more forgiving than Kotone, and when he apologized for stepping on him, he mewed softly, licking the end of his tail to make it feel better.

“You couldn’t hurt me that easily, kid.” Kotone told Tatsuma. She was only about a year older than him, but she still referred to him as a kid. Not that she was truly aware of his age. “I’ve handled a lot worse than an idiot barreling through the branches.“ More than being upset at being hit, she was angry she’d guessed wrong about how he would approach her. She’d been looking to the ground and thinking she would get the drop on him, but that obviously wasn’t the case.

The wind picked up slightly, it seemed, blowing her skirt and her ponytail a bit, and giving her the first relief the ice user had had in what seemed like forever. Kotone’s guard didn’t drop despite her fighting stance dropping. “So what are you doing barreling into girls in the woods anyway, huh?” she demanded. She was being rude. That was normal. She would let up if he managed to calm her down and change her mind about him. Right now she was getting that same pervert vibe she got from Raven. She was on an island with two perverted men. Great.

Word Count 1003/1500 Ice Dragon's Claws

[Tatsuma]

Tatsu listened to the girl's angry rant and then, at the end of all that, just busted out laughing like he hadn't in a long time. Something about the girl was familiar. Once he got control of himself he started responding to her verbally, because not doing so would have been a travesty.
"Well it's probably good that you've dealt with worse than just idiots in trees because if you hadn't this island would probably eat you alive, but I'm glad you're not hurt. As for what I'm doing here, I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. Also the hunting here is pretty good because of the climate and it's a lot less crowded than Akane Resort. In fact it's so devoid of tree people that you're the first one I've run into... literally." He replied, never one to be concise when talking to the opposite sex.

Once that whole explanation was out of the way he realized he was being rude.
"I'm sorry I've been rude. What brings you out to the woods little girl? Surely your parents didn't just bring you to this place of their own accord." He stated in a condescending tone, as if he was talking to a very young child.

Word Count 963/1500 Lightning Scalpel

[Kotone]

Kotone thought the boy talked a lot. It was almost annoying. He was out here to get to know himself and survive nature or something. Kotone could do that easily. She just appreciated human society a bit more than she liked to admit. As much as she disliked people, not having to kill and prepare your own food was a pretty nice thing that she’d never stopped appreciating. She nearly stopped listening as he rambled, though she twitched slightly when he mentioned literally running into her.

That was when he apologized. She wasn’t’ about to say it was fine or anything like that. She wasn’t much for apologies, especially not on her end.  She didn’t have much chance to, however. He asked what brought her to the woods… and certainly got more of her attention when he referred to her as a ‘little girl.’ She might not consider herself exactly an adult, physically speaking, but she was completely self-sufficient and certainly no child. “Little girl?!” she practically shouted. “I’m not a little girl!” she growled. The air cooled sharply around her as her temper flared at what she perceived as an insult, displaying her raw magical power.  Her scowl revealed her fangs again. “I’m Kotone Hoshino,” she finally introduced. “Spell Breaker. Dragon slayer. Take your pick. Don’t call me a little girl!”


Word Count 1225/1500 Ice Dragon's Claws

[Tatsuma]

Tatsu listened when she started complaining about him calling her a little girl. It was disappointing that she would call him names, but then get so incensed when he returned the favor by addressing her as a child. He heard her name, though that didn't make any difference to him. Spell breaker? Oh he had a snappy comeback for that one. Dragon Slayer? Now that one caught his attention.
"You're a dragon slayer too? I'd heard stories of others but I didn't think I'd actually run into one out here in the woods. Though I want to know how you got the nickname spell breaker? What did you stumble upon a guy hitting one someone and break his focus by nagging him? I mean you've got about as much sex appeal as a carrot." He stated flatly. The fact that she was a dragon slayer too didn't mean anything to him... then it finally hit him, and his entire demeanor changed.
"You don't know anything about a dragon by the name of Rhidran do you?!? She's really big, black, she breaths electricity, have you seen her? Or heard anything? or..." He stopped suddenly, realizing he had gone into something of a rant.

His calm came back to him as he finished speaking and he took a step closer to her. He was between frustration that was slowly building into anger, and he couldn't believe she had been out here in the trees of all places. Slowly it was occurring to him that she might not know and that just couldn't be. The very anticipation of her answer was killing him, but he made no physical sign of this other than the ones he had already displayed when he started his mini interrogation.

