Young Knights - Dual Training - Open to All Knights

The upcoming initiation ceremony for the Apprentice Knights was later that day and our young Ibwa was sitting on the edge of the main bridge leading into the volcanic mountains. Zero was small with white hair that just seemed to stand out against this dark landscape. Due to the heat of the area he had shed his jacket for a more traditional light t-shirt. He was nervous and unsure how things would go with this day. Maybe he'd be kicked out on the first day if that was even possible. No doubt they would find him a failure just as his own parents had.

Zero would sigh and pick up a loose rock before chucking it over the edge and watching it bounce across the landscape. Maybe if he got kicked out here then he could go and take over the old man's fried rice shop. It wouldn't be too bad. He'd get to cook, even though he wasn't very good at it but he did enjoy it, rather than having to fight people and risk his life for others goals. Honestly just thinking about fighting scared the shit out of him and made him shudder.

Francesc was currently contracted a severe disease that not even his natural resistance seemed to be able to cure. What was the disease you ask? The silent killer called boredom. Letting out a loud yawn, Cesc wandered the streets of Jikogakure aimlessly, with no destination in mind. With his father still out on Pandora business, he had no one to talk to or keep him company which made him feel a bit lonely. Now that you mentioned it, all his friends still resided in Samuigaukre and the old man was the only person he was able to call a friend, which was pretty sad for a kid his age. Letting out a sigh he found himself at the main bridge that lead to the volcanic mountains where he would notice a kid a bit no younger than he was with a look of nervousness on his face. Since he was here might as well talk to the kid, Cesc though as he made his way beside the kid. “Yo, You okay?” Cesc said when he arrived near the kid.

Zero was startled to say the least. His body left a good foot off the ground when the newcomer spoke, nearly giving Zero a heart attack. He turned, wide eyed toward the young boy who had spoke and nervously rubbed his hands together down by his legs. I-I-I'm f-f-fine.... muttered Zero as he turned to look at the boy. He didn't expect to meet anyone here today. He looked around uncomfortably before muttering again, "I.. uh.... I'm sorry." Zero wasn't sure why he apologized, he just felt like he was doing something wrong.

Why was he apologizing? He had no reason to after all Cesc was the one who startled him. “No need to apologize, I was the one that snuck up on you.” Cesc spoke softly with a smile before taking a seat beside the kid. He had never seen him before so Cesc doubted that he was a Pandora Knight so he must have been a civilian. Was he lost? He doubted it, after all if he was lost he probably would’ve been crying, while that’s what Cesc would’ve been doing. “Why are you here all by yourself? This isn’t exactly a fun place to be.” He said looking at the boy. Hopefully some adult wouldn’t walk by and scold them for sitting on the bridge.

Zero rubbed the side of his arm as the boy corrected his apology and asked him what he was doing there. The young man gripped his own arm tightly before taking a deep breath. Once he exhaled he would say, "I am just waiting for the Initiation Ceremony for new Apprentice Knights to begin. T-Thought I should come out h-here for a bit of a b-breather." Zero looked back out over the dark landscape and smiled. It was a bit relaxing compared to the snowy areas of his home land, but at the same time it made it seem so empty and dark. He wasn't really sure how he felt about it actually.

Well then, didn’t we learn a valuable lesson today? Never judge a book by its cover. Though he did seem to be a bit timid to be a Pandora Knight but that’ll probably change once he accepts Carmen’s blessing, who knows maybe they would be rivals one day. “Initiation ceremony huh?” Cesc thought out loud. He didn’t recall getting any notices about an Initiation ceremony but he did say new Apprentice Knights and though he wasn’t a seasoned verteran, he wasn’t a noobie either, so maybe that’s why he hadn’t heard about it. “Well my name is Francesc, but you can call me Cesc. I’m also an Apprentice Knight.” Cesc said with a smile as he held out his hand towards the young boy.

"N-nice to m-meet you... My name is... Umm.." he muttered before lowering his voice to an almost inaudible tone while lowering his head slightly in embarrassment. "Zero..." Zero rubbed his hands together between his legs and tapped his feet against the side of the bridge. He had never really had a conversation for too long with someone in a long time, other than his foster parent. It was sort of nice but mainly it was just very uncomfortable. The young Ibwa constantly shifted around unsure of what to do or say. He realized it made things very awkward, but he just wasn't sure how to remedy that. It wasn't in him.

“Casimiro?” Cesc said not entirely sure what the young boy had said. Either this kid suffered from social anxiety disorder or he just wasn’t used to having a conversation with someone. Which was kind of sad either way seeing that he had never seen a child his age act like this before, maybe something happened to him in his past or maybe even happening to him now? What the case it was a bit too soon to be questioning the young lad about something so personal. After all he didn’t want to scare him off.

Guest

Xan would enter the area his ever present frown on his face, having been searching for Knights to induct into the TLAH order, seeing as he needed more people to join his specific section of the organization. Ultimately he wasn't desperate he simply felt that people should invest more into stealth as it was a useful form of combat that most seemed to simply do away with in recent times, as a result he would make use of said skill as he walked without a sound having spotted the two apprentice knights talking and deciding he would watch to see what they were doing. He would linger a bit, listening to the conversation only to realize that they were making introductions neither of them having met each other before and Xan would decide to make his move revealing himself and walking up to Zero and Cesc. Hm. You two what are you doing? Better yet...what should you be doing. Xan said fixing both of them with a slightly annoyed glance then again it could be because he hadn't had the pleasure of sacrificing anyone to Jashin in a bit so he was getting a bit.. agitated. He would notice that one of them seemed to be from his clan he knew everyone in his clan it was part of his duties as clan head to keep track of every member and their growth the other however a quick look over would reveal he was a Bishamon. He had the pleasure of fighting one during there "Switch" a gloriously savage battle that was it would of gotten his blood pumping if he wasn't undead that is.

"N-no. Not C-casimiro... It's Z-zero..." he would say a bit louder than before before nearly jumping out of his skin when Xan Ibwa spoke. Zero would turn quickly in spot, nearly falling off the bridge, however he immediately grabbed the side of it. His eyes would widen, if that was even possible as he saw who the man was. His body became rigid as he recognized the leader of his clan. "I-I-I-I-I-I w-w-w-w-w-was... Umm.... Uh... I..." stuttered Zero, at a loss for words in front of the frightening man. Zero was always seen as a failure to his family and those close to them because he was born without an ability, without being able to use Genjutsu and because he was easily frightened and seemed to always have a bit of a stutter to his words. As far as his parents were concerned, Jashin damn the boy.

Cesc having heard the voice from behind him he wasn’t surprised. He had known that someone would’ve come and scolded them for idly sitting on the bridge but would’ve have guessed it would be Xander Ibwa. Though he was just as startled as the young boy he was able to keep his composure somewhat and rose to his feet. “We were just getting acquainted before the initiation ceremony.” Francesc spoke calmly while placing his hand on the boy's shoulder hoping he would calm down a bit. Though he had heard many stories about how much of a monster Xander was, Cesc felt he was a kind person at heart…..He hoped anyways.

Guest

Xan would get the sudden urge that someone was referring to him as Xander, he never understood that his name was Xander sure but he preferred to be called Xan just Xan three letters you would think it would be easier for people to call him that but so far only Carmen and Tumu seemed to get that. He would pull out a cigar before lighting it and taking a drag as he looked the two over, Zero Ibwa..cowardly but fear was a useful emotion the most scared people tended to become the worst sort of killers when properly trained as long as the trainer exploited said fear and shaped it around the drive to survive. Cesc however was capable of stowing away his fear and maintaining calm while attempting to reassure Zero a leader that one will eventually grow up to be. Either way Xan was bored though he didn't let it be obvious and would exhale outward before turning the cigar being held with his lips while he placed both of his hands in the pockets of his tattered flak jacket. Initiation ceremony...tch. Follow me then, even though your an Ibwa, no idea why you even need to undergo one unless...your not immortal? Have you not completed Jashin's blessed ceremony and made your first kill. Xan said having walked forward a bit before pausing and looking back at Zero with a critical eye wondering if the boy had not yet spilt blood in Jashin's honor. Did he not know that the initiation ceremony was for those who had yet to receive curse seals or immortality or perhaps he was just ill informed due to his personality, not wanting to rock the boat enough to ask around. Of course he could simply make the two of them fight to the death if Zero hadn't gained his immortality yet, if we won then he'd be a true Ibwa if not then he didn't deserve Jashin's blessings anyways.

Zero rocked back and forth uncomfortably and stared down at the ground. "N-n-no... Sir... M-my parents... k-kicked me out and d-disowned me... Because I w-was born as a R-Ronin without an a-ability and u-unable to mold g-genjutsu s-sir..." Zero closed his eyes, expecting Xan to strike him down for being pathetic, or injure him in some way as his parents had done. "B-because of t-that.. I h-haven't b-been taught t-the proper ceremony for i-immortality... sir..." Zero knew about the ceremony of Immortality that all Ibwa knew, but he did not know its practice yet. He was taught the way of the Voodoo path but only one technique was taught to him. Soon after his parents had found out about his skill, or lack there of, and never taught him the ceremony.

Dipping his hands into his pockets he would just stand there silently as the two Ibwa conversed. Since this was a matter between the head of the clan and a clan member, Cesc honestly didn’t see the need to be here. Initially he was only planning on attending the ceremony as morale support for Zero but seeing that Xan was here there was no need since he had already obtained Carmen’s blessing a few days ago, though leaving Zero with someone as scary Xan would probably scar the poor kid for the rest of his life. Letting out a soft sigh he patiently waited till the boy’s fate was decided.

Guest

Xan would frown more, his frown becoming more pronounced as Zero continued to speak he was annoyed, yes very much so and thus he would do Zero the honor of his initiation. Tch...pathetic, I'd assume you know how to pray right good. Now then.. the two of you, fight to the death for my amusement. as part of the initiation, if you do well enough perhaps I'll tell you two to stop before one of you actually dies if not.. Oh well. Xan said as he took another drag of his cigarette walking to a bench nearby and sitting on it so he could watch the fight at his leisure, was he serious? Perhaps, Xan wasn't one for joking besides what better way to test their respective mettle by pitting them against each other, it would allow them to learn about their opponent while allowing him both something to pass the time and a glance at their respective abilities. Beyond that Xan was curious as to what this being born without a Ronin ability was, not that it was anything bad, he himself could not utilize chakra it didn't make him less of a shinobi however if Zero lacked the work ethic to even bother to stay alive then he wouldn't even bother with him. On the other hand he had always wanted a Bishamon student, perhaps it was his inner former jonin pulling at him he only had an apprentice never a squad. While Tumu was a ...decent apprentice Xan always wondered what he'd do with 2 more whether he'd mold them in his image or he would let them diversify and explore their own methods of...swordsmanship.

Zero would stiffen up even more, his skin turning completely pale at Xan's words. Hearing something like that was not too strange for an Ibwa, but the man wished for him to face off with another Knight. It also didn't help that any confidence Zero had in himself was destroyed by that of his parents long ago. He looked desperately between Xan and Francesc hoping that maybe this was all a joke, but the look on Xan's face showed it to be real. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't worried about killing the kid, but more about the kid killing him. Maybe this was his time to pass on. At least the world would be rid of one less failure.

"Y-yes sir..." he would say before turning to look at Francesc, looking at his killer. Zero would bite his lip for a second before closing his eyes and muttering the prayer of his clan. "Jashin... Please grant a.... good.. k-kill." His wording was a bit off, rather than wishing himself a good kill, he was more wishing that if he was killed then it would at least be a good death toward his god. Though he knew his demise was imminent, Zero would give it whatever he had just to try and appease Jashin.

