Post by Hyoza on Aug 4, 2014 13:33:44 GMT
Hyoza had long since left the forests behind, and was sweeping over the rolling wastelands beyond. Here and there, rocky plateaus stood, sometimes sporting a few trees and patches of grass, but mostly there was no life to speak of. Hyoza could locate no auras belonging to sentient beings, and other than a few birds, he had not even seen any animals. What a dull place.
But even as the Arcosian lamented the lack of entertainment in this part of the world, he took note of the setting sun. It had dropped significantly since he had entered this vast wasteland, and he could not deny a nap sounded attractive. He resolved to look for somewhere comfortable-looking to rest and recuperate. His vision was still a little blurry from the strange blinding-technique the human had used against him earlier.
Hyoza, being a rather picky sort, could not decide on a good place to settle in, and night was rapidly approaching. He sighed, and prepared to settle in for a nap at the next cave he found, when suddenly he detected a group of auras not too far off. They were very weak indeed, barely above the power of beasts, but the chance of some humanoid hospitality was too comfortable-sounding to pass up. He homed in on their energy and set off towards them.
After a few minutes, he found them nestled in a valley, a small oasis and a relatively lush glade of plantlife filled the tiny sheltered spot. It was now well-and-truly dark, and the humans were all sat around a camp-fire, if indeed humans they were - for all he could make out were a handful of bald-headed silhouettes sitting around the flames. He was unsure of how to approach the group - hostility might be met with serious resistance - but then again, their power was so weak, surely they could not be suppressing their auras to such an extent?
Hyoza stepped out from behind a tree and prepared to walk into the camp, when suddenly he heard a voice come from behind him.
"Hello, Arcosian."
Hyoza spun to find the source of the voice - a tiny bald man, shorter even than Hyoza's own suppressed form. He was old and wisened, with a thin, white mustache dangling on either side of his upper lip, and six circular tattoos arranged on his forehead like the sixth face on a dice. He was smiling, with narrow, dark eyes looking up at the alien, completely unperturbed by the horned alien before him.
Hyoza was on-guard, surprised that the human had gotten by him so easily, and uncertain how to react. He began to gather his energy, but stopped when the elderly human revealed an immense aura, well beyond what Hyoza could muster even in his most powerful form. Dumbfounded, the Arcosian stood up straight, and decided to return the greeting - after all, he could not hope to match this unassuming little man's energies.
"Uh... Hello," he responded weakly. The man's aura had once again faded to the point of being almost invisible to his sense.
"Come join us, you look like you've had a rough day, my friend." With that, the tiny, wisened warrior stepped past Hyoza and sat down on a rock by the fire.
Hyoza, still unsure of the situation, obeyed and sat on a rock next to the man. Now, by the fire, he could see the faces of the other four beings - Two were male humans, while the third was a woman. All the humans were equally bald, each marked with the six circular markings on their foreheads, and each wearing the same orange robes as the little man had been. Hyoza could not tell their true power, but it now seemed likely that they were, like the old man, concealing powers well beyond what he could feel. The fourth individual was perhaps even more surprising - a young Namekian - clothed in robes like the others, though his forehead was unmarked by the strange circles.
Over the fire was a pot, in which some sort of soup was bubbling away. Unlike many Arcosians, who lived very comfortable lifestyles, Hyoza's tastes were a little less refined - and while this was a humble meal, it smelled a lot better than anything the cook on his old ship ever prepared. His stomach growled, as if in tune with his thoughts. The little old man laughed - a surprisingly youthful sound.
"We've already eaten - but there's plenty left, if you want some," Hyoza looked at the man and nodded appreciatively. One of the human boys handed him a bowl, and ladled a generous helping of the soup into it. He took a sip, cautious at first, but was delighted to find no hint of poison. He happily consumed the rest of the bowl and set it down by the fire, thanking his hosts. It felt strange indeed to be welcome like this, but then again he usually shot first and got invited to dinner... Never.
