[Icewatch Barracks] Tiny Little Tadpoles (Solo)

[Stitch]

"Boy." The kid blinked, his eyes widening in anger. An almost feral growl rippled from deep within his throat, and he slammed his hands down on the table, causing all the dishes on top to shake. Stitch calmly folded his napkin, set it down beside of his tray, and rose to his feet. Soon, the young Icewatch member and the blind man were standing eye to eye, with only a table between them. The other Icewatch members that the kid had brought with him glanced back and forth between each other, chuckling. The blind man has just angered one of the best apprentices within the Icewatch Barracks, who had several other skilled apprentices standing at his side. This should be amusing. They moved in a bit closer, a large one to the left of the blind man; one on each side of the Boy. The Boy growled again, his fingernails scraping against the wooden table as he curled his hand into a fist. "What did you call me?" His three companions chuckled, crossing their arms, raising their eyebrows. It was about time for the blind man to back off. Stitch paused, and cocked his head, speaking quietly. "A boy. A baby polar bear. A young cub who has barely just gotten weaned from his mother's teet. A feral, fiesty little thing who needs to be shown that he is just a little tadpole, splashing around in a very large ocean." Shocked silence echoed out across the Icewatch Barracks, the cafeteria now riveted on this new show. They knew who the Boy was. He was a young trainee by the name of Jerel. A boy who was one of the finest fighters in their age group, one who had recieved a few lessons from Senari himself. He was a bully, a bully with a temper. But he was a bully who had the power to back up the threats that he spat out on a daily basis. It was well-known that Jerel had dislike for Stitch, who was to be the new martial arts instructor. Senari had once taught them a bit of Unarmed Combat, but it was an art that they used in their Kelvic forms. But now, Senari was instructing them to bow to this blind man? Surely Jedara was being too nice about all of this! Jerel raised his fists slowly, smiling, showing a row of gritted white teeth. "Fine, blind man. Have it your way. Let me show you just how bad of a thrashing you can get from this little 'tadpole'." Stitch cocked his head even further, a light smile flickering across his lips. "Splash, splash." Jerel roared, and threw a fist, his anger finally overtaking him. No one could really understand what happened. The blind man just suddenly moved, a flurry of fists and muscle. His hands had never risen to a ready position, and the reason was clear. They were still lightly clenching his metal tray, the one that had been filled with the cafeteria food. Like lightning, the tray was brought up, barely sliding into the way of the haphazard punch. A loud crack echoed out as Jerel's fist connected, the knuckles painfully making contact with the worn out metal. A cry of pain and anger echoed out across the hall, the young Kelvic yanking back his hand, fury blazing bright in his dark blue eyes. The blind man quickly flung the tray at him, sending it spinning in a deadly arc. Jerel hit the deck, dodging the metal tray by a hair, his two friends hitting the ground as well. Stitch wasn't near finished, though. He hadn't even started. Food had been flung to the air when the tray had come up, and now, Stitch snatched a tumbling roll down from the sky. The first one to react was the one to Stitch's left, a headstrong young Kelvic by the name of Barbos. He was a large and looming figure, by far the biggest of the group, employed by the young little gang for that fact and that fact alone. He was by far the dumbest, but when one was pushing seven feet tall, and consisted of mostly muscle... Well, it didn't matter how smart you were if you could crush things. He instantly sent a fist flying, hooking an arm in a swinging scythe-like motion. The huge fist lumbered forward, and Stitch merely leaned back, the meaty digits missing him by a mere breath. He actually had managed to raise a hand, and guided the oncoming hand as it passed him, aiding the swing in it's large forward momentum. The brute grunted, and stumbled forward, not expecting the extra force to be added to his already powerful swing. Stitch stood strong, leaning forward, slamming his other fist forward. It was the fist that held the roll. Several loud pops echoed throughout the Icewatch cafeteria as Stitch hammered a variety of shortpointed knuckle punches into the ribcage of the brute, which managed to strike deep when aided by Barbos's forward stumble. He was left gasping for air, the breath knocked out of him, the blind man's blows striking some oddly painful point on his body. Barbos gasped and gagged, stumbling forward to finally plant his shoulder against Stitch's shoulder, leaving both men locked. Stitch was fresh though, and Barbos wasn't. Oddly enough, he was frozen, his eyes wide with shock, his mouth hanging open as drool dripped from it. The rest of the thugs were scrambling up from their dodge of earlier, trying to figure out what had happened. Barbos was a mass of muscle. How would a such a series of punches manage to stun him so? Pause. Zoom. Focus. Five quick and short punches, with the middle knuckle pointed out in order to penetrate deep. Target area: Under and to the front of the ninth and tenth ribs, with a slight tilt upwards, as if aiming toward the shoulder blade and spinal cord. When a powerful punch is directed at the area, it strikes an organ. It pushes the organ inward and stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve which originates in the cranium, descends down the neck and wedges itself between the spinal column and internal organs of the body. This system of nerves spreads out into tentacle-like patterns that network with every major internal organ of the body. The nerve is involved in controlling everything from stress to detoxification.When the nerve is subjected to pressure from violent trauma, it creates a short circuit to the brain. The brain, sensing eminent danger to the body, shuts down all peripheral operations and retains brain activity as the paramount function. It is almost like a biological power failure with emergency power supplied only to the brain. The fighter stays awake and active, but his body goes through immense pain, and gets the air knocked out of it. The target organ? The liver. The name of the move? The Liver Punch.

