Restoration (Conquest)

Where storm clouds brew, trouble surely followed. It was an old omen, from civilizations long since past. Ravens and inclimate weather spell doom is what the soothsayers say, and some modern folk might decline such an ancient idea. But this was an ancient place, filled with old souls.

Suffice it to say, omens were very much true in the Karin Wood.

Bing hurried along forgotten paths, where grass overtook the dirt and moss grew on trees older than the stories surrounding them. He wasn’t sure where he was headed, nor why, but his soul told him to move, and so he did.

It was a concerning pulse of Ki that slowed his approach. Power, much more potent and powerful than he could hope to be today, stretched its will outward. Worse still, he recognized the strength all too well.

”Words won’t work here, friend.”

The voice came from the tree line, far off but stoic and strong. Stronger than his spirit let on. Bing appeared in the clearing, a narrowed glare as he walked forward, never losing sight of the monstrous Majin across from him.

”He is quite powerful, and he knows it. Warriors like him seek no betterment, but rather abuse their powers to further selfish goals. A trait I’ve seen far too recently from him.”

His stride stopped when he reached Ramen’s side, and he regarded her for the first time. Despite talking to her this entire walk, his eyes had been locked firmly on Megis. Not that it would do him any good.

”Whether or not restoring this place is noble, I cannot say. Regardless, letting this man restore it, for goals steeped in selfishness? We must not allow.”

Bing’s Ki became alight, emerald energy swirling and mixing with the red of Ramen’s own aura. Despite being total strangers, their goals were aligned, and perhaps, their fates now intertwined.

”Know this, Megis: a victory will not come easily.”

---

Ramen had been focusing so much on the Majin himself that she was taken by surprise at the arrival of Bing Gan. He didn't know her, but she had taken the time to learn a little about him. She eyed him at length before replying.

"And so, the last son of the Serpent School rises," she said.

"I suppose now's as good a time as any to see what you can really do. I take it you have prior experience with him. That, or you're startlingly quick to judge."

She turned her attention back towards the Majin. Megis was his name. She would endeavour to remember it: she had a feeling she would be hearing a lot more of it after today, win or lose. She hopped down off of the roof and landed softly, though the clank of her staff against the weathered tiles rang out above the sound of the still-howling storm.

"I'm sure you believe what you say, but Earth won't look up and see you as some sort of protector: those that know anything about the Lookout will wonder why you've taken an old sacred site as your personal station. Those who know nothing will wonder why you place yourself so high above them, inaccessible to any but the powerful."

She gestured vaguely over the old Lookout, and the large chamber that had always sat in its dead-center.

"This is a place for those who style themselves as gods, to loom unseen by mortal eyes as thankless protectors. Its destruction is, was, and will be again, a laurel in the cap of any monstrous warrior who seeks affirmation. But it isn't average Earthlings who take note. Win or lose, they'll continue to be as oblivious to everything that happens this high in the sky as they were the day they were born."

She didn't expect her words to sway the Majin, but she would at least make her motivations clear to him before the inevitable conflict.

"If you have a problem with the President, Derry--if he is some sort of illegitimate leader that warrants taking direct action against, then the place to do that on the steps of King's Castle. There, your qualms will be heard by the whole of Earth. Not as a powerful being who seeks to lord over them in a literal ivory tower, but someone on the ground level. That's the only kind of person they'll respect."

---

Bing was surprised, but not shocked, to see the soon-to-be battle suddenly come to a stop. It was an odd turn of events, but Bing was taught caution, if nothing else, and so he sat. Among the greenery he knelt, placing his hands together in meditation. Slowly, his energy began to soften; almost sure that this would not turn to combat.

"She is right. Dangerous magics flow through these grounds. Not good, nor malicious. Simply powerful. Harnessing that is in itself a concern."

Despite his warning, Bing did not say much more. He knew eloquent wording well enough, but a silver tongue was not particularly his strong suit. Speaking charismatically was something he struggled with, and petitioning a monster to listen to reason was not the place to practice.

As Ramen moved to halt the magic, Bing simply watched, his meditative stance remaining firm. Despite being strangers, he trusted Ramen implicitly. She wore the colors of a Martial Artist, and her will was tempered and measured. If he could trust anyone, it would be her. Perhaps he would find time to speak with her when this calamity was averted.

As the two warriors clashed in magical prowess, he watched. And, hopefully, he would learn.

---

"I would leave it be," Ramen confirmed. "Unless you're seeking a place in the celestial hierarchy of this planet, it isn't something you should be concerning yourself with. If this comes to blows, you may succeed in claiming the power here--you've caught this planet in a moment of unusual vulnerability, it seems. The guardians who used to loom here are nowhere to be found."

"However, if you do insist on restoring this place, and courting the dangers that it draws to Earth and its protectors, then you should at least allow the power contained within it to remain contained. It isn't yours to use by any right other than right of conquest. You should earn your power yourself."

She continued to pulse kiai's into the plates beneath her, intending to continue destabilizing the Majin's efforts to reconstruct the Lookout. Although she was diverted by fake pieces of debris time and time again, her persistence would at least delay Megis--even if the result here was inevitable, she had no intention of letting it be so simply.

"Bing," she called, as she lidded her eyes. "I want you to focus your senses as carefully as you can. Listen, hear, and see. If any pieces of the Lookout begin to fasten themselves together, then I want you to loose them apart again. You don't need to blast anything. Focus your energy into a kiai wave. While the reconstruction is happening, the foundations should remain vulnerable. Simple force should be enough."

She let out a short sigh. The Majin had since covered his ears, and his chanting nearly drowned out her own voice.

"He's not going to listen any further. This is now nothing more than a test of endurance. But he cannot finish his work here by covering his ears. The world will be better off without this place, and do you really think someone who covers their ears and ignores warnings is someone who will handle the magic here safely?"

"Even the gods and their keepers have forsaken it, they may not hesitate to exact vengeance if a mortal, or a Majin, steal what was once theirs."

She wondered if that much was true--or if they had forsaken Earth all together. That was a question for another day, and one she feared the answer to.

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