During the time since Ikazuchi’s return he had spent much of it at the guild as he was obtaining the materials and forging his new sword. His steady time there gave him the opportunity to encounter other guild members such as Xerxes, Toma, even Jikan who he met two years ago briefly. He couldn’t be sure about any others, but these were the three who seemed to currently be active in Northern Fiore. Unfortunately, his interactions with them were mostly limited until the day that he finally completed his new sword that he had named “Breaker”.

Shortly after the completion of the sword Ikazuchi exited the forging area within the guild building intending to exit the guild in order to find someone or something to test the weapon against. As he neared the exit, Ikazuchi coincidentally encountered Toma once more. The two spoke briefly before the topic of where Ikazuchi was going came up. After hearing that Ikazuchi intended to test his weapon, Toma volunteered as an opponent for him. Ikazuchi naturally welcomed and accepted this offer without caring much for the man’s motivations. Whether Toma simply wanted to fight or was curious about Ikazuchi himself, it was likely to be mutual between them. There wasn’t any member of the guild who wouldn’t enjoy fighting considering its values.

As Toma was doing Ikazuchi a favor by fighting him, Ikazuchi left the choice of battleground to him. It was quickly decided that they would go on a short trip to the area near the Sieghart Mountains on their mounts. Ikazuchi arrived ahead of Toma due to his flying mount and chose a relatively remote large area. The coarse dirt and sand provided slightly unstable footing, but it likely wouldn’t become a major factor for more experienced fighters such as them. As for the surroundings, there were some partially eroded ruins that left partially eroded stone pillars and broken walls along with some decent sized rocks and boulders.

Ikazuchi unsheathed his matching swords and waited at this point knowing that Toma would soon arrive. As for how he was certain of that, it was due to the fact that his wyvern was descending from the sky at that moment. After dismounting, he had commanded the creature to circle above the area to ensure Toma had no trouble locating him atop his wolf. The only reason it would descend would be due to Toma approaching close enough that such an act was unnecessary. He couldn’t help but feel a growing excitement for his first battle against a person in over two years as he quietly watched the direction his guildmate would arrive from.

Word Count: 440

Toma wore different equipment than usual as he rode through the desert. He was riding Leaving behind his cloak he simply wore his beakcloak and beakface. The bird mask situated firm on his head as always.Black pants and combat boots as his arms were bare. He had met an interesting fellow that he believed Jikan had eluded to. As such, a spar was agreed upon and he was now heading to the meeting place post haste. He was interested in this new weapon he needed to test. Not to mention Jikan hasn't been available for his rematch with her. So this new guy was a happy replacement.


Spotting the signs of old ruins Toma patted Ryko to shift directions slightly. But the giant wyvern was a dead give away as he waved to it. It took a minute or so, but he had finally arrived as Ryko halted to a stop and Toma easily hopped off. Toma scratching Ryko's head, gave him 2 pats as Ryko scampered off out of the way. The ruins gave him ample room to move around along with the scattered boulders and debris. Toma himself was situated on the side with less materials. Behind 5m was a wall and 2 3m tall pillars alongside of it. Past it was open expanse but he did well to remember at least that. Toma walked until he was 4m away from Ikazuchi before taking up his generic fight stance. "I'm not much for words friend. SO shall we?!" He calmly and body stated.

His left foot pointed forward and his right foot at an angle both feet slightly past shoulder width apart. He dug his feet into the sand. The uneven footing was something to take note of but not be deterred by. His hands held to eye level and spaced apart, his hands unclenched as he eyed down the man ready for anything. Two swords meaning he needs to focus on agility, evasion, and footing. That would be key to winning this battle.

WC:340

Ikazuchi couldn’t help but smile at Toma’s confidence as he suggested they don’t waste words before the fight. The four meter distance between the two couldn’t be described as short or long. It would be easily traversed by those skilled in melee combat, so He didn’t hesitate to also take a fighting stance as he responded to his guildmate. “That’s great! Let’s get down to it!”

