Lesson 1: DODGE!!! Oras & Ryse

Student Scholar

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Spirit's Fire Church Grim / Phoenix Terra

Jul 15, 2019 22:15:18 GMT -6

Post by Ryse Azar on Jul 15, 2019 22:15:18 GMT -6

"I was just calling it like it is." Ryse still glared a little at the Atronach as her injuries were healed. She sat up, frowning unhappily. "So? Yes, they wanted to kill me back then. But this was a sparring match, not an actual fight. That's different. Of course in a real fight I wouldn't just roll over and expect them to be all nice with me...."

She might not be very experienced with fighting, but she wasn't a fool. Naive at times, yes. Too nice, yes. But she wasn't a fool. She knew better than that. Stretching out the wing that had been hit, she flapped it a few times, and satisfied that it didn't hurt anymore she folded it against her back along with her other wing.

Oras Aventra Auro

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Atranoch Telemindred

Jul 15, 2019 22:27:26 GMT -6

Post by Oras Aventra Auro on Jul 15, 2019 22:27:26 GMT -6

“Just a sparring match, ok. Except there’s one issue with the casual way you state that: Sparring is a form of training. Whether it’s training someone to get better, or keeping yourself from getting rusty. Sparring is a form of training. Thus: You’re being trained by me. And while you train with me you need to understand how the world works, and how to fight back against it. Because if you just keep avoiding those situations, they will simply seek you out. This world is perilous and cruel, so stop whining like a scared child, take a stand, and fight like you mean it!” He took a second to breath, calming himself down.

“……Don’t be like the rest of these fools Ryse. You don’t ask to train and expect baby steps, not after you’ve died already. You fight with everything you can, train as hard as you can, and listen as carefully as you can, so that you can reach a height where you ‘won’t’ be slaughtered in a matter of seconds.”

Ryse Azar

Student Scholar

350 posts

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Spirit's Fire Church Grim / Phoenix Terra

Jul 15, 2019 22:52:41 GMT -6

Post by Ryse Azar on Jul 15, 2019 22:52:41 GMT -6

The teenager looked away from Oras, down at her paws as she listened to him. She had asked the atronach to train her, it was true. But she hadn't expected his training to be like he'd thrown her into a warzone while she was an inexperienced fighter. This was what this sparring session had felt like, anyways. Or being thrown into the deep end of a pool while she didn't know how to swim.

Ryse grimaced, wincing a little when the atronach mentioned her dying. Oras was trying to prepare her so she wouldn't die again. She hadn't wanted to die in the first place. But now that it had happened, she definitely didn't want it to happen again. Once was enough for her. She'd rather train to prevent it from happening again rather than not be prepared.

After a moment, she took a breath, and looked back up at Oras. "So.... what now? More... dodge practice? Or...?" Sure it had hurt, but Oras had healed her. He wouldn't kill her, though there were times she seriously doubted he wasn't trying to do so.

Oras Aventra Auro

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Atranoch Telemindred

Jul 18, 2019 9:39:00 GMT -6

Post by Oras Aventra Auro on Jul 18, 2019 9:39:00 GMT -6

When she asked him what was going to happen next Oras sighed. This was going to be a long day wasn’t it? He turned to her. “That depends on you Ryse. Do you want to keep practicing Dodging until you figure out what I’m trying to teach you? Or do you want me to just skip to the answer?” If he skipped to the answer he might accidentally break her… But, that’s why he was giving her the choice. If she wanted to keep practicing till she figured it on her own, it might take a while. Otherwise, he’d have to essentially scare her into figuring out what she was supposed to learn in the first place. This would be an interesting or long day depending on her reaction.

Ryse Azar

Student Scholar

350 posts

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Spirit's Fire Church Grim / Phoenix Terra

Jul 18, 2019 10:25:36 GMT -6

Post by Ryse Azar on Jul 18, 2019 10:25:36 GMT -6

Ryse furrowed her brows in confusion. He'd already told her that during his sparring lessons, she had to fight as if it were a real fight. That during his sessions, she would have to train hard, and listen closely to what he was telling her. What was she supposed to learn? That you have to do whatever it takes to stay alive?

