Post by Articho Reville on Dec 6, 2016 1:43:59 GMT
Articho stared at the box of pastries in his hand for a moment before slowing turning and walking in the direction of Snake Way. His stomach quietly growled as a small, inner voice told him to dig into the sweet, succulent pastries that only a weak plastic sheet covered. His mouth watered slightly as he stared at the decadent, fluffy balls of dough as one hand slowly began to lift up the cover of the box…
Later, a much louder voice said as his hand let go of the lid and it settled back down over the box. The young hybrid grumbled under his breath as he hopped off of the side of King Kai’s planet and landed on the road of Snake Way, his boots making a soft clack against the stone tiles. He began to run down the winding road he had gone on so many times before. And, as usual, he let his thoughts wander around a bit. He had begun thinking about how he would train his future students when he finally claimed the role of Turtle Hermit, but he was having some trouble thinking of some. Sure, sparring was well and good, but he knew there was more to teaching than just testing his students’ fighting ability. Strength training he had covered with the turtle shells he could conjure from thin air. Speed, too, if they did a lot of running while wearing them. But skills like coordination, ki manipulation, adaptability, defense, predicting your opponent’s moves, he would have to make sure his students could fight to their maximum potential.
Articho looked back down at the box in his hands, then looked up at the stone triangles that lined the sides of Snake Way. He studied them for a moment before hopping up and continuing his run by stepping on the top of each ridge. It took him more focus to make sure he didn’t miss a step and tumble into the fluffy clouds and HFIL below, as well as make sure the pastries didn’t bounce around and get all smooshed up at the same time. The hybrid ran along Snake Way, gauging its effectiveness as he did, before jumping back onto the regular path and picking his pace back up.
“That wouldn’t be too bad for a coordination and speed exercise,” he mused. “Slap a shell on the students and have them run around through rough terrain with something a little more fragile could work. Maybe milk bottles, so we can make a bit of money at the same time.”
He continued his jog, tossing around ideas as the minutes slipped by and he grew closer and closer to the beginning of Snake Way. He found himself debating whether throwing rocks at his students or simply popping up behind them to hit them while shouting “DODGE!” was the better training regimen for reaction time and dodging skills when he finally arrived at the mouth of the giant stone snake. He gave a friendly nod towards the ogre on guard as he slowed to a stop next to the red heavenly being.
“Afternoon, Adies,” Articho said.
“Afternoon to you, as well,” Adies said with a bow. “What brings you by today? Another trial for the Hermits?”
Articho shook his head. “Not today. Already got made bonafide by those guys. Today, I’m looking for an old Crane Hermit by the name of Rotim. Got a delivery from King Kai for him. Any idea where I can find him?”
“Maybe I do. You know how these old masters are: they like their privacy and all,” Aides replied, a calculating leer on his face. Articho stared at him warily as the Oni continued. “They’re locations are usually a closely guarded secret that only us Onis know. But, for the right price….”
Articho scowled at Adies. “I thought we were friends, man.”
“Even ogres have bills to pay, Arti.”
Articho stared angrily at Adies, before reaching into the pocket of his jacket. He pulled some of his spare shoki energy that had built up in his body out of it, now manifested into the form of several green bills with King Yemma’s face on it. Adies took the bills and pocketed them with a satisfied smirk on his face. “You can find him at Yemma’s Ridge.”
“Are you kidding me?!” Articho shouted in exasperation. Adies shrugged with a cheeky grin on his stupid red face. He stomped past the conniving Oni, grumbling under his breath. “If Styx isn’t there when I get back, I’m so punching you in the face.”
“I’ll be sure to give your girlfriend a call!” Adies shouted after the hybrid as Articho took off into the sky.
“Fuck you!”
