Scene #4684: Dwarf vs Heir

Owner	Pose
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran was in the middle of the arena, his sword out. He uhhh... was beginning to get a bit of a reputation by now. Namely, as being a pain in the butt. He was quite rude. On top of that, he'd often challenge people to fights. Well, he wasn't INTENTIONALLY rude. He was just very dismissive. But his fights were pretty good, at least. Though he seemed to have trouble with holding back. He was in the midst of finishing up a fight, in fact. "Roar of the heavens! I bid thee, come to my aid! STRIKE!" He yelled, before swinging his blade. Lightning shot from the end at the student. She shrieked, trying to lift her sword. She managed to catch the blow, but well... it wasn't enough. It flashed over her skin and passed into her aura, leaving the girl on the ground, panting and singed. She quickly pulled a retreat and Li sheathed his sword, closing his eyes.
Lloyd Irving	A curious eye is cast across the arena as a certain man sits in the stands. Dressed in a standard Beacon uniform and with his hair as calmed as it possibly could be, Lloyd Irving stands up as the battle finishes and makes his way down from the stands. Rolling his shoulders in his uniform, he reaches for the twin gunswords on his back. "Well," he says, smirking as he leaps down into the arena proper, "That was certainly impressive. I could use a match, if you're not too tired from that one I mean." As the ringing of the blades echoes out across the field, Lloyd turns the blades in the light. One is a white blade with a golden edge, while the other is black with a red edge, both of which pulse with ambient energy. The very first successful gunswords, the Irving Duo, are brought into a ready position, Lloyd's stance tightening even as his jacket flutters with the movement. When it does, Li might catch sight of cartridges lining the jacket's interior, showing his prepared ammunition. "Whenever you're ready," he says, twirling the white blade in his hand as he does.
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran nodded, already drawing his sword. A fellow sword user. Interesting. If there was one thing he'd learned about these people, its that they liked to use guns with their weapons. He'd normally have mocked it or said it was pathetic, a waste. But the first person he fought was Yang. He'd learned a healthy respect for such weapons. He moved into position, his right hand poised up, over his head like a scorpion's tail. Left foot and fist out. He took a slow, deep breath. "Three. Two. One. Go!" And instantly he took off. He moved in, right foot first, his blade coming down. However, as the sword was drawn back after, he went low, left foot kicking out to make three quick strikes. Ankle, leg, waist. He'd then move back, his left foot going under him as his right foot shot out, attempting to kick the man in the chest. Li fought differently than these hunters, he used his whole body, not just his sword.
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd keeps his stance as Li gives the countdown, narrowing his eyes as he races in. The sword immediately catches the dual swordsman's attention, but as it moves back he realizes the feint. A sharp impact rings through his leg as the first two strikes find purchase. However, Lloyd moves with the strikes, rolling himself away from the third. The change in legs is a bit faster than he was ready for and he takes a solid shot to the chest as well. As he steps back, Lloyd offers a small smile and straightens, rubbing his chest with the back of his hand. "Interesting style. Incorporating a blade into a style like that is pretty ingenious," he notes, before stepping forward, "Seems like this should be pretty fun!" He twists the white blade into an upward swing, pulling the trigger on the hilt as he does to cause the entire edge to burst into a brilliant light. However, the blade seems out of reach to hit Syaoran directly, instead continuing along its smooth parabola and sending light into the sky. Using the momentum from the swing, his other arm shoots out, thrusting with the black blade. Another trigger pull later and a blast of fire races from the end, attempting to ignite the boy without touching him with the blade itself. However, should he be ready for that, the light he had sent into the sky might catch his opponent off-guard, beginning to rain back down to the floor in a devastating storm of pure light.
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran eyed the man suspiciously. He'd gotten a few solid blows in, but he doubted that would be enoguh to stop the man. He readied for the counter attack. Shooting light into the sky? Why would-- Lloyd might notice he was already on the move to avoid the attack before the swing was even made. He leaped into the air, using his arms to help shield himself. The fire caught him, sending him flying back, but out of the strike of raining light. He stood there, eying him. "Interesting style of your own." Future sight was useful against attacks like that, at least. He got back into his stance, though he reached into his pocket and pulled out two small yellow talisman papers. Then then charged forward. "The unrelenting waves, I bid thee! Come to my aid! Crash!" Water surged around his blade as he struck out. It swirled out, trying to coat Lloyd in it, before shifting to ice. He didn't stop his assault, however. His sword was still a weapon and he tried to keep in close, where his fists and feet could do the most damage, using his own blade to try to lock up Lloyds. All before suddenly leaping back, holding out a hand aimed at a talisman he'd tossed at the man's feet. "Roar of the heavens, I bid thee! Come to my aid! Strike!"