She wasn't the kind of person to give up, however. The teenager shook her head. "Let's keep going." She finally answered, standing up again. She wanted to try figuring the answer out on her own before asking the Atronach. She wouldn't learn anything by skipping straight to the end.

Oras Aventra Auro

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Atranoch Telemindred

Jul 18, 2019 23:04:49 GMT -6

Post by Oras Aventra Auro on Jul 18, 2019 23:04:49 GMT -6

Having heard that she wanted to keep the training going, he could only wonder if she even would be able to do such a thing. If she would be able to not only keep going, but be able to figure out the secret to his lesson. This one lesson and meaning that she was going to fear and fall over if she didn’t master it. Their training continued, growing more fast paced, more intense, and more dangerous the further time dragged on. By the time evening had fallen, Oras had stabbed, slashed, burned, frozen, electrocuted, and scraped her body many times over. Always healing her wounds after he applied them. He even chopped off limbs only to have them stitched back together via his healing snow (which had to be applied immediately mind you). And he never stopped. He’d give her a few minutes to recover but would just rush back at it again. The longer time went on, the closer and closer his attacks came to seeming like he was actually trying to kill her. Even though it never did end that way. Eventually, it was nightfall. The stars were out and the only thing keeping the place lit up was the full moon. Oras had just pulled his sword out from her side, multiple icicles sticking out of her body which melted into the mending snow as he walked away. “Get ready for the next round.”

Ryse Azar

Student Scholar

350 posts

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Spirit's Fire Church Grim / Phoenix Terra

Jul 18, 2019 23:18:36 GMT -6

Post by Ryse Azar on Jul 18, 2019 23:18:36 GMT -6

“Screw.... that...” Ryse gasped, panting heavily as she lay on the ground. “It’s night...can’t use my fire... and you’ve used me as your freaking punching bag all... day!”

Wincing a little as she sat up - she wasn’t in pain but her entire body was very sore - she glared at the Atronach. “Just what am I supposed to learn from this? I already know that fights are not a joke. You’ve skewered me enough times to drill that into my head! If it’s not that, then what is it?!”. She was battered, bruised, and exhausted. All this had done was shown her just how many times she couldn’t beat Oras, and how many times she could get hurt and not die from it. And it had gotten her no closer to the answer she was looking for.

She was done with these training sessions; right now she just wanted answers.

Oras Aventra Auro

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Atranoch Telemindred

Jul 18, 2019 23:29:58 GMT -6

Post by Oras Aventra Auro on Jul 18, 2019 23:29:58 GMT -6

Oras turned to look at her. ‘Alright, credit where it’s due, this was several hours longer than I anticipated she’d last. Not bad at all really.’ He saw her glare and knew she was really really pissed off with him. However he knew that anger was going to turn to fear rather soon. He was silent for a second before speaking. “First I have a question Ryse. What do you want to do in this world? What is it you seek? What is it you hope to accomplish?” He would let her finish but only barely. For the second she finished the atmosphere would change. Instantly the air became rigidly cold. Almost as if every molecule just stopped moving. Oras’ eyes glowed and drew his sword. This time slowly, the blade glowing an eerie and terrifying glow. The star and moon light dimmed more. The Atranoch began stepping towards her, slowly raising his sword arm.

If she tried to run, massive walls of ice would block her path. If she tried to charge or did nothing he would vanish from sight. He would then reappear behind her and grab her by the neck in his seven foot true form. He raised her high into the air, her body slowly freezing. True frostbite. His eyes glowed but not a bright glow. It was a dark glow. And as she looked into his eyes. As she felt his sword begin to move to slaughter her. She would feel death fall upon her. She would know that he was going to kill her. Right here. Right now. No mercy. Even her soul would feel the closing in of death itself. And then.

Just before he killed her he would stop, put her down, and return the terrain and atmosphere to it’s rightful state. The frostbite would immediately leave her, so she was no longer physically cold. He reverted to his human form again and looked her in the eyes. His own full of genuine concern, and the hope that she would listen. “The lesson Ryse. Isn’t that fighting isn’t a joke. It isn’t any of that crap. The lesson Ryse. Is that death itself, is another enemy that you need to confront. You can’t run from it. You can’t hide from it. You must only face it. Whenever you enter a fight you need to tell yourself, that there are only three options. Flee. Win. Or die. You need to step into that mindset. You must not let the fear control you, but let it drive you to become better. You fight out of the need to defend, and out of fear. You need to fight in order to win. Do you understand Ryse?”