Articho flew over the green, sweeping plains of heaven in the direction of the place known as Yemma’s Ridge. A popular spot for long departed lovers and old perverts, funnily enough. Honestly, he shouldn’t have been surprised that this Rotim guy was there. It seemed like a pretty common occurrence for Hermits to be perverts to some degree. “Wait…” he said, thinking for a minute. “Shit, I hope that doesn’t happen to me…”
It didn’t take him much longer to actually reach the ridge. The young hybrid touched down at the top of the ridge and observed his surroundings. Ghosts sat together, talking, kissing, and doing other couple things while others hid in bushes and trees and watched. As Articho scanned the horizon, he spotted one man wearing a ridiculous looking hat shaped like a crane. If that wasn’t him, then Articho was a Crane Student himself. He walked over the man, who, even as Articho stood a few feet from him, didn’t look up.
Articho cleared his throat as he looked down at the meditating former Hermit. “Master Rotim?”
“Hmmm?” came the response.
“My name is Articho. King Kai sent me with the box of pastries he owed you.”
There was no verbal response from Rotim, only the box of pastries floating up and out of Articho’s hand and into Rotim’s lap. The old master cracked one eye open and studied the box of donuts for a moment. “I’ll take these,” he said in his old, creaky voice, his open eye swiveling up to look directly at Articho. “But how do I know you’re one of King Kai’s, hmm? Any old fop can claim so and seeing you in the Turtle School jacket doesn’t lend you much credit.”
Articho clenched his jaw. “I swear that I am,” he said in a strained voice. “How would you like me to prove it?”
Rotim tapped his chin thoughtfully before clicking his fingers. A puff of smoke appeared next to him, revealing a young man about Articho’s age, at least how he looked. Articho couldn’t really tell since some people seemed to stay in Heaven forever. The newly appeared man looked around in surprise before looking down to at Rotim and bowing in respect.
“Ah, Master Rotim,” the teen said. “What do you need me for today?”
Rotim pointed at Articho with a crooked, bent finger. “This young man claims to be a student of the great King Kai. I want you to fight this young man so he can prove his claim.”
The teen bowed again, “Of course, Master Rotim. I shall not lose to such Turtle ilk like this.”
Articho glared at the teen, his tail flicking in annoyance as his hands clenched into fists. “I’ll show you whose ilk!”
“So, you think,” the teen said, walking towards Articho. The ghosts quickly scattered as the two students of rival schools faced each other. “My name is Gourdan, a half-human, half-Kabochan hybrid. Judging by the monkey tail you possess, you are a Saiyan.”
“Half-Saiyan,” the hybrid replied, his teeth bared in a sneer. “Get it right next time or I’ll knock the teeth out of your smug face.”
“No rough Turtle student can stand against the finesse of the Crane School,” Gourdan said, raising one hand with his pointer finger aimed right at Articho. “Go back to whatever hole you crawled from.”
A yellow beam shot from Gourdan’s finger. The Dodonpa, a move that nearly killed Articho once before. But not this time. Articho lifted his hand up and swung it in a back hand slap, knocking the yellow beam off course and into the sky. Gourdan’s jaw dropped in shock as Articho’s hair quickly changed from black to bright blond. He dashed forward, slamming his knee right into the half Kabochan’s gut. Gourdan doubled over leaving his back exposed for Articho’s subsequent elbow drop. The human-Kabochan hybrid didn’t stay up much longer.
“Hm. Impressive,” Rotim mused. “It’s not often Gourdan gets caught by surprise.”
“Is this enough to prove I’m his student, at least?” Articho asked, ignoring the groaning Crane student at his feet.
“Eh, I don’t see why not. Come find me again when you learn King Kai’s special techniques. You’ll give me a real challenge then,” the former Crane Hermit said with a cackle. Articho stared at him in confusion as his hair returned to its regular black color and he took off into the sky. He mused on what the old Hermit said as he landed back down in front of the entrance to Snake Way. Right by the bottom left tooth stood a blue, female ogre who waved excitedly at him.
“Hey, Arti! Good to see you again!” she said as he walked closer.
“Hey, Styx,” Articho said, still caught in his musings.
“I got a new tie! See?” Styx said, lifting her black tie up for Articho to inspect.
“Yeah, yeah, looks nice,” Articho replied, not looking towards her. His eyes were trained in the distance, focusing more on where King Kai’s planet was than the Oni girl next to him. Her smile fell and she looked at her shoes awkwardly.