Shifting his body from its current position, Cesc would turn and face Zero. In all honesty he wasn’t surprised when he heard Xan’s declaration in fact he somewhat expected him to say something that would put the kid on the spot, unfortunately he had to drag him in it. Of course he had no intentions of killing the young man whom he had seen as an ally regardless of the ruthless nature of the Pandora Knights and he certainly wasn’t going to but on a show for Xan, he wasn’t a toy for his amusement. Though he did stand at a cross roads, it was either take out the young lad that stood before him or get taken out by Xan, either way he was in a shitty situation. Oh why did he get out of bed today?

“Damn it…” He clicked his tongue and took a fighting stance. Maybe if he tried to end the fight quick Xan would be pleased…..Well that wouldn’t make any sense. Or maybe the kid would end up beating him.. That too didn’t seem likely at all; he seemed to scared to move at the moment. Maybe he should allow the kid to win after all it would make him look good in the eyes of his clan leader…. And would make Cesc look even weaker than he already was. “Tsk, looks like I have no other choice then.” Letting out a sigh he would allow the kid to make the first move.

Guest

Xan would watch the two looking at their respective stances, instantly noticing that neither of them used sword...a fucking pity it seems this would be a boring fight after all he would however notice the respective body styles Cesc was short small frame and looking at him he would always have a short frame it was genetics as such Xan was already thinking of a weapon which would suit him better than pathetic brawling. Sure he understood that taijutsu was dangerous but he was biased towards kenjutsu as in his mind it was the far superior fighting style after all if it wasn't why were blades the dominant weapon in the world even those shitty bows and new fangled projectile accelerators couldn't hold a candle to edged steel. Zero was also tiny, pathetically so it seems that they were making them smaller and smaller nowadays Xan was already thinking about making him the first test subject in his newly created kenjutsu style perhaps get him a Nagamaki to offset his height. Introduce him into Shunpo and have him create his own distancing derivative a Ronin after all was the perfect blank canvas as they read movement and tended to incorporate it. Lets see what you two can do. Xan thought to himself as he exhaled another cloud of smoke waiting for the blood sport to begin of course he was the type of fickle person when it came to Jashin-sama if the blood didn't start spilling soon he would spill some himself.

Zero would take a few deep breaths, almost as if he was hyperventilating. His legs and hands shook as he positioned himself, facing Francesc with his legs spread apart and his hands up close to his chest, open palm. When he opened his eyes his body went still. He remembered what little training he did get from his parents when they had discovered his inability to do Genjutsu. His hands moved to his pocket and quickly Zero pulled out a small ball. He tossed it down at the ground creating a loud pop as smoke would envelope the two within a five feet. Zero would use this quick diversion to launch himself forward through the smoke at bullet release speeds, drawing a kunai from his pouch and going for a quick cut to the boy's arm. It would be superficial, almost just a scratch, as Zero was still shaking somewhat and would additionally be blinded by the smoke as well.

Why? Why was he so eager to appease to this Jashin person? Cesc thought as he watched the boy take deep breaths. Maybe it was something that was beyond him as a Bishamon since he knew nothing about Ibwa so he had no right to speak out on what they believed maybe he’ll come to understand through this little spar of theirs? Scoffing he would shake his head. He had no intentions of fighting Zero to death he just hoped Xan would understand his position…..Which was unlikely.

The moment Zero tossed the ball on the floor and it released the smoke, Cesc decided it was time he used something he probably was never going to use in another fight. Activating the supplement on his curse mark, Cesc would turn into a small bat and flew upwards at Vacuum Release speeds since he was unsure of the direction the boy would be coming from.

Spoiler:

Zero hit nothing but air and would realize why when he came out the other end of the smoke. He turned left and right trying to get a baring on where his target was when he saw the path of the smoke cloud. Instead of settling it had been dragged and stretched upwards causing his head to jerk up. His eyes widened as he spotted the bat-like Cesc high above him. It's over... he thought to himself as there was no way he could compete with someone like this. Without obtaining what he needed there was no chance in hell, and because the boy was now airborne Zero had no options. He threw his body back into the smoke cloud and crouched low, hiding himself within the smoke. It wouldn't last much longer in the open air environment, but hopefully it would allow him to think up a plan.