Word Count 1255/1500 Lightning Scalpel

[Kotone]

“Yeah, I’m a dragon slayer too.” Kotone insisted as Tatsu ranted, though he didn’t stop and only dug himself a bigger hole. She would have had a more surprised reaction if he hadn’t been distracting her with insults. She had the ability to dish out insults… but taking them was a whole other story. “I got spell breaker by beating up mages in the war, you dolt!” she told him, scowling again. “And I do too have sex appeal! Loads of it! I’m freaking gorgeous and you'd be lucky to land a girl like me!” she informed him as her body language got angrier and angrier. It helped that part of her believed that, though her self-image wasn't nearly as good as her self-confidence with her fighting skills. By the time he started asking bout Rhidran she was too angry to answer how she normally would have, and it still hadn’t completely dawned on her that she had encountered another dragon slayer. Well, as far as she knew her second other dragon slayer.

“Parents are overrated jerks who let you trust them then just fly off and leave you alone as a child!” she told Tatsuma instead of answering  his question. “Dragon or not, they’re good for nothing idiots and they could have at least told me where they were going and why instead of letting me waste my freaking life searching for answers that don’t exist about people (she referred to dragons as people as much as humans) who don’t give a damn!” She was angry at Tatsu. But her anger as a general burning rage at the moment, and she had a chip on her soulder for Krendall after all this time. She would very much like to give him a big hug and then deck him for leaving her alone if she ever found him again.

Word Count 1500/1500 Ice Dragons Claws (trained)
62/1000 Ice Dragon's Scales

[Tatsuma]

Tatsuma was barely listening as she spoke the first part, the response to his insults that he had been anticipating, but when she started going off about parents and dragons. From her rant he figured her dragon parent had left her too, but since most people simply didn't believe in dragons to begin with he wasn't going to start worrying about her credibility. This at least explained her fangs. Her outburst about her parent leaving her was somewhat confusing since she was referring to her parent as a person, but he chalked it up to one of her eccentricities, though as she began to get angry and her volume increased, he grew angry at her as well.
"Waste your life? I am also a dragon slayer and I don't consider searching for my mother a waste of my life. If you think about it that way, instead of trying to understand the reason for it as you search then stop looking, go home with your tail between your legs and live your life without her. I'll keep searching for Rhidran, and if I find your parent I'll be sure to tell them how the child they raised considered searching for them a waste of her life!" He shouted back at her, his own fangs revealing themselves as he yelled at her, and as his rage grew electricity started to crackle over his body in waves.

"I don't care if you fought in a war, or how long you've been searching, if you're just going to give up then you don't deserve to find the answers, but maybe when you grow up you'll look back at this moment right now and lament your own uselessness!" He practically roared as electricity crackled even more quickly.  He had no tolerance for quitters, and less tolerance for people who were lucky enough to have known a dragon and then gotten angry with them for leaving. He had gotten over that stage of sadness long ago and more than anything he wanted to find Rhidran and show her how much her absence had made him stronger so that he could finally win their debate about the things that caused people to gain power.

Word Count 1500/1500 Lightning Scalpel (trained)
123/1000 Lightning Storm

[Kotone]

“What you or my father thinks doesn’t matter to me! I don’t give a damn!” she was lying through her teeth. She both hadn’t given up and she cared greatly what Krendall thought, even if this kid’s opinion meant next to nothing to her. “But you know what, you annoying brat…. Boy?!” she shouted, clenching her fists. “I don’t give up on anything ever! That includes searching, even if I do get discouraged.” Kotone clinched her fists, her nails biting  into her own palms. Ice actually started creeping on the ground around her despite the humid heat that permeated the island.

“Do you really think you can just slam into me and then start insulting me like you know anything about me?!” Kotone seemed like she was only getting more and more worked up as she spoke. Which was true. She had already been in a pissy mood when she had arrived on the island, and this child had not only interrupted her, he had stepped on Sid and started insulting her. Now all of that frustration was practically washing off of her like the cold she was generating. “Take back everything you’ve said about me. You don’t understand a thing anyway!” The truth was he probably understood more than she cared to admit. After all, he’d lost his mother just as she’d lost her father. And they both wanted nothing more than to show how much stronger they’d become since they were left to fend for themselves.