Ryse Azar

Student Scholar

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Spirit's Fire Church Grim / Phoenix Terra

Jul 19, 2019 23:14:38 GMT -6

Post by Ryse Azar on Jul 19, 2019 23:14:38 GMT -6

Ryse’s scowl faded as she heard Oras’s question. “Well, I want to finish my schooling, for sure. I don’t know what I want to do yet as far as a career, but I’ll figure it out.” There were so many things she could do as a Scholar; it was hard to decide just what she wanted to do.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but fell silent as the air turned freezing, and she shivered. The breeze she’d felt earlier suddenly died; it was like the air itself was standing completely still. Then the atronach’s eyes began glowing, and he drew his sword again. What was he doing? “O-Oras. I already said I’m not training anym-more today!” She snarled in irritation, teeth chattering from the cold, her breath coming out in puffs of frost. Then the moon and stars dimmed. She stood up, taking a step backwards. The fur on her spine stood up, and it wasn’t from the cold.

The teenager remembered the first time she’d turned invisible. She was two, and it had happened quite by accident. She and her mother had been playing hide-and-seek, and she'd almost been caught by the older phoenix. At the last second, she willed herself to disappear. And that was what she did. Her mother had looked right at her and hadn’t seen her. But here, she had an entirely different reason to hide. Her brain screamed ‘danger’. There was no way she would be able to beat him in a fight; this entire day of training had proved that fact. The only option she had was to run.

Turning invisible, the hybrid ran away from him, planning on flying out of range. The air was still, and frozen. The act of beating her wings was almost painful, and without moving air it took much more effort than usual to stay in the air. Landing on the ground again, panting heavily, she tried taking to the air again but failed. It simply wasn't possible for her to stay aloft in these conditions. High walls sprung up in front of her, and as she spun around to go back the way she came, a hand suddenly grasped her throat and lifted her high into the air.

Her heart pounded in her chest, terror gripping her. Ryse struggled in the icy grasp, frantically beating her wings and scratching at Oras with her claws. She tried turning her head so she could bite at his arm, and igniting her fire to burst into flame so she could force the Atronach to let go. But nothing happened. It was night, and the temperature was so cold that her weak flames wouldn't even hurt Oras. As it was, she couldn't turn her head that much. She was truly caught. “Oras p-please... stop.” She croaked out as she finally dropped the invisibility. It was so cold, so cold. After a few moments she couldn’t feel her paws anymore, and she was losing feeling in her face and wings as well. “If it’s... s-something I d-did.... I’m sorry.” A few tears streamed down her cheeks before freezing on her face. Why was he doing this? Why? Why?!

Then the sword moved towards her, and though she tried her best to escape, she knew it was useless. The sword was going to kill her, and his face was uncaring. And she was going to die, just like last time. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the strike that would end her life.

And felt herself being lowered to the ground instead. Blinking opened her eyes, she flinched away from Oras after she got feeling back into her body, fear in her eyes. He seemed to be genuinely concerned for her. But even so, he'd literally just tried to kill her. After she heard his explanation, she slowly nodded. "I... understand." She whispered, voice wavering as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. She'd been terrified, and feared for her life. She was still a little bit afraid.

Oras Aventra Auro

Traveler

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Atranoch Telemindred

Jul 20, 2019 19:23:05 GMT -6

Post by Oras Aventra Auro on Jul 20, 2019 19:23:05 GMT -6

…This was why he doubted anyone would stay with him for long. This, and his attitude. And his reckless aggression. And his being immortal… And anything really. People just didn’t like him at all, whatsoever. He wondered why she’d bothered to stick with him this freaking long. When he showed tough love, it was tough love. He rarely ever held back, and that was something most people hated about him. ‘why can’t you go easy. we’re only human, we’re not supernatural like you. You really are trying to kill us aren’t you?’ He closed his eyes, the world moving slower for him than it was for her in this moment. Try as he may, he can never truly help someone in their life, without hurting them enough to push them away. Only human? Humans had the greatest potential out of any race to go above and beyond. They only focus on what they can’t do, and let themselves sink in that depression and doubt. Why couldn’t they figure it out already? Why couldn’t they just stand up and work together to unite and be strong? Rising together?

