Earth was famous for martial arts! Caraway didn't really know what those were, but from the quick internet search he did in a public library a half hour prior, martial artists were strong! And skilled! Perfect for BATTLING and BLOOD TASTING! The only issue was finding some. There were plenty of dojos here and there, but the Demon wanted only the cream of the crop. The best of the best. The punchiest of the kickiest. And what better place than a temple that had been taken over by some MAGICAL OLD MAN!? Orin Temple! Famous for its decadence, now once again a place of spiritualism!
It wasn't that hard to stroll right up the steps whistling a merry tune, kicking in the main oriental doors, and glancing around at the kempt courtyard appreciatively. "I hope you hired a good JANITOR!" He roared, cackling. "Because I'm about to paint the place RED!!" Caraway pointed his umbrella tip at the stunned humans around him. "Well? Who will be first!? You lot are MARTIAL ARTISTS, right?" His eyes narrowed, slightly suspicious. "I hope I wasn't lied too... or else I might just have to kill you all for wasting my time. BRING ME THE WARRIORS!"
What a sight the Orin Temple was. The last time Morrigan had been here, she’d meant that in the most negative way, seeing such a reserve of martial discipline reduced to a tourist attraction not much better than an aquarium. When she’d heard that a new master had taken the reins it had sounded too good to be true. Her low expectations ended up subverted, viewing the halls in company of a hospitable monk who was glad to extend the courtesy to a fellow practitioner. With the irony that she was here being given a tour lost on her, Morrigan found herself in a mirthful mood — not that it showed.
She’d like to meet the new head of the temple, but as she’d been earlier informed, the man wasn’t currently in. The monk showing her around had good things to say at least. Though she ended up not paying a lot of attention, given she’d rather form her own opinion. When would she get around to it though? Her preparations were almost complete; soon she’d be on… well, not Earth, which was the important bit. In the meantime, she carried on into the courtyard with her guide where there were plenty others milling about peacefully. Or so it should have been if not for some noisy upstart threatening death lest he get a challenge.
While the normal folk were shocked or evaluating the seriousness of the demand, the little demon would find one stepping up to him, standing out from the Orin disciples for her different gi and ridiculously unkempt hair. She regarded the stranger indifferently, eying the umbrella he held and then his bright yellow eyes. He had no discernible energy either, which would have her more curious if there hadn’t been so much of that going around lately. “You do not need to make so much noise. The temple closed to tourism some time ago, if you had not heard. I thought I should remind you and give you time to reconsider if you are just a malcontent child.”
"Oho? What's this? Someone with a spine for me to rip out?" Manic eyes pivoted, locking onto Morrigan with barely disguised hunger. "Aha! I knew this place would have someone worth my time. Six whole Kili... not bad! Especially for a regular Earth-dweller." If the woman's condescending attitude insulted Caraway any, he didn't show it. "Trust me, I'm VERY malcontent. The most malcontent you've ever seen!" His umbrella snapped open on a whim, the Demon twirling it around cheerfully as he cackled. "You'd better not underestimate me! That mistake could be your LAST."
Caraway held out a palm, fingers brushing against some invisible force as the quiet shrill of whistling wind began to pierce the courtyard. "Here! CATCH!" He'd flick the gathered ball of razor air toward Morrigan contemptuously, the energy behind the attack potent enough to be sensed. Caraway himself wasn't far behind, suddenly blitzing toward his prey with a closed umbrella and attempting to viciously run her through then and there. Not expecting Morrigan to go down with such light blows, he'd perform a neat backflip to distance himself with a laugh, waiting to observe the woman's reaction to his power! Once she realized how serious things were... they could have a real fight!
Well, wasn’t this one swift to kill the benefit of the doubt? The likes of Ant and Chomei had shown Morrigan just how much strength could lie undetectable, so she was at least mentally prepared for a fight as the stranger was in no mood to stand down. He attested to as much and assured her that he should be taken somewhat seriously, though something he had said made her frown. Morrigan ignored him for a moment, inspecting her hands, a tuft of hair, the insides of her pockets, while Caraway prepared for first blood.
“Um… Kili?”
Rather than an elaboration regarding the unfamiliar unit of measurement, she got an attack being flung at her with some force. Morrigan instinctually batted it away with the back of her hand, but winced, suddenly finding a myriad of small cuts adorning her knuckles from just touching the sphere. The demon came for her directly next, dodging away and tensing her stomach as she felt the pointed umbrella glide past. Before she could even wind up a retaliation, he was bouncing away with not a care in the world. Evaluating her, she realized. Disgruntled, she slid her arms out of her long green robe and dropped it to the ground, kicking it back in the direction of the shocked monks. So Caraway was strong. Morrigan didn’t seem overly bothered.
