Post by krista on Feb 15, 2011 16:12:43 GMT -7
Ears pounding, chest heaving, Guai froze in the middle of the kata. She could sense the presence of another. Without even opening her eyes, she spun to the left, slicing the end of her hand down through the air with as much force as she could muster on such short notice.
Connecting with warm, yet tough, flesh she immediately stopped, the object giving the tiniest bit, as almost as it has been expecting that exact strike.
"Your control is much better, good...."
Guai opened her eyes at the sound of the old, cracked voice. She should have been expecting Master Shao eventually.
"But your predictability is your downfall."
"My what?" The troll grunted, narrowing her eyes at the old man.
"You are strong, but you rely too much on brute strength to accomplish your goal." He smiled, and turned, motioning for her to follow. "You told me about that wall you destroyed in the underground, yes?"
"Yes, Master."
"And do you think that if you had stopped to consider the situation first, you may not have ended up with that wound on your arm?"
"No, Master...." Guai winced at she gingerly touched the remaining evidence of that sword slashing into her arm. She continued to follow the man down a set of old stairs, into the basement of the building.
"And that Mage, the snake, if you hadn't caught him by surprise I doubt he would have been muchly impressed either."
"Master!"
Shao raised his hand to silence any protest "My point, Mei-Hua...." He opened a set of large bamboo doors to reveal a very, very large training area, almost the size of the entire building above. "Is that you need to become more than you are. Blind rage and brute strength are will lead you nowhere but to ruin."
Guai's mouth set into a tight line as she stepped further into the room. The students of the dojo knew this was Shao's private area, and not very often did he let anyone down here besides himself.
Usually it meant you were about to learn a serious lesson.
“I know you’ve been trying something new.” The old man noted, closing the doors behind her, and stepping off to the side to open up the door to a closet that had been built into the concrete wall. “You do not think I miss you staring at nothing, trying to learn from a chip you plug into your commlink?”
Guai balked, and swallowed, feeling like a child that had been found out after telling a lie. She didn’t speak, but then again, she didn’t need to.
“Disgusting.” Shao began again, reaching into the closet, and slipping on a pair of arm guards. He knelt to the ground, to place on shin guards as well. “You children these days, thinking you can learn anything by plugging into a machine. Languages, etiquette, physical activity!”
She took a few steps back, getting ready for what she knew was coming.
“You shame me, Troll.” The elderly master shook his head, though a hidden smile played across his lips, slipping a hogu on over his head to protect his torso. “Thinking I am too useless to teach you new tricks.
“You honor me, Human.” Guai replied, attempting to keep a straight face. “Thinking me strong enough to warrant armouring yourself.”
Shao closed the closet and turned to his student. “I am an old man, I have come to terms that experience and wisdom are now my most potent weapons.
“Still….” Shao swung his hand in the air, like he was batting and invisible opponent. “I do have a few things left to impart on you…. If you don’t fancy your virtual tutor a better resource than.”
Guai snorted as she felt the distinct sting of a punch to the cheek.
“I want to learn.” Guai stated simply, blocking Shao’s hand with her left forearm as he jumped forward and struck, blindingly fast for someone his age.
“What do you want to learn?” Shao laughed, as he spun around behind her and dropped to the floor, easily evading her right hand reaching out for him.
“I want to learn strength, I want to learn accuracy.” Guai spun around to face him, punching her fist straight down into the floor, missing him by inches as he swung himself around on his hands, delivering a solid kick to her hip. “I want learn to be more effective.”
“Pitiful.” He mocked, clicking his tongue in disappointment. “You don’t know what you want to learn, do you?”
Guai snarled, her temper besting her, fighting to keep her adept powers from bubbling to the surface. “What the hell are you talking about, old man?”
“Maybe the better question is why you want to learn.”
“Why?” The troll shouted, confused and angry. “To be the best, to be able to fraggin’ destroy those that threaten me and my family. Make sure NO ONE messed with us, EVER again!”
She reached forward, balling a huge fist, punching towards Shao’s gut. He laughed like the senile old man he was, and quickly placed his own hands on top of her fist, vaulting over Guai’s arm and off her shoulder like he did it every day.
“A plausible answer, child, but are you that selfish? Are you that naïve?” He side stepped avoiding her other fist as she swing around using like a wrecking ball. “Your father is wasting away worrying about you, can you help him by unleashing destruction? “
Guai stopped, hunched over, breathing heaving.