“T-thanks…Say hi to King Kai for me…” she said, turning away from him.
“Will do.” With that, he began running down the long, winding, stone road. “What did he mean by ‘special techniques?’”
Later, a much louder voice said as his hand let go of the lid and it settled back down over the box. The young hybrid grumbled under his breath as he hopped off of the side of King Kai’s planet and landed on the road of Snake Way, his boots making a soft clack against the stone tiles. He began to run down the winding road he had gone on so many times before. And, as usual, he let his thoughts wander around a bit. He had begun thinking about how he would train his future students when he finally claimed the role of Turtle Hermit, but he was having some trouble thinking of some. Sure, sparring was well and good, but he knew there was more to teaching than just testing his students’ fighting ability. Strength training he had covered with the turtle shells he could conjure from thin air. Speed, too, if they did a lot of running while wearing them. But skills like coordination, ki manipulation, adaptability, defense, predicting your opponent’s moves, he would have to make sure his students could fight to their maximum potential.
Articho looked back down at the box in his hands, then looked up at the stone triangles that lined the sides of Snake Way. He studied them for a moment before hopping up and continuing his run by stepping on the top of each ridge. It took him more focus to make sure he didn’t miss a step and tumble into the fluffy clouds and HFIL below, as well as make sure the pastries didn’t bounce around and get all smooshed up at the same time. The hybrid ran along Snake Way, gauging its effectiveness as he did, before jumping back onto the regular path and picking his pace back up.
“That wouldn’t be too bad for a coordination and speed exercise,” he mused. “Slap a shell on the students and have them run around through rough terrain with something a little more fragile could work. Maybe milk bottles, so we can make a bit of money at the same time.”
He continued his jog, tossing around ideas as the minutes slipped by and he grew closer and closer to the beginning of Snake Way. He found himself debating whether throwing rocks at his students or simply popping up behind them to hit them while shouting “DODGE!” was the better training regimen for reaction time and dodging skills when he finally arrived at the mouth of the giant stone snake. He gave a friendly nod towards the ogre on guard as he slowed to a stop next to the red heavenly being.
“Afternoon, Adies,” Articho said.
“Afternoon to you, as well,” Adies said with a bow. “What brings you by today? Another trial for the Hermits?”
Articho shook his head. “Not today. Already got made bonafide by those guys. Today, I’m looking for an old Crane Hermit by the name of Rotim. Got a delivery from King Kai for him. Any idea where I can find him?”
“Maybe I do. You know how these old masters are: they like their privacy and all,” Aides replied, a calculating leer on his face. Articho stared at him warily as the Oni continued. “They’re locations are usually a closely guarded secret that only us Onis know. But, for the right price….”
Articho scowled at Adies. “I thought we were friends, man.”
“Even ogres have bills to pay, Arti.”
Articho stared angrily at Adies, before reaching into the pocket of his jacket. He pulled some of his spare shoki energy that had built up in his body out of it, now manifested into the form of several green bills with King Yemma’s face on it. Adies took the bills and pocketed them with a satisfied smirk on his face. “You can find him at Yemma’s Ridge.”
“Are you kidding me?!” Articho shouted in exasperation. Adies shrugged with a cheeky grin on his stupid red face. He stomped past the conniving Oni, grumbling under his breath. “If Styx isn’t there when I get back, I’m so punching you in the face.”
“I’ll be sure to give your girlfriend a call!” Adies shouted after the hybrid as Articho took off into the sky.
“Fuck you!”
Articho flew over the green, sweeping plains of heaven in the direction of the place known as Yemma’s Ridge. A popular spot for long departed lovers and old perverts, funnily enough. Honestly, he shouldn’t have been surprised that this Rotim guy was there. It seemed like a pretty common occurrence for Hermits to be perverts to some degree. “Wait…” he said, thinking for a minute. “Shit, I hope that doesn’t happen to me…”
It didn’t take him much longer to actually reach the ridge. The young hybrid touched down at the top of the ridge and observed his surroundings. Ghosts sat together, talking, kissing, and doing other couple things while others hid in bushes and trees and watched. As Articho scanned the horizon, he spotted one man wearing a ridiculous looking hat shaped like a crane. If that wasn’t him, then Articho was a Crane Student himself. He walked over the man, who, even as Articho stood a few feet from him, didn’t look up.