"Thank you, that was the best thing I've eaten in a long time." He sighed appreciatively, before his curiosity returned. After all, these warriors were able to reduce their auras to the point of becoming almost undetectable - yet if the old man was any indicator, they concealed considerable power behind the disguises.
"May I be so bold as to ask, who are you? I've never seen people able to suppress their aura to such an extent as you five." The younger ones looked to the old man - which Hyoza did not fail to notice - it seemed he was their leader.
"Just travellers like yourself. I am known, to those few who remember me, as the Mouse Hermit. These are my students. The suppression you're talking about is a technique I've been working on. It's not quite perfect yet - but our goal is to become truly undetectable some day. Life's much quieter that way." Hyoza did not understand how individuals who desired peace and isolation could have become as powerful as the old man, such strength would take years of intense training to attain, even for a naturally-powerful Arcosian.
"But - your true power was incredible! You could easily kill a great ape with such strength. If all you desire is peace and quiet, how could you become so powerful?" The old man smiled, eyes closed.
"Training keeps your body fit and your mind sharp - and those are important for people who live on the road. Plus, not everybody on the road with you is as peaceful - the ability to protect yourself is sadly a necessity."
Hyoza suspected there was more to it than the old man said, but he was not going to press the matter any further. The Namekian student offered him a bedroll to sleep on, as the group settled in to rest for the night. Tired from a day of exertion and injury, Hyoza fell quickly into a deep sleep.
When he awoke, it was to the sounds of battle. There were several powerful auras nearby, and the sounds of hand-to-hand combat were unmistakable. Looking around, he could see that the fire had been put out, and the camping equipment neatly packed away into a small pile of sacks that lay next to the circle of cooling ash.
Getting up quickly, Hyoza ran to the edge of the treeline, only to see the hermit and his students sparring in mid-air above the oasis. The hermit was only utilising a portion of his power, but all four of his students were going full-out in their training session. The tiny old monk was a blur of movement every time his students moved in, somehow deflecting simultaneous strikes from four directions at once. The group were not using energy blasts, which perplexed Hyoza, since surely that would give the students a fighting chance at actually landing a hit on him. But he guessed it was some form of tradition that 'magic', as some primitives referred to ki use, would not be involved in the sparring session. He sat by the oasis and dangled his feet in the water, watching with some amusement as the four youths completely failed to harm their mentor.
After a few minutes of combat, the master uttered a cry, disappearing in a blur of motion, reappearing behind the Namekian and striking him with a chop to the skull, sending him crashing into the waters of the oasis. Then, the two boys, who he hurled in one-after-the-other, as they each tried to strike him, and he used their own momentum against them. Finally the girl, who managed to get behind him and swung a kick at the old man's head, only to be caught by the ankle and hurled after her fellow students into the cool blue water below. With that, the old man allowed himself to drop down into the waters.
Soon enough, the group emerged from the pool and sat with Hyoza at the water's edge. The alien could not hide his amusement. The old man took notice and made him a proposition with a sly smirk.
"Think you can do any better? Just one of my students could beat you in that form, changeling."
Hyoza was surprised by this man's knowledge of his species, but accepted the offer. This seemed a good way to get some more experience of earth fighting techniques without risking his life, after all.
"Alright, we'll see. Any rules to this fight?"
"No killing, no weapons, and no ki techniques. This is a test of your physical abilities only. And besides - this is a nice place, don't want to wreck it. You lose if you touch the water - with any part of your body, so watch that tail, friend." Hyoza nodded and gently lifted off the ground, rising up into the air above the oasis. The students looked to their master, and he nodded, sending the Namekian up to face their alien guest.
"Tenna!" the old man called after him. "Kick his butt!"
With a sudden blast of power, the Namekian's aura bloomed to its true extent - easily equal to - if not greater than Hyoza's own. The Namekian placed his palms together and bowed, which Hyoza reciprocated, assuming it to be part of the tradition.
