Learning from the Master (Jor/Open)

[brandon007]

Wandering into The New Crane School, Brandon had familiar memories of when he was with Ammy. It seemed like a nice place, now that Brandon was getting a better look at the place where he might be training at.

He started to look around for the person that his friend Amaranth told him about. Seeing a student near by, he asked "Excuse me, Where can I find Master Jorlaxl?" as he smiled. The student told him that he might be busy at the moment, but he could keep looking incase he got lucky.

Brandon thanked the student as he continued his search.

[Jorlaxl]

Anyone who knows Master Jorlaxl knows that whenever the deafening silence becomes too much for him, he secludes himself in the back of the school, so he can meditate in front of the reflecting pool. He hated the silence that came with the empty school, and the only consolation he had was the constant meditation and mind-training. Therefore, Jorlaxl has become more attune than ever with his own inner ki and ki control, even though it was at the expense of his physical body. His meditations have left him as a master of ki usage and teachings, which is exactly what the students who come to the school are looking for. So why was his school so empty all the time? So whenever the school was deserted, he was at the reflecting pool.

However, the school is no longer empty.

The back of the school and the reflecting pool behind it was empty. Jorlaxl, so used to the silence, saw this hustle and bustle of new students to be a nice change of pace. After the day he met the new slew of arrivals, a new group of students have appeared, which made him seem to have a new spring in his step. His body isn't weak enough to necessitate using a cane, but he can feel it creeping up on him. Within the next 10 years, he knows that he'll need to use one.

Right now, Jorlaxl was walking down one of the lengths of hallways when a student came walking up to him. "Good day, master Jorlaxl. I don't mean to intrude into your personal affairs with any students, but a man came buy just now asking for you. He went that way," he said, pointing down the hall. Jorlaxl nodded, smiling.

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Mreesh." He paused, closing his eyes. After a moment of searching with his mind, he located the unknown power signature, one he sensed potential in. Who was this new arrival? "Tell me, was this being hostile?" His eyes hardened. If anyone attacked the school, he'd finally have some excitement for the first time in 5 years. However, the student shook his head, and started to walk away.

Fair enough. He supposed he was going to reveal himself to this mysterious stranger, after all. Locking on to his ki signature, the Master of Crane used his instant transmission, appearing directly in front of this stranger. Clad in his red long-coat over his heavy training armor, he would seem a sight to see, indeed. his purple shoulderlength hair would most likely seem new to the man, unless someone told him about Jorlaxl's existence. If so, they surely would have noticed the defining features of his person.

Jorlaxl grinned in front of this new arrival, appearing out of nowhere. Putting his hands in his pockets, he stated, "So, I heard you were looking for me?"

[brandon007]

Brandon was completely unaware, but Jorlaxl appeared right infront of him, making him jump a bit, causing his special scouter to almost fall off his face. "Whoa there, you scared me..." He said trying to catch his breath. He had given quite a scare, but he soon calmed himself down as he asked "I take it your Jorlaxl? Amaranth told me to come look for ya when I was ready for some serious training.... or as I call it, real fun." as a grin crept across his face.

His scouter flickered on, as it scanned Jorlaxl's powerlevel, as both of them could hear a feminine voice from his scouter via an external speaker. "Thats Jorlaxl? My My, Hes a cute one." It said, as Brandons face turned a bit red as he quickly took the scouter off of his head, and switched it off. "S-Sorry about that... A-Anyways, My name is Brandon."

[Jorlