Learning of Light and Dark (Genesis/Invite)

[Deleted]

A Corridor of Darkness opened on the world Olympus Coliseum with a light hum that would be barely noticed if there had been noise in the quite area. From the dark hole stepped a man dressed in black and white clothing (Look 2 ). As the man’s sandaled feet hit the hard dry earth of the new world and he stepped forward, the portal behind him disappeared with a gentle sigh, but the young man did not pay it any mind as he looked around at his surroundings. The ground was made of hard packed sand that had seen many feet in its time. So many feet had traveled the place that it was almost completely smooth in some places. Torches burned along the walls and in corners, their light bright since it was night time here. The torches lit up the walls which had signs on them. Curious, Deshi went over to them, reading the list of names that showed current fights and champions. It was an impressive roster with more than one name popping up more than once. So far it looked like someone named Genesis Rhapsodos was champion of the arena and held such title for two tournaments in a row. It appeared that a current tournament going on and the white haired young man was sure that said champion would be back to defend his title.

He wondered only briefly if the man was of great skill or not before turning away from the rosters and looking upon the rest of the area. To his right were large double doors that were sealed shut so no one could exit or enter, making the white head young man wonder for a moment if that meant the place was closed. He couldn’t imagine the large doors being sealed all the time. After al,l how else would the people come in to watch the tournament? Was there another entrance hidden from view? He looked around, but only spotted two other entrances. One was off to the side and seemed to be leading down into some strange dark substance that drifted about the entrance like some ill omen. Watching the strange substance put an image of death in the young man’s head although he didn’t quite understand why. Making a note to explore the strange entrance later, Deshi’s dark eyes looked around some more, but did not find secret entrance. No, the only entrance left was an opening dead ahead. The way the two guarding statutes were designed and the location the said opening, Deshi thought that perhaps the last entrance led into an official building or perhaps an arena of some sort. The two giant warriors with their swords drawn and facing each other certainly suggested fighting, but then again it could simply be the someone liked the design and the statues meant nothing all. In any case, he wasn’t going to find out the answer to his curiosity if he stood around here. He’d just have to enter the building or what not and find out for himself.

Coming to a decision, The Warrior with the Chained Heart, moved forward taking note of a damaged sections of the open area he was in. It was as if something large had crashed into the walls and all the people had time to do was put up make shift barricades to keep others away from the danger. He wondered what could cause such destruction for one moment and then thought left him as he looked away from the damage. The matter was trivial for the moment, so he’d find the answer to that question when explored the place a bit more. For now he just continued to walk forward.

Speaking of people, where were they? For a place so large, there were no sounds or smells of living. Not even a presence, unless you counted the one coming from the dark fog by the side door, could be felt. This place didn’t seem to be abandoned though. Everything was shined and dusted, making it pleasing to the eye despite some damages here and there. Maybe the place really was simply closed for the day and he was thinking too hard on the absence of life here. Maybe this was normal for this strange place he was in.

Anyway, Deshi continued his walk, listening to his foot falls echo in the silence. When he entered the next room, he paused as he looked around the cramped area taking in the torches and shelves lined with trophies. As he moved over to examine one of the trophies, he took note that each one had different names on them, but in a special spot sat three odd trophies with the names Sora, Donald, and Goofy on them. As he examined the names. he again wondered if the names here were of previous champions or if the trophies held a special spot for a different reason. He began trying to formulate such another reason when the sounds of yelling was heard from an entrance barred off by a rope. Seeing that the rope could be stepped over, the elegant man crossed the barrier with ease and went through the to the next area.

When he exited, he found he was indeed right. This place was a huge battle arena full of large stands for thousands of people to sit. He was sure the place could become quite rowdy when full, but right now the stands were empty and the arena floor was full of the strange shadows that he had run into along his travels. He still didn’t know what they were exactly or what their purpose was, but he had learned that they were aggressive and best dealt with quickly before more were summoned. At the moment, the creatures seemed to be content with tormenting some form of a creature that appeared to be a man and a goat combined. The site was strange, but not one to faze this warrior for long. The creature was in trouble, so it would be logical for him to help. With his mind made up, Deshi flicked his left hand causing the bracelet on his wrist to shine brightly as the crimson tear activated and transformed into the beautiful long sword known as Crimson Rose in a gentle flash of light.

Without hesitating, Deshi moved forward catching the first shadow by surprise. As the creature vanished into smoke, the white haired man moved to another taking the creature down as it turned. The remaining six shadows quickly turned their attention to the white haired warrior and decided to attack all at once in an attempt to overwhelm and defeat him. Unfortunately for the shadows, Deshi was quick, slashing one and then the other hardly breaking his momentum as he moved. Within seconds the creatures were destroyed leaving behind only the remains of smoke around Deshi. He was in a defense position with his sword held in both hands and raised to shoulder height, the blade slanted at a downward angle that made it easy to defend and strike from. He stayed like this for a moment, still as he listened to the area for more threats. Hearing nothing, he relaxed and dismissed his sword, the blade glowing gentle again before becoming a bracelet on his left wrist once more. He turned to look at the strange creature that had been attacked.

The goat…man. Yeah, goat man was staring at him in shock and didn’t seem to know what to say. Ignoring the look, Deshi spoke.

“Are you okay?” he asked calmly. The goat shook his head as his face went from wonder to a scowl as he crossed his arms and turned away slightly.

“I was more than okay, kid. I had those Heartless by their horns. I did not need any help getting rid of them,” the goat said, sounding annoyed. Deshi simply watched him calmly. The ungrateful type and unwilling to admit he needed help too. How fun,[/color] Deshi thought to himself in a sarcastic manner that was never spoken out loud or shown on his face. The goat man seemed to still be steaming, but this did not bother Deshi.

“Forgive my intrusion then,” he told the creature with a slight apologetic bow.

“Hey! Hey! You don’t have to be so formal about it. Besides your skills aren’t bad. With a little fine tuning, I’d say you might just reach Hero status one day,” the goat said with a nod.

“Hero? I think not,” Deshi responded back, shaking his head at the idea of him ever becoming a hero. No, he was much to stained for that. Mercenary work….that was the best job for him until he could figure out what else he was supposed to do in life….and how to control the Void. Until then he was too dangerous to even consider a path of righteousness.

“With an attitude like that you’re doom to fail kid, but trust me. I know you can become one with time,” the goat said with as he looked up at Deshi with his hands on his hip and gave him a challenging glare. Deshi met the glare with a cool gaze of his own not fully submitting to what the goat considered true, but not openly rebelling against it either. It was an even glare.

“How do you know this, um….?” Deshi trailed off, letting the goat fill in the blank.

“I got one word for you, kid. Hero Trainer,” the goat said puffing out his chest a bit with pride. Deshi frowned slightly at the one word bit, but otherwise didn’t say anything as he waited for the goat to continue. Continuing his talk without noticing the frown, the goat man said, “And the name is Philoctetes, but you can call me Phil. What about you, kid? What brings you to the famous Olympus Coliseum?” The goat watched him carefully as he thought how to answer. He suppose honesty was the best thing right now.

“My name is Deshitana or Deshi for short,” he responded back calmly as he processed the information Phil had given him for a moment and then continued on to answer the creature’s question as to why he was here. “I am here to learn what I can from this place.”

Phil looked at him for a minute trying to piece together his vague words. Then coming to his own understanding he nodded and turned away.

“Well you came to the right place to learn,” he said as he began walking away. “Come on with me, kid. I can put you through some tests to see just how much work is going to be needed to transform you into a hero. After the tests, the real work comes.”