[Stitch]

Stitch stepped back from the shoulder lock, standing tall, blind eyes staring upon the brute who was just staggering there. Barbos was frozen, several gasps echoing from his open mouth, drool dripping and legs shaking. He was hurt, and he was hurt really bad. Stitch didn't pause, for he knew he had little time to take advantage of the shocked Kelvics standing across from him. His hand flashed forward suddenly, and he actually pushed the dinner roll into the mouth of the brute. He pulled back at the wrist, and then struck again, slamming two fingers into the roll. It was shoved deeper, and quickly lodged into the throat of the helpless Kelvic. His eyes widened, and he gagged, crumpling to his knees, shakily raising his hands to his throat. The blind man had just used a dinner roll to finish him off. The three other opponents still stood across the table. They had paused, and now stood, completely stunned. Their biggest man was on his knees, gagging on a petching dinner roll, and the blind man was looking as if he had just finished a brisk walk in the park. Just a little bit of sweat, and a slight catch to his breath. So focused were they on their blind opponent, that each and every one of them watched. They watched as he bent down, and slowly picked up another dinner roll. He gently put it on the table in front of him, as if warning them, and cocked his head to the side. He spoke quietly. "Well?" They froze, and he took the time to read their Aura's even further. Deeper and deeper he would go, until he was on a perfectly intimate level with them. He delved deep within their swirling colors, noting the rage, the beastial instincts, and the pride. What had he done to ruffle them so? It seemed like their attack had just been one that was spawned out of a desire to be the "top bear". Not that there was any hope of that. They were just mere pups when compared to Senari. He studied their Auras a bit more, trying to make sense of it all. Sometimes, Kelvics were much more complex than humans. It was odd to see emotions displayed so clearly and honestly, and Stitch was having a hard time taking them for what they were. Kelvics were honest and true, while half the time, Humans didn't even know what they themselves felt. Such complex creatures. And these Kelvics felt the need to complicate their lives with such mates?

[Stitch]

The two friends were the first to react, perhaps hoping to look good in the eyes of their leader. They jumped up to and across the table as one, eyes flashing with a primal rage, fists flashing out in twin strikes. Stitch brought up his palms in a blur, aiming the edges of his hands at the oncoming fists like knife blades. His focus was razor-sharp, Auristic eyes defining each and every bit of muscle that his opponents possessed. In a mere matter of moments, less than two seconds, he was able to dissect the most simple parts of their Aura. Their emotions, their current state of focus... it was all laid bare to him. He had already done the primary focusing. It merely required a split second of attention that had him meld his mind with their Aura even further. He would meld his mind bit by bit when he had some time, and eventually gain enough of an intimate connection with their Auras to fully dissect them. With both his eyes, and his deadly hands. Jerel was not spared from this mental examination. Jerel was also targeted, and Stitch would be slowly building up intimacy with his Aura as well. His flat hands chopped forward and then slapped out, catching the oncoming wrists, pushing them to the side. His hands flickered down the outstretched arms that were guiding the punch, leading him to step forward and up upon the lunch table, meeting the two fellows as they came down. He flexed his muscles, and smashed his two elbows out and forward, catching the two oncoming men right in the face as he slid between them. They nearly popped a back-flip, their noses laid victim to sharp elbows. Blood spurted high in the air, and they fell, smashing back onto the tables that they had been eating from. Stitch didn't stop, charging over the table, coming down on the one last opponent. Jerel was already crouching, throwing up his fists, ready for the charging blind man. Stitch took the precious few free seconds to further synchronize himself with the Aura of the Kelvic, allowing his mind to melt into it even further. The Kelvic was like a younger version of Senari, with a beastial Aura that threatened to overwhelm him. Was it that all Kelvics were like this, or did Senari and Jerel perhaps just have some similiar qualities? Studying a bit deeper into the Aura of the Kelvic, Stitch noticed the pride that streaked through every single ounce of it. The man was a walking bundle of pride and rage. Was it pride that fueled his actions right now? Perhaps he looked up to Senari. Perhaps he had heard that Stitch had beaten the head Kelvic. Perhaps he had heard how Stitch had done it. The blind man came down, flashing out a knifed hand. The points of his fingers sped toward the chest of the raging Kelvic, who even throughout his anger, managed to react in an appropriate way.