“If you take a life or two, will that save your brother?”
With her eyes and mouth pressed shut, it took every ounce of willpower she had not to lose what little composure she had left.
“You can be the strongest metahuman alive, Guai, but if you found your mother lying dying and bleeding in a gutter, what would you do then? The only thing you could do, I suppose.”
And for the second time in her life, Guai snapped.
Even Shao was intimidated for a moment when he saw the furious troll coming, howling, absolutely beyond reason. Caught in the throws a bezerker rage she wasn't trying to break free from.
Poor Guai, she didn’t have a clue what was coming.
Almost like the rest of the world was moving in slow motion, Shao stepping forward, toward the troll, reaching out with a single finger to press a point at the base of her neck. Pressing with enough force to flip over her back, he hit one point in between her shoulders and one… two… points along her spine, and landing in a kneeling potion behind her, he was just in time to place a final, miniscule blow to the back of her knee.
And the troll folded. With a surprised bellow, Guai’s body seemed to give out on her, reducing her to nothing but a massive wrecking ball of flesh, horn, and bone. Slamming into the wall at the back of the dojo, a cloud of concrete dust and bamboo shards was spewed into the air, along with a screech as the steel reinforcement buckled under the pressure of a troll hitting it at full force.
Shao smiled, and stood, turning back to view his handy work. Taking a few steps closer, he kicked Guai in the side of the face.
“Don’t EVER lose your temper with me, you insolent girl.”
Guai groaned, head spinning, not even able to push herself up.
“Thinking with this is useless.” He said, somewhat more gently, tapping the top of her skull in between her horns, “Thinking with this is useless.” Shao remarked, gently kicking the left side of her torso with his foot. He paused, and tipped his head to once side.
Kneeling next to her face, he grabbed once thick horn and pulled her head to face him.
“The most effective way of finding the correct path is to use them both. Now have you learned your lesson?”
Guai coughed. “…..yes.”
“Good girl.”
Shao tapped a few points along her body, and she slowly felt the movement and control come back to her limbs. Guai sat up, and looked at Shao.
“Master… I need your help. I need to protect those who are important to me.” She closed her eyes and hung her head. “I need to be taught how to protect them…”
The elderly master smiled, and nodded. “Get up then, now the real lessons can begin.”
Connecting with warm, yet tough, flesh she immediately stopped, the object giving the tiniest bit, as almost as it has been expecting that exact strike.
"Your control is much better, good...."
Guai opened her eyes at the sound of the old, cracked voice. She should have been expecting Master Shao eventually.
"But your predictability is your downfall."
"My what?" The troll grunted, narrowing her eyes at the old man.
"You are strong, but you rely too much on brute strength to accomplish your goal." He smiled, and turned, motioning for her to follow. "You told me about that wall you destroyed in the underground, yes?"
"Yes, Master."
"And do you think that if you had stopped to consider the situation first, you may not have ended up with that wound on your arm?"
"No, Master...." Guai winced at she gingerly touched the remaining evidence of that sword slashing into her arm. She continued to follow the man down a set of old stairs, into the basement of the building.
"And that Mage, the snake, if you hadn't caught him by surprise I doubt he would have been muchly impressed either."
"Master!"
Shao raised his hand to silence any protest "My point, Mei-Hua...." He opened a set of large bamboo doors to reveal a very, very large training area, almost the size of the entire building above. "Is that you need to become more than you are. Blind rage and brute strength are will lead you nowhere but to ruin."
Guai's mouth set into a tight line as she stepped further into the room. The students of the dojo knew this was Shao's private area, and not very often did he let anyone down here besides himself.
Usually it meant you were about to learn a serious lesson.
“I know you’ve been trying something new.” The old man noted, closing the doors behind her, and stepping off to the side to open up the door to a closet that had been built into the concrete wall. “You do not think I miss you staring at nothing, trying to learn from a chip you plug into your commlink?”
Guai balked, and swallowed, feeling like a child that had been found out after telling a lie. She didn’t speak, but then again, she didn’t need to.
“Disgusting.” Shao began again, reaching into the closet, and slipping on a pair of arm guards. He knelt to the ground, to place on shin guards as well. “You children these days, thinking you can learn anything by plugging into a machine. Languages, etiquette, physical activity!”
She took a few steps back, getting ready for what she knew was coming.