Then, without further ado, the Namekian hurled himself at his Arcosian foe. Fists flew, and Hyoza found himself hard-pressed to dodge or deflect. Preoccupied with his opponent's hands, he was unprepared for a sudden froward-flip followed by an axe-kick to the head, which crashed into his armoured skull and sent him hurtling to the water below. Hyoza managed to halt his descent and began ascending rapidly to deliver a vicious feint-and-tail-whip maneuver, only for the Namekian to surprise him with another technique. The Namekian's arms extended like uncoiling rope from his body, grasping Hyoza by the shoulders before retracting and yanking him into a brutal knee to the stomach.
Hyoza reeled from the attack, but managed to finally land a hit with his tail, slamming the muscular appendage into his foe's jaw. The Namekian was briefly stunned by the hit, and he took full advantage, following up with his own kick to the stomach, and a double-fisted blow to his back as he doubled over in pain.
But the Namekian did not fall anywhere near as far as Hyoza had hoped, and instead grasped him by the ankles, hurling him with incredible force towards the oasis. Hyoza was trying to slow his fall, but the green-skinned fighter chased him, pummeling him with a series of blows which Hyoza could barely block. Suddenly, he spotted an opening, and swung a kick towards the namekian's face, only to have it blocked with an immovable forearm. For a moment, the pair looked at each other, then the Namekian smiled.
"I think you'll find I win. Your horn is in the water." Hyoza's eyes widened, and he reached for his horn, to find it was indeed submerged in the cool, clear liquid.
"Not bad Namekian. Not bad," he acknowledged, righting himself and returning to the water's edge with his victorious opponent.
"Excellent effort, both of you. Tenna is my strongest pupil, and you gave him the best fight I've seen in a while," the old hermit said. Hyoza noticed the group had donned their travel packs now, and the boys were holding the Namekian's gear ready for him.
"I hope you've learned some things here, Arcosian. It's been fun!" said the old man, and with that, he and his pupils set off out into the desert. Hyoza watched them for a while as their silhouettes dwindled off into the distance.
He had learned a few things, indeed.
But even as the Arcosian lamented the lack of entertainment in this part of the world, he took note of the setting sun. It had dropped significantly since he had entered this vast wasteland, and he could not deny a nap sounded attractive. He resolved to look for somewhere comfortable-looking to rest and recuperate. His vision was still a little blurry from the strange blinding-technique the human had used against him earlier.
Hyoza, being a rather picky sort, could not decide on a good place to settle in, and night was rapidly approaching. He sighed, and prepared to settle in for a nap at the next cave he found, when suddenly he detected a group of auras not too far off. They were very weak indeed, barely above the power of beasts, but the chance of some humanoid hospitality was too comfortable-sounding to pass up. He homed in on their energy and set off towards them.
After a few minutes, he found them nestled in a valley, a small oasis and a relatively lush glade of plantlife filled the tiny sheltered spot. It was now well-and-truly dark, and the humans were all sat around a camp-fire, if indeed humans they were - for all he could make out were a handful of bald-headed silhouettes sitting around the flames. He was unsure of how to approach the group - hostility might be met with serious resistance - but then again, their power was so weak, surely they could not be suppressing their auras to such an extent?
Hyoza stepped out from behind a tree and prepared to walk into the camp, when suddenly he heard a voice come from behind him.
"Hello, Arcosian."
Hyoza spun to find the source of the voice - a tiny bald man, shorter even than Hyoza's own suppressed form. He was old and wisened, with a thin, white mustache dangling on either side of his upper lip, and six circular tattoos arranged on his forehead like the sixth face on a dice. He was smiling, with narrow, dark eyes looking up at the alien, completely unperturbed by the horned alien before him.