Ikazuchi’s stance was a simple and direct one as he had stepped forward with his right foot positioning his feet in a way that was reminiscent of a southpaw fighter. He held his new sword, Breaker, in his right hand and Spellcutter in his left. Breaker was held between himself and Toma at roughly chest height in order to safely respond to any incoming threats. Spellcutter was comfortably held by his left side slightly away from his body in order to respond accordingly.

It was just a moment after he finished speaking when he lunged forward into range with a simple thrust targeting Toma’s chest using Breaker. [1] Ikazuchi intentionally condensed the movement of his sword to the minimum by only adjusting his wrist and forearm to change the trajectory of the attack towards the center of Toma’s chest. The moment the tip of the sword was directed at his target Ikazuchi lunged forward while pulling his arm closer to his chest in order to properly attack the moment his right foot planted on the ground. The lunge itself was short, fast, and concise covering a distance between two and half and three meters.

The dirt and sand kicked up slightly as his right foot planted, his left quickly being pulled into position as he transitioned to attack. In seemingly one fluid motion, Ikazuchi’s right hand thrust forward as his arm turned slightly. The height of the thrust was roughly at Toma’s solar plexus at this point. His gaze was calm and vigilant as he prepared himself for how his opponent may respond. It was worth noting that the sword’s orientation would mean that the cut would be a vertical one if the strike connected.

Ikazuchi hoped to use this attack to gauge both the quality of his newly created sword, and the strength of his recently acquainted guildmate. Based on Toma’s equipment and the knowledge he learned at first glance, he knew roughly what kind of fighter Toma was so he was preparing himself for the opponent to fight nimbly at close range.

Word Count: 410
Total Word Count: 850

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Toma reacted the moment Ikazuchi started speaking. Lunging midway through his sentence, Toma would do what he did best and analyze for now. He would only lunge 3m backwards and at a speed of 12.5m/s. Coming out of the lunge, he would point his left middle and index finger, creating a yellow magic circle of lightning forming at his fingertips. He would attempt to fire off .25m beam of lightning aimed in a linear line to target Ikazuchi's original position. The spell would fire off at a speed of 40m/s and would travel 7.5m before dissipating if not hitting his target. If making contact with his target, it would deal B rank blunt damage.

Toma immediately bounced off the sand, leaving a trail of sand particles behind him after his attack. With his footsteps being half-soundless it would have sounded more muffled than usual as with all his steps. With his equipment's help, he could jump off the sand, traveling 5m backward. He did not want to be stuck being an isolated target against his enemy. If not interrupted, he would find himself planted against the wall behind him that had been marked earlier in his memory He would land in a deep squat with his head up to survey everything in front of him before making his next move.


Considering he carried two weapons and he had none, it would be best to maintain a distance for now. He would be forced to dodge the entire time a not be able to trade blows. Situations like these always came down to speed and agility. And more so perfect creation time, but the raw ability was raw ability regardless.  Not to mention he needed to redeem himself personally. After his last sparring much he gained a considerable amount of power in such a short time span. What better adversary than an esteemed warrior to test himself yet again?



WC:325  TWC: 665

Mana:    930    /1000 Health: 3x S ranks

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Ikazuchi wasn’t surprised by Toma’s retreat, his words didn’t even slow down due to his opponents quick movements. Ikazuchi’s stance didn’t falter as he watched his guildmate move to a position roughly seven meters away from him. He didn’t rush forward like he initially intended as he noticed the casting motion of his opponent. In response to this, Ikazuchi simply moved Breaker slightly to be in the trajectory of the spell circle that was formed. At the same time, Ikazuchi activated the spell that his sword possessed. The mana flowing throughout the blade accelerated and strengthened the coating around the blade in response. [1]

The spell that came from the magic seal moved extremely quickly and smashed directly into the sword that had been moved into its path. [2] Ikazuchi felt a slight impact with his wrist from the spell allowing him to roughly gauge its strength, but remained totally unphased and satisfied by the effect of his new sword. He noted that the force of the spell wasn’t particularly high, but the speed was extremely fast. Had it not been clearly telegraphed, he wasn’t sure that he would be able to respond at this range.