Lloyd Irving	The Colonel smirks, straightening up as Li dances away from the pseudo-Judgement. The flames had caught him at least, but he had to admire the boy's abilities. "I've spent a fair number of years perfecting it," he says, "Some of it is fairly new, though. I didn't originally have magic or these gunswords, but time changes a lot of things, right?" He eyes the talismans with a smirk, nodding a bit. "Hey, you can use seals?" he asks, though Li's talismans seem much different than the ones he's used to from Sheena. As the torrent swirls around him, he points his black blade down and pulls the trigger again, a vortex of flame briefly surrounding him and dispelling the ice before it can freeze him in place. As Li's sword and limbs strike out, Lloyd moves to parry and block as best he can, though the rapid strikes do find a bit of give in his defenses. "Jeez," he says, "That's some sort of form. Seals, swordwork, and martial arts? Quite the powerhouse!" Lloyd smirks, then notices that Li's assault gives. He has enough time with the incantation to notice the talisman at his feet and frowns a bit, nodding his head before moving. Crossing his swords, he manages "GUAR--!" before his voice is drowned out by the talisman's activation. There's a sound not unlike glass shattering, and a rain of green shards cascades around Lloyd, falling to the ground and disappearing. A bead of sweat forms on his forehead, which he ignores as he nods in approval. "Alright then," he says, before there's a flash of light around him. When it fades, his mana wings have unfurled behind him, massive angelic wings that shimmer blue and purple with red tips. "Not bad. Let's see what I can manage." He flies forward, bringing both blades down to his sides. Sweeping the tips along the floor, he sends out two large grounded waves before leaping into the air. As he falls, he begins to somersault, blades out to give him an appearance akin to a buzzsaw. Just as he would connect with Syaoran, the blades ignite with their respective elements once again, Lloyd attempting to time the impact of the shockwaves with the maelstrom of his blades. "Heaven's Tempest!"
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran nodded. "Indeed I can. I've trained in martial arts, jian and magic since I was a child. By the age of eleven I'd already mastered martial arts and the jian." And it showed in his movements. They were almost perfectly precise. But they were very direct, too. There wasn't much flexibility, very little originality. On top of that, though. There was something more. The way he seemed to be reacting to his attacks before he even made them. He'd see the way Li's eyes widened before the attack was even coming. But he was trained for this, to fight. He knew was was coming and he could react accordingly. He tossed another seal on the ground, "BURN!" The seal erupted in an explosion of flame, aiming to shoot them both away. At the same time, he lifted his sword up. "Gale!" Winds formed between them and Li was sent hurtling across the arena, out of the way of the strike. He hit the wall opposite them, hard. There was a pained oof and he fell to one knee, before getting up slowly. That had hurt. But that other attack would have hurt a lot more. Probably would have taken him down. He took a slow, deep breath and eyed the man, his eyes hardened. Already another talisman was in his hands, ready to go should the moment call for it. But there was also a way he stood. His left leg had a bit more give to it. Seems crashing into the wall like that had hurt more than he was trying to let on. It probably didn't help that, while the winds had protected him from some of the flame, he still had some marks across his body. A rapid escape was... not easy.
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd listens to Li's story with interest, seeing a bit of himself in the statements he made. "I can relate, though I didn't really have a formal teaching. I've been wielding swords since I could pick them up, and I've been refining my technique ever since. Then came the magic I got from my father, and since then I've been expanding my knowledge any way I can. That's why I'm enrolled here, actually. Not only do I get to learn about another world, but I also get to learn about new weapon forging techniques and new styles of fighting. It's like a dream come true for a man like me." As the attacks crashed together, Lloyd is knocked upward by the blasts and has to flare his wings to stop himself. He floats back to the floor, keeping his swords in a defensive stance in case Li was ready to attack again. His Beacon uniform was a bit tattered, showing cuts and bruises from the various exchanges, but he seems raring to go still. As Syaoran recovers his footing, Lloyd notices the new weakness in the boy's leg. He slings his swords across his back, though a red circle appears beneath him and seems to course with power. "You alright?" he says calmly, his body seeming to glow as he holds back a spell, "We can stop if you'd like. Looks like that last exchange hurt a bit more than I thought it would, especially since you seemed to block it so well. You're anticipating my attacks almost a bit too well, almost like we've fought before." He offers a smile, but doesn't dissipate the magic swirling around him. If Syaoran wanted to keep going, Lloyd was going to be ready for it. He crosses his arms, a gesture that causes him to wince at the much larger bruises still covered by his uniform. The blast had rattled his arms and shoved the hilts of his blades into his chest, which would explain why he put the weapons away. If Syaoran was observant, he'd notice that the Colonel's arms seem to be shaking from the force.