Shifting into a stance, she lowered closer to the ground and held there for a moment, her raised hand dripping blood onto the previously spotless courtyard. A moment later, the distance between them was rapidly shortening with Morrigan’s approach, keeping low like a feline on the hunt until she was close enough to launch an uppercut at the demon’s chin. The power difference aside, it wasn’t a committed enough strike to pack too much force. Like Caraway, she too wanted to gauge his reaction and find the gap between their respective strengths.
He'd land slowly, umbrella open as Caraway held a single finger up while still airborne. "Kili is what we, the bad denizens of the Demon Realm, use as our measurement tool. Battle power scales way too quickly!" The maniac landed softly, snapping his weapon shut and giving it a playful twirl. "That is to say, you're pretty powerful. I like that." The sight of fresh blood, even if thin, was enough to cause Caraway to jitter. "Ah! My beloved crimson!" A tongue ran across his fangs. He was only a little peckish - no need to eat someone whole - but a mighty warrior would make a most excellent snack indeed.
Morrigan darted toward him mid-sentence, the Demon's smile widening slightly as he made no move to avoid. Her fist connected cleanly with Caraway's jaw, his head snapping back a bit as he smacked his lips. "Not bad, not bad! It'd bruise if I were a human like you." With a small burst of energy, he'd empower a punch of his own, fist rocketing straight for the woman's face in an attempt to send her skidding across the courtyard! "Keep me entertained and I won't even drag in any stupid fear-stricken bystanders!"
Of course he was a demon. That might’ve been a surprise to Morrigan once too, but given his appearance and flagrant love for violence, it rather felt like she was being told the sky was blue. She could perhaps assume some magic from him going forward. For now, her strike landed, the physical feedback more satisfying than the verbal. So far so good, though Caraway wasn’t about to let it stay that way as he bounced back from the blow and swiftly offered a retort. Morrigan pulled back, but couldn’t manage enough to put herself out of harm’s way, the demon’s fist connecting with her temple and bouncing her head off the tiles.
She was seeing spots as she propped herself up, while Caraway cackled from where he stood. Vaulting backward into the demon, she used the sudden movement in hopes of catching him unaware, letting loose a kick right into his middle as she spun around. Besides winding him if it hit, the strike also carried a shockwave that would rattle his very energy. Swiftly reorienting herself, Morrigan blinked the fuzz out of her eyes and reset her position opposite to Caraway. It hadn’t been a heavy hit she took, but there was clearly some difference in raw strength between them. She was only six Kili, he said? Though he’d phrased it like it was a lot… It couldn’t hurt to ask, probably. “Indulge me. Do you know how many of these Kili you register as?”
PL: 60,000 Morrigan takes the full damage of Caraway's attack for 30% and retaliates with Flow Disruption (30% = 18,000), which will inflict Exhausted if it deals at least 10% damage.
Caraway whistled as Morrigan's skull rattled across the tiled ground. "Ow! That looks like it hurt!" Like before, he didn't bother to even try and dodge as Morrigan flipped back toward him. The Demon took the kick with much gusto, a 'whump' escaping his lips. "That wasn't-" He paused, face scrunching slightly. "Eurgh. No. That's the sort of trick that I use on people!" Power gap or not, disrupting his energy meant he'd be a bit sluggish until it re-aligned... preferably by FORCING it to with an attack.
Caraway gnashed his teeth, eyeing Morrigan. "Oh? Well, my untimely friend, if you wanted to know the exact gap between us, all you had to do was ASK nicely." He waved dismissively. "I guess I can forgive your underhanded methodology this time! My general level is around nine when I'm not trying too hard. Pretty cool, right? Ha! Once I get going, not even one of those stupid SUPER SAIYANS could stop me."
He tapped his umbrella to the ground thoughtfully: "But something tells me you aren't quite as durable as one of those posers, so I'll go easy on you." With a snap of his fingers, a sharpened blast of air raced toward Morrigan's eyes, intent on blinding her!
Caraway takes the hit for 20% damage! He feels a little weird...
Apr 6, 2024 1:21:15 GMT -5
Lottus: Friendly reminder for new folks to check the rules regarding art claims - AI Art is not accepted on Sparking for character sheets.
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Lottus: Hey folks, got a new phone, but verification is preventing me from downloading Discord for now
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Yakito: I am the #1 Tenrec hater (Striker will be struck)