It's Never Enough [Yambara Shou]

[Brandt Solveig]

The sound of explosions could be heard were anyone near by. Brandt had taken it upon himself to get a little training of his own done this day. The large male had taken it upon himself to trek a short distance into the woods outside of a village he had been staying at temporarily. 

What had once been a large thicket of growing saplings had been reduced to broken, crushed and smoldering pieces. The stood there, sweat beading upon his forehead. The sun glinted upon his slick skin, allowing his body to tell the tale of the warrior without words. Anyone who saw could tell he had experienced countless battles.

Brandt's chest would heave as he stared at the sword in his hands, extended in front of him. The back end of the blade was smoking, the back side almost a dull red glow. Takehiro's smithy had certainly crafted a wondrous sword. Glancing off toward his left, the man would eye his newest piece of work. A gigantic shield with similar attributes as the very sword he held.

Dropping his sword into the brackets in the Aegis of Vörn, the giant would grasp the large roped at his waist to tighten it as he caught his breath again. So far the work out was going well, but Brandt still couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Baah.. I need live movement. This is useless."

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou had been travelling, not an uncommon thing for him to be doing. Leading Gokaze by the reigns he nonchalantly strolled across the country side, not paying much attention to the world around him. However the sound of a large explosion, would rock him out of his state. Quickly he looked up and off into the distance. Shou couldn't believe his eyes, a single man seemingly had been demolishing a thicket of trees up ahead. 

Shou would speed up a little. Almost jogging forward, Gokaze easily keeping speed with him. Shou approached eye going over the tower of a man, and the shield and sword combo he had. Shou wouldn't like to try and use those weapons, he probably had the strength to. But damn did they look like they would slow some one down. Shou would look over the trees slightly upset at the senseless destruction of them. He could understand cutting them down for furniture and house building materials but this seemed pointless to him.

"What in the name of Amateratsu did these saplings do to you." Shou would ask sarcastically, it wasn't normal for him, but the destruction of a sight he would probably consider peaceful, had him slightly annoyed. "Surely there are better way to test that giant sword of yours?" He would ask more seriously gesturing to the large blade., after letting go of Gokaze reigns.

[Brandt Solveig]

"What is an 'Amaratsu'?"

Those pale green eye settled upon the stranger that had arrived to his little practice area. Maybe it had been the sword's wail which had gained attention. His question was an honest one. Brandt was still unsure of the gods people praised here, instead continuing to reply upon Odin's strength.

"They are trees.. Jürö is resilient. They will rise again."

The nord would study the man for a few moments, before he crouched to grab his tan tunic and pull it onto his form. Brandt did not know exactly what had irked the man nearby, but something in his tone told the giant that he was not happy with his actions here.

"The same could not be said about flesh and blood, such as you however.."

The giants sentence stalled briefly as he crouched down a second time and grasped the shield. Heaving it up and onto his shoulders, Brandt would stand once again and shift on his feet to face Shou once again.

"So you will take their place then, will you not?"

[Yamabara Shou]

The large man's foreign appearance was hit home by the lack of knowledge. Not knowing who Amateratsu was kind of said something about the man. He must be relatively new to the country, or just not care about their culture. Shou couldn't quite tell if the man's following word were or were not a insult. They sound like they could be either, well Shou would force himself not to be offended by it either way.

"I may not be as resilient, however I can choose to resist. I will help you train if you feel that is what you require." Shou would answer. e didn't want to hurt the man, but wouldn't mind a opportunity to smack him upside the back of head, if you needed to train and had a sword that could cleave through tree's with ease. Why not train on stone. Yes it could blunt the blade, but that is what a whetstone was for. 

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt would not first answer eith words, instead grasping the handle of his Zanbato, and pulling it deftly from the brackets in his shield, to rest it upon his right shoulder. Pale green hues stared with a determination unlike any other.

"Then let us enjoy the symphony of steel together.."

The giant would then begin to make his way toward Shou. His pace was as if he had no rush to get this over with. He would stop around ten feet away from his new sparring partner. The man would be in range for strike if he wished, however he would extend the blade in front of him with both hands and wait to strike.

