Balam 9

[14:25] The Ookami was true to his nature, A savage warrior who fought with resilience. Despite the strikes of his foe he'd repel them with powerful bursts of wind pressure blocking the blade from reaching his fur.

To start the battle Balam would form Blades of Wind pressure, Throwing them like daggers towards his foe, To disorient and knock him off balance. While he aimed to keep Dreyri busy with that he'd begin a ritualistic dance. One that called the spirits of the wind to create powerful tornados. That would further occupy the swordsmen.


He didn't bother getting within range of the blade, Always standing just a hairs breath out of Dreyri's reach. And whenever he did get close enough Balam would quickly counter with a shocking blast of lightning magic that threw the boy backwards.

"Not bad you have a lot of potential Dreyri! You only need a bit more spirit in your attacks...Like this!" He'd prepare himself his bare feet sliding across the sands fighting in a terrain he'd not been used to was always the most exciting for him.

Lightning charged into his foot, As the power of the Wind spirits began to fuel his attack once more. Racing through the sands showing off his Wolf blessed talents, Bolting around to confuse Dreyri until a final kick to the would pierce through the Swordsmen's defenses and knocking him back a few feet.

"Mh…I'm still not good enough..." before looking towards his oppenet. "You alright? You pushed yourself a lot in those other matches...Hope I didn't go overboard."
(Balam Aba)
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[14:36] Berserkr was true to his nature, he never gave up. But he should be surprised at the agile and resounding strength of the Ookami, who was fighting like a spiritual priest, or something similar. Dreydi was unable to judge his fighting style, let alone say that he was similar to Dreydi's style, as he did not exercise nature in his battle. But the blood and the anger.

There were few hits that Dreydi managed to complete. But, due to Balam's speed and wit, Dreydi succumbed in combat. A distracting tactic, led to a card up in his sleeve, he was worthy of his strength ... But it was not the kind of fight that Dreydi would quench his thirst for combat. Keeping away at all times, and hardly reaching the opponent.

A shot made it through the berserkr's defense, and at that very moment, a point in the fight was declared. Balam will be victorious, Dreydi perhaps a little shaken by never having been defeated in a fight.

"Dreydi's good. Balam fought well. Dreydi need to improve. Learned."

He gets up, panting, maybe he needs to rest. He walked over to a column of stones and there he leaned back to relax, he felt completely exhausted after all, but he didn't want to show it.
(Dreyri Hrosa)
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[14:45] Balam Aba has placed Mana-Charged Glaive into the chest.
[14:51] Balam had grown up quite a bit in the interlude since he'd seen his mother he'd traveled around a majority of Esshar. Learning different things and experiencing new terrains. And now on the cusps of his 16th birthday he'd prepare himself for a challenge to prove himself to becoming an apprentice of a Shaman.

"Hello Mother, Its been a long time since we've gotten to speak like this, How are things?" He'd ask. Mostly because they'd only seen so little of each other the passed few years but it seemed Balam wasn't too bothered by it.


Learning how to adapt on his own was one of the first things he learned after all. "My adulthood ceremony is going to come up soon...and I just wanted to ask for your help in training! My friend Zuchi beat me last time...and a week ago I lost to a cog who was trying to kidnap me..." He'd clutch his claws into his hands. Digging deep into his palms but not drawing any blood.

"I still have a lot to learn and I figured now I should ask for help!" He'd said with a smile, Almost completely opposite of his mothers usually stout demeanor.


(Balam Aba)
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[15:01] Was where she was nearly always found in the last few years, the primary hub of the Tribes. Where the 'seat of power' resided as it were for the moment, her expression as neutral as ever even if perhaps one could note a line or two more lightly marking her face.

"Things are as they are and as they will be." A shrug of a shoulder, her hefty weapon's weight pulling against her back. "Training..? Who is this 'Zuchi' person?" Though hearing he lost to an Achyonite..? She frowned, and heavily so.

"You can't be doing that. That means you've already lost twenty-five percent of the battles as I have, serious ones at least." She tsks, hoping that would perhaps drive him to do better. If he was competitive it would help at least.