Word Count 1500/1500 Ice Dragon's Claws
310/1000 Ice Dragon's Scales

[Tatsuma]

Tatsu was about at his breaking point this girl was contradicting her earlier statement and now she was slinging out insults? Oh no this was not going to stand.
"Keep shouting at me, that's not going to allow everything in the forest to know exactly where we are. Hey while we're at it, why don't you tell me more about what you meant earlier about them being idiots. If you can't at least try to understand them you don't deserve to find them. By all means though, let me show you my resolve if you're feeling confident enough to take a shot. As far as your whining goes, a quantum supercomputer calculating data for a thousand years could not come up with a number to describe the ****s I don't give about your abrasive, sexless, cold-hearted child problems!" He roared, lightning charging at his mouth purely from anger. At the same time, he considered his research after talking to Nessa fairly valuable in this argument. He had taken the time to research all different kinds of machines and computers and archives and permutations just so he could have something to talk to her about next time they met. That thought took away some of his rage, but he was still angry.

He took a few steps back and took a fighting stance, holding his hands up with open palms as he slid his right foot forward and his left foot stood at an angle behind him though the toes of both feet were pointed at her. This had been building here in the forest for a little while now. Despite this, something in the forefront of his mind told him that he had to be careful. This was not the time to lose his way and have his killer instincts come forward.

1500/1500 Lightning Scalpel
425/1000 Lightning Storn

[Kotone]

“I’ll say what I feel like saying, and I don’t owe it to you or anyone to justify it.” Kotone told Tatsuma in a still angry, but strangely subdued voice as she dropped into her own stance. It wasn’t some weird self-taught “styleless” stance so many other mages seemed to pride themselves with. She’d been taught proper martial arts by her father, and she’d grown rather good at them over the years. She might be even better if she actively trained all the time, but the fact that she didn’t and still had proper form and technique spoke volumes without her saying a word. “But if you want to give me a place to vent my frustrations, bring your face a little closer, kid.”

Kotone took a deep breath, the air actually warming up as she took control of the energy seeping out of her. She was hot-headed, impulsive, insulting, and childish, but she was well-aware of how dangerous it was to attack someone in a blind rage. Fighting actually had a way of calming her down, and already she wasn’t in the mood to continue the pointless yelling from a moment before. But that didn’t mean she was about to justify herself to him. He didn’t deserve that. "I was raised by the  oldest and wisest of Fiore's dragons, and he taught me well. Don't think I'm some pushover you can just insult and get away with it."


Word Count 1500/1500 Ice Dragon's Claws
549/1000 Ice Dragon's Scales

[Tatsuma]

Tatsuma smirked at her comment. Rhidran probably would have had a field say about that oldest and wisest comment. Still he wasn't much one to care about what the children of the other dragons thought of themselves, this was a chance for him to put together Rhidran's training and his own training. She was just another opponent to him right now and unless he gave in to his primal fury he was going to have to work to stay calm during the fight, meanwhile she seemed to have calmed down since the fight started, and she wasn't shouting at him anymore.
"You're still talking?" He told her as he slid forward widening his stance slightly and lightning crackled over the course of his body. This humidity was perfect for him, and more than anything he wanted to just cut loose, but first it would be necessary to feel her out.

First, he activated his lightning flash ability, his speed increasing as he did. As he jumped from foot to foot he moved as a blur, making himself difficult to follow as the magic also cloaked his movements. After that he simply went to work. A small blur moved toward Kotone seeking to strike at her legs. He watched as he ran, using his reflexes to step around her and prepare to attack her calf from behind as he passed, though if she turned the target would be her knee. Based on the cold she emanated he was assuming she used some sort of ice based magic but had no other idea what she was capable of. This would be a good chance to find out.

Lightning Flash:

MP: 190/200

1500/1500 Lightning Scalpel
700/1000 Lightning Storm

[Kotone]

For once, Kotone hadn’t been the one to make the first move. Judging by the lightning, Kotone had been prepared for the superior speed of lightning magic, and wasn’t surprised when he activated his speed-raising spell. She was mildly surprised by the distortions the spell created around him, but her superior hearing and smell made him easy to follow. She could fight someone who was faster than her. It wasn’t the first time. It just wouldn’t necessarily be easy.

Timing, Kotone told herself as she kept her eyes on the blur that was Tatsuma. You can beat his speed with proper timing. He probably thinks he’s hiding from you. Kotone didn’t move much at first, but when Tatsu finally got close enough, Kotone acted. She slammed her palms together, yelling the phrase “Wings of the Ice Dragon!” The wings slammed down on Tatsuma. They weren’t a very strong spell, and would shatter on contact with either themselves or their target. However, if they hit Tatsuma, they would certainly hurt some and knock him on his butt. If it worked, she would move to pin him even as he hit the ground. If it didn’t, she would switch to defensive for the moment, ready to block or dodge his attack to the best of her ability.