Deshi stayed where he was for a moment and then followed behind the goat. While he had no intension of becoming a hero, he was very curious as to what sort of tests the goat was going to put him through. Would they be simple or harsh like the ones in his past? He guess he’d have to wait and find out if the test were good or bad. If they were a good thing, he’d stay. If bad, he could always Corridor out of this place to escape it all.

[genesis]

A single black feather fluttered down from the darkened night sky, softly twisting and turning as it gently descended down into the main lobby of the Olympus Coliseum. There were no winds tonight, so the feather was free to fall down at it's own pace, and as it neared the hard packed sand floor, a crimson gloved hand rose and served as a platform for the feather to come to rest upon. The creaking of leather was the only thing heard within the Lobby as the owner of the gloved hand closed his fingers about the gorgeous black feather. The shifting of a bird's wing silenced the rustling of leather as a large, black angel wing was softly tucked in behind the back of a man clad in a long, crimson coat. Mako infused eyes glowed as brightly as the torches and braziers nearby as his gaze was turned about the small set of doors that lead into a the waiting area for the arena itself. Someone had just waked through those doors, for one was left ajar every so slightly. Unless it was Phil or Herc, this place was usually deserted at this time of night. The only reason the man in the crimson coat was here was simply to get some training done while it was nice and quite.

Seemed it wasn't going to turn out that way.

Whoever had entered the arena held a strange power within their heart. It was unknown, so chances were it belonged to a newcomer to these worlds, another lost soul whose home world was taken by the Darkness. Leather creaked as the man known as Genesis Rhapsodos, Champion of Olympus Coliseum, turned his body fully to face the doors to the waiting area. The area was deadly silence, eerily so, but the SOLDIER 1st Class made his way towards the waiting area regardless, only his feet scraping softly against the sand covered floor making any noise at all, expect that of his long coat rustling subtly as he moved. Upon reaching the slightly ajar doors, Genesis raised a hand and used a finger to creak the door open every so slightly. The room beyond was empty and once this was confirmed, the door opened fully and the Crimson SOLDIER strode straight through, stepping over the rope fence and heading straight into the arena itself.

What he saw within, was half amusing, half interesting. The amusing part was that Philotetes, 'trainer of heroes' as he called himself, was once again getting himself into trouble with some Heartless. Unless Hercules was around to take care of them, Phil usually found himself in combat with these critters. He didn't have a sword or a barrel or any weapon, really, so perhaps he was caught off guard this time? Either way, it appeared he was already in safe hands. A stranger was fighting off the Heartless for him, said stranger having white hair and matching coloured clothing, though in the moonlit night, it was hard to tell what colour was what. Regardless, Genesis didn't move from the dark shadows that covered one of the entrances to the arena itself. Should either Phil or the white-haired stranger glance his way, they'd see nothing but his glowing blue eyes.

He has some skill.
The SOLDIER thought to himself once the final Heartless met it's end. Whoever this stranger was, he certainly didn't look a stranger to combat. Perhaps Phil caught sight of this as he bounced to his feet and eventually started to mention making this white-haired man into a 'hero'. Typical Phil behaviour right there. Watching as the unknown warrior dismissed his blade into what appeared to be a bracelet of some kind, Genesis listened as Phil spoke of putting this guy, whose name was revealed to be 'Deshitana', through some 'tests'. Well, though it was the dead of night, it appeared that was no excuse not to go smashing some barrels into pieces. Perhaps Phil was out of firewood? Whatever the case, Genesis stepped out into the arena and slowly made his way over towards the stands the audience would sit at, where he then would indeed sit down as his brightly glowing eyes were cast upon Phil and the stranger, watching to see what was going to happen next.

True, he wanted to come and train on his own, but at the same time, one could just as easily learn something new from watching others fight. This was going to be valuable experience whatever happened.

[Deleted]

Neither Deshi nor Phil noticed that they had been join by another within the otherwise empty coliseum. After the little bought with the strange shadows, Phil had been talking away about all the plans that he had for making Deshi a hero. While the mercenary did not want to be a hero, he was curious about the tests the goat man was rambling about, so he let the creature boast and make plans never objecting or agreeing to what he heard as he followed along quietly behind the strange short man. When they reached the center of the arena, Phil told him to stay where he was before he hurried off, disappearing into the North entrance to the arena. Deshi obeyed, staying calmly where he was before some strange golden urns that glimmered in the moonlight appeared and began to hovering slowly around him in a circle.

What was this? Target practice or a defense mechanism for this arena? Was the test to see how long he could survive against said defense system or were the floating urns a distraction for whatever else the goat had in mind? Despite how strange the urns were, Deshi did not attack them and they did not attack him. As they spun, Deshi looked towards the North gate and saw the goat standing there his arms folded and a smirk upon his face.

“Okay, kid. The rules are simple. I’m going to give you a time limit of exactly one minute and all you have to do is destroy as many of the urns you can, got it?” Phil called to him. Simple enough, but he began to wonder how much of a challenge this was going to be. As it stood now there were only five urns around him and judging from their size and material, they would be easy to destroy in less than a minute. He supposed he could give the goat the benefit of doubt as far as challenges went. Maybe these urns were more than they seemed. Only one way to find out. With a flick of his wrist, the bracelet glowed briefly before becoming the light that shifted into Crimson Rose. As soon as the blade was formed, the warrior resumed his defense position accepting the challenge the goat had given him.

Pleased, Phil gave him the signal to go and go he did. With amazing speed he went for the urn nearest him taking out first one then another in quick succession. As the pots shattered, Deshi took note that more appeared all varying in different sizes, shapes, and ways they moved. Without hesitating, Deshi quickly analyzed the locations of each and which would be hard to destroy, and which would be easy, strategizing his attacks until…the urns stopped coming. Did that mean his time was up, then? Going into a relaxed stance, Deshi looked over at Phil. The goat man was staring at him wide eyed with his mouth hanging open, a look of shock plastering his face.

“You destroyed all 300 of them with 20 seconds to spare?!” Phil exclaimed and then shaking his head, he went from shock to agitated. Huffing, he shook his head. “Heh. Don’t think speed makes you a hero yet, kid. You just wait—I”

Deshi tuned out the creature’s rambling as he sensed a pair of eyes watching him from behind. Calmly, he turned slightly to look behind, spotting a man wearing crimson and black clothing sitting in the seating area where the audience would be. Deshi’s dark colored eyes locked on the man’s glowing blue ones as he wondered just how long the man had been watching and even if said person was truly human. Those glowing eyes suggested something more. Curious. Intriguing.

Despite the interest, Deshi did not show any signs of his thoughts as he watched the other male carefully. He wanted to know if this man was trouble or not and would’ve spoken had the goat not beaten him to the punch.

“Hey! Are you listening to me?” he was saying causing Deshi to give him a brief uninterested glance before returning his gaze to the crimson clad man. Phil followed his gaze and went from fussy to cocky and happy again.

“Well, well what do you know,” he said looking at Genesis. “What perfect time our two time Arena Champion has.”

Arena Champion? Deshi looked from Phil’s grinning face back to the man sitting in the stands with a slight look of surprise on his face. So this was the champion? He didn’t look strong, but Deshi knew looks were never a good thing to judge people on. He himself had been judged a number of times by others only to turn around and bring them down within a few strikes. He was sure that this man watching him had a similar story to weave. Deshi study the man with new curiosity. Why was the arena champion here now, then? Again, Phil spoke before he could open his mouth.