"Yes, let's go so I may see where you need a touch of help."
(D'noxa Aba)
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[15:08] "Twenty five percent?" He'd look a little confused by that number he knew his mother was strong and mostly undefeated but he didn't have much of an idea of how he could be that way as well.

He wasn't all to focused on winning fights against Zuchi but the Achyonites did urk him in ways he didn't yet understand. "Zuchi is human who lives in Moxtli Hes been training with Eiji and he got really strong all of a sudden and I had a hard time keeping up with him in our last few spars..." He said a little upset he lost to Zuchi recently.

Although he wondered if there were things his mothers could teach him through training things he'd yet to discover just yet. "I'm only asking because I feel like I've hit a road block...I have powerful techniques...I just lack the intuition to put them together the right way..." He said remembering his battle against the Barsburg Cog, Almost beating him before things took a turn for the worst.

If his mother was inclined enough she'd be able to get a hint of Balam's increased spiritual attunement. He'd been steadily meditating and was now able to see and interact with spirits.
(Balam Aba)
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[15:11] "I've only lost four battles my entire life. So losing one means you've already lost a quarter of the ones I have." She explains, hoping he's able to grasp what she meant form there.

"I see. Well, the only way to beat him is to get better so focus on that instead of the loss itself." It was solid advice, and what had helped her in the past. "Then practice with them more, and learn to adapt to different styles of fighting. That's more valuable than raw strength, the ability to read, gauge, and alter yourself to better oppose whomever you're fighting on a whim."

"We were blessed with instincts, use them." She says, ears flicking a single time.

She had no real way of knowing where his attunement was without some sort of actual reason to see it, but she would move towards the forest if he did indeed want to do battle.
(D'noxa Aba)
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[15:17] He could understand more or less what she was saying at this point but he didn't think he'd ever rival his mother in her combat power.. Yet her instincts were second to none after all...He nodded slowly as he moved with her. "I Understand...I suppose I'll just have to do better then.." It didn't seem there'd be any advice to come from his mother but he expected as much.

It seemed there'd be no way around it beyond fighting more often. It was unfortunate that beyond Zuchi there was no one around his skill level he could fight.

His instincts for battle were still underdeveloped compared to most of the others in his tribe. Despite his warriors blood there seemed to be something lacking within him that even he'd not been able to find out what it was entirely just yet.
(Balam Aba)
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[15:22] Leading him into a clearing deep in the forests where she could truly let loose without having to worry about destroying anything precious, she gently floats into the air facing her son. "Fighting isn't just mindless assaults until someone falls over, it's a dance."

"A dance and a battle of wills between two people, and a direct contest of their Spirits. It is one of the most intimate things you can share with someone, friend or enemy. Both of your lives hang in the balance at every moment." Drawing Xipovos she holds it towards him, that luminescent white mist glowing as it forms around her blade.

"If you understand your opponent, then you can defeat them." Her face shifted, the Shaman drawing on the Aspect of Carnage's mana to alter her form. Her claws elongated, her jaw creaked and cracked.. It was horrifying to observe head on, but it was mere moments before she almost seemed more wolf than human.

Her hunting shape taken, she readies herself. "So try to understand me."
(D'noxa Aba)
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[15:26] {Lost Restrained RPB against D'noxa Aba}
[15:32] She held back slightly, but it was hopefully enough to get her point across. Winds tore at her, it reminded her slightly of Talacael, but lacking the precision Balam's uncle had as a child. It was unfocused and untrained to some degree.

Though even still it wasn't hard to tell why she was such a hard opponent, D'noxa was fast... eye-blurringly so. Her body was a streak of red and white across their small field of battle as thin slash after thin slash split open on her son's flesh, his blood used as a weapon against him..

It was a war of attrition, and he was simply unable to keep up long enough to deal significant damage. "You're too slow, you don't have a way of pinning me down long enough for your tornados to actually do significant harm unless I make a large mistake."

"You're still young so that naturally played a part, but you're not putting things together well enough to really pose a threat. Single hits won't win a battle against someone as fast as me, you have to chain it all together and make it count when you see a window. Understand..?"
(D'noxa Aba)
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[15:40] Her movements were a complete blur, As the battle started Balam would immediately feel the pressure of the blood whip striking at his back, His mother already motioned a second series of attacks before he could even react.

