In house fighting ( Say/Sav )

[Ximal]

63rd Summer 513AV Xi was already in the middle of a heavily intense training session. Sweat already pouring from his body as he threw one more punch at the dummy in-front of him. His hands bright red from the force of the impacts but the pain not even registering. He was so used to it and he knew his hands could take it. Xi centred his stance for another run. His arms up in front of him, his stance low his arms positioned with his knuckles out for a sharp darting strike. His legs angled so as to show off his grounding and keep himself from toppling over with the power of the impacts. Xi drew a deep breath and held it solidly the dummy beofre him taking the form of Razkar. Xi's eyes then lit up with a fire a glowing intensity unlike any other. His first real challenge. Xi ducked his body to the right throwing his left as a feint and then stepped forwards with a lighting fast shift of his feet tilting his upper body back to the left throwing his right this time low and hard as another feint . Then at the last moment he brought his arms back as he closed the distance. His stance throwing away defence for all out offensive power. Xi then launched a snapping punch to the dummies torso the power skidding the dummy back an inch as Xi then brought his right arm over and above hsi shoulder in a round house hay-maker straight. His The impact sounding like thunder as the blow collided with the wood. And from there the barrage began. from beneath his left arm came in then his right with shit sharp body blow shots. Then his left broke off aiming higher at the dummies chest hin his right flew out at it's shoulder breaking off his left to aim at the other shoulder. His right then screamed across and slammed into the dummy where a human's heart might be and then his left came out like a charging rhino at the dummy's face. Sending the thing flying back like a rag doll only to crash into the wall. Xi exhaled and felt his shoulders moving up and down with hi breathing as he took short fast stabilizing breaths. Xi stepped over and pulled the dummy back before testing out a technique of his he'd had for a long while and needed to flesh out a bit more. Xi lowered himself his sweat still pouring, and his eyes burning he snapped out with a right hip chai kick before rolling his torso back and springing off of the ground with his left as his right leg connected for a round house with his left. Knocking the dummy over with it's impact Xi followed the course of the kick flipping over himself and landing on his feet his fists poised for the next punch. Again Xi's breaths were slow and haggered but his eyes were still alive his last punch he wanted to test out a flux move h'd been working on.He let his body ease it'self into a state of calm. h brought his djed across his body towards his abdomen. setting op the strikes beginning. Bringing it to his shoulder muscle as well as his upper back muscles. He then swung his body down low letting his hand almost graze the floor as he let his flux activate and snap his body around his abdomen twisting his shoulder muscle pulling his arm out and his upper back muscles pushing extra force behind it as he brought his hand up to the dummy's face and. SMASH. The sound of the impact rang out like a battering ram upon the gates of a castle. he'd only doubled his speed but that tripled the force. The dummy was over and laying flat on the floor and Xi stood there panting. No...It's still not enough...I need to get stronger... Xi leered at the target before him...And felt a strange satisfaction that somebody was in the same position as him...Trying to get stronger and doing so of his own accord...Only then did he feel the eyes of others on him.

[Sayren WindDancer]

It was another early morning, it was about the 5th bell of the day when she had awoken. She had wanted to get a quick riding session with Garel before the sun had risen and became scorching in its heat. She rose up and gave a brief stretch, cracking a few bones here and there along her spine and her arms. It brought out a sigh of relief from her as her shoulders slumped over. She shifted over to the edge of the bed and stood up to change into her training clothes. She was starting to dread the Leather Brassiere, she would get so used to not wearing during the nights that wearing it during the day felt so constrictive. Guess it was Ximal's "confidence" tests working on her now.

She finally strolled outside to where Garel was already standing in wait for her. She did a quick check on his gear, making sure they weren't completely worn to the point of tearing, nor to stiff for him. She tossed the gear onto him and started tightening them on him. She noticed he took in a big breath before she could tighten one last notch, so she waited a few moments for him to breathe out before she could tighten them. Just to be certain that they would steadfast on him, "No need to throw me off of you now." The stallion whinnied, trying to make it sound like he would have never planned on doing that to her. She rolled her eyes and leaped onto the Strider's backside, whispering into his ears, "Now let's fly." He whinnied excitedly and began trotting outside the grounds.

She had more of familiarity with the city now, remembering The Aperture that divided the city into West and East sides. Garel enjoyed sprinting along its edges, it helped him get his exercise and it reminded her of her home back in Endrykas. How the wind would flow through her hair. The breeze racing alongside them as they dashed through the grass. Garel continued his sprint back and forth near The Aperture (Being sure to slow down when citizens were nearby) for about half a bell, then it took a few chimes before Sayren and her stallion returned to the school. She removed his gear from him and set it aside and gave him some water to drink. Then she took a deep breath and got ready for her own training.