“Alright. Here, let me introduce you two. Genesis Rhapsodos this is Deshi, a new kid in town wanting to be trained by your truly,” the goat said pointing a thumb into his puffed out chest as he beamed with way too much confidence. Inwardly, Deshi sighed. Such a lie. He did not come here to do anything else, but explore and had just hung around long enough to see what the “tests” were, which in turn had been a disappointment. While the urns were a good warm up, it would take more than that to truly challenge this particular warrior and seeing as he had destroyed all of the urns it looked like that challenge would not be fulfilled unless Phil had something else up his sleeve.

In any case, after the minor boasting, Phil became serious as he looked at Genesis.

“However, my training secession will have to end for now seeing as the rookie here has cleaned me out urns. Why don’t you show him a thing or two while I go think up another test, champ.”

Then without another word, the goat man walked off, leaving the pair alone.

The arena became silent as the warm night breeze blew through the area ruffling Deshi’s clothing and hair as he stood there observing his potential opponent carefully. His sword remained lose in his left hand as he waited quietly to see what would happen next.

[genesis]

The evening was comfortable with warm, soft winds, a cloudless sky and all the company of a handful of crickets, chirping away from outside the walls of the Coliseum itself. The only other sounds making themselves known were the footsteps and hoove-steps of Phil and this white-haired Deshi as they made their way towards the center of the arena itself. Phil looked excited, something which wasn't often seen unless he was introduced to a powerful, potential new 'hero'. Usually the 'heroes' stumbled here by accident, traveling from world to world on whatever quest or mission they had been given or set out upon. It wasn't known if Phil traveled the worlds himself to look for warriors of all kinds, and after thinking about it, the odds of that sounded slim. Would Phil even know how to fly a Gummi Ship or summon a Corridor of Darkness? No, this Deshi was much like the others, Sora, Cloud, himself. He had stumbled across this world and had just so happened to catch Phil's attention. Odds of escaping anytime soon were now slim unless something drastic happened.

As Phil dashed off towards the North Entrance, a smirk spread itself across the lips of the LOVELESS Quoter as he wondered what possible test might be coming Deshi's way. It would probably take too much time to gather a bunch of random Heartless to send out and some of the larger monsters used for warm-ups or challenges were more then likely going to be asleep and resting for the morning schedule of matches and bouts.
It'll be boxes or barrels then.
Mused the Crimson SOLDIER as he raised up on of his legs, placing his boot upon the stone seating and taking hold of his knee with both hands. Leaning back slightly to get comfortable, the SOLDIER 1st Class nodded his head as some urns suddenly appeared from out of no where. While the targets were moving and came in different shapes and sizes, at least they were harmless. Phil gloated as he explained the rules and the auburn-haired man watched on intently.

As soon as the test had begun, Genesis could see that whoever this Deshi was, he was no ordinary grunt swinging a sword. The fact that he could summon his blade was a big enough hint that he was skilled at what he did. On the other hand, other masters may simply not have learned to summon their weapon to hand. It was of no concern. The shattering of urns falling to the hard packed floor was more proof. The way the white-haired man moved, placed his feet, used his body as his weapon along with the sword in his hands. This was impressive. Grace and subtly over brute force and power. The one thing he didn't have to worry about was exhausting himself. Sure enough, the urns were no more, despite the near-endless supply Phil had brought along and Genesis smiled and nodded his head in approval, Phil's reaction also detailing how impressive the small feat was. Sure, it was only breaking urns, but it was the manner in which it were handled that made it impressive to watch.

Keeping his glowing eyes locked onto the white-haired man, Genesis didn't look away, didn't flinch... he didn't even blink. He just sat there, solid as a rock and watched the swordsman acknowledge his presence. His large black wing was tucked behind himself and due to the shadows covering most of the stands, it was more then likely difficult to spot from where Deshi was standing. No words were shared. No movement or signs that confirmed Genesis had too acknowledged the strange swordsman in the middle of the arena. Phil's voice grew agitated as he wondered why the white-haired man wasn't giving him attention, but the satyr soon discovered the cause for this. After their short introduction confirming the man's name to indeed be 'Deshi', Genesis again didn't move from where he was sitting. He didn't speak either as he simply continued to sit there in silence and watch the stranger with curiosity.
What world are you from, stranger? Who taught you to fight...? Why are you here?
Were only a couple of the questions dancing about the SOLDIER's mind.

It was only after Phil had left and the warm breeze passing through his hair and clothing, ruffling the feathers of his wing, did the Crimson Champion move. Lowering his leg down from off the stand, he pushed himself up to his feet, the leather clothing covering his body creaking as he tightened and loosed about him respectively. His eyes flashed as if someone had shone a torch into them before the large wing on the SOLDIER's back flexed out to full span, catching the wind as it softly blew by. A few feathers, the darkest black, fluttered down as they fell loose before coming to rest upon the arena floor. After tucking his wing back behind himself, Genesis walked forwards, approaching the white-haired man. By time he was standing only a couple of feet before him, a stern look spread across his face, the quoter of LOVELESS suddenly gave a smirk as he extended his right arm, palm open, offering a hand to shake.
"Genesis, as the goat-man has told you."
Whether Deshi returned the greeting was his own choice, but when Genesis lowered his arm back down to his side, his smirked remained as he lowered his head a fraction, hiding part of his face with his auburn bangs.
"So Phil thinks you a rookie, huh? I could tell from watching that you're not terribly keen on the idea of becoming a 'hero'. So, it makes me wonder... Why are you here?"

[Deleted]

As Phil left, Deshi stayed where he was listening as the ticking of the goat man’s hoofed feet slowly became more and more distant until there was no sound left, except the insects and the wind. As the wind passed by ruffling Deshi’s hair he kept the gaze of the quiet man in the stands. The man’s glowing eyes were intense, intimidating even, but to Deshi they were no more than a pair eyes that spoke much about the man who watched him with a stare that was similar to a cat’s. While the man had done nothing thus far except observe, Deshi could tell from simply watching him that he was a powerful person indeed.

Being the champion of the arena didn’t mean much to him. Anyone could do that if their skills were good enough to take the title and defend it. While some could brush the first victory off to luck, holding onto the title meant the skill level of said champion was high, but also adaptable to other styles that came along. Still skills did not mean someone had power. No, power was gained in a different manner than skills. No amount of regular training gave one power. It had to be learned from a master, sought out and grasped, or imbedded into you through experiments. Only through using the power and fine tuning the energy within you could one become powerful in a literal sense. Outside of this, power boiled down to greed and haves and have nots.

This man before him was powerful in the literal sense. Whatever he had been infused with shined from his eyes in the form of the blue glow that pierced the darkness the moonlight could not dispel. That power was interesting and tempting. Not to take, but simply to test himself against. If the man were to take the goat’s order then perhaps he would get his chance to learn something new. It had been all too long since he had an opponent that was actually worth fighting. The potential this strange and intriguing man held hidden within him was something that Deshi actually looked forward to seeing unleashed; however, he would not push the man to do anything. If he wished not to spar with him then that was fine by this arena warrior. Training or not, he had already found a target worthy of further study just by meeting the crimson clad warrior. Perhaps learning his power could come another time if not now. He'd simply have to wait and see.