He couldn’t understand it. And while Ryse was no human, she had similar flaws to them. Most races either fell into arrogance and pride, or doubt and hopelessness. He watched as she flinched away from him, fear in her eyes. She hesitated but eventually whispered that she understood. Terrified and crying. Oras didn’t sigh or say anything. Instead he kneeled down on one knee, and offered her his hand. He wasn’t going to baby her. He was going to help her stand up, and be strong. If she could stand up. He would give her a hug. Even though she was in her dog form, his body could reshape itself easily. If she took his hand, his arm would shift, spreading to her under torso and lifting her up enough for her to stand on her feet.

When she did, he would give her a gentle hug. “I will never break my promise Ryse. I never break promises. I see this fear in you, and unnaturally strong. I want to help you channel that fear, and not let it control you. I’m not a good teacher like most people, I never was. However I know how strong you are, and I know that you can brave on more than just me. You just have to seize the courage to do so.” He pulled back and looked her in the eyes with a slight smile. “You are the combination of a flaming phoenix of the dawn. And the guardian grim of the dusk. If you find the courage within you, I promise that you can become more powerful than you ever thought you could.”

Ryse Azar

Student Scholar

350 posts

GRADE • B-

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Spirit's Fire Church Grim / Phoenix Terra

Jul 20, 2019 19:54:05 GMT -6

Post by Ryse Azar on Jul 20, 2019 19:54:05 GMT -6

The teenager looked at his outstretched hand, then looked up at his face, eyes searching him. Was this a trick? Was he going to hurt her again? Looking into his eyes, however, that fear wavered. He wasn't doing anything, just offering a hand to help her up. It seemed genuine.

After a few long moments of hesitation, she reached out a paw and placed it in his hand. Oras helped her stand up, and while she winced in doing so, she was able to stand on her four paws without falling over.

Then he hugged her.

Ryse stiffened slightly before relaxing, resting her head on his shoulder and spreading her wings to give him an awkward hug in return. She was silent as she listened to Oras's words. Hearing them, a small watery smile spread across her face. When he pulled away and said that she could become more powerful than she thought she could, she gave a tiny chuckle. "Even more powerful than you?" She asked quietly, a hint of teasing in her tone. She was very sore all over, and she knew she was going to have bruises for the next few days.

Her smile faded, then, and she looked away from the Atronach, shuffling on her paws, ears flat against her head. After some thought, she finally spoke. "It... it was um.... Zeke. Who killed me..." She murmured quietly. She thought she ought to at least tell the one person who she was closest to what had happened. Ozaki already knew about it of course, since he was in the trial with her, and somehow Nyx had managed to jump into the trial. Oras deserved to know what happened.

"He... um.... it was h-hellfire... and he s-stabbed me." She forced herself to say the words, gritting her teeth. It would be clear it would've taken a lot of effort to tell him. Even just saying the word Hellfire sent shivers running down her spine. She doubted she would be able to handle seeing it without remembering the feeling of burning alive, without remembering the smell of charred and blackened flesh. Just thinking about it made her want to vomit. "Don't hurt him, okay? H-he didn't mean to do it."

Oras Aventra Auro

Traveler

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Atranoch Telemindred

Jul 21, 2019 23:04:46 GMT -6

Post by Oras Aventra Auro on Jul 21, 2019 23:04:46 GMT -6

Oras noticed that she was relaxing now and had a tearful smile across her face. He was so super glad she was in dog form plus crying. It made her look… Not ugly but not pretty either. To him a dog was.. A dog. He’d been around humans most of the time and as such was used to how they looked. When she teased him with her question of power he nodded. “I chose to give myself limits upon entering this world for my own reasons. Truth is? You can reach a point where you can become limitless. It only depends on how high you wish to soar.” It was true. With her powers she could become a very fierce and deadly combatant. Though he very much doubted she’d actually want to be a duelist like he was. Or even an adventurer.

