Forum Thread

Mehul smiles back warmly. "Yup, we really need to." He said, chuckling. He looked about, scouting the room, and said "Shall I guide you towards someone?" He deliberated doing a mock bow, but decided it was no use that she couldn't see him bow, so just stood as he was, while looking towards the others in the room.

---

“I hope so too. Tilly and Mr Detilander can be extremely confusing.” Faith states quietly. “I doubt I’m a hero either, but we’ll see. Um…do you have a picture of A-di? You must love him very much.” Binghe and Faith are quietly conversing, but it isn’t blatantly obvious they are talking, as they both seem to be whispering. Faith looks at Binghe’s Tanji, the Ongrektum. “It’s really pretty, do you think you can learn to use it?”


(y’all interact some more, you won’t be able to do much of interacting during training)

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"I would appreciate that. Thank you" Bree responds while delicately holding a hand out towards where she assumes, is Mehul's outstretched hand. She was beginning to take a liking to him. Maybe this band of world saving teens wasn't so screwed afterall...

---

Mehul took her hand, and as gently as he could, walked her towards one of the nearest groups of people. From the introductions he recognised them as Faith and Binghe, the one with the bloody tanje and the other with the staff which he parted with, but took it back shortly. He coughed to let them know they were here, and greeted "Hello! Interesting tanje's you've got there! Need to be a bit extra careful though, with the high fatality rate of yours." He added for Faith. When he noticed they were mid conversation, he adds, "Sorry, did I interrupt your convo?"

---

Binghe very visibly brightened and as if waiting for this exact moment whipped out his cellphone. It was a brick of an object, very clearly a more modern blackberry but a blackberry nonetheless. Right there on the lock screen was the fluffiest ball of cream fur imaginable, so round and squish-able that one couldn't help but aww at the sheer cuteness radiating off the screen. "A-di is my dog! He's very lovely and well behaved even if he does enjoy stealing my socks on occasion." Gushing about the sunshine incarnate that was his Pomeranian, Binghe gleefully opened up his galleries app, showing off the dizzying 1779 photos of the puppy under a folder labeled 'Son'. Each one was picture perfect beauty of a dog who leapt and barked playfully even in the still photo. That enthusiasm only seemed to die down once Mehul came into the picture. "Says the one with quite the intriguing Tanji himself. A katana with the strongest damage potential to safety risk ratio was it? It is an honour to be working with two powerful individuals such as yourselves. I can only hope that my own slow learning nature doesn't drag this group down." His grin was nothing short of welcoming as he smoothly answered Faith's question in the same breath as his greeting.

---

Faith smiles upon seeing each adorable picture of A-di. It’s obvious she shares the same passion and move for animals. “He’s amazing, isn’t he? Especially— the sock stealing” She asks. Upon noticing Mehul and Bree’s arrival, she turns around, and goes rather quiet again. Just as she was getting to know someone—

“You did interrupt us, as a matter of fact. My Tanji has a high chance of killing me, only if I use it to harness the power of Gods. I doubt that’ll happen. Besides, isn’t that kept within Obsidues? It’s a very rare material isn’t it? So if the material that is needed to contain your Tanji is rare, it must be pretty destructive, won’t it? I do suppose we’ll learn quite well? After all, I’m sure you can all sense that particular…connection. And we’ll have training too. I wonder what Tilly’s Tanji is… I hope we’re ready for whatever that battle is”

---

Mehul quickly muttered an apology but didn't back away, seeing Binghe's welcoming stature. "Haha yeah well just hope I don't kill someone the first time I bring it out of its case. Don't even know what it looks like, though I keep imagining a burning kafana like the ones in the movies. Don't think it would actually be so though." He muttered. And about training, i'll need a lot of that.