Anyway, the observation came to an end as the man moved getting to his feet from his relaxed position as his eyes flashed and the slight rustling of clothing from his movement could be heard in the almost quiet arena. As he stood, a wing barely noticed in the darkness was moved outward. The flap of the wing a distinct sound the Deshi quickly locked into his memory as he watched a few feathers fall from it. The wind blew the light objects across the arena floor and upward into the air. So this one is not completely human after all. A creature hidden or perhaps an experiment such as myself? The thoughts passed through Deshi’s head quickly, turning this encounter to an even more intriguing one than before as he pondered the possibilities for a moment.

Who was this man and where had he come from to have so much power packed into him and why a wing? So many questions brought up by a simple stare off and observation. Amusing. He had come to this world to learn what he could of the place and instead had found an even juicer bit of information in the otherwise empty place. Perhaps if he lingered a bit more the encounter would become even more interesting.

In any case, the man folded his wing back as he moved forward and towards Deshi. He kept an eye on the man, his relaxed stance remaining. As the man smirked, held out his hand, and re-introduced himself. Deshi hesitated a moment at the gesture. It wasn’t that he thought the gesture was a trick or anything like that. No, it was just it simply took him a moment to remember how to respond to it. It was rare that people greeted him this way, after all. He much more used to being attacked or taunted, but this time he had someone with manners. A nice change from the norm.

After the slight hesitation, he reached and shook the man's hand, his grip firm, but gentle all the same.

“Nice to meet you,” he said calmly and then released the man’s hand. There was just the briefest moment of silence as the man’s smirk remained in place as he lowered his head, causing his bangs to fall across part of his face. Then he was speaking again.

Deshi a trace of a smile crossed Deshi's lip at the comment as he tilted his head slightly to the left.

“You are quite right. I have no intention of becoming a hero. Never have. I simply came here to learn what I could of this new world and the people that come to it,” he said and then righting his head again, he cupped his free hand under his chin as if he was thinking, although his mostly emotionless face did not change.

“Tell me, Champion of the Coliseum. What is it you have to teach me, hmm?”

The words were calm, but there was a spark of curiosity in those dark eyes that could not be hidden even by the darkness that surrounded them. A cloud passed over the moon before moving on, once more letting the dim light fall on the place and glitter off the sword that remained in Deshi’s loose grip.

[genesis]

The night was pleasant. Hardly any wind was reaching into the middle of the arena, most of it simply blowing over the top. The near-cloudless sky was allowing a fair amount of moonlight to shine down and give adequate visibility. Nearly all the torches dotted about the arena were extinguished, bar the small handful Phil more then likely didn't get a chance to extinguish before the Heartless came. No sound either. No cheering fans, no weapon training or impacts of sword upon shield, wooden crates breaking. Nothing like that. It was as if two samurai were meeting under the moon within a long grassed field and were about to do battle. Of course, this situation was slightly different, but it felt the same within Genesis' mind. No blood was going to be spilled this day either, at least not if either swordsman was careless. After all, Phil did suggest that the Crimson SOLDIER should try and teach this white-haired man a thing or two.

Releasing his grip upon Deshi's hand, Genesis nodded his head in answer to the greeting given to him. If whoever this person was, had ill intentions, the arena would no doubt have been attacked by now. Phil would not have been saved and the urn smashing test would never have started. Keeping that in mind, the next words spoken from the white-haired man sounded genuine. Never having seen of heard of this man before also caused Genesis to believe the words he spoke. Lowering his hand down to his hip, Genesis raised his head again and looked Deshi in the eye, watching him carefully for but a second before he slowly blinked and nodded his head a second time.
"This is where many of the greatest warriors come to compete, whether in tournaments or to settle rivalries, this is the place to come if you want to see some combat."

Genesis turned himself about, his leather boots scraping slightly against the arena floor as he raised his left arm up, pointing a finger in the direction Phil had disappeared in.
"The goat-man is a 'trainer of heroes'. All I know is that he trained a man called Hercules and that he also helped train a boy called 'Sora'."
Genesis explained before he glanced back at Deshi out the corner of his eye, pausing for a second to watch the white-haired man before speaking up once more.
"Remember Sora's name. You'll no doubt be hearing it a lot. You may already have noticed it out in the lobby, upon some of the tournament brackets?"
The Crimson SOLDIER lowered his left arm back down to his side and turned back to Deshi fully, looking at the sword in his hand, tilting his head at it for a moment as he observed the blade. Was well made from the look of it.
"As for this place itself, I don't really know too much. The place as ancient though as you can see. I hear rumors of an entire world underneath this one, something about a realm of undead?"

The SOLDIER 1st Class shrugged his shoulders and chuckled softly to himself. He turned around and took a couple of steps away from the white-haired man, listening to his footsteps echo subtly off the arena walls and stands. Coming to a halt, he turned back around and smirked somewhat at the swordsman before him. Deshi's words amused him. Teach huh? There probably wasn't much that could be taught. Deshi's style of fighting was completely different to how Genesis himself fought in his battles. If anything was going to be taught today, it would be knowledge on how the opponent moved, attacked, defended. How they dealt with a combat situation. Deshi could swing a sword and he could use it well. That was clear as reading an open book. But it also depended on what world he had come from. Were there superhuman-like beings such as the SOLDIER himself on Deshi's world? How would the strength within his arms withstand to a strong strike from the Arena Champion?

"Teach? All we can do is spar and see what happens. Taking out some Heartless is child's play, but I do wonder how you'll fare against an opponent who fights back."
Genesis answered, raising his right arm as he did so. When he finished speaking, the arena was suddenly lit up brightly for a second as the summoning of the infamous Rapier, entering existence by materializing itself out of a plume of fire shot from the SOLDIER's outstretched hand. Once the lighting had returned to normal, the sound of the flames dying away and extinguishing themselves had silenced, Genesis smirked as his eyes flashed brightly for a moment.
"What say you?"

[Deleted]

As the wind in the arena became still, blocked by the tall stands as it moved overhead instead of swooping down below, Deshi watched the man in crimson clothing before him. He was polite enough and thankfully was not the type to go starting or trying to start trouble when it was not necessary. A welcome change in comparison to the freelancer he had dealt with in Twilight Town. This man was calm and seemed to be well controlled on the surface, but whether this was a mask to insanity underneath or the true nature of the man was unknown. What Deshi did know from being in this man’s presence was that he felt a sense of respect towards him. This respect was not gained from any actions the man had done up until now. No, this was the respect given to another fighter that he felt would be equal to him if not better than him in battle.

It was a light respect that was given to arena combatants upon first meeting as they gauged each other’s worth by observation before a fight. Sometimes the respect was high, sometimes there was no respect at all, and at others the reputation granted respect; however, outside of knowing that this man was the Arena Champion, he knew nothing of the man’s reputation. So all he could really do is respect him as a fellow warrior. Nothing less or more until said respect was either lost or re-enforced with actual combat.

Respect aside, Genesis nodded at his “nice to meet you” comment seeming to at least realize that the white head mercenary meant no harm to this world. Despite a dark stain within him, Deshi was mostly good, aiming to help others rather than to harm. Only when he was out of control did he pose a true threat to those around him, but for now he remained calm. The earlier stirrings from the Void caused by Felix’s teasing had passed, leaving Deshi in control for the moment. The young man could only hope that it stayed that way to keep any blood from being shed this night.

When Genesis leveled his head once more and locked his eyes on his own, Deshi listened to what he said about the place and nodded in response. A full confirmation that this was indeed an arena and a place for great fighters to come for their own reasons to fight, whether in a competitive nature or just for fun. Between the evidence around him and no trace of a lie in those blue eyes, Deshi took the words as truth before the eye contact was broken between the pair as he blinked and the man turned away before pointing off to the exit Phil disappeared in.