MP 190/200:

1500/1500 Ice Dragon's Claws
764/1000 Scales of the Ice Dragon

[Tatsuma]

She was keeping up with him? He hadn't even thought about it, but in his experience illusions had been fairly easily seen through and that meant invisibility or cloaking wasn't going to be super effective.
"Damnit." He thought to himself. There was nothing he could do to avoid getting hit by the spell by the time he got a chance to react to it, but he did get a chance to fire back to keep them on more even ground. Wordlessly he hit the ground, sliding forward underneath her as he slid his palm upward, aiming for her chest as he activated lightning palm. He would get hit with her dragon wing, but he wanted to strike his own blow too if it was going to go down like this. As it struck he felt his body chill. He shivered and his body numbed as if the cold was going to strike his very bones. He had to buy time. If it hadn't been for his spell he would already be slowed beyond usability. It made him consider possibly working on a spell that would allow him to hit areas rather than simply use precision. Time froze for him, for but a moment as his hand moved closer and closer to Kotone's chest. He was going to be taking some damage, but he was going to be sharing that pain with her. It promised to be a very shocking experience.

Lightning Palm(overcharged):

Lightning Flash(sustain):

MP:155
wp: 230/250
effects: frost

word count:
1500/1500 Lightning Scalpel
942/1000 Lightning Storm

[Kotone]

Kotone let out a gasp as she slammed her wings of ice down on Tatsuma. She saw the powerful electricity magic slamming up at her chest, but she didn’t have much of a chance to react to it. Which was rather unfortunate. The shock hurt, and caused her to cry out in pain as she recoiled backwards even as Tatsuma slammed into the ground from her own attack. She stepped back, gasping for breath as she twitched a few times involuntarily. She could barely feel her limbs. This wasn’t good. The ice dragon slayer had fought some tough enemies… but dragon slayers were special, and even she knew that. “N-not bad,” she managed after a moment, stumbling again. Man, the electricity of a lightning slayer really hurt.

Lowering her arm, she held out her hand as a sword of ice materialized in her palm. She was going to need consistency if she was going to beat his spikes of energy he was obviously using. The increased reach should help too. It was at this point that Kotone actually smiled. Yes, it was slightly cocky. Yes, she still believed she could win. But it was an actual smile. Her rage had already melted into having fun with this fight. “Alright, kid,” she told him as she recovered from the twitching. “Let me show you what the Spell Breaker can do.” She inhaled her breath sharply before yelling out “Ice dragon roar!” sending a beam of superchilled energy at Tatsuma. It moved in a widening cone, and would be harder to dodge at the distance they were at since she’d knocked him backwards and she had stepped back a few times, herself. It wasn’t the most powerful attack, but every little bit counted. As soon as her roar was finished, she charged forward, already swinging her sword at Tatsuma. She didn’t have his speed, but she certainly had more experience than him. Hopefully it would make up for her disadvantage and already numbed limbs.

WP 200/250

MP 155/200, 2 spells:

Cooldown: Wings 3 turns

1500/1500 Ice Dragon's Claws
1000/1000 Scales of the Ice Dragon (Trained!)
96/1500 Ice Dragon's Breath

[Tatsuma]

Tatsu shivered and his teeth chattered as he got to his feet.
"Y-you e-either." He said between chattering teeth. All of this was slightly before she threw out a dragon roar. It was a little premature to be throwing that out he thought, but hell it was going to be a blast and a half. Still, he was now having fun with this and he no longer had to worry about his killer instinct showing up. His blood was certainly rushing so he trusted his body would work off the cold. The key at the moment was going to completely revolve around not getting frozen anymore. His shock shield went up the second the roar left her mouth. He was half kicking himself half overjoyed at the fact that he hadn't used it before this point.

When the roar closed in, Tatsu's shield returned the damage to her, reflecting the magic and returning it with electrical energy attached. Due to the power of the spell, none of it got through to hurt his shield and he never felt a pull and so he simply stood there as Kotone's frost sword came at him, hoping to turn that damage too, though he waited to see how it was going to turn out. It would be interesting to see how she managed to react to the damage being returned to her. It also bought him the time he needed to recover. Strategically it was the edge he wanted from the very beginning but since she was going all out, or at least seemed to be, he figured he would too.