---

Ah, so a dog lover, hm? Interesting. Filing that information away, Binghe laughed politely at Mehul's words. "I sincerely doubt that it would come to such extremes but if such events do come to pass I'm sure our kind seniors will assist us." He replied kindly, slightly confused at what Mehul meant by a burning kafana. Binghe didn't exactly watch many movies and even when he did it was usually historical dramas. Sue him but those shows were his guilty pleasures and if the writing and characterizations were good enough with a solid world building and riveting plot then he would be more than happy to become a fan of such dramas. "Besides, we will have many opportunities to train I believe. Through our efforts it would be inconceivable to not at least familiarize ourselves with objects that are said to be a part of our souls." The soft and warm smile didn't waver at the mention of Tilly's tanji, the area where he slipped the piece of paper Tilly had passed him feeling a bit heavier. It was true that Tilly's tanji was truly something to be wary of but what exactly it was remained a mystery.

---

“I suppose they’d have already taken precautions against you blowing up the place. Training, on the other hand…I know I can train with just the elements, but how do I train for using the God’s power? There’s already a 95% chance I could die, so training using that skill is definitely out of the question” Faith states.


Tilly and Detilander’s muffled voices can be heard, from the corridor. “I expect that they’ll be here, and we can begin training soon. Probably wait around five minutes before they arrive.”

---

Bree was silent as she listened to the three talk. They seemed to be talking about an animal of some sort, but Bree didn't want to interrupt the moment and ask about it. Bree only speaks when Faith mentions one of her concerns. "Tilly said something about me being able to revive people" Bree pipes up. "While Tilly didn't really explain what that means, I'm assuming it would mean revive someone from death? I'd have to ask if that were correct. But if it is, you should be perfectly fine using that abiliy." Once I actually learn how to revive people Bree silently adds. "Still, it would probably be best if you used that ability only when it's needed. The risk is far too great."

---

"Woah there, necromancy? That'd be insane. Except that it wouldn't exactly be necromancy just God level healing but still insane." Mehul murmured. He overheard Tilly and Detliander's convo to some extent, and checked his silver wrist watch to track the time till training starts.

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Kanae sat down in one of the farther corners, he hadnt really talked much to the others yet. He was thinking about what that weakness would do with his mind after some time, all while eyeing the box in his hand. //How would I be able to use this thing, especially in a fight,... would it put me at a disadvantage?// He thought, his eyes glued to the box that weighed barely anything, resting there peacefully in his hand.

It sounded silly, thinking that the box could lead him to loose his mind the more he´d utilize it, yet after hearing what Tilly had to say, he doubted the things he had assumed up until falling deeper into his thoughts and doubts. //If it chose me does it see me as one to not loose my cool easily? Or one to be used? I guess training with it will help, though I dont know how I´d train with this drawback// He kept thinking, then grabbed himself some bread from the table, as well as some other things that didnt seem too unfamiliar to him.

Tilly laughs, tossing her now braided hair, glimmering with jewels. “No, unfortunately we can’t revive people from the dead, Ms Wilson. Now, your training begins. Each of you will find all you need through your respective doors. I hope you have eaten, because it’s going to be tough, tougher than anything you’ve ever experienced before.”

Detilander claps his hands, and several bright differently colored doors appear out of nowhere, one for each of them. “In there lies all that you need to train. Now, farewell, and I hope I will see you in—“ he checks his Tanji “24 hours, within this building. Have fun surviving.” And on that cheery note, a blinding flash envelops the room, and everyone is transported to their respective rooms.

(Y’all can go find your own methods to train, whether it be fast or slow. Mr Detilander and Tilly will be going around to help and guide, but you can make your characters try to figure it out first.)

Faith shrieks as she gets transported so suddenly. She lands in her room, and there is a button that says “activate training bot simulator. She stands awkwardly in the room, before opening up her locket. She thinks to herself. Air, water, earth or fire? Air. She finally decides, and immediately she can feel herself connecting with the power of air, and when she waves her hand, air blasts out of it, and she is thrown to the floor. “Owwwww” she mumbles, rubbing her temple.