Deshi looked at the opening briefly following the direction of the point as the man explained how the goat man had trained a person named Hercules and another called Sora. Hercules, huh? He wondered if this person was strong or if he was just a person someone Phil could brag about, but with no skills at all. Whatever the case was, he would not find out about it tonight for whoever, Hercules was he was not here. It never crossed Deshi’s mind that Hercules was indeed the man of myth he had read about in the few books he was allowed to read. If he had connected the dots, then perhaps his curiosity would’ve been transformed into something a bit more solid than a passing thought. In any case, Deshi’s eyes moved from the exit back to Genesis as he spoke on the boy Sora.

According to him, this boy was someone to remember, but why was the question. While he was curious as to who Sora was and if he was a threat or not, he kept the question to himself and decided to add finding out more about the boy to his list of things to poke into while he was traveling. If the name was worthy of a warning, then it would be interesting to encounter this Sora, whoever he may be. Perhaps like Genesis, he’d be worth his time. Anyway, Deshi’s thoughts remained hidden as he nodded at Genesis’ question before responding.

“Yes, I did see the name quite high within the brackets. He must be quite the fighter to make it so far,” he said his calm way of speaking never changing. From there the crimson clad warrior dropped his left arm back to his side and faced him once more. The information that followed was not much at all. He had already gathered much of what the other man said from observing; however, the part about the other world—the one of the dead— caused a slight frown to cross Deshi’s face as he looked away from Genesis and at the ground in thought.

So the dead were loose here too, huh? The entrance to the other world had to be that ill feeling darkness he had seen when he had first arrived here. The place he was curious about, but now wondered if it was wise to even bother with it if it belonged to the dead. He pondered the idea a bit longer before he was pulled out his thoughts by the light chuckle of the other.

He looked up in time to see that the man had turned and was putting some distance between them. The action caught Deshi’s attention fully as he wondered if the man was simply leaving or doing the simple act for another reason. He did not know what the other’s thoughts were, but he could feel the air tense up anticipating a fight or spar. A few seconds later his answer came.

He could agree. Heartless were easy to take care of, the only true threats were the odd ones with strange human like forms, swords, and wings. A demon of some sort that had wit to match the power of its sword; however, in comparison to an opponent with even higher intelligence and strength, all Heartless paled when it came to a human like foe. Out witting the latter was much harder to do and a puzzle Deshi liked figuring out if said opponent could actually hold up against him. It would be interesting to see what this one could do.

As a first demonstration to answer a bit of Deshi’s curiosity about the crimson clad warrior, the man summoned his weapon in a bright display of fire. Deshi’s eyes only narrowed slightly from the sudden change in light as he locked this little trick in his mind. So he too could summon a weapon. Interesting to know considering the man could’ve used the trick to surprise him in battle; however, the man had decided to be up front with him instead. Fair enough. The little action meant he probably had others more dangerous trick hidden. Hmm…that would be something to watch for then. He’d have to simply adapt until he figured out what sort of opponent this was.

Anyway, when his eyes readjusted to the darkness, he saw a beautiful rapier in the man’s hand and like the man had done to his own weapon beforehand, Deshi observed the weapon and nodded inwardly, taking note of its long reach.

Yes, this blade and its owner may indeed be worthy of a spar just to learn what else this opponent could do. He didn’t expect everything to be revealed here, but at least he would have a worth weight to place on this man and in turn a way to judge how much of a threat or ally this one could be.

So when the arena fell silent and the man’s smirk returned as his eyes flashed and a challenge was given. Deshi watched the man carefully before taking a few steps back and then slipping into a defensive position once more. He raised his blade once more to shoulder level and slanted the weapon across his body as a shield.

The metal glinted in the moonlight as the arena breed warrior locked his eyes on his target.

“Your move,” he said in a monotone tone, accepting the challenge. Not a single emotion showed up as his mind slipped back into the warrior he was and he prepared himself for what may happen. While he did not show what he was feeling, he was actually excited to have found something interesting and potentially worthwhile to pass time with. It had been a long time since something had been worthy of his full attention. He just hoped his opponent would not disappoint him.

[genesis]

The arena in the middle of the night was a completely different place compared to during the day. Even if there were no organized events or tournaments held, the buildings were still full of life. Warriors of all heights and sizes, mages from different schools, rangers and summoners, even demi-gods themselves. Very few places like this existed, the only other Genesis knowing of was the Battle Arena within the depths of the Golden Saucer. But even there, the variety of different fighters were limited. When all the worlds were connected as they were now, it was a chance one should not pass up. You might be the strongest warrior on your own home worlds, but when about when facing those from planets across the stars? Such a thought was exhilarating. Knowing that there could be warriors out there stronger then Sephiroth... It was enough to send shivers of excitement Genesis' spine.

Such thoughts and said excitement were not revealed on the face of the Crimson SOLDIER though. Only his smirk continued to remain spread across his face as his eyes watched the figure of the white-haired man carefully. He seemed a polite and honest enough young man. He had listened to the SOLDIER's words, explaining about the worlds and such. It was probably a lot to take in, especially if he had only recently lost his own world and was searching for a way to get back or to figure out what happened. Who knew? The white-haired man was still a mysterious stranger. Perhaps after they had a spar, he'd be able to get some more information out of him, but on the other hand, it really wasn't a problem if Deshi didn't want to speak of himself. Genesis himself had secrets he wished to hide, the same could be said about anyone really. The SOLDIER 1st Class had come here to train and train he was going to do.

Watching with his smirk every present, Deshi slipped into a defensive stance. The way he held his sword reminded the SOLDIER of Sephiroth, but if anything, The Chosen One was nothing but offensive. This was going to be interested indeed and the auburn-haired man only nodded his head in acceptance when asked to start off. It was a smart move on the white-haired man's side. It was foolish to jump in and attack an unknown warrior. Who knew how fast or how strong this Deshi was?
"Very well. I'll start off slow so I can warm up. Don't want to pull a muscle, eh?"
He said with a friendly, joking tone as he brought up his left hand and placed it upon his right shoulder. He then rotated his right arm in large circles, the Rapier in his grip singing as the blade sliced through the air. After a few rotations, the SOLDIER 1st Class lowered both arms down to his sides and lowered his head a fraction, eyes shining through his auburn hair.

A loud 'WHOOSH' suddenly echoed about the arena as the SOLDIER beat his wing and launched himself towards the white-haired stranger. A cloud of dust was left in his wake as the SOLDIER seemed to glide across the arena floor, his legs in a position to suggest he had jumped, but he clearly wasn't running. Within a moment, he had closed the gap between either fighter. Planting his feet upon the ground, leather boots creaking as they found grip, the SOLDIER 1st Class spun backwards on his heels. Tucking in his wing tightly to increase spin speed, as soon as Genesis had made a rotation, he swung his Rapier out in a fast horizontal strike, the long blade singing once more as it made it's way to the left of Deshi's neck. Whether blocked, dodged or if the blow landed, Genesis seemed to switch direction and spun about the opposite way, this time stepping into Deshi before his left elbow was raised to aim a strike upon the right side of the white-haired man's jaw. Whatever happened after that, was the end of the Crimson SOLDIER's first attack. He jumped backwards a few feet and brought the Rapier up before him, clenching the hilt with both hands and waited for whatever Deshi had planned.

((OOC -- To simplify, Gen spun in a circle before Deshi and used the rotation for extra speed and damage. His first strike aimed at his neck. Next, he stepped into Deshi and just to his right (Gen's left), aiming his right elbow at Deshi's jaw at the end of his second rotation. ^__^))

[Deleted]

(Ah thank you for that. ^^)

Silence filled the area not broken even by the wind as the moon shined brightly upon the arena floor where the two warriors stood. Deshi had accepted his crimson clad opponent’s challenge and stood in a defensive position watching the man’s movement carefully. The man was smirking as his true feelings and thoughts remained hidden behind the smile, while Deshi’s face remained a blank slate. While the man joked about starting slow, Deshi was no fool when it came to combatants. He had faced many in his life and knew how to adapt when necessary, so the fact that this one could joke easily and smirk meant that potential danger was hidden underneath.

This was not the talk of a novice or someone that was so so in combat. No, this man before him was a skilled master at his art and as all master’s did he easily showed the confidence he had in his abilities. Taking a defensive stance instead of an offensive one was wise indeed. If the man before him was so sure of himself, then it would’ve been a grave error to attack first and get a surprise as a result. No, it was better to let the confident one strike first and adjust from there. In any case, the only response Genesis got from Deshi in regards to his joke was a faint smirk before the face became serious once more as his attention went the man’s movement.

He watched as he loosened up and then—

He’s fast!

Faster than expected, the man flapped his wing and launched himself at the white haired warrior. Within a blink of an eye he was before Deshi, landing and making his first move. He spun backwards as Deshi took a step back and moved his sword quickly to block the on coming blow. There was a loud clang as the two blades met. Following the sound was the slight shifting of gravel underfoot as Deshi was pushed back by the force of the blow. Had he been anything under a trained fighter, the blow might’ve easily knocked him off balance and open him up for an attack; however, this warrior’s footing was firm upon the ground, the blow pushing him back a little as the next move came.

Genesis was moving the opposite direction now in a speedy fashion pushing into Deshi as he brought his left elbow up for a strike to the jaw. Instead of resisting the motion, Deshi went with it as he shifted his weight and turned in the opposite direction of the blow. As he moved he moved his arms in such a way that the elbow blow would be caught and clamped down upon locking the arm in place between his own arms. Still moving, he would attempt to used the trapped arm and Genesis' momentum against him as he shifted his weight as if he were going to throw him. He would release the trapped arm after his movement was completed, the two warriors in opposites positions when done. If the throw had worked the crimson warrior would be knocked off balance or maybe even tumble to the ground. Regardless of the results, of the semi-throw, the white haired warrior would find his opponent jumping back and bringing his own weapon up in defensive position now waiting on him.

The man didn’t have to wait long before Deshi was coming at him in a straightforward charge; however, as he got close he planted his feet and spun towards the left, unleashing a downward diagonal slash. From the slash, he would continue to go with his momentum as he took a step back and lashed outward with a downward slice aimed at the thigh area that acted as an attack, but also a defensive sweep to keep his opponent back.

Blocked, dodged, or not, the two blows would sting, but were not strong enough to cause serious damage….

((Pretty much the first block follows the principals of tai-chi where you use the momentum of your opponent's attack against them to do a throw. Since he couldn’t grab you fully, I went with an attempt to knock you off balance. The next strike is pretty much a diagonal strike with added force thanks to the turn and the last is simply, backing away while swinging the sword low more to defend and keep an enemy back than to harm. Hope this helps clear up what I was trying to do.)

[genesis]

The smirk of the Crimson SOLDIER didn't falter as he drew closer. Even as the Rapier within his crimson gloved hands sung when swung, his smirk remained present. However, it wasn't a sinister expression. Quite the opposite. Perhaps more easily read from his eyes, the smirk was one of excitement. There was just something so thrilling about crossing blades with an unknown warrior that just got the SOLDIER's blood pumping. This wasn't a serious battle. If blood was going to be spilled, it would only be by accident. Or overconfidence. But regardless, there was no reason to fight the white-haired man to the death. Far from it. While there was a hint of Darkness floating about his heart, the man seemed to be standing firm on the side of Light for the time being. At the end of the day, there was nothing wrong with having some harmless fun, right?

The arena echoed with a metallic 'PANG', sword and Rapier striking one another. The sparks flew from the contact of the blades and Genesis' smirk only grew brighter at the sight and sound of such a thing.
Excellent... he's fast. This might be fun after all!
The SOLDIER 1st Class mused to himself in his thoughts, feeling his arm get caught between something only a moment later. The sound of leather being trapped caused the auburn-haired man to glance over his shoulder, catching sight of the clever little move the white-haired man had got him in. Even smarter was the way Deshi used the SOLDIER's weight and momentum against him. The throw seemed harmless enough, simply lifting the SOLDIER off his feet and throwing him cross the white-haired man's back. A simple poke of the tip of Rapier into the ground resulted in Genesis pivoting himself about through the air before landing back upon his feet, boots skidding across the floor slightly from the momentum of the technique.

Genesis hopped back and brought his crimson blade up in a defensive stance, his arm a little sore by his elbow. It seemed clear enough that the white-haired stranger may not have had much trouble breaking his arm if he used more strength.
"What was that just now?"
Genesis asked curiously as he flexed his knees and watched as the white-haired man suddenly charged at him. This was going to be interesting, exciting! His opponent span, perhaps copying the style of attack he just used, before bringing out his sword in a fast, diagonal slash. The Crimson SOLDIER shifted his footing, side stepping a fraction as he brought up his Rapier at an angle, pushing it up hard into the incoming strike to parry Deshi's sword down the length of Rapier, safely away from his body. The instant the tips of the blades left one another, Genesis had stepped forwards, preparing to strike back quickly, however, a sudden sting shot across his right thigh before the mild air of the Coliseum hit the skin of his leg.

That was only bad news for the white-haired man though. The moment the blade caught Genesis' leg, did the SOLDIER suddenly step forth again, as if the strike hadn't touched him at all. The torn black pant leg proved otherwise, however, within the blink of an eye, Genesis launched a Counter

[/b]. His speed had increased for the same instant as he brought up his left leg and threw out his foot in a front, door-smashing kick, aiming the strike of his heel to the square of Deshi's chest. Whether that was enough to knock the man down, Genesis didn't know. But he wasn't going to0 stand by and wait to find out. No, instead, he jumped up into the air towards the white-haired man. Reaching the height of Deshi's head, Genesis took grip of his Rapier in both hands before swinging the blade down towards the top of the white-haired man's head with velocity. This was definitely exciting!
[/blockquote]

-=Cooldowns=-

Counter[/b] - No Cooldown. -- If struck in combat, Genesis has a chance he'll answer the strike with a Counter Attack. For the shortest of moments, all pain ceases and his speed increases to allow him the chance to get as close as he can to the opponent. He'll then strike out viciously and swiftly to score the Counter.

[Deleted]

The crimson clad warrior smirked as he moved in, exchanging blows with white haired man as the friendly spar began. For the first round, Deshi had been successful in trapping the other's elbow and then using the momentum of the attack to the face against his opponent. The man went over his back, but did not crash to the ground as some would. No instead, the man had reacted quite nicely able to poke his blade into the ground to turn the fall into a graceful spin in the air before landing on his feet again. The trick was impressive and similar to those used by staff and pole masters. It was interesting to see it adapted by a blade wielder. Anyway, the sound of boots scrapping against the hard ground was heard through out the arena before the sound faded as Genesis jumped back and brought his sword up defensively.

The crimson warrior asked him a question about the move he used; however, if the man was looking for an lengthy explanation, he’d be disappointed. The answer Deshi gave was short and to the point.

“A simple grab and throw technique,” he responded and then he was on the move again, closing the distance as he attacked the man. As he spun and brought his sword down, Genesis moved to both avoid and meet the blow. As his sword came up the two blades met with another loud clang before the hissing sound of metal grinding against metal was heard as Deshi’s sword was pushed up and away from Genesis. The two blades parted and Deshi was stepping back, sweeping his weapon down in the defensive strike.

It was a good thing he had swung for Genesis was moving forward to attack and had been caught by the blade; however, the light blow did not do anything to stall the other warrior. Instead, the crimson warrior moved forward his speed unexpectedly increased as he moved his leg and unleashed a quick kick to the chest. The move was too fast to react to, so Deshi took the hit to the chest and stumbled back a few steps before coming to a stop still standing; however, his positioning was different.

He slumped forward slightly, the sword hilt held in both hands and the blade lowered, the tip dragging on the ground as his head bowed. For a normal person they might’ve been feeling pain from the blow and be recovering from it and the wind knocked out of them from such a kick; however, Deshi did not feel anything as he stayed where he was only trying to regain his breath.

Nice reaction. Very nice. It wasn’t often someone could counter like that nor with such strength. A challenge this one would be indeed, but one he’d enjoy taking for a change. In any case, Deshi only had a few seconds to recover before he ‘heard’ the man go into action again rather than saw. Knowing from the sounds of the fabric moving in the wind that the man had jumped upward, Deshi quickly shifted his weight back as he brought his sword up. Leaning back to better take the impact, Deshi held his sword in a horizontal fashion over him as he supported the other end of the blade by placing his hand on the flat side of it. He felt the weight and force of the blow that could very well have done some damage to his head if he had not reacted when he did. As he felt the weight increase as Genesis began to come back to the ground, Deshi would unexpectedly shift directions and start moving towards Genesis letting his Rapier move along his sword in a fashion where he would not get hit until it finally came to a rest against the hilt of his own blade. As soon as the blade touched the hilt, Deshi twisted his sword viciously to the left hopefully locking the weapon in place and snatching it out of the owner’s hand.

Weapon lost or not, Deshi would move his sword out of the lock quickly and hold the blade in a reverse grip at his side to keep the blade from piercing him as he moved into his second move. He lowered his body and swept out his right leg, aiming to trip up his hopefully distracted opponent.

[genesis]

Good footing, strong legs, fast eyes, accurate hand movement... whoever this white-haired stranger was, he certainly knew a thing or two about fighting. Perhaps he had experienced many battles back on his own home world. Maybe he was a fugitive or a vigilante, and took up the blade to either protect himself to to protect whom he cared for? It could be that he we was guard to a king or an emperor or something. A mercenary? There was always the chance that the man was simply naturally talented. It was unknown and the list of possible answers was endless, so trying to figure it out without asking questions, was going to take a while, if it were possible at all. Still, it was always fun when faced with a challenge. However, it appeared neither warrior was fighting seriously. There would be plenty of time for questions once the pair had got their fill of battle for the day.

A solid impact from the Counter kick confirmed the blows success. The white-haired warrior was knocked backwards and slightly off balance. Not enough for the follow-up attack to be as effective as planned, but this was only a friendly spar between warriors. There was no reason to fight to hurt each other. Feeling the wind dance through his hair and clothes, the fierce downward strike with the Rapier was met with a smart block. Deshi's hands were positioned upon his weapon in such a way to reduce a lot of the impact. Genesis' eyes flashed as he watched the white-haired man shift his footing. It wouldn't have took much effort to beat his black wing and take to the sky to evade whatever the stranger had planned, but it would also not take much effort to stay put and see what was coming his way. The smirk upon the SOLDIER's lips remained present as he chose to do the latter, simply allowing his weight to come down upon Deshi through the Rapier.

Metal ground against metal once more as the white-haired man stepped in. it would have been smarter to attack and deal damage, but he obviously wasn't take this fight seriously, much like Genesis himself. No, instead he went for a disarming technique. It was tricky to pull off, especially against an opponent who was a strong as Genesis. His grip upon the Rapier would not easily be released unless whoever was trying to disarm him knew exactly what they were doing. The vicious left twist caused another metallic 'PING' to echo off the arena walls and stands. A flash of moonlight reflected off the crimson blade, followed by fast, consistent slashes as Genesis' Rapier found itself hurtling through the air out of his grip.
Interesting...
The Crimson SOLDIER thought to himself as he glanced out the corner of his eye to see the Rapier crash into a stone pillar not too far away from the stands. The crunching of stone accompanied the stabbing of metal as dust and rubble fell from the pillar upon impact.

It mattered not if he was disarmed. Deshi would have no idea that the Crimson Champion was just as deadly unarmed as he was wielding Rapier. Indeed, for the moment the SOLDIER's feet planted themselves upon the floor, did a hard impact catch his heels, on object sweeping his feet out from beneath him. Despite this, Genesis' eyes were locked onto Deshi. Even when the sting of the sweep rocketed up his legs and into his knees, Genesis didn't even blink. His smirk didn't fade in the slightest. What did happen though, while he begun to fall to the ground from the kick, was the entire arena suddenly lighting up in a fiery orange glow. Time felt like it slowed down to a snails pace as the SOLDIER 1st Class begun to clutch his fingers about a ball of flame that had appeared within his left hand. Before his body even struck the ground from the short fall, Genesis had enough time to charge, aim and cast his Flash

[/b] spell as was proved when 5 Flashes erupted from the fireball within his palm, sending the explosive attack straight into the white-haired stranger.

THUD!

Genesis finally hit the floor from the sweep and time felt like it had returned to normal. Of course, the speed of time hadn't changed in the slightest, at all. It was simply a strange phenomenon that occurred to warriors during the heat of battle. A small patch of dust covering the floor was disturbed when the auburn-haired man crashed down, though he swiftly tucked his knees into his chest, rolled back onto his shoulders, before kicking his legs out, pushing with his hands and flipping himself back up to his feet. That smirk was still spread across his lip as Genesis' glowing bright blue eyes looked about to see what had become of both Deshi and the Flash spells. His leather coat flapped against the backs of his legs as it flew after him during his kip-up. Though he could re-summon his Rapier, the SOLDIER grinned to himself as he decided it might be more fun to play with a couple of spells, to see how the white-haired man could deal with a different type of opponent.
[/blockquote]

Flash[/b] - 1 Post. -- Forming a ball of flame in his hand, Genesis can launch between 5 and 10 'Flashes' with a swing of his arm. He can double that number by simply swinging his arm a second time, releasing a second barrage. Flash has excellent tracking capabilities and each fireball explodes violently upon contact.

[Deleted]

Genesis was a nice challenge and Deshi had half expected him to be able to get around his disarming technique; however, the man did not and before anyone knew it the rapier was flying through the air, the metal shining brightly in the moonlight as it whirled through the air before embedding itself into a pillar near the stands. There was the sound of crumbling stone as the blade settled in place in the old structure. Deshi made a brief note that the blade this man wielded was strong indeed. It did not shatter under his twist nor did it break upon entering the stone. A nice blade indeed, but Deshi’s mind was more focused on his opponent than the blade as he moved into the sweep.

Again, he was met with success. The man was hit and he fell, but Deshi had to wonder if this was on purpose for you see the man was still smirking a sign that he was not caught off guard by the move, but rather more prepared than one thought. It was in his glowing eyes that confidence continue to radiate from saying the man had a trick even for this little fall. As the crimson warrior began to fall, a bright fiery light was released from the man causing Deshi to shield his eyes and take a step back. As he peeked through the shield he had created with his arms, he saw the man clutching something in his hand and then a second later, his eyes widen only slightly in mild surprise as 5 balls of fire came his way.

The spell was unleashed too close to dodge effectively, so the first of the balls clipped his arm as he tried to move to the right to avoid it. He could feel the heat of the burn as it touched, but could not feel the pain associated with it, but he did not have time to worry about it as the ball exploded and knocked him away. He rolled across the ground, but got to his hands and knees just in time to see the other four coming his way. Staying down, he slammed his sword into the ground as if he was going to use it as a support to get back up. As he did this, an aquamarine colored shield made of pure of water surrounded him. The balls hit the shield being put out by the water causing lots of steam to come off the shield as each ball hit and exploded, the water protecting him. When the threat was gone, Deshi got back to his feet and pulled his sword out of the ground as the water shield around him collapse sloshing to the ground with a wet plopping sound, soaking the area, but not him.

Through the clearing steam, he saw that his opponent was back up on his feet and was not going for his weapon. Had he decided to change his style of fighting or was he toying with him, asking him to come? The behavior felt too much like a trap. The warrior was planning something, but what? Deshi’s eyes narrowed slightly as the wind blew by tugging at the large burnt hole in his clothing from where the fireball from earlier had hit and exploded. The skin that could be seen underneath was red and raw from damage, but the arm was still usable. If he had not dodged when he did, he was sure the blow would have been a lot worse and the damage covering more then just his arm.

Keeping his position, he watched Genesis as he settled once more into his defensive stance. His grip on the sword not as steady, his right arm trembling under the strain; however, the white hair warrior did not feel the pain, his face holding no emotions as he nodded at Genesis to make his move.

________________________________________

~Cooldown~[/u]

In reaction to Flash, Deshi used the Water Elemental Shield to cancel out most of the fiery attack. 4 posts until another shield can be used.

[genesis]

Dust was kicked up from the shock wave that was released when the Flash that clipped Deshi exploded into a fiery eruption. In a circle from the blast, a wave of dust was blown away, though it settled swiftly and returned the arena to normal. The orange glow caused from the blast had once more lit up the arena brilliantly, the heat also coming from the attack being felt from every corner. it was one of Genesis' most favoured attacks. Quick to use, good damage, great tracking capabilities. There were few who could escape from a full barrage unscathed, but there was no need to use the spell at it's maximum potential when only sparring against a friendly opponent. Or at least one who seemed friendly, but that would be answered for certain later on. Mixed within the rumble of the explosion and the swift roar of the flames, came the sound of an impact, a heavy one as if something hit the floor.

Already back upon his feet, Genesis' bright blue eyes peered through the dying embers of the ruptured Flash and caught sight of his white-haired opponent clambering to his feet. The burnt hole in his sleeve and the scorched skin told the Crimson SOLDIER all he needed to know. While not as effective as a full impact, this was good enough. What surprised him more though, was how well the stranger was keeping his emotions in check. No surprise upon his face from having been attacked with a spell over a physical or melee attack. Perhaps that meant he wasn't a stranger to the art of magic and there were mages upon the world he had come from? Either that or he was just a Master in his style of fighting, not giving any hints or clues to his opponent about any injuries or surprise or anything, really. The auburn-haired man had to take his hat off to that. It was impressive to watch and make reading this man, pretty difficult.

Half his thoughts were suddenly answered as the white-haired man embedded his blade into the ground, summoning a magical barrier made of water about himself. It's power was enough to quell the remaining Flashes that turned about in the air, rocketing around the arena before homing back in on their target. Loud hisses of steam signaled that no more damage was caused before the loud splashing of water indicated that the shield had served it's purpose and was no longer needed. The visual effect of the water collapsing about the white-haired man was majestic, almost as much as his fighting style. Who was this stranger? Genesis smirked as always before he shifted his hands backwards, moving his arms behind his back and finally clasping one hand about the other, relaxing for just a second.
"Very nice. I see magic is nothing new to you. What style do you use? Who taught you to fight?"

While he wasn't out of breath nor particularly hurt, this was not a fight to the death. Pauses for short breaks was not going to hurt, right? Genesis' smirk eased back into a normal smile, the glow within his eyes fading slightly as he stood his ground, keeping his hands being his back as he watched the white-haired man curiously. Was this guy even human? He was able to keep up with a SOLDIER 1st Class without having too much trouble, but said SOLDIER wasn't exactly trying himself. This was his warming up session after all.
"You have good footwork and fast reactions. You're not a novice, clearly. How long have you been able to fight like this?"
A couple more questions were asked followed by a long enough pause to give the white-haired swordsman plenty of time to answer if he so chose too. There was nothing stopping him from revealing information and Genesis wasn't going to hold it against him either way.

-=Cooldowns=-

Flash[/b] - Ready to be used.

[Deleted]

Deshi remained in his defensive position for just a while longer as he expected Genesis to do something; however, what came next reminded him that this was indeed just a spar. He had almost forgotten about that fact as they continued to fight. The situation was set up too much like the familiar. If the man hadn’t stopped and begun asking questions when he did, then the calm warrior might’ve gone from calm to something worse. While his eyes hadn’t flickered or his calm style changed, he could feel the beast within him stirring. Becoming awake once more thanks to the simple spar and the injury he had received. If they had continued without pause….

Deshi pushed that thought away as he focused on his clever opponent, watching as the man relax and placed his hands behind his back the smirk in place. He didn’t seem like he was going to attack, so slowly but surely Deshi moved from his defense position, letting his sword rest loosely in his left hand as he lowered it to his side. His right hand still trembled a bit, from the earlier strain, but the white haired warrior did not notice as he considered the questions he had been asked carefully before answering.

“I don’t have a particular style I use. Nor did anyone teach me to fight. I learned what I do know by doing what it took to survive,” he told the man honestly. He had nothing to hide from anyone. Even if someone were to try and use his past against him, they would find it had would be of no use. The information just a was small fraction that could never reveal what he truly was underneath.

In any case, Genesis spoke once more complimenting his footwork and reaction speed taking notice that he was indeed not a novice before asking another question. How long? he repeated the question mentally as he looked at the ground a moment pondering that for a moment before he shook his head and looked up at Genesis.

“I’ve been fighting ever since I can remember. Too long if you ask me…” he said before trailing off and looking away slightly. As well as Deshi could fight, he would be the first to admit that he was no master of his skills nor did he particularly enjoy them. The ability to fight was good to know in some cases, but the way he had learned it made him wonder how life would be like if he had not been breed to kill, but instead trained like a regular solider or some other form of protector. Would he be proud of his abilities then or would he still not like the idea of fighting? Would he had been forced to kill against his will?

Questions only to be pondered over, but never answered. His past was a blood soaked path forced upon him by those of power and greed. He had been molded into a weapon that was saved only by his humanity, but then even that was stolen from him wasn’t it? Deshi let his mind wander for a bit before pushing the thoughts away and looking back at Genesis, his face still an unreadable mask.

“What about you? Where did you learn such skills?” he asked calmly.

______________________________________________
~Cooldown~

In reaction to Flash, Deshi used the Water Elemental Shield to cancel out most of the fiery attack. 3 posts until another shield can be used.