Lightning Flash(sustain):

Shock Shield(always overcharged):

MP: 130/200
WP:230/250

word count:
1500/1500 Lightning Scalpel
1000/1000 Lightning Storm
211/1500

[Kotone]

Kotone was a bit surprised he blocked her roar so easily, though she supposed she shouldn’t be. She was rushing towards him, and fully committed to her attack. She was fortunate, though, that it was a frost attack being bounced back at her, and she only just barely felt what hit her. The shock hit her with full force again, though, and that probably helped Tatsuma more than she wanted to admit. Still, she was already swinging. The problem was… Tatsu’s defenses were surprisingly good for a lightning user. They usually left little attention to defense, after all. The sword connected, but the shield sent cracks back through the sword, damaging it instead of the shield, which only took minimal damage. “Dammit,” she cursed, letting the sword just finish shattering as she felt yet another shock. She resisted crying out again.

“Alright,” she panted, trying not to fall to one knee. “I admit you caught me by surprise. Heh.” Her arm spasmed as she panted and held onto her shoulder, which hurt after contacting with her shield like it was. She backed up a step or two again. She hadn’t technically given up. But man she was going to be sore. Even with the shock therapy. Unfortunately, she was mostly out of tricks for now, save for her own defensive spells. She entered the defensive this time, jumping back as she pushed her arms outword and caused a dome of ice to rise around her protectively. She needed time to recover a bit and reformulate a plan.

WP 190/250

MP 140/200:

Cooldown - Wings 2 turns,  roar 3 turns

1500/1500 Claws
1000/1000 Scales
353/1500 Breath

[Tatsuma]

Tatsu's shield went down as he watched her attacks deflect and backfire. He was confident, but he was running out of mana. He was either going to have to hold off, or run himself completely out of energy. Neither of those were attractive options and he wasn't sure what all she could do. As such he took to the defensive, watching and waiting to see what she was going to do. He had ideas from this fight about spells he wanted to work on, power he had yet to reach and some way to move forward.
"That is actually my one and only defensive ability. I don't have any others so the rest of my arsenal is about causing as much devastation as I can in a short amount of time." By now the shivering had worn off, he had focused on warming up while his shield had protected him.
"I'm not a fan of your cold attacks though. It slows things down and there's nothing I hate more than being slow. Still, let's see what I can do about this." He added pointing to her in reference to the ice dome that now surrounded her. His breath was labored, not as badly as hers, but he currently had the upper hand.

Still he had seen arrogance turn into defeat before and he wasn't about to play that game. He learned from his fight with Hannah not to just use mundane attacks on magical shields, but he didn't want to expend any more magical energy just to take it down.

He formulated his strategy, and choosing to simply wait her out. Surely she would have to come out and that shield didn't look very mobile. He had been deceived before, but it was something he was willing to gamble.
"Yeahhh, I'm not coming in there." He said as he picked up a large stick and tossing it at the shield. It was more of an attempted intimidation move on his part, though he certainly was serious about letting her recuperate in there. Then, suddenly he had a change of heart.
"Actually instead... LIGHTNING DRAGON ROAR!!" He shouted as a powerful bolt of electricity left his mouth flashing toward her shield and crackling. He then rushed toward her, preparing to use his lightning dragon burst and committed to making the strike.

Lightning Dragon Roar:

Lightning Dragon Burst:

Lightning Flash:

MP: 55/200
WP: 230/250

word count:
1500/1500 Lightning Scalpel
1000/1000 Lightning Storm
605/1500


cooldown: lightning palm- 2 posts
shock shield: 1 posts
Lightning dragon roar 3 posts
Lightning dragon burst 2 posts

[Kotone]

Kotone was able to buy a precious few seconds with her shield, panting and sweating as she was from the heat and the fight. She’d been overconfident. She knew she was good, but she hadn’t been practicing like she used to. Not for over a year. That meant what should have been an easy victory against this kid was turning out to be a major pain, and she wasn’t even sure she could win. While Tatsu was thinking of what to do about the shield and thinking of new abilities to try and train to use, she was thinking she needed to start working hard like she used to. She’d gotten lazy since the war ended, and for the first time she could feel it. “Dad would be so pissed…” she said quietly to herself as she listened to Tatsuma debate what to do about her shield.

