A River in the Desert (INVITE)

[Thread PL- 5,000]

Why had he come to this god forsaken planet again? Something about being paid to fight, a war, blah blah blah. None of that mattered to him right now. He bent over, taking a break from his long trek. He really needed to get that bastard Mayze to teach him how to fly around, so he wasn't forced to travel through this awful wasteland. He could shadow step, but it was unreliable for long distance travel and likely to wear him out. He stood up straight again, groaning. This was not worth it.

Sometime later, he wasn't sure he had made any progress. He wasn't super sure exactly where the mercanary outpost was, but he thought it was vaguely in this direction. Hopefully he wasn't wrong. His thoughts were interupted by a most glorious sound- the sound of trickling water. He sped up, eyes wide. He had packed enough rations to survive for far longer than his journey would be, but it wasn't enough to live comfortably and he didn't dare risk using more of his resources than he needed to.

Finally, he saw the stream. It was only a small amount of water, but it was a sight for sore eyes. He immediately bent down before he stopped, thinking better of it. He had no idea how much of this wasteland was made toxic by the war, and this river could easily contain traces of dangerous substances he certainly didn't want inside of him. He sighed loudly, not concerned about any wildlife or people around hearing. At the same time, he heard something. He wasn't sure if it was actual a living being, but this was no time to be risky. He swung around, scanning the area around him as he held his pale white sword in front of him, ready to defend himself.

Haupien waited, his sword twitching in anticipation. Then he heard a voice. His body relaxed slightly- if it was some predator, or someone trying to ambush him they wouldn't have announced themselves. He turned his body to the source of the sound, and slowly moved towards them. Traveling down the stream, he came across the other perosn. A Saiyan. He kept his sword in a defensive position, not wanting to appear hostile but not wanting to leave himself open to an attack either. He gave a nod that hopefully came across friendly, as he looked at what they were doing.

"So, any chance this water's safe to drink?" he asked hopefully, blade still up. He really needed to invest in a scouter. While he knew he was stronger than most regular fighters, against any notable one it was a coin flip. He wasn't sure his odds against this Saiyan, but it was very possible he'd find out. He knew the reputation they carried, often fighting for the sake of it, or perhaps for glory or honor. Not only that, but they were strong. Even against a Saiyan matching his strength, he still had little faith in guranteeing a victory, as they could draw upon stores of strength beyond him.

He nodded, listening to her words as he slowly sheathed his sword. The Saiyan seemed friendly enough. Looking at the water again, he decided against it. While a drink would be refreshing, it wasn't needed and didn't sound pleasant. By the sounds of it, he was close enough to the outpost that he should be fine either way. He looked around awkwardly, unsure of what to do now. The Saiyan seemed to have little interest in him, and they didn't seem like the type to be searching for a mercanary for the war effort. He had little reason to linger here, but quite honestly, he was bored of wandering the wasteland and it was a nice change of pace.

"So uh," he started. "What're you doing out here? Not exactly the best place for a casual stroll." He winced at his word. Years of working as a mercenary had left his social skills a little lacking, as his non-hostile interactions had been primarily been limited to fellow mercenaries and employers. Besides, it could be beneficial to get an idea of the various Saiyans around the area. Whether he ended up an ally ot them, or an enemy, having some idea of who they are could prove helpful.

Just like that, Haupien wasn't so sure about his situation. She seemed to capitalize on his question, pouncing on him verbally like a predator on its prey. He stepped back unconsciously as she spoke, thrown off by how much she so willingly revealed. Sure, he had asked, but he hadn't expected such an open and aggressive response. Right now, he wished he was dealing with some sort of ambush or a beast instead.

"Well," he started awkwardly once again. He thought carefully at the question, hoping not to set her off again. At this point, he wasn't entirely sure it was a good idea to reveal his purpose here. The way she described looking for mercenaries worth the time made him wary of giving her another opening to start again. Then again, lying might be just as bad. Weighing the risks, he decided to go with the truth.

"I've come here looking for work. I may have underestimated the unpleasentry of this planet, no offense, and without the ability to fly it's taking me a bit longer than I had hoped to cross this wasteland. And yea, I'm not quite friendly with either yet. I'm still seeing what offers I can get for my work."

Haupien stood still as she quickly evaluated him, the conversation taking a turn. Her question, a relatively simple one, surprised him. What did he want? Ever since he had been scooped up by mercenaries, he had just been living his life from there. He did the normal hired blade thing, training, killing, getting paid. The only thing that had really been unique to him was his blade- while others used technology like blasters, or relied on empowered punches and kicks, his blade his was primary weapon. Carefully honing his skill with it, treating it like an art, was one of the few ways he could increase his connection to his old life- a fact that he ignored in his mind. She offered money, of course. And she offered... status. His eyes lit up at that one. It certainly wasn't a typical reward for a job, but something about it tugged at him.

"Well, money of course is the typical fee. Status however- I'm interested at what you have in mind." A spark of energy traveled through his body as she removed the gear, and brought up a job offer. A smile form at his lips- he was far more comfortable in this scenario. In a fight he knew what to do. He slowly shifted his weight, preparing himself. If he wanted the job, making a good impression would be certainly be important.

In one fluid motion, he drew his blade and swung it in an arc downward, the tip of the blade catching the ground, bringing up a cloud of dust. He lept to his right, the previous action hopefuly acting as a distraction. Landing on his right leg, he'd kick off on it, launching himself at the Saiyans side at full speed, blade drawn.


PL- 5,000
KP- 6/6
MP- 1
Daamge Sustained- 0%/250%

She made an excellent point. Money was something he could always get, it was of course valuable, but status was another thing entirely. Not many could offer such a prize, and this would be a good opportunity to claim such a unique thing.

As he rushed forward, she seemed to have seen through his version, moving to a better position to defend herself and throwing up a reinforced arm to block his assault. He stepped back after his failed attack, in time with her kick. He raised his blade, blocking the strike with the flat of his sword but was pushed back further. He resumed a defensive stance, moving to his side while keeping his body facing hers. He threw out a few swipes of the blade, nothing committed enough to strike her, but instead attempting to dissuade her from moving forward without taking some risk. Like many fights, his main strength would be the extra reach his weapon offered. If he could keep the two at a swords range, he could meet any straight forward attack with relative safety. Hopefully it would either force her to strike in a way that would give him the advantage or to try something risky.

KP- 6/6

MP- 2/6

PL- 5,000

Damage Sustained- 0%/250%


Haupien succesfully kept her out of her range, his blade proving a succesful deterrant. She was forced to resort to something else- an energy blast. He raised his blade to guard himself, and it partially worked. The sword did block the blast, but the electricitry traveled down the blade, giving him a nasty shock.

He grunted in pain, dissoriented momentarily from the energy. He raised his left arm in defense, too late to block the first strike but able to stop any further. He stepped back again, trying to distance himself. She wasn't just a good fighter, but a smart one too. He couldn't rely on playing the defensive game soley here.

He stepped forward, closing the distance he had created. Hopefully the sudden change in tactics would surprise her, as he swept his blade to her legs. Regardless of if it hit its mark or not, he'd step back again, making some distance before going on the offensive once more. He brought his blade above his head, moving it to strike down at her. He'd then twist it through the air, aiming instead at her side. Shadows enveloped the blade, curling around it and infusing it with energy.  It wasn't a hard to recognize feint, but it was going to have much more power than most, making it much harder to stop.

Used Medium Attack- Shadow Jab (1,500 pl) for 2 kp
KP- 4/6
MP- 4/6
PL- 5,000
Damage Sustained- 0%/250%