His blood spilling out only to be used as a weapon against him. However he wildly threw lightning and air at his foe in hopes of harming her if not for a moment at the very least.

Yet it was a futile effort, She moved fast enough to out speed his tornados and lightning strikes. Outmaneuvering him at every turn it seemed he'd be unable to strike her truly with her movements as they were. "Too slow..." He'd heard Motai say something similar before.

However the battle continued slowly, At his mothers pace, Each of her strikes causing him to bleed more and more until he finally nearly collapsed, Licking his wounds once again.

Balam noticed more or less that had raw power but without focusing it into a single point it was difficult to land all of his blows. Especially when facing an opponent with superior speed he'd be out of his luck in beating them. "How can move faster than someone I can barely see...How should I chain my attacks then?"

He asked...Noticing the winds barely effected her during her mad dash it seemed like a wasted effort to anyone who'd be watching but the young Aba didn't fall into the despair of his failures.

(Balam Aba)
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[15:48] She blinked as he sat there bleeding, letting him soak in the pain of the damage she had done to him as punishment for allowing her strikes to land. "You only have a few options. Aim for where they'll be not where they are, or figure out a way to slow or pin them down.. or else you'll continue to have circles ran around you."

"Though on a positive note, I'm also exceptionally hard to pin down compared to most. So I make good practice, not everyone you face will be able to escape or evade as I do." A small shake of her head, she motions for him to come along.

"Work on this. Practice on moving faster yourself, it would go a long way."

"From there you just master what abilities to use in succession once they're pinned down in such a way."
(D'noxa Aba)
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[15:52] It was all quite vague. But he'd just had to figure it out by doing it he assumed...He jumped to his feet, Electricity burning and searing his cuts shut, New scars to add to his growing collection as he stood up once more to face his mother. "All of that sounds easier said than done...But I'll keep trying until I figure out just how to do that..."

He claimed as he positioned himself to battle once again. He knew she'd been holding back but even then her abilities were incredible it was no surprise why his mother was one of the strongest in Moxtli.

And probably why his resemblance to her often found him on the other side of a mana rifle.
(Balam Aba)
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[15:57] {Lost Restrained RPB against D'noxa Aba}
[16:06] "It's all easier said than done, but the challenge is the fun part." She would state before blurring once more, her blade lashing across his cheek a split second later before she narrowly dodges a blast of wind. "Balam.. stop aiming for me, aim for where I will be."

D'noxa did not boast about her fighting abilities, they were tried and proven countless times before. She only spoke about them to encourage others, hopefully her son would reach such a state himself.

Dozens of razor sharp disks of water curl around him as she finally comes to a stop some distance away, tearing at his clothing and flesh but leaving no lasting damage. "You should spend time dashing through the trees and striking at the dead ones as they appear, use your own speed to create targets and practice for yourself."
(D'noxa Aba)
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[16:15] He'd been more patient this time trying to aim his attacks and focus on precision, Aiming towards his mother and yet it seemed each of his attacks missed by just a breath. Her cry out to him was only to his determent as he'd been aiming towards her after image still unable to follow her movements or predict where she'd be.

The blade coming down slashing at him, As he tried to retaliate with a exuding burst of lightning that created a bubble around him doing some damage to her but not enough to take her down. "Damn it.."

He'd been at a lost, Aiming where she would be or where she wasn't was difficult enough especially as he tried to dodge multiple discs of water that sawed into his flesh. It was hard for the Ookami boy to keep up but he could understand the method a little more.

As agile as he was he wasn't yet able to keep up with his mothers movements or impair her from moving either. She was like a ghost, Difficult to track until she strikes. Yet he was getting better at evading a majority of her attacks as well using the wind to guide him as he danced through the saw blades of water.

However his attempts at dodging were futile as she invoked her Blood once more to bind his movements. His breath was heavy as he laid on the ground defeated once again.
(Balam Aba)
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[16:15] D'noxa Aba asks, "Do you understand..?"
[16:16] Balam Aba says, "Kinda of..."
[16:17] D'noxa Aba says, "Then practice, come back to me soon."