She positioned herself in the middle of the open area and broke into a basic stance. She inhaled a deep breath, then exhaled as she started throwing some punches. Her strikes for now becoming more fluid, but they weren't quite instinctive just yet, she still had a ways to go before she could do that. However, that didn't stop her from trying. One swing after another, she fashioned her punches. Trying to see if there were anything wrong with each one before proceeding. She stopped after about half a bell, she had worked up a decent amount of sweat and her breathing wasn't too heavy. It was getting easier, this made her smile.

Then a loud crack of thunder struck from within the grounds. At least that's what it sounded to her. It made her jump to her toes as she sprinted to investigate it's origin. It sounded like it came from the Central training area. As she approached, she noticed it was Ximal, he was breathing vigorously and his muscles were flexing just about everywhere. He was practically beating the life (albeit if it ever had one) out of the dummy. Smashing, bashing, crashing, and crushing the thing from several angles. She was watching in awe. She some times forgot just how powerful her master was. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize the room had fallen silent. Till she blinked, and notice that she was gawking at him, and he was gazing right back at her.

"Hello Ximal," She finally piped up, "I heard the loud noise from outside and I came to see what happened." She walked a little closer as she looked down at the dummy, "Poor thing didn't stand much a chance did he?..."

[Savio]

Savio awoke early that morning to the familiar sounds of Sayren’s light footsteps outside his bedroom door. The young man yawned as he sat up on his bed and stretched his arms high above his head. His wavy dark brown hair was in complete disarray as he ran his fingers through it. He glanced out his window and saw how it was still dark, but it had the calm beauty that comes right before the dawn. Savio smiled to himself as he got up and got dressed in a pair of cotton shorts and his boots. He ran a comb through his rebellious locks before exiting his room and walked down the long hall to exit the school through the front door.

He caught a glimpse of Sayren mounting her Strider and riding out into the city. Hmm, it seemed that she had a similar idea to his. But Savi intended on using his own two feet to travel Nyka, specifically the Northern Quarter. He needed to stretch his legs, and he had been meaning to explore the Northern Quarter since he first came to the city over fifty days ago. Had it really been that long? Time does fly when you busy yourself.

Savio performed a couple of simple stretches; his muscles still ached from his lessons with Ximal from just two days ago. The bruise on his chest from when Ximal carelessly tossed the bag of marble rocks at him had colored into a nice shade of dark blue. Sometimes Savio wondered if his teacher simply just enjoyed hurting him.

After the small stretching session, Savio took off in a light jog into the small forest that surrounded the school and followed the road that leads into the North quarter. Even though it was close to daybreak, Savio kept his ears and eyes open for signs of danger, but luckily none came. It didn’t take long for Savio to once again be surrounded by the red stone buildings of the city. He jogged the narrow streets and lanes of the Quarter. The air was pleasantly cool against Savio’s lightly tanned skin as it blew past him as he moved.

It was interesting to learn and familiarize himself with the layout of the Northern Quarter. The artwork and the symbols on the building walls were lovely to gaze upon, and Savio made a small game out of avoiding the monks by ducking into the shadows or scaling the pockmarked stone of the sides of the buildings to hide upon the close knit rooftops.

In about two bells, Savio found his stomach to be growling for the food he had back at the school and jogged back the way he had come. In half a bell, he reached the opening to the school he currently called home. He saw Sayren punching the air in the center of the entrance courtyard as he faithful stallion watched over her. She was so focused on her training that she was oblivious of her surroundings, and did not realize that Savio was watching her.

Her form was simple; much like the one Ximal had taught him just days before. Her punches were really good though, each one becoming more fluid than the last. But there was something off about her stance. She seemed slightly uneven and she moved just a little too much, like Savi had before Ximal made him practice his punches out on the limb of the tree in the inner courtyard.

Savio was then suddenly pulled from his observations by several loud cracks that echoed in the early morning air. Sayren seemed also hear it as well and took off running into the school, with Savio at her heels. Gods forbid a beast had found its way into the school or a group of monks were ransacking the place. Okay, perhaps that was too drastic. Savio did, after all, have a wild imagination.

When the pair reached the training room, they were greeted by the sight of their Master hard at work on a poor defenseless dummy. It was like watching a force of nature. Ximal punched and kicked at the dummy with smooth grace and incredible skill. The air its self, seemed to hum with the power that poured from the giant man. But all too soon, Master Ximal came to his last and clearly powerful finishing punch before stopping to glare at the dummy. He then glanced over his shoulder at the two students, and Savio realized his mouth had been hanging open and promptly closed it.

“By the Gods…” Savio whispered in awe.

[Ximal]

Xi relaxed his shoulders and let go of the tension in his back the breaths he took now slower and deeper to mediate the force and speed he had been punching with. His shoulders rising and falling with his breaths. Low and behold though it was Say and Sav...Xi felt a kind of odd sensation, which he then decided to shrug off. He turned to face them pressing his foot into the dummy to snap it back up to standing. "The pair of you done gawking? If so get your asses over here. You've work this morning." Xi raised his bright red knuckles up and pressed his fists together lightly. His eyes still burning with the urge to fight someone. Why not his two students? Xi smirked at the prospect. and rolled his shoulders his breaths now levelling. He closed his eyes and pulled the djed within him to them shifting the colours of his irises from their usual dark blue to a sharp and aggregated silver. The process took a few moments and he for them stood motionless his hands pressed together. "Right. Both of you. I'm testing how much you've improved both of you know I'm going into the aperture in three days for three days. I want to see your strength now and test it to your strength when i get out." His eyes opened slowly the steely silver within them meant to represent his resolve like how a vantha's eyes would change. Xi slowed his breaths and calmed his mind before slipping into a solid stance. His usual stance however he was going to handicap himself. "Both of you don't need to worry I'm only going to use punches and only one hand." Xi smirked and pulled his right arm behind his back nullifying effectively seventy percent of his arsenal and halving his destructive force. "Between the pair of you you can work out whose going first, however the person who does the best in my eyes will be given an advanced technique of mine to work on, which the other wont. So it pays to not hold back. If you do hold back however I'm going to waste no time in hammering you into the ground and asking for the next one to step forth." Xi rolled his left wrist cracking it and flexed his fingers before holding it up in-front of him like a shield. "I want to see your variations on the moves i taught you. Not my own moves thrown back at me. So show me how much you've learned."

[Sayren WindDancer]

Sayren raised her eyebrow when he asked what the two of them were gawking at? Someone else was there? She turned around briefly to see Savio standing nearby. How long has he been around? Nonetheless, she quickly stepped over in front of their master. Something about him seemed off today. He seemed more agitated and angered. Then appeared an all too familiar look when his eyes changed to that silver gray color. They were in for it today.

After a few moments of silence, Ximal spoke again. To the both of them. Telling them that he was going to leave for the Aperture, as he had told her the day previously. But before he went, he was going to give them a test, to see how strong they've gotten before his departure. Then he was going to test them once again when he returned. He slipped into a stance, Sayren gulped. She learned several techniques from him, but she doubted either of them could actually beat Ximal, even if they both charged at once. Then he told them they didn't need to worry, he was only going to use one hand?? And it was with his left as well...She knew that was his much weaker hand, so they at least now stood a bit of a chance. Then he wanted the two of them to figure out which one would step up to the mantle first. Whoever succeeded in his mind, would learn his new technique, the other, would not.

She didn't even confront Savio about this. She merely just took a step forward and drifted into her stance. Her confidence was really showing now. Her stance was firm and her arms seemed solidified. And her eyes fixed upon Ximal, she was unshaken and will not be deterred. Displaying her Determination and confidence all in one go. She didn't say a word. Just waited for her master to give the cue to begin.

[Savio]

Judging by the tone in his Master’s voice, something was seriously eating at Ximal. On a normally day-to-day basis Ximal, although strict, was a calm and lain back kind of person who did hold some sense of humor. The man that stood before them now was almost like a completely different person. And those silver eyes were like the ones Savio witnessed when Ximal handed his arse back to him. It was quite frightening.

The only thing that kept Savio from perhaps running in the other direction was the amusing puzzled expression on Sayren’s face. Had she really been that oblivious that she didn’t hear Savio running behind her? Or perhaps his sneaking skills were better than he thought.

When Ximal spoke again, he informed them of his intentions to test them before his expedition into the Aperture and then again once he returned. The mention of the unnatural crater was enough to send a chill down Savio’s spine. Ximal was clearly strong, but was he strong enough to survive such a mysterious and dangerous place? Wait…? Why was he worried for Ximal? Its himself that he should be worried for! The man surely must enjoy hurting his students because even handicapped, he could easily repeat what had happened to Savio when Savio first entered the school thirteen days ago.