Immediately after receiving the attack Ikazuchi lunged in pursuit, noting that Toma had jumped back a distance at roughly the same time. [3.a] He had pushed off the ground with his left foot, so he simply allowed his body to move forward with his right leg prepared to stop should the distance be less than what Ikazuchi could cover in a single lunge.

Wary of a sudden attack, Ikazuchi made a point to maintain the position of Breaker throughout the process. As for his other sword, he adjusted the aim of it so the tip was directed towards Toma. He was prepared to thrust the sword at his opponent the moment he completed the lunge and entered into his ideal range.

Ikazuchi didn’t have the time to consider many things during his pursuit, but he was able to roughly gauge that he would collide if he moved the full distance of his lunge. When he realized this, he planted his right foot firmly less than two meters from Toma as he landed. [3.b] Ikazuchi particularly noted the movements of his opponent’s shoulders as he rotated his waist and pushed forward with the sword in his left hand aiming at the area around Toma’s navel. [4] Breaker remained in position separating the two, ready to attack or defend based on how his opponent moved after this.

Word Count: 430
Total Word Count: 1,230

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Toma landed on the wall as Ikazuchi was already on top of his position, appearing in front of him. [1] Toma attempted to lunge 4m at 45 degrees to his right again as soon as he landed at a diagonal angle to avoid the sudden thrust. Moving at a speed of 12.5m at an angle would put him behind Ikazuchi's left shoulder  roughly 2m away. He landed in a deep squat with a hand on the sand for stability.From what he saw he was capable of blocking and nulling magic with that sword of his. Meaning he was especially screwed at close hand combat and needed to dominate the mid-range.

[2] Landing out of the second lunge again Toma would waste no time Lunge 4m to his left at a speed of 12.5m/s. Distance would be key for the moment meaning he needed a way to get those swords out of his hands. He had the feeling though it would result in his loss if tried it.

[3] His second and final lunge landed him with Ikazuhi in front of him towards his right. Toma created a  yellow magic circle as he created a claw with his right hand. Lightning sparked to life yet again as he swiped the air diagonally from his bottom right to his upper left. A 2m arcing slash of magic would fire at a speed of 40m/s over 7.5m.Lose him with his highspeed movements. Keep the enemy on his toes for until it was time to strike. He needed to learn a new type of spell. One that would make up for this overwhelming weakness.

[3.a] If Ikazuchi had moved from his original position, he would change the angle of his attack. Instead sending the arc diagonally, he would fire it off horizontally to indiscriminately target quickly and get a hit in.  At some point, that sword could be his downfall if he could just plan it out right. Just how much could he really take being overwhelmed?


WC:331  TWC: 665

Mana: 860/1000 Health: 3x S ranks

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Ikazuchi’s focus didn’t leave Toma as he lunged past his thrust. His head turned first, allowing him to see where his opponent’s lunge ended. ‘Just going to run away?’ Ikazuchi couldn’t help but think that as the force he was putting towards his thrust dissipated due to his target’s escape. He skillfully pivoted in response to that, turning his position to face towards his back where Toma was maneuvering. Toma’s second lunge carried him from a position two meters diagonally to his right to roughly two meters diagonally to his left.

Ikazuchi’s initial stance was reversed by this point. Spellcutter was held somewhat horizontally between himself and Toma while Breaker was held in a comfortable position by his side that allowed him to easily use it for offense or defense. Toma immediately made a claw that created a yellow magic circle before swiping his hand at Ikazuchi diagonally. He was aware of the speed that Toma’s spells moved at, so he focused more in response. [1] The two meter long slash that was produced rapidly approached him, but he was easily able to lightly slash it with Spellcutter causing the spell to disintegrate.