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran was breathing heavily, eying the man. Then slowly, he lowered his blade. "I think that would be fine. A draw would be fine." He sheaths his blade before walking forward. He puts his fist to his palm and bows his head politely. "It has been an honor to meet and fight with you. My name is Li Syaoran, heir to the Li clan." He then stood back up. "Indeed. My magic allows me to see into the future, just a bit." He tapped his head. "Not very far, but enough to allow me to better react to incoming attacks. I must admit, the students here are quite skilled. I expected... well, very little when I arrived. But sice my arrival I've met at least six students who are incredibly powerful and capable individuals. I'm happy to count you amongst them." He held out his hand.
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd allows the mana around him to snap out of form, his wings vanishing in the same breath. "Alright, a draw then," he says, uncrossing his arms and shaking them out to reduce the trembling. At Li's gesture, Lloyd offers a bow of his own. "Well met, Li Syaoran. My name's Lloyd Irving, Colonel in the Union Elite Forces, blacksmith, and creator of the Irving style. So you can see attacks coming a bit before they happen, huh? That sounds like it'd be useful as long as you have training like yours to back it up." He smiles broadly, then shakes his head as Li continues. "You have to anticipate the best of any opponent," he says, "Even students. Take them lightly and they're likely to turn it on you, even with your abilities." Lloyd takes the offered hand, giving it a brief shake. "I look forward to sparring with you again. If you need anything, feel free to let me know. I've heard your voice on the channels before. You're a friend of Sakura Kinomoto, is that right?"
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran nodded. "Yeah, I've noticed that." He smiled to the man. Then he mentioned THAT. Sakura. He suddenly turned very hostile and took a step in. Right in the guys face. "Yes I am. In fact I'm her... possibly... future husband." Oh, there was a little red in his cheeks. "How do you know Sakura?" Oh gosh. All of that calm and precision? It was GONE. Now there was nothing but jealousy. Rising off him, practically forming smoke.
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd continues smirking, perhaps even a bit more so as Li reacts in such a way. "You should think back a moment, Li. I just told you I am a high-ranking official in the Union. It's my job to know those in our ranks. I also happened to overhear the two of you on the radio some days back." Lloyd rolls his shoulders, meeting Syaoran's gaze with his own. "You don't need to look at me like I'm some manner of threat, by the way," he adds after a moment, "I wasn't expecting such a harsh reaction to such a minor statement."
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran blinked a few times and seemed to process that. Ah. Right. His eyes went wide and he turned a deeper shade of red. "A-ah. Right. Of course. Well, err..." He coughed into his hand. "I am... not... quite a member of the union. More an ally of them at this juncture." He scratched his cheek, obviously embarrassed. "And, errr. Sparring with you another time would be good. If there's one thing i've learned, it's that I still have a lot more to learn." His eyes looked a little distant suddenly. "A... lot more." He looked to the guy. Then towards the door. What would Sakura want him to do? The guy was a commander and... not a threat. He was sure if it came to it, he could take him. Not as annoying as Ren, either. "Care to get something from the cafeteria with me? I'm not technically a student here, but they have allowed me to dine with them over the weekend." Probably because, if nothing else, he had the capability of a student and could be a valuable member... if he wasn't already so focused on other tasks.
Lloyd Irving	Lloyd chuckles a bit. "Well, allies are still close enough for me. I started my career as an ally, so I like to think they're still part, you know? But however you'd like to handle it is fine by me." He stretches himself out a bit, then shrugs. "We all have a lot to learn still, so I wouldn't get too hung up on it. Things will be learned with time. That's just the nature of things." He rolls his shoulders again, trying to loosen the stiffness in his muscles a bit as they speak. At Syaoran's request, however, Lloyd shakes his head. "As much as I'd like to, I really should get back to work. The Palmacosta infantry just put in an order for armor repairs, and that's going to take me some time to get done. Perhaps another time?" He offers a small wave, then heads toward the exit of the arena. "Thanks for the spar! These bruises are gonna take a while to heal up, I can feel it."
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran nodded and gave the man a smile. At least the man was nice enough. And Li was getting a lot better at dealing with people. Granted, once the man was gone, he started walking as well... with a limp. He'd be fine in a few hours, he was sure. But for now, ice pack. A nice, wonderful ice pack. Ouch. Deep breaths, deep breaths. His hand moved up to his chest. It was still lightly pounding. There were so many strong fighters out here. Back home he could count the number of people as strong or stronger than him on one hand. But... here... he'd already met so many. It was a little frightening.