---

The... teleportation(?) into the room took Mehul aback yet again. 24 hours. Now that was a lot of time for just training in one go. He supposed he could actually rest and stuff from time to time, but he better starts going now. By the looks of it, the walls of the room where made of the sam material as the cover of his blade, obsidues. So, he did what he was waiting for, for all this time.
He grasped the sheath of Grendulas in one hand, and the hilt it another, and took it out smoothly. It was glorious. It didn't burn as he imagined, but it was molten red and hot, as if it was in the flames all the time. Though it was molten hot, it wasn't tough to notice it was made of Damascus, and the heat just made the lines swirl occasionally. It was beautiful. He supposed he should drop the sheath aside and hold the hilt by both his hands. Japanese blades are double handed blades, he remembered reading somewhere. He did it a lot clumsier than he had imagined, and almost dropped the sword, but he got the grip in a few moments. He saw the big red button which would "Activate Training Bot Simulator" but he supposed that would be for later, so walked towards one of the immobile test dummies, as clumsily as he was. He brought his arms along with Grendulas above his head, and striked down point blank. The dummy exploded when the sword had just sinked a few inches into its head, and Mehul was thrown aback by the explosion, "Gah". The sword slipped from his hands and he fell to the floor by the impact. When he looked up, the dummy was engulfed in flames, and his sword was just lying on the floor two meters to him, unharmed, though he expected the molten blade to deform when it was impacted. Magic, he supposed. He sat in the same position for a few minutes. When he was good to go, he stood up, grabbed Grendulas, and proceeded to try that again.

---

In a blink, Binghe was thrown into a room of pitch black darkness. The lack of light made his heart leap up in his throat and an unconscious whimper crawled up his traitorous throat. Gripping the staff in a white knuckled grip, Binghe took in a slow breath. Right, this was training. Nothing would harm him here. Well if the goal was to go through hell to understand his Tanji then this was certainly doing the trick. Boredom and utter darkness, what a pair. The utter darkness would force him to learn how to call upon the light first in order to even see. Darkness was the heavy chains that sat around his neck, light the thin blanket digging into his shoulders. Hand in hand hindering his progress, kind captivity in deceptive simplicity. Letting out the breath, Binghe flicked out his arms to fan out his sleeves before kneeling down in one smooth motion while bringing up his hands up in meditation. Ongreuktnm was gripped in hand securely, the engraved patterns digging into his scarred palms. Closing his eyes he relaxed his body and while sitting in the utter lonely room.

He didn't know where to start. Was meditating on the abundant darkness the way to go or should he try and draw out light from within? Eventually the rattling of chains called to him more than the whispers of cloth and he made his decision. Unfolding his hands, he began to hum. It was an old song, something that he wasn't sure he could remember who had sang it to him at the beginning. But it still brought Binghe some semblance of comfort within it and it lay the groundwork to channel at least some of the powers resting within the Tanji. Tapping the staff along to the swaying beat, Binghe could feel Ongreuktnm growing heavy in his hands, shadows coalescing around the decorative wood. The darkness was surprisingly warm, a familiar hug that wrapped around his wrist. A smile crept up on Binghe's face. Oh this could be fun.

---

A rush of air slams into Bree's body as she is teleported away from the group and to her own private room. She doesn't even have time to react to the shock of suddenly being teleported away as she was caught up on Detilander's final words. Excuse me? Twenty four hours? Isn't that a bit extreme...?

She paces around the room, hands outstretched as she paws around for some idea of where she is. "Hello?" She calls out. Unsurprisingly, she doesn't receive an answer. Her fingertips hit what she believes is a button of some sort. She fumbles around the object to confirm. Over the button, written conveniently in braille was active training bot simulator. Bree cocks her head and gazes down towards the button in obvious interest before clicking it.

Her eyes widen when she suddenly hears a thump behind her. The undeniable sound of a body falling over. She slowly turns towards the sound. She doesn't have too much trouble locating the source of the sound, because all of a sudden, the body starts screaming.

Unknown to Bree, holograms of archers were swarming the room and quickly surrounding her and the body. The moment Bree takes a step forward, she hears it, the distinct sound of a bowstring being pulled back. She would've missed it if not for her adrenaline rush and the screaming suddenly turning into quieter sobs.

Bree throws herself down to the ground just as an arrow sails towards her. She could practically feel it sailing over her hair. She saved herself from being hit when she had thrown herself to the floor. The arrow was a hologram, it would only sting if she were hit, rather than injure or even kill. But of course, she had no way of knowing that. Bree army crawls towards the voice. Her teeth clenched as she half focuses on her target and half focuses on not being shot. She clamps a hand over the crying voice's mouth. Muffling it's screams. "I'm here to help" she whispers. "Where are you injured?"