She suddenly heard a lightning dragon roar being fired at her, and she shielded her eyes for when the dome shattered, being exactly enough to block his attack. His second attack followed right after, and Kotone gritted her teeth as she tried to think of what to do next in the split second she had. She elected to simply jump back and roll, trying to escape the blast radius of whatever he was doing. It worked, though only just barely as she felt her body jolt with the residual static from his attack. She was getting really tired of being shocked. As she finished her roll she raised up, firing a small ball of hail from her mouth straight at her pursuer. She knew he had to be low on energy, and so she attacked with her martial prowess, throwing a punch she expected him to dodge immediately followed by a knee to his stomach. Her only real problem was, she was getting rather numb at the moment. At least she didn’t hurt much.


WP 190/250 "Shocked"

MP 130/200:

Cooldown – Wings 1 turn, Roar 2 turns, Sword 3 turns

1500/1500 Claws
1000/1000 Scales
675/1500 Breath

[Tatsuma]

Tatsu moved as she rolled and grunted as the hail ball hit his leg. He rolled forward, limping slightly from the not frosted leg.
"Maybe we should have just used our fists!" He shouted. At that his wish was granted, her fist lanced for him he ducked and as he went to turn to block an oncoming knee, but with his leg frozen the way it was he didn't quite get there in time. He needed to back off and buy a little bit of time, though he still had the edge from his lightning flash. As the knee hit he rolled with the damage using the momentum of her kick to help him roll more quickly and prevent further assault. His body crackled with electricity and his hair which had stood up so straight before was now starting to settle as it tended to do when he was extremely low on mana. He was glad that the fight had gone to melee attacks because he only had about one more good spell in him.

As he came out of his roll his body shook slightly as he shivered, the cold was starting to disperse from his leg but in doing so it was making the rest of his body cold. He was on unsteady feet, panting heavily as he recovered from the strike to the side. If she wanted to go hand to hand though, he would obliged. With enhanced speed he rushed forward, throwing his right hand for her throat, he anticipated her dodging or blocking that shot and he prepared to grab her elbow on a pressure point right below above her elbow and got ready to spin, hoping to pull her off balance and step hard on her shin with the remaining hand holding on to her throat. The wolves that he had spent so much time with had taught him what body parts to target, at this point he was looking at her as if she was prey for the singular purpose of bringing her down.

Lightning Flash (sustain):

MP:50
WP:200/250


word count:
1500/1500 Lightning Scalpel
1000/1000 Lightning Storm
947/1500


cooldown: lightning palm- 1 posts
shock shield: cooled down
Lightning dragon roar 2 posts
Lightning dragon burst 1 posts

[Kotone]

Kotone managed to hit Tatsuma, but he was fast and rolled with the knee. That was a lot better than the last person she’d tried that on, that was for sure. He moved back, clearly still chilled from the cold, though Kotone couldn’t say she was faring much better. It was lessening, but she could still feel the electricity jolting through her body and causing her to spasm. Unfortunately for her, her body decided to do that at a rather unfortunate time, and while she did block the attack Tatsu had planned on her blocking, she twitched violently as the electricity finished running its course through her, and she wasn’t able to properly block the rest of his assault. The next thing she knew, her shin hurt, and she was laying on the ground with a hand on her throat. She was managing to hold his hand off enough not to be lacking in air, but if she didn’t do something soon she most definitely would be gasping for breath soon.

“Sorry, kid,” Kotone managed as she grunted from the effort of holding his hand off of her throat. She grinned, revealing her fangs once again. “There’s a reason you don’t blow through your mana that fast.” With that, she let go of his hand and let it clamp around her throat. Because she knew he wouldn’t have ahold of it long. Not if he wanted to dodge her attack. If he could dodge her attack. “Wings.. of the ice dragon!” she gasped, repeating her initial successful attack against him and clapping two wings of ice against both sides of his head if she could manage. She wasn’t going to go down that easily. She might be out of practice, but the daughter of the ice dragon Krendall never gave up without giving it everything she had.

WP 170/250
MP 120/200 – Wings of the Ice Dragon (See above)

Cooldown – Roar 1 turn, Sword 2 turns

1500/1500 Claws
1000/1000 Scales
982/1500 Breath

[Tatsuma]

Tatsu found it odd when she let go of his hand, but he wasn't about to get hit by those damned ice wings again. Annoyed, he decided to use two spells. His body didn't have the mana to overcharge both of them so he went for the Lightning dragon burst being the overcharged one while he used his lightning palm to cause more damage. It was going to use most of the rest of his mana, but he didn't have much of an option. As her attack went off he dropped his lightning flash and, refusing to let go of her, he discharged his lightning palm into her back right over the spine and discharged his lightning dragon burst directly into her throat as he wings struck him yet again. As the lightning discharged and the wings sent him sprawling, he no longer had the energy, neither physical nor magical to simply recover from the attacks, plus that damned ice had his body numbed, though he was counting on it not being anywhere near as bad as her.