"I hope you to not fall as easily as the trees.."

[Yamabara Shou]

Symphony of steel, Shou didn't quite like the sound of that. It made the large man sound like he took more pleasure in fighting, then Shou ever could. That sword also was really quite big, and the shield would provide decent protection. Well nothing said he had to fight fair, he would show this giant that a strong arm and large weapon wasn't the only way to win a battle. 

Shou would draw his own sword, and slide a dagger into his left hand as well. "If you can hit me that is." Show would answer, before jumping back and throwing the sword. It wasn't aimed right at the man, but thrown so that the sword would head away from the man's blade, before curving in once it had cleared the weapon. His other hand would click the medallion on his daggers and gently toss it at the man's feet, causing darkness to sprout up around him at the same time the sword came at him. 

Shou would then dash in quickly, a burst of speed. Daggers would be flicked into his hands, but it wasn't them that Shou would attack with. Instead he would duck under the man's blade. A sweep kick aimed at the man's ankle, the near invisible blades on his ghost shell greaves planning to take him out out at the ankles. The bigger they are the harder they fall as they say.

(OOC: Activating, Flying Talon daggers, darkness lasts till end of next post. Activating Boots of the Agile Trickster, +1/2 base dex for one post, Current Dex 73, 1 of 3 used, kick attack is less accurate.)

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt would have seen him throw the blade, he would note it not thrown directly toward him, thus Brandt figured it had to be a ploy. However, he planned to screw his plan up a bit. Brandts hands still grasped the handle of his blade, and the giant would activate the power of his gauntlet, his sword directing toward the one thrown.

This would cause Brandt's own sword to become a conduit for metal. Thus it was doubtful Shou's blade would return to him, instead stuck against the flat side of Brandt's own sword.

It was then he would hear the sound of something landing upon the ground. Brandt's vision would be shrouded in darkness before he even realized it. He almost panicked, but instead kept his head together. The nord still had ears and he could hear his opponent begin to moved.

The giant would kick off the ground, shuffling backwards as he rotated his Zanbato in the air and dropped it down in front of him, the backside facing forward. While he could not see, the giant could guess his opponent would come head on after such a dirty tactic. The viking's sword tip would sink a few inches into the earth before he would twist the handle.

The giant did not realized his opponent had dropped into a slide, but it really wouldn't matter regardless. An explosion would rip outward from the back side of Brandt's sword as Shou was sliding directly into it. Shou's sword would also be blasted away as well.

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou could just about see a faint outline of the other man through the darkness, and wasn't surprised when the man back off as he tried to attack. however Shou didn't expect the strange effect of the weapon. The explosive effect would happen not far from him. Throwing him backward and out of the darkness. Turning the force, into a less then graceful tumble Shou land on his feet, pain in his shoulder which had taken the brunt of the blast. He wouldn't be falling for that again. Shou eyes would glance around, his sword had been thrown some distance off, and trying to get seemed like a less then smart idea. Shou would stare into the darkness, just about picking out were the large man was, and prepared himself, as the darkness dropped. 

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt seemed to knock his opponent away with the sword, for he had received no incoming attack afterwards. And now it would seem to be Brandt's turn to take to the offensive. His gauntlet hand would lift and he would release a burst of five, eight inch barbed bolts from mounted crossbow.

The small cone of arrows were more or less used as a distraction to let him clear the distance and get close enough to attack. As soon as he had fired, the giant rushed forward through the dissipating darkness and toward Shou like a beast from the depths.

As he approached he would watch his opponents movements to the best of his ability and judge how to attack from there. If the male jumped moved backwards Brandt would rush in thrusting his sword. If he side stepped either way, the giant would rotate to match, swinging widely with quite the range behind his attacks.

Regardless of the outcome, this was sure to be an interesting spar.

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou saw the multiply projectiles come towards him, and cleanly dived to the side out of the way, rolling and back to his feet again, staying low. As the much larger man would charge him, Shou had expected it though from how the missiles were not really aimed at him properly and seemed to come out like a cone of fire. As the giant sword would come round, Shou would only have to duck a little more to cause it to go over him. 