Soon her smile faded and looked away. He didn’t know what this was about but… Eventually she told him that it was someone named Zeke who had killed her. His facial expression told her that she had his attention. She kept on explaining, stating how he used hellfire and stabbed her. Hellfire? Well… Hell, no wonder she was terrified to talk about it. She was clearly hating the very memory of it, which was understandable. Hellfire was a horridly painful flame that clung to you, and could even burn your soul in certain occasions. At any rate it was horrible. It sounded like he was a demon, or at least demonic being. When she told him not to hurt him, and how he didn’t mean it Oras didn’t say anything… At least, not until…

Oras poked his finger at Ryse’s forehead and let it stay there for a second. “How freaking hard was it to just tell me? We spent all day going through this crap before you finally tell me, jeez. At least we didn’t waste a week.” He pulled his finger away and sighed. “Alright, could you explain to me why someone who uses hellfire ‘didn’t mean to’ kill you?”

Ryse Azar

Student Scholar

350 posts

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Spirit's Fire Church Grim / Phoenix Terra

Jul 21, 2019 23:29:27 GMT -6

Post by Ryse Azar on Jul 21, 2019 23:29:27 GMT -6

"I didn't want to talk about it, then." She grumbled, shuffling her paws. "It was hard for me, alright? I don't... like talking about it... if you couldn't tell." She really didn't like talking about it, and would rather not do so anytime soon. Doing it once was hard enough.

"Some bullies were picking on him. He got mad, and that's when Ozaki and I encountered him." Ryse explained, sitting down. "I was going to help him, and he... he became enraged. Started corrupting the room and stuff. He didn't recognize me in this form. He wasn't in his right mind. Normally he's an awkward, shy kid. But he was controlled by his rage."

She closed her eyes as she remembered the room darkening, the boy's eyes glowing red. His wings turning black. His hands sharpening into talons. And she shuddered.

"He was going to hurt us, so I... attacked him, trying to get him to stop. It didn't work." If she hadn't attacked him, she wondered, would he have killed her? Would Ozaki had managed to calm him down? Zeke had seemed dead set on hurting them... she couldn't have just let him do so without doing anything about it. Fighting back had seemed like the best option at the time. But could it have been handled differently? Possibly.

Oras Aventra Auro

Traveler

264 posts

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Atranoch Telemindred

Jul 24, 2019 9:39:47 GMT -6

Post by Oras Aventra Auro on Jul 24, 2019 9:39:47 GMT -6

Suffice it to say, her answer was only bringing up more and more questions. Bullies were picking on this ‘Zeke’ fellow. Ozaki and Ryse ran into him. They were going to help him but he became enraged? She continued stating how he was corrupting the room and how he wasn’t able to recognize her. How he wasn’t in his right mind. How he was normally a shy and awkward kid, but was controlled by anger. She finished by stating how she tried to attack him before he could hurt either her or Ozaki, but how it didn’t work. Oras stood there silent for a moment before he let loose his confusion.

“I want you to clarify a few things for me. First, how does someone who has the power to corrupt the world around him, and conjure up hellfire, both of which are only used for evil purposes… Accidentally kill you? Second, elaborate on what you mean by ‘enraged’. Third, who the hell is this person that they just have random emotional snaps at any given time? It sounds like this is a lunatic with either a split personality or just a psycho who needs to be put down or put into an asylum. Please, give me more detail so I can understand better. And I swear to Elentros, if your answers only make me more confused, Imma just have to find out for myself.”

Ryse Azar

Student Scholar

350 posts

GRADE • B-

   VITALITY • 3

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   RESILIENCE • 4

   STAMINA • 2

Spirit's Fire Church Grim / Phoenix Terra

Jul 24, 2019 10:12:21 GMT -6

Post by Ryse Azar on Jul 24, 2019 10:12:21 GMT -6

Ryse could say multiple things about people having rages. That there were species that she'd ran into that could snap and killed people if they got angry or were provoked enough. Like blood devils. But she said no such thing. "He's a nephalem. Half angel, half devil." She replied hesitantly. "He told me that anger fuels his rage... that both of his sides are extreme. He doesn't know how to control himself when he gets into a rage."

She wasn't sure how the atronach was going to take it, hearing this. She definitely didn't think that putting Zeke into a mental institution was going to help him, and neither was killing him. There had to be a solution that could help him which didn't involve either of those things. She just didn't know what.