Shaky hands guide her to a bloodied stomach. Bree nearly gags at the feeling of blood pooling under her hand. Fortunately, she had the power to stop it. The buzzing feeling returns in her hand and she can feel the wound closing up underneath her hand. Once the wound is healed Bree sits up and wipes beads of sweat from her brow. "N-no" the trembling voice whispers. "T-t-there's more." Once again, coming from every direction, was the sounds of bowstrings being pulled back. Although this time, it was the sounds of multiple targets, rather than just one.

Bree stands up in a desperate attempt to shield the body. The ring suddenly felt hot, as if it were warning her. She throws both arms up on an unknown instinct. She winces and nearly screams out in agony as one hits her chest. It disappears after hitting her. Fortunately, she had only gotten hit by one arrow, because that's when a white dome appears over her and the body. The arrows all dig into the shield, she knew that it worked because the ring almost immediately stopped burning and she wasn't impaled by any more arrows. Bree stands in place, breathing hard, as if she had physically blocked all the arrows herself.

Situation one is over, the simulation will reset in one hour a voice informs her over a loudspeaker. With that, all the holograms around her disappear. Slowly and catiously, Bree lowers her arms to drop the shield and sits down, struggling to catch her breath. Who knew that healing someone and saving yourself from what you believe to be certain death would be so much work? She places a hand on her chest, relieved to not feel blood or an arrow sticking in her chest. She tries to not think about what she would've done if it were real as she lays down to rest for the next hour. "That's only situation one? I wonder what they have in store for me?" Bree asks out loud, sounding amused.

---

As Mehul was about to strike the second dummy, the corner of his eyes caught the glimpse of wooden swords. They seemed to have been modelled after Grendulas itself. Of course, people practice throwing rocks before grenades. He had to practice his grip and strikes using the wooden katanas. He even found some books there, picturing the proper ways of holding the sword and different types of hits, but that's when he remembered he could just use his phone to search up some tutorial of sorts. Supernatural or not, the basics of swordsmanship could never change. So, he whipped up a tutorial, and while also referring to the book, got down to practicing his stance, strikes and blows.
He practiced in periods of 15 minutes, resting for 2 in between. When he believed he sussed out the basics in a few hours, he picked up Grendulas back. While the wooden swords were lighter, Grendulas was just perfectly weighted, as if made for him. He used his newfound knowledge in handling a sword to cut off the neck of one of the dummies, which exploded after it was decapitated. That was great, if he moved fast enough, he could avoid the whiplash from the explosion. He cut off another of the dummies cleanly before deciding he should actuallu start the dummy bot thingy now.

On clicking the button, a table rose from the ground which had armour. It was like a samurai armour but just a bit less flashy. He supposed he'd rather put it on quick if whatever was to come needed him to be protected so extravagantly. He didn't take long to put it all on, and just as he was done, there was a buzzer, and he heard something drop near him. It was a grenade. A live one. Instinctively, he bent down and kept his heads under his arms, but when it exploded, it did nothing but tickle. Ah yes he had forgotten about the armour. Soo was this drill supposed to teach him not to be scared of explosions? Or to increase mobility in armour? Maybe both. So when the next dropped on the floor next to him, he didn't crouch, but tried jumping away from it. It didn't even impact him. That repeated for a while, and then a grenade was thrown directly at him. In his surprise he tried to deflect it by his hand, but it exploded on impact, rattling him. "Use your sword to cut the grenades before they reach you" a feminine voice said to him over the loudspeaker. He did as asked. He had kept his blade back into his sheath and attached it to his waist. He unsheathed it carefully, as he had practiced, right in time when the next grenade was launched. Not being completely mindful of the throw, he swiped late, and lost his footing when it hit him. He got up, focused, and managed to hit the next one by the flat of his sword before it reached him. It exploded on impact, but...it did mean he did The next time, he cut it right in half, which seemed to have the same effect. After a few more single ones, two grenades were shot at him from two sides.