Shou right arm would come up, a hidden dart launcher in his bracer firing. Being so close it would be hard for the man to dodge. Then Shou would disappear from where he was, as tangible light flying off, before reappearing a short distance away by where his sword was, grabbing it to rearm himself, Shou would watch to see if the darts toxin had taken hold. 

(OOC: Activating Spymaster Secret Shot - Dart lowers targets Base STR and DEX by 1/4 users total SPR (9) for 3 posts. This cannot reduce a targets Str or Dex below 10. 

Activating Musou - Post 1 of 7 )

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt's arrows would miss, and the giant's blade would fly over his opponent's head. However the giant would not catch sight of the man's next attack, for the giant would have continued swinging his sword around. Lucky for the giant, the projectiles would be deflected by that large shield on his back as he spun.

The giant had planned to keep spinning the sword in a 360, but as he had rotated fully back around he noted that Shou was no longer there. Those pale green hues would scan the area just in time to see Shou reappear. Brandt knew he had to clear the distance before his opponent realized what happened. Hunching forward and bracing himself, the giant would activate his shields special ability.

A massive explosion would rip from the backside and launch the behemoth forward toward Shou as he was attempting to re-arm himself. Swinging his sword around, the giant had become a propeller of destruction. However just as he neared Shou another explosion would sound out, this one coming from the back end of his sword blade, thus adding even more speed and momentum to his whirlwind.

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou would be mid rearming, sword almost in his hand his weapon back. As the sound of a large explosion would make him change his coarse of action and look up. The large man was almost flying towards, as another explosion would bring him flying toward him even faster. Shou didn't have enough time dodge completely, or block effectively and as such fell back on using his new powers. 

Calling up the power of light around him, Shou surrounded himself in protective barrier, while bringing up a dagger in attempt to defend. Brandt's sword however was a awesome force, ripping the small dagger from his hand painfully, the crack of the sound of bone made it sound like finger broke, but Shou gritted his teeth. However the blades path continued cutting into his arm as it passed and Shou tried to back out of reach with the block. Shou would let out a guttural growl, but would keep his composure, not falling to the anger of getting hurt. 

As Brandt propeller of destruction continued, the blade coming around once more, Shou would dash forward, diving at the man lower back. The shield got in the way a little. Hopefully taking the man to the ground, Shou would quickly roll of him and two his feet. Bladed leg kicking at the man, while he was still on the ground in the side of the lower left leg. Attempting to hamstring the large man and make it harder for him to move effectively once he got to his feet. Kicked delivered Shou would back off, flicking a dagger into his good hand. Ready to attack the man again while he attempted to stand. 

(OOC: Post 2 of 7 of musou. +1/4 SPR to CON against physical attacks. 55+9 = 64 CON against physical harm while musou is active.)

[Brandt Solveig]

"Ahhaha! That was a close one! Almost took your han-"

Brandt didnt get to finish his sentence before he felt the force of Shou's body against his back. Had it not been for the shield, he probably would have felt more to it. However he would lose his footing, finding himself upon the ground. His opponent would roll off him and Brandt would move.himself. his movement unknowingly saved him.from severe damage to his legs, Shous bladed grieves only managing to tear at the meaty flesh of his thigh.

However he continued his roll onto his back, his right hand extending toward Shou's lower half as he tried to pull away. Again the strangr humming sound would be heard as he activated his glove. His goal was to magnatize Shou's boot to his palm. So long as he managed, Brandt would begin the next phase of his attack.

Without warning the giant would activate his shield once again. The explosive would rip the earth beneath them asunder as the force ofnthe explosion lifted the giant, thus the magnatized Shou, up into the air. Twisting his torso, the behemoth would attempt to get two rotations completely before gravity finished it's job and brought them down.

The idea was simple, Brandt was attempting to slam Shou head first into the ground, reversing the magnatization to shoot him faster into the ground only to land upon him with his shoulder.

It was a quick sequence of events and if all had gone as Brandt planned, his opponent would surely know his strength. This was no longer a simply spar. It was a test of might, warriors seeking for combat dominence. The scrap was heated thus far and Brandt was thrilled to be part of it all.

