To Clear His Mind (CLOSED)

[Onyx, Son of Sun]

It had been some time since Onyx had been able to meander through the Burning Forest with the intent of leisure. Fire always had a purifying connotation and he found that the pristine flames that licked off the trees always set his soul at ease. He thought back to his boyhood days of him training here with the monks and steeped himself in the comfort of reminiscence and began to wonder were those days went. Since his joining the Sumata, things never felt right. Thought the world was in a constant truce, for the most part anyway, it felt as if there was a constant lingering sense of strife. But this is why he was here. Onyx needed to reassess the situation and needed to clear his mind of all distractions so as to get a clear picture.

Finding a small area a ways from the main trial, he prepared to perform some basic exercises and clear his mind of all obstructions. He slid into a low horse-riding stance, placing a closed fist at his side and the other in front of him as an open palm. Breathing in the warm air, filling his lungs with it, he focused his chi into his abdominal region, forcing it into his arms as he alternated their positions. As he did this, the air around him sparked and fizzed as the surrounding oxygen ignited in small amounts. Breathing slower and more heavily, the surrounding fires on the trees began to dance and flicker as he forced the energy, once again, through his abdomen into his hands.

Suddenly he sprang from his stance, firing several kicks at the heated air, before landing into a sturdy back-stance, his body itself now beginning to glow with an effervescent light. Taking a heavy step forward, causing the ground to quake mildly, he shot a straight punch directed at a near-by rock. Flames lashed out from his fist, slamming against the stone, leaving glowing scorch marks on the face of the boulder as they dissipated from sight. It was a good start, but his mind was still running wild, unable to focus clearly on a single matter.

[Grim Dagger]

"Nice moves..." A young looking man with blue hair, his hand was in his pocket with a sword strapped to his side appeared behind him a evil grin on his face. "What's bothering you?"

[Onyx, Son of Sun]

Onyx stood up straight from his stance. Looking at the your blue haired man, he could tell he was uncouth, malevolent and a strong fighter. Brushing his waist clean of dust, he bowed in a regal fashion.
"Good day to you sir. I inquire: who are you and what business do you have in the Kingdom of Ignis?" Onyx replied, ignoring the man's question.

[Grim Dagger]

He didn't like being ignored but he answered him anyway, "My name is Grim Dagger, I have no real business here... what the sudden defense to your own ally?"

[Onyx, Son of Sun]

Grim Dagger, it was a name he had herd before. Having never meet the man, Onyx relied on stories to lay down his initial opinion, and his opinion thus far was an unimpressive one. Grim Dagger was a murderer who used the skills he learned killing to secure a comfy position in the Moon Kingdom. It pained Onyx to see such a corrupt man go unpunished simply because he had a title before his name, but for the sake of keeping things civilized, he kept his emotions and attended to the situation in a calm and pleasant manner.

"Forgive me, Sir Dagger, I have a tendency to finish matters of business before I allow pleasure to follow. This is our first time meeting, is it not? Welcome to Ignis. I am Onyx Volkanon."

He approached Grim with a outstretched hand, hoping the man's appearance belied his good manners.

[Grim Dagger]

He looked at his hand, a look of disgust reached his face. He made no effort to return the handshake even know he was a Sumata.

"Interesting country you got here... but I was just passing through from a visit from another kingdom..." he raised his hands, they were covered in blood, "Just testing some of the 'heroes' that was there."

[Onyx, Son of Sun]

"Sadly, some books can be read by there covers," Onyx thought as Grim open displayed contempt for his friendly gesture. Onyx was used to dealing with unmannerly people and no difficulty putting their loathsome attempts to converse with him aside to get things done. It wasn't until Dagger held up his crimson soaked hands that Onyx's eyes went cold as he glared at him.
"Listen to me, boy. I suggest that whatever it is that has brought you here you keep brief. Should i catch wind of any misdeeds on your behalf in my Kingdom, Captain or not Captian, your head will find itself in the stocks, and depending on other factors, in a basket at my feet. Do you understand?"

[Grim Dagger]

He laughed, "So much for the friendly banner! This is the blood of our enemies! You should be thanking me right now!"

[Onyx, Son of Sun]

Onyx was getting tired of dealing with this Grim Dagger character. He needed to get back to the matter of sorting out the current situation and this vagrant was only delaying the process.All I need to do is remove Dagger from the premises and return to my training. Wait... that could very well suffice. .

Easing up on his hostile approach, he relaxed and asked Dagger, "What to you say to a duel under the Warriors Code? Should I win, then you will leave my Kingdom and seek a new location. But should you claim victory, then I shall allow you free passage. What do you say, Sir Dagger?"

[Grim Dagger]

"A battle?" He nodded, "I suppose I can battle for a bit... although not sure what this 'warriors code' you say is..."

He got into battle stance, if you looked closely you could see wounds on him already, he was already hurt from another battle.

[Onyx, Son of Sun]

Noticing the wounds on Dagger, Onyx felt that things were not fair, and an even chance for both warriors was part of the code that he followed.

"I shall make this easy on you in light of your wounds. I shall refrain from the use of my abilities in this duel. My fists and feet shall serve as my only weapons. If i should break this rule, victory is your. This is the only rule of this encounter."

Sinking low into a back-stance, he stood ready and waiting for Dagger to strike. "Come boy, I shall grant you the first chance to attack."

[Grim Dagger]

"If you were smart, you'd come at me with all you've got! These wounds are nothing!" his wounds were actually putting some strain on him but he wouldn't admit it, "Now, I'll show you that 'Sumata' is just a title!"

He rushed at him a blue aura going around his hand swinging it at his face.

[Onyx, Son of Sun]

"Of Course it's just a title. The words before a persons name grant nothing," said Onyx as Grim rushed towards him. Dagger was quick, but his body gave away every movement. The way his shoulders shifted, the starting foot he moved with, where his eyes focused; he may as well have announced what he was doing.

The blue aura was a novel trick if not a little surprising, but it was nothing that a man's hands couldn't do better. Shifting his body weight low, Onyx dodged the attack and swept his back foot forward, causing him to close the distance to Dagger and ram him in the sternum with the back area of his left shoulder. Upon impact, Onyx seized his right arm by the wrist and the clothes that rested on his upper biceps and, using Dagger's already forward directed momentum, threw his straight ahead for a good distance. Upon releasing Dagger, Onyx sunk back into his beginning stance, waiting for Grim's next move.

[Grim Dagger]

Grim flipped back on his feet turning fast back to Onyx.

"So, Sumata, why did you join their ranks? Good paycheck? Dental plan perhaps?" He smirked stepping forward then jumped into the air right into the smoke filled air, then a minute later came right back down his hand thrusting forward with power at him.

[Onyx, Son of Sun]

Dagger proposed question, though snide, shot true at Onyx. Why had he joined in the first place. He liked to think it was a means of keeping his people safe from the other nations, but at this point and time he was still unsure of his actual reason. Onyx said nothing to Dagger and simply concentrated on the current battle.

Watching Dagger's movements as he jumped in the air, it was easy to predict another attempt with the bull rush approach. The fact that Dagger was in the air made it even easier to defend than the last attack, as Onyx had no stable footing to work against.

Dodging Dagger's head on assault, he once again seized his wrist, but this time with both hands. Using his downward force, Onyx pulled Dagger towards the center of his body and twisted him sharply, casing him turn sideway in the air before he slammed down harshly to the ground, landing on his shoulder. Onyx jumped back leaving Grim on the ground, giving Onyx time to regain his stance and await for another attack from the blue haired warrior.

"What about you boy? Why did you join our fight? I would guess it was so you could satiate that foul bloodlust of your."