Slowly, he recovered from the blow, standing up on his feet once again. His hair hung around his face, he was almost out of energy and would have to recharge soon, much to his disappointment. It had been fun, but this had to end soon.
"My... lightning... is my... lightning. You've done well to... push me this far, my only... regret is that you're... not just a random lightning mage... with food spells." He said between pants, trying to catch his breath as he approached her once more. He still had physical strength, but he felt like he was almost assuredly going to end up being sick tomorrow from all this damned cold. Luckily he was in the right environment to heal and recover from the cold.

He inhaled deeply, moving closer to her with every step. He hadn't been this stuck during a fight in a very long time and he was both grateful and angry. He had lost sight of what he had even started fighting for, but she had definitely given him some ideas to train, and now more than ever he realized that he needed a weapon, or at least some sort of edge when it came to his fights. The anger though was at himself. As far as Kotone went, she had earned his respect as a fighter and the blows exchanged had certainly been some of the most fun he had experienced. It was closing in on what he felt was time for this to end.

Lightning Dragon Burst (overcharged):

Lightning Palm (non overcharged):

MP: 15
WP: 190(FROST)

cooldown: lightning palm- 3 posts
Lightning dragon roar 2 posts
Lightning dragon burst 2 posts

word count:
1500/1500 Lightning Scalpel
1000/1000 Lightning Storm
1378/1500

[Kotone]

In her desperation, Kotone had forgotten exactly how fast lightning could discharge from one source to another. She regretted forgetting that as she was slammed with an alarming amount of electricity, which should have numbed her based on what she felt before… but instead it just hurt. She gritted her teeth and grunted as she tried not to scream. She managed not to… if only just barely. As he flew off she rolled, landing on her feet. She wasn’t giving up without a fight… but… as he turned wobbly in her vision the once cocky ice dragon slayer realized that the fight was already over. She was too numb and too woozy to keep going, and she could barely stay on her feet until his attacks stopped impairing her like they were.

Slowly, she dropped to one knee, panting heavily. Kotone closed her eyes, cursing at herself under her breath for getting so lazy. This kid should have been easy. She’d fought stronger than him. She was sure of it. But she’d stopped training like she should and just let her strength do the talking. Sweat dripped from her brow. She was upset… but not at him. No. Normally it would be at the other person. Kotone Hoshino was good at deflecting blame. But not this time. She knew exactly why she’d lost. Exactly where she should have had just a bit more speed and just a bit quicker thinking to beat him. She had mana in reserve, and she could keep fighting if she forced herself to. But she didn’t deserve to win this time.

“…” Kotone looked up at him, her expression calm and neutral for once as she searched his face. Slowly, she stood back up, obviously wobbly. She stared at the ground once she was up, partially out of personal shame, and partially because looking at Tatsu wobble in her vision made her want to throw up. She hated getting shocked at this point. “I need to practice more,” she admitted, continuing to pant heavily. “I should have made short work of you. But I’m nowhere near in-practice enough. Congrats, kid. I haven’t lost a fight in years.” Her pride was sudued for now, and with her ego temporarily deflated, she looked a lot less like a grumpy, proud dragon slayer who wanted to beat Tatsuma to a pulp and more like the teenage girl she actually was.

“My one regret…” Kotone finally raised her head to look at him, no longer wobbling as much. “Is that I didn’t make you pay for insulting my looks.” She told him with a slight, fang-revealing grin. She stepped over a few steps and leaned against a tree with one hand as she recovered. She was recovering remarkably fast, but it was obvious she wasn’t going to continue.

She looked Tatsu over one more time. She’d done better than she’d felt like she had. That much was for sure. She wasn’t going to complain about that since she’d felt like she’d barely touched him mid-fight. “So tell me, kid. What’s your name? I don’t think you’ve given that. And if you did I probably was too busy yelling to listen.”

1500/1500 Claws
1000/1000 Scales
1500/1500 Breath
13/1500 Ice Shuriken

[Sponsored content]