[2]Ikazuchi pushed off the ground with his right foot as the spell disintegrated, aiming to lunge past Toma’s right side. His stance shifted as his swords were quickly brought to his left side, extended to slash at his opponent in passing. [3] Spellcutter was slightly ahead of Breaker and positioned around chest height. [4] Breaker would land lower if he succeeded, closer to Toma’s stomach.

Ikazuchi intentionally moved an additional four meters past his opponent with the passing attack before he planted his left foot and used it as a pivot to turn and face the direction Toma was. He adjusted the position of his swords with practiced coordination as his right sword moved out away from his body between the two of them. His left adjusted lower in preparation for any follow up attacks.

[5] If Toma remained in his original position, Ikazuchi would immediately lunge back towards his opponent with a swing of his right sword as he entered into range while his left would remain prepared to defend or attack should Toma attack or evade.

Word Count: 370
Total Word Count: 1,600

OOC: A clarification was made about WM bonus damage that made my stats incorrect, so I am adjusting it accordingly from this point forward. Also correcting a couple of mistakes regarding Cooldown and cost reduction going forward. This won't change the previous mana expense due to my mistake.

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Ikazuchi recognized the feedback from his two successful attacks made as he passed by Toma in the short time before his foot planted at the end of his lunge. ‘Those were solid hits…’ He immediately planted his foot sideways in front of him and relied on its positioning to allow him to turn extremely quickly and appraise Toma’s condition. What he saw was his opponent quickly turning to face him with his armor tattered due to his two strikes, in particular Ikazuchi noticed blood flowing from the wound made by Breaker on Toma’s right arm that hung limp at his side.

‘This won’t last much longer…’ There wasn’t any hesitation as he immediately pushed off the ground after dedicating a moment to assess the situation. The distance was rapidly closed with a firm push off of the group with his left foot. His right foot planted at his ideal range, Breaker was already in motion targeting the weak point created by Toma’s injured arm.

With victory in his grasp, Ikazuchi didn’t hesitate to twist his wrist and reduce his attack to a blunt strike that smacked Toma’s right shoulder. He didn’t feel that he should risk permanent injury, and Toma would likely understand that if his pride wasn’t damaged by the slight amount of mercy. Ikazuchi intentionally channeled the power of his relic in this final hit causing Toma to fly ten meters away due to the strike.

Having experienced the tenacity of his guildmates during his short return, Ikazuchi knew that it wouldn’t end if he didn’t act convincingly. He immediately followed Toma’s body with a lunge at that moment and stopped close enough to place his sword to Toma’s throat before finally speaking. “I think we can consider this match my win?” He intentionally pressed his sword to Toma’s throat causing a drop of blood to trickle down in response.

The two men stared at each other in silence for a moment before Ikazuchi accepted the lack of response as an admission of defeat. He took a step back and sheathed his swords as he looked over his silent opponent. Considering the situation, it didn’t feel right to try and start up a conversation. He contemplated the situation for a moment before he chose to turn towards his wyvern and directly approached it, clearly intending to leave. “Thanks for the help, Toma…” Ikazuchi couldn’t help but smile slightly during his pause before continuing to speak. “Let’s meet up at the Guild Hall.”

Ikazuchi didn’t hesitate after that to mount his wyvern and ascend into the sky on its back after that. His smile became more noticeable as time went by as he had realized during their brief encounter that Toma wasn’t someone who would leave things at a loss that easily. ‘I think I’ll have a sparring partner in the future.’ With that thought in mind, Ikazuchi made his way back to the guild hall satisfied with both his guildmate and new sword.

Word Count: 490
Total Word Count: 2,090

OOC: Utilizing the 48 hour rule to go ahead and wrap this fight up and exit the topic

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