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou wouldn't expect what happened next, some unseen force dragging his foot forward However Shou would take the opportunity as the force dragged his leg, Shou would raise his arm, the other then the one earlier, his bracer firing a dart much like the last time. He would like to see the man dodge in this time. The man would grab his leg and suddenly the two would be air born with another explosion. It was impressive how the man used those explosion other then to deal direct damage. Though he had to wonder how on earth the man, or the shield could take the force. 

The pair were in the air, and Shou knew that ground would be incoming. His god hand, dagger in hand would lash out as the pair moved up wards. Trying to get the hands that held his foot, to give the man less control of the exactness of their decent. Then crunching with all his abdominal muscles strength. Shou would twist his body as the came back down. It wasn't perfect, but enough that once he tucked his head in, instead of his head hitting the ground his shoulders would take the brunt of it, and even with the physical shield it would hurt. 

As they hit the ground, Shou would try to kick his way free, before he would roll backwards out of the shadow. In pain yes, avoidance seemed like a good tactic now. Shou twisted the light around him, turning the protective field in to a sight concealing bend, rendering him invisible. The getting up, perfectly silently where he was, thanks to his cloak. Shou would creep as silently as he could from where he was, stretching his arms and seeing how much damage his arm had taken. Shou would keep a eye on the other man, while slowly circling him glad he was skilled in stealth. He awaited some form of confirmation on if the other man could figure out where he was. 

(OOC:  Activating Spymaster Secret Shot - As previous use, none left. 
Cloak of the intrepid spymaster - User is perfectly silent if in one spot. 

Musou 3 of 7- CON returns to normal, Shou is invisible. 

[Brandt Solveig]

Brandt with seeth as he felt his shoulder pierced by something, but he had still managed to follow through with the rest of his plan, even if his opponent had managed to save his head for the most part. Brandts forearms crossed to take the brunt of the force from Shou's kicks, sliding back a couple inches as he did.

Bearing his teeth, the nord twisted his neck and bit the end of the dart in his should, tearing it out before spitting it upon the ground. His opponent would roll away before Brandt got a chance to advance and then he wouldnfade into nothingness. Snorting, the giant would stand tall, that gruff voice calling out.

"Ahhahah.. Resorting to trickary and magic? The actions of a coward.."

Brandt would shift slightly on his feet as he focused upon his sense of hearing, keeping his attention straight ahead in the area his opppnent had previously been. Paying careful attention to his peripherals. He would speak again in wait.

"Or that of a wounded animal.. Are you still fit to fight?"

Brandt was not free of injury himself. The wounds kn his thigh and shoulder were bleeding. But they were not enough .tk merit forfiture. Brandt was unlikely to stop until he coild no longer muster the energy. It was a good think Takehiro had been helping him with his endurance.

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou listened to the other man's words in silence. It was true that his means by most wouldn't be seen as the most brave or noble. However Shou operated and a weird moral code. The means didn't matter what mattered were results. A brave my could stand and protect his family, and be cut down, death a easy way out. However a man like himself wasn't above protecting people by stabbing those threats from behind. 

The other man's concern was something that Shou did respect, even if his comment about being a coward was not one he liked. It wasn't like the two of them were fighting for their lives right now. Even though with the force behind that man's weapon a false move may have it happen by accident. However this was a spar, and semi-friendly bout. Closing in and stabbing the man in the back under those circumstances seemed uncalled for even for Shou.

Shou would silently creep over to his sword and retrieve it. Before appearing, light once more shifting turning him visible once more a shrouding him in a protective barrier. "I'm fit enough." Shou would say simply, revealing his presence once more, if the man hadn't seen him. "I've had much worse." It wasn't a goad, more just as statement of fact. Takehiro unarmed had broken his bones with ease, though looking at the large man, Shou knew he might have had a better chance if the pair were unarmed. That sword and shield were insanely powerful, he wondered where the man got them from. 

(OOC: Musou 4 of 7, Invisibility drops, CON is boosted again.)

[Brandt Solveig]

"Aye, so have I.."