“This is pretty neat.” Cesc thought as he flew about the smoke. Though he had thought of this supplement as the least useful of the three he had three he had implanted within his curse mark it seemed to have proved him wrong, for now at least. After exiting the cloud of smoke Cesc would revert back to his normal form while he was in mid air. He hadn’t seen if Zero had exited the smoke screen or not but it was time he launched his counter attack, for both their sakes. Twisting his body he would spin in the air and begun firing two sets of hardened black bones from his finger tips into the cloud of smoke traveling at Bullet Release speeds which would deal A rank damage to him if hit. Since he had no idea where the boy was he fired them in an arc in an attempt to cover all angles.

Spoiler:

A scream echoed out from the smoke milliseconds after the bone bullets pierced through the smoke. Zero came tumbling out collapsing to the ground, his shoulders and arms bloodied. His left bicep and tricep, right shoulder and palm, and the left side of his gut were punctured, blood pouring forth from the open wounds that had shot right through him. The young boy rolled in pain, his body shaking, trembling like that of a man in a snowstorm butt ass naked. However, there was something else wrong. To Zero he felt like he was on fire, that his skin was melting away, and that is exactly what was occurring.

Zero's flesh was peeling from his bones, seeming to evaporate on the spot. In severe pain, Zero shouted out, "WH-WHAT IS THIS?!?! GAAHHHH S-STOP!! IT HUR- AGHH!!!" Zero's voice cut out for a moment as he grasped as his throat and eyes, them even melting away. His skin was all gone and now his muscle and tendons were peeling away. Where he was hit was what was completely gone first, being nothing but bones. Soon enough, all that was left of Zero was a motionless skeleton. It seemed Zero had died, but the strange thing was... Though only Cesc would know this, his technique wouldn't be capable of melting the entire body. Sure, some skin and bones, but there entire corpse from just five shots? No way.

Francesc couldn’t help but cringe after hearing the cries of anguish coming from within the cloud of smoke. He had silently hoped that maybe the boy would’ve found some means of avoid his attack but the screams had only just confirmed his worse fears and although he had whole heartedly regretted his actions he wore a blank expression on his face in fear of what the man whom was watching them would do.

Landing gracefully a few feet away from the cloud of smoke, he simply waited for the smoke to dissipate so they could gather the boy’s body and bring him to the nearest medical facility so that he wouldn’t lose his life, however when the smoke cleared Cesc would see that it was already too late. “What… That shouldn’t be….” Cesc stood there dumbfounded as he saw what appeared to be the boy’s skeleton lying on the floor. There was no way that his attack did that….right? Fighting back the urge to throw up right then and there, Cesc slowly made his way over to the boy’s skeleton to get a proper view of him, well what’s left.

From behind the commotion the sound of slow, thunderous clapping would be heard, accompanied by the incoming footsteps as each boot made contact with its designated spot on the ground. It was quite a show, one must admit. Tumu would take his place beside the onlooking Xander, a flask handing by a thin rope over his wrist as his finally ceased his applause to grasp it, popping the cap in preparation for a drink. "That was quite entertaining, wouldn't you say Xan-sensei? I'd assume this was enough to ease your sadistic urges for the time being." The smile on his face, both carefree and wicked, breaking its posture to make way for the unknown liquid content. So these were to be his fellow classmates, or however one would like to refer to them. Well, whats left of them anyway. Was that kid actually dead already? Because that would be a nice laugh, especially for the kid who looks like his lunch wants a way out.

"Takes me back to the academy at the start of the war. Students and classmates turning on each other without knowing why, just following orders. That was quite an evening." Hmm. I suppose you could say Tumu's changed a bit over the years, more so in regards to his value of life then anything else. Its not really something which one dwells on anymore, and why should they, it will only break a soul to pieces, corrupting it. No No. Tumu must keep his soul pure, just in case it is ever needed in the future. "So, now what's the plan?"

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Road Trip

With the first round of classes complete and the students already acclimated to life at the academy. The school has organized a field trip in order to give the students a taste of what …

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