[Stitch]

He turned to the side, whipped his shoulder back, sidestepping the thrust that had been aimed at his breast. At the same time, he growled, almost in victory, flashing out a counter-punch to Stitch's face. The blind man was coming down from the table, had directed most of him momentum to his haphazard blow, and had no way of dodging. Jerel snarled out, his knuckles flashing home. He was about to lay the blind man out. Why had Senari had such a problem with the petching- Stitch slipped his head to the side, right as the knuckles brushed his cheek. His head whipped back, in perfect timing with the punch, his neck twisting in order to let the punch brush past him. His head moved like he had gotten hit, spinning back... but Jerel would know that his blow hadn't done anything. The man had gone with the blow perfectly, completely dodging every bit of the force. Jerel snarled, backstepping as Stitch finally landed on the floor beside of him. Eyes widened as the blind man lifted a fist, the clenched digits holding a dinner roll. When had he picked it- Stitch's fist flashed out, and the distracted Kelvic took one to the stomach. He gasped for air, doubling over, his eyes widening even further as his mouth gaped open. This is how the man had taken out the biggest of them. Some odd pointed-knuckle blow to the stomach, or to the ribs, or something. A blow that took the breath from you. It wasn't enough to keep Jerel hindered for long, though. He fought the pain in his body, sucking in air, clamping his mouth closed right as Stitch followed up with the fist that held the dinner roll. He wasn't about to be humilated like Barbos had been. He shut his mouth, and waited for the roll to smack against closed lips. He would take advantage of the failed strike, and beat down the cocky summer-lover. Transforming was usually forbidden in the small cafeteria, but Jerel was definitely considering it at this point. The blind man needed to be taught a lesson. That was the last thought he had as a fist smashed into his mouth, snapping his head back. The blind man had feinted with the roll, and clenched his fingers into a fist. Jerel stumbled back, stunned, tasting blood. The blind man followed up with a kick to the groin, causing Jerel to cry out in pain, to double over. His lowered chin was met with a knee, smashing his head up, causing him to lift off his feet for a brief second. His head was caught by the air, and brought forward, right as Stitch smashed his forehead into Jerel's. He snapped backwards, out like a light, his mouth bleeding, the skin of his forehead cut, the skin on his chin split open. He wavered, and Stitch finishede him, striking out. A single flashing punch to the face. He broke the Kelvic's nose, and laid him out. He stood there, breathing heavily, looking down at the fallen Kelvic. Everyone else stared, just now getting the first impression of their new teacher. This was the man who was going to be training them. He had passed the test of standing up to the Icewatch bully... and he was going to train them. From behind, a wooden spoon struck Stitch's head, and he yelped, instantly throwing up his hands to protect himself, his attitude switching to that of a small child within an instant. "Ouch! Why did you-" He turned, only to be met by a team of angry lunch ladies. The blind man paled, glancing around as they glared at him. Bloodied bodies everywhere, and he had gotten food on the floor. They stared at him, and he meekly bowed his head, whispering. "This one will clean up." One of them reached out and snatched him by the ear, growling. "And cook for the rest of the day." The students chuckled as Stitch was led off by his ear, yelping out in pain. "Okay, okay! Just let go of this one's ear!"

[Growl]

Appreciation Time! Name: Stitch Experience: +3 Unarmed, +3 Auristics Lore: Getting Into Fights With Icewatch Bears, Fighting With Dinner Rolls, Shoving Food in People's Mouths, Teaching People to Respect You, Being Led Off to Your Doom by Lunch Ladies Ledger: No changes Additional Notes: This doesn't have a timestamp, so you may want to set one. In the first paragraph, you describe moving out of the way of the first attack. I know Stitch has a high level auristics skill, and doesn't have to think about using it as much anymore, but it's still somewhat difficult, at least for me, to follow the action when Stitch is a blind man, and you have not mentioned bringing your magic into play, until later. So perhaps you might want to bring that up sooner in the future; just a suggestion. I awarded auristics and unarmed for their use, but not flux because I didn't see you mention its use specifically. Other than that, it was a cute little thread. I really liked the ending. Please pm me if you have any questions or concerns.