Hyoza was on-guard, surprised that the human had gotten by him so easily, and uncertain how to react. He began to gather his energy, but stopped when the elderly human revealed an immense aura, well beyond what Hyoza could muster even in his most powerful form. Dumbfounded, the Arcosian stood up straight, and decided to return the greeting - after all, he could not hope to match this unassuming little man's energies.
"Uh... Hello," he responded weakly. The man's aura had once again faded to the point of being almost invisible to his sense.
"Come join us, you look like you've had a rough day, my friend." With that, the tiny, wisened warrior stepped past Hyoza and sat down on a rock by the fire.
Hyoza, still unsure of the situation, obeyed and sat on a rock next to the man. Now, by the fire, he could see the faces of the other four beings - Two were male humans, while the third was a woman. All the humans were equally bald, each marked with the six circular markings on their foreheads, and each wearing the same orange robes as the little man had been. Hyoza could not tell their true power, but it now seemed likely that they were, like the old man, concealing powers well beyond what he could feel. The fourth individual was perhaps even more surprising - a young Namekian - clothed in robes like the others, though his forehead was unmarked by the strange circles.
Over the fire was a pot, in which some sort of soup was bubbling away. Unlike many Arcosians, who lived very comfortable lifestyles, Hyoza's tastes were a little less refined - and while this was a humble meal, it smelled a lot better than anything the cook on his old ship ever prepared. His stomach growled, as if in tune with his thoughts. The little old man laughed - a surprisingly youthful sound.
"We've already eaten - but there's plenty left, if you want some," Hyoza looked at the man and nodded appreciatively. One of the human boys handed him a bowl, and ladled a generous helping of the soup into it. He took a sip, cautious at first, but was delighted to find no hint of poison. He happily consumed the rest of the bowl and set it down by the fire, thanking his hosts. It felt strange indeed to be welcome like this, but then again he usually shot first and got invited to dinner... Never.
"Thank you, that was the best thing I've eaten in a long time." He sighed appreciatively, before his curiosity returned. After all, these warriors were able to reduce their auras to the point of becoming almost undetectable - yet if the old man was any indicator, they concealed considerable power behind the disguises.
"May I be so bold as to ask, who are you? I've never seen people able to suppress their aura to such an extent as you five." The younger ones looked to the old man - which Hyoza did not fail to notice - it seemed he was their leader.
"Just travellers like yourself. I am known, to those few who remember me, as the Mouse Hermit. These are my students. The suppression you're talking about is a technique I've been working on. It's not quite perfect yet - but our goal is to become truly undetectable some day. Life's much quieter that way." Hyoza did not understand how individuals who desired peace and isolation could have become as powerful as the old man, such strength would take years of intense training to attain, even for a naturally-powerful Arcosian.
"But - your true power was incredible! You could easily kill a great ape with such strength. If all you desire is peace and quiet, how could you become so powerful?" The old man smiled, eyes closed.
"Training keeps your body fit and your mind sharp - and those are important for people who live on the road. Plus, not everybody on the road with you is as peaceful - the ability to protect yourself is sadly a necessity."
Hyoza suspected there was more to it than the old man said, but he was not going to press the matter any further. The Namekian student offered him a bedroll to sleep on, as the group settled in to rest for the night. Tired from a day of exertion and injury, Hyoza fell quickly into a deep sleep.
When he awoke, it was to the sounds of battle. There were several powerful auras nearby, and the sounds of hand-to-hand combat were unmistakable. Looking around, he could see that the fire had been put out, and the camping equipment neatly packed away into a small pile of sacks that lay next to the circle of cooling ash.
Getting up quickly, Hyoza ran to the edge of the treeline, only to see the hermit and his students sparring in mid-air above the oasis. The hermit was only utilising a portion of his power, but all four of his students were going full-out in their training session. The tiny old monk was a blur of movement every time his students moved in, somehow deflecting simultaneous strikes from four directions at once. The group were not using energy blasts, which perplexed Hyoza, since surely that would give the students a fighting chance at actually landing a hit on him. But he guessed it was some form of tradition that 'magic', as some primitives referred to ki use, would not be involved in the sparring session. He sat by the oasis and dangled his feet in the water, watching with some amusement as the four youths completely failed to harm their mentor.