Articho cleared his throat as he looked down at the meditating former Hermit. “Master Rotim?”
“Hmmm?” came the response.
“My name is Articho. King Kai sent me with the box of pastries he owed you.”
There was no verbal response from Rotim, only the box of pastries floating up and out of Articho’s hand and into Rotim’s lap. The old master cracked one eye open and studied the box of donuts for a moment. “I’ll take these,” he said in his old, creaky voice, his open eye swiveling up to look directly at Articho. “But how do I know you’re one of King Kai’s, hmm? Any old fop can claim so and seeing you in the Turtle School jacket doesn’t lend you much credit.”
Articho clenched his jaw. “I swear that I am,” he said in a strained voice. “How would you like me to prove it?”
Rotim tapped his chin thoughtfully before clicking his fingers. A puff of smoke appeared next to him, revealing a young man about Articho’s age, at least how he looked. Articho couldn’t really tell since some people seemed to stay in Heaven forever. The newly appeared man looked around in surprise before looking down to at Rotim and bowing in respect.
“Ah, Master Rotim,” the teen said. “What do you need me for today?”
Rotim pointed at Articho with a crooked, bent finger. “This young man claims to be a student of the great King Kai. I want you to fight this young man so he can prove his claim.”
The teen bowed again, “Of course, Master Rotim. I shall not lose to such Turtle ilk like this.”
Articho glared at the teen, his tail flicking in annoyance as his hands clenched into fists. “I’ll show you whose ilk!”
“So, you think,” the teen said, walking towards Articho. The ghosts quickly scattered as the two students of rival schools faced each other. “My name is Gourdan, a half-human, half-Kabochan hybrid. Judging by the monkey tail you possess, you are a Saiyan.”
“Half-Saiyan,” the hybrid replied, his teeth bared in a sneer. “Get it right next time or I’ll knock the teeth out of your smug face.”
“No rough Turtle student can stand against the finesse of the Crane School,” Gourdan said, raising one hand with his pointer finger aimed right at Articho. “Go back to whatever hole you crawled from.”
A yellow beam shot from Gourdan’s finger. The Dodonpa, a move that nearly killed Articho once before. But not this time. Articho lifted his hand up and swung it in a back hand slap, knocking the yellow beam off course and into the sky. Gourdan’s jaw dropped in shock as Articho’s hair quickly changed from black to bright blond. He dashed forward, slamming his knee right into the half Kabochan’s gut. Gourdan doubled over leaving his back exposed for Articho’s subsequent elbow drop. The human-Kabochan hybrid didn’t stay up much longer.
“Hm. Impressive,” Rotim mused. “It’s not often Gourdan gets caught by surprise.”
“Is this enough to prove I’m his student, at least?” Articho asked, ignoring the groaning Crane student at his feet.
“Eh, I don’t see why not. Come find me again when you learn King Kai’s special techniques. You’ll give me a real challenge then,” the former Crane Hermit said with a cackle. Articho stared at him in confusion as his hair returned to its regular black color and he took off into the sky. He mused on what the old Hermit said as he landed back down in front of the entrance to Snake Way. Right by the bottom left tooth stood a blue, female ogre who waved excitedly at him.
“Hey, Arti! Good to see you again!” she said as he walked closer.
“Hey, Styx,” Articho said, still caught in his musings.
“I got a new tie! See?” Styx said, lifting her black tie up for Articho to inspect.
“Yeah, yeah, looks nice,” Articho replied, not looking towards her. His eyes were trained in the distance, focusing more on where King Kai’s planet was than the Oni girl next to him. Her smile fell and she looked at her shoes awkwardly.
“T-thanks…Say hi to King Kai for me…” she said, turning away from him.
“Will do.” With that, he began running down the long, winding, stone road. “What did he mean by ‘special techniques?’”