“You shame me, Troll.” The elderly master shook his head, though a hidden smile played across his lips, slipping a hogu on over his head to protect his torso. “Thinking I am too useless to teach you new tricks.
“You honor me, Human.” Guai replied, attempting to keep a straight face. “Thinking me strong enough to warrant armouring yourself.”
Shao closed the closet and turned to his student. “I am an old man, I have come to terms that experience and wisdom are now my most potent weapons.
“Still….” Shao swung his hand in the air, like he was batting and invisible opponent. “I do have a few things left to impart on you…. If you don’t fancy your virtual tutor a better resource than.”
Guai snorted as she felt the distinct sting of a punch to the cheek.
“I want to learn.” Guai stated simply, blocking Shao’s hand with her left forearm as he jumped forward and struck, blindingly fast for someone his age.
“What do you want to learn?” Shao laughed, as he spun around behind her and dropped to the floor, easily evading her right hand reaching out for him.
“I want to learn strength, I want to learn accuracy.” Guai spun around to face him, punching her fist straight down into the floor, missing him by inches as he swung himself around on his hands, delivering a solid kick to her hip. “I want learn to be more effective.”
“Pitiful.” He mocked, clicking his tongue in disappointment. “You don’t know what you want to learn, do you?”
Guai snarled, her temper besting her, fighting to keep her adept powers from bubbling to the surface. “What the hell are you talking about, old man?”
“Maybe the better question is why you want to learn.”
“Why?” The troll shouted, confused and angry. “To be the best, to be able to fraggin’ destroy those that threaten me and my family. Make sure NO ONE messed with us, EVER again!”
She reached forward, balling a huge fist, punching towards Shao’s gut. He laughed like the senile old man he was, and quickly placed his own hands on top of her fist, vaulting over Guai’s arm and off her shoulder like he did it every day.
“A plausible answer, child, but are you that selfish? Are you that naïve?” He side stepped avoiding her other fist as she swing around using like a wrecking ball. “Your father is wasting away worrying about you, can you help him by unleashing destruction? “
Guai stopped, hunched over, breathing heaving.
“If you take a life or two, will that save your brother?”
With her eyes and mouth pressed shut, it took every ounce of willpower she had not to lose what little composure she had left.
“You can be the strongest metahuman alive, Guai, but if you found your mother lying dying and bleeding in a gutter, what would you do then? The only thing you could do, I suppose.”
And for the second time in her life, Guai snapped.
Even Shao was intimidated for a moment when he saw the furious troll coming, howling, absolutely beyond reason. Caught in the throws a bezerker rage she wasn't trying to break free from.
Poor Guai, she didn’t have a clue what was coming.
Almost like the rest of the world was moving in slow motion, Shao stepping forward, toward the troll, reaching out with a single finger to press a point at the base of her neck. Pressing with enough force to flip over her back, he hit one point in between her shoulders and one… two… points along her spine, and landing in a kneeling potion behind her, he was just in time to place a final, miniscule blow to the back of her knee.
And the troll folded. With a surprised bellow, Guai’s body seemed to give out on her, reducing her to nothing but a massive wrecking ball of flesh, horn, and bone. Slamming into the wall at the back of the dojo, a cloud of concrete dust and bamboo shards was spewed into the air, along with a screech as the steel reinforcement buckled under the pressure of a troll hitting it at full force.
Shao smiled, and stood, turning back to view his handy work. Taking a few steps closer, he kicked Guai in the side of the face.
“Don’t EVER lose your temper with me, you insolent girl.”
Guai groaned, head spinning, not even able to push herself up.
“Thinking with this is useless.” He said, somewhat more gently, tapping the top of her skull in between her horns, “Thinking with this is useless.” Shao remarked, gently kicking the left side of her torso with his foot. He paused, and tipped his head to once side.
Kneeling next to her face, he grabbed once thick horn and pulled her head to face him.
“The most effective way of finding the correct path is to use them both. Now have you learned your lesson?”
Guai coughed. “…..yes.”
“Good girl.”
Shao tapped a few points along her body, and she slowly felt the movement and control come back to her limbs. Guai sat up, and looked at Shao.
“Master… I need your help. I need to protect those who are important to me.” She closed her eyes and hung her head. “I need to be taught how to protect them…”
The elderly master smiled, and nodded. “Get up then, now the real lessons can begin.”