This continued for a while, and when it finished, he was tired as heck. "First drill complete. Second drill starts in one hour." Said the same voice who instructed him earlier. He dropped to the ground, opened his helmet, and drifted off to sleep.

---

Faith gets up, rubbing her head, and feeling annoyed. She suddenly sees a tall Alacratz like figure, and scrambles back in realisation. She must have knocked the button when she was rubbing her forehead. Dammit, Faith. She thinks. She takes a deep breath, before facing the Alacratz. He swings his long arms at her, making her drop and roll to the floor extremely inelegantly, but, honestly? Who cared, she was trying to survive. She takes a deep breath, summoning the wind, her hair flying, whipping across her face. Her dress was all floaty and poofy, and she raised into the air, floating, suspended. She slashes her hand forward, and a huge gust of wind fires at her command, sending the Alacratz stumbling. He pushes forward, landing a hologram scratch across her arm. She grunts, eyes blazing, before twisting her hand in a pushing motion, spiraling tighter and further. She unleashes a contained, high pressure gust of wind, knocking the Alacratz straight in the chest as he drops, unconscious. Suddenly, a stone golem appears, which Faith tries to knock over. It simply breaks apart, dodges then reforms again. She looks on in exasperation. How was she supposed to…. She instinctively slammed both hands down, as the Golem lumbered towards her. Suddenly, a massive whirlwind hit the Golem, swirling in and slamming the Golem repeatedly and making it dizzy. She defeats the Golem, and the simulation ends, Faith falling to the ground in exhaustion, sweat beading on her forehead. She lies in the ground and doesn’t move, inhaling deeply. She can feel the locket pulsing and see it glowing still, as the whirlwind is sucked back in. The locket feels shockingly cold, and the feeling stays there for a while. “Simulation stage one over. Now cooling down.” A voice from somewhere says.



Tilly appears near Mehul, spinning repeatedly. “Hello, Mehul. How’s training going? Are you having fun?” She asks, prodding Mehul with a broken hand off the dummy. She hands him those purple spiky-energy reviving fruits, and takes a seat.



Mister Detilander appears in front of Bree, placing the same fruit in her palm “You’re doing great. Keep it up, and use this to revitalise yourself. He disappears, then reappears in Binghe’s room, tapping his shoulder and finding his hand, putting the same fruit into his. “Eat this to revitalise yourself, and remember to take a break”

---

Mehul grunts as he's awoken by the prodding. He opens the armour he slept in so uncomfortably. On checking the time, he notices he had been asleep for only about 15 minutes. 15 minutes of sleep, and someone's waking me up. Gotta stay 24 hours here-! Though he complained, he was grateful for the fruit, which did energise him. "It's a bit rigorous, yes, but..yeah it's kinda fun actually." He smiled tiredly.

---

Ramson was dropped into his 'training' room when he was still unsure what his training would even be. Sure, the Katana boy can just practice slashing, but what about him? To start with, he considered what his options would be.

"Let's just see what they've provided, shall we?" With some sort of hope, Ramson started looking around.

A computer.

The room held a computer, a computer table for the computer, and a chair. At least, with all of them being wooden (except the computer, probably), I guess it is aesthetic?

Ramson started the computer, hoping to get some sort of instructions. Instead he was faced with a somewhat familiar and rather nostalgic boot screen.
"Windows XP? Seriously?"
"But this might be good."
After some thought, Ramson's thought changed from the first to second. If "Picturing it was anything important, it would indeed be easier with the background as the grassland rather than the four 'windows'.

It's of no use.

Ramson had been trying his best to connect to the computer, to no avail. What's training if he can't even get it started.
Ramson gazed at the time.

5 minutes.

You are telling me, it's only been FIVE MINUTES? It felt like a few hours.

Alright alright alright alright

Giving up, Ramson took his 'Tomberlane' and started fiddling with it. Did the lady break it by flipping it too hard?

As he kept using it, something caught his eye.

Tanji Network

Waiiit. Seriously???

Switching it on, I got a screen similar to bluetooth. There were two options available. My smartphone and the Computer. I selected the computer and clicked connect.