After a few minutes of combat, the master uttered a cry, disappearing in a blur of motion, reappearing behind the Namekian and striking him with a chop to the skull, sending him crashing into the waters of the oasis. Then, the two boys, who he hurled in one-after-the-other, as they each tried to strike him, and he used their own momentum against them. Finally the girl, who managed to get behind him and swung a kick at the old man's head, only to be caught by the ankle and hurled after her fellow students into the cool blue water below. With that, the old man allowed himself to drop down into the waters.
Soon enough, the group emerged from the pool and sat with Hyoza at the water's edge. The alien could not hide his amusement. The old man took notice and made him a proposition with a sly smirk.
"Think you can do any better? Just one of my students could beat you in that form, changeling."
Hyoza was surprised by this man's knowledge of his species, but accepted the offer. This seemed a good way to get some more experience of earth fighting techniques without risking his life, after all.
"Alright, we'll see. Any rules to this fight?"
"No killing, no weapons, and no ki techniques. This is a test of your physical abilities only. And besides - this is a nice place, don't want to wreck it. You lose if you touch the water - with any part of your body, so watch that tail, friend." Hyoza nodded and gently lifted off the ground, rising up into the air above the oasis. The students looked to their master, and he nodded, sending the Namekian up to face their alien guest.
"Tenna!" the old man called after him. "Kick his butt!"
With a sudden blast of power, the Namekian's aura bloomed to its true extent - easily equal to - if not greater than Hyoza's own. The Namekian placed his palms together and bowed, which Hyoza reciprocated, assuming it to be part of the tradition.
Then, without further ado, the Namekian hurled himself at his Arcosian foe. Fists flew, and Hyoza found himself hard-pressed to dodge or deflect. Preoccupied with his opponent's hands, he was unprepared for a sudden froward-flip followed by an axe-kick to the head, which crashed into his armoured skull and sent him hurtling to the water below. Hyoza managed to halt his descent and began ascending rapidly to deliver a vicious feint-and-tail-whip maneuver, only for the Namekian to surprise him with another technique. The Namekian's arms extended like uncoiling rope from his body, grasping Hyoza by the shoulders before retracting and yanking him into a brutal knee to the stomach.
Hyoza reeled from the attack, but managed to finally land a hit with his tail, slamming the muscular appendage into his foe's jaw. The Namekian was briefly stunned by the hit, and he took full advantage, following up with his own kick to the stomach, and a double-fisted blow to his back as he doubled over in pain.
But the Namekian did not fall anywhere near as far as Hyoza had hoped, and instead grasped him by the ankles, hurling him with incredible force towards the oasis. Hyoza was trying to slow his fall, but the green-skinned fighter chased him, pummeling him with a series of blows which Hyoza could barely block. Suddenly, he spotted an opening, and swung a kick towards the namekian's face, only to have it blocked with an immovable forearm. For a moment, the pair looked at each other, then the Namekian smiled.
"I think you'll find I win. Your horn is in the water." Hyoza's eyes widened, and he reached for his horn, to find it was indeed submerged in the cool, clear liquid.
"Not bad Namekian. Not bad," he acknowledged, righting himself and returning to the water's edge with his victorious opponent.
"Excellent effort, both of you. Tenna is my strongest pupil, and you gave him the best fight I've seen in a while," the old hermit said. Hyoza noticed the group had donned their travel packs now, and the boys were holding the Namekian's gear ready for him.
"I hope you've learned some things here, Arcosian. It's been fun!" said the old man, and with that, he and his pupils set off out into the desert. Hyoza watched them for a while as their silhouettes dwindled off into the distance.
He had learned a few things, indeed.