Brandt would fixate his vision upon Shou once again, almost as if studying him. He certainly wasn't a weakling. But the Nord was questioning whether or not it would stay friendly if they were to continue. He did not know of the other man, but were it to continue the giant may begin grow even more aggressive and push the limits.

"But this was just childs play. Maybe it is best we stop here before we really hurt each other, yes?"

Brandt would lower his weapon as he continued to watch him, just incase he chose not to stop. He had earned the giant's respect, at least enough for now. Who knew if the male would ever meet him in the real battle field. If that was case there was no need to show off all his fighting techniques.

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou would listen, and his eyes would dart down to his hand and arm. Maybe it was for the best. That sword could have taken his hand off if he hadn't managed to get it out of the way. Seeing the man lower his weapon, Shou would slid his back onto his back. "Maybe you're right." Shou would say, before with his good hand shifting his bracer on his injured arm and pulling it tighter in order to hold the wound on his arm closed. Clenching his bad hand, he knew for a fact now his finger was broken, tying the broken one to one of the good ones with a small strap of cord off his belt. 

"You're a lot faster then I expected." Shou would comment, nonchalantly walking about and recollecting his daggers. "Especially with such a large weapon." He would add, his tone slightly tone with respect. Not for the man's skill but for the fact he had said they should stop before they hurt each other. He could think of a few that wouldn't do that. Had the man not suggested it, Shou probably wouldn't of himself.  It was mostly down to the fact  that Shou wished to test his abilities. Plus it gave him chance to practice using his new powers. Though while he figured he would go longer then he had using them, he still felt drained slightly from their use. 

[Brandt Solveig]

"You are quite fast yourself, my friend.. If I hadn't approached this spar with an ere of caution then I might not have been as fortunate.

Brandt's words rolled out as he hunched over, tearing cloth from his cloak to wrap the wound upon his leg. Had this been a life or death fight the Nord would have pushed on until he had the man hanging from the hilt of his blade.by his entrails. However he had not needed to go to such lengths this day.

"Alas, this was a friendly bout.. Should we ever meet on the battlefield, may the gods choose the mightiest warrior.."

Lifting his sword up and over his head with ease, the behemoth would replace it into the brackets of his shield. Those pale green hues would continue to stare defiantly toward the male ahead of him. He couldn't quite figure out where to put this warrior before him. He had earned a minimal amount of respect from the nord but he would reserve his judgement of the man for another time.

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou looked the man over at his words. He clearly didn't worship the same god that he did. One he was a foreigner, Shou could tell mostly by the man's size but the were other things that gave it away as well. His weapon, his hair and skin. That and the fact he had straight up asked him when Shou had mention one of the gods worshipped in the lands he was in. That showed some lack of knowledge on his part but Shou didn't judge...well maybe a little. It just seemed weird to him, a lack of preparedness.

"How about the god's just lead us not to be on the same battlefield."

Shou would say, knowing it wasn't down to the gods but to who Shou followed. If his lord put himself at war with someone that this other man was fighting for then Shou wouldn't have much choice. At least if that did ever occur, Shou knew that he would have to take the man by surprise and take him down hard. The man's strength was formidable. Shou had fought stronger, but not those who had such a unique weapon.  "Anyway I'm Yamabara, if you need to train find someone like me to spar with. Don't beat up on nature for no reason." Shou would tell the other man, no malice in his voice and gesture over to the trees he had been destroying ealier. "It is a waste of life." He would add, with a slight role of the eyes. 

[Brandt Solveig]

"Yddrisil rebirth all nature.. Fret naught over a few trees. More will spring to replace them.."

Brandt however had not liked the way that this Yambara had rolled his eyes at him though. As if he was far above him in some way, and Brandt was a naughty child. However he would ignore it for now, casting a glance up toward the sun.

"Brandt Solvieg is my name.. However, I must take my leave.. I thank you for the warm-up. Now I must go meet a real warrior.. Good luck in life."

Turning, the northerner would begin to move away. Takehiro was expecting to meet with him soon and the Nord dared not be too late. He couldn't risk missing even the slightest bit of training if he was to become a warrior of legend, as he sought.