At least he made it into a competition between the students. Savio liked a little rivalry every once in a while. He worked better that way. At least he learned how to punch properly, and he had been working harder on his speed and his reflexes. And he had also thought of a few ways he could combine his new punching skills with his acrobatics, he never had the chance to put them into practice. Perhaps today will be the day he might try out some of the simpler ideas. Regardless, he needed to learn the new technique.

Right as Savio was about to step forward to face his fears, his fellow student had beaten him to the chase. He frowned at her and narrowed his eyes. Ah, so it’s going to be like that. Very well then, this might give me a chance to see what exactly she can do. And allow for me to plan just how to surpass it.

[Ximal]

Xi slowed his breaths closing his eyes and thinking about holding back his manner. He was edgy but all he could see was the moment where he fell due to his own lack of stamina. Xi let sayren fall into stance but still saw the tension in her shoulders watching ehr motions of her body as she moved into it. He took a slow breath and spoke to sav who had been beaten to the punch quite literally. "Savio...Take notes." Xi made a small step towards her and then in the flash of an instant he closed the distance between them with what seemed to be a single step his left arm rising at her stomach from below as a sharp and vicious uppercut. He was only hitting with about half his normal power but he wasn't pulling his punches. He wanted to see how much they had improved And fist up was say the pupil he'd taken on who'd developed both physically and mentally in his training. Now he was going to obliterate her in order to huild her up higher.

[Sayren WindDancer]

Sayren's eyes widen. She had lost breath from that strike to her stomach. Normally she would've dropped to her knees. But she had planned for this one, knowing she wouldn't have beaten Ximal's speed, just like she couldn't when her and Savio faced off. Using the momentum of her moving towards the ground, and Ximal rising upwards, she went to headbutt him. If this succeeds, their heads will crack against one another. Should it fail and he avoids it, she would've have fallen forwards and tried to catch herself with a roll. Taking one quick moment to regain her breath while she re-entered her stance. Knowing it was no use running to him, she had to wait for her chance to strike. To time it just perfectly. Wasn't like she was going to be moving far anyways, due to her still trying to catch breath.

[Savio]

Savio stood there watching with a critical eye. The set on Ximal’s whole person was strange for Savio to see. Even when he first went against Ximal to gain entry into the school, the man was calm and collected. But something must have had happened to the teacher to crack his cool exterior. Whatever it was, it was no friend of the students because Ximal was going to rain pain down upon them.

Savio watched as Sayren eased down into a normal stance, like the one she was using outside. Her footing still seemed a little fall but not as much as it was. She was tense, which wasn’t good either because it made her motions jerky. Ximal was also watching her, and Savio was sure he too saw the small flaws. The teacher took a slow breath, his features relaxing slightly. It was the calm before the storm. Savio nodded when the teacher commanded that he should pay attention. No problem. He wouldn’t miss this for the world.

When the teacher moved again, it was like a viper: Fast, precise, and dangerous. Sayren didn’t stand a chance. Savio didn’t either, but at least he could almost dodge an attack. Her defense left much to be desired. The Master stuck out with an upper cut to her stomach, and Savio winced. A hit like that can be disabling because it literally knocks the air out of your lungs. But she seemed to have expected that and moved with the punch and… Attempt to head butt him? The girl was hard headed, but surely such a move won’t even make the teacher blink twice even if it hit him.

[Ximal]

Xi stepped in shifting his footing lightly as his fist connected with her stomach, as she rolled forwards truying to head butt him he merely extended his arm further pushing himself further away from her strike and let it fall past. Neither having to dodge nor take the blow he brought himself in closer after wards and brought his arm around into a sharp bacjk hand on the centre of her spine. if it hit she was going to tumble. Xi's voice hardened and he spoke even when he was in a state like this he was going to tell them where they went wrong. "Your stance is still tense, that was the first thing i told you to work on. Your positioning is good but your body is too tense, you want fluidity!" From behind if his attack worked he'd close in elbow first and then bring his hand across in a harsh chop but stop just before her neck showing that he could have killed her in an instant if he wanted too. The steely silver in his eyes now hardening as his blue ones would normally the djed drain ion him little but building up with the fatigue from erlier it was beginning to wear. So he swapped them back cooling off fo to speak. Closing his eyes for a flash he brought them back to their normal dark blue as he spoke. "Step back take a few breaths and then come back when your body is looser and you've stopped reeling from the assault. Savio your next. And don't worry this isn't over until the pair of you or I collapse." Xi opened his eyes slowly and let them show that he was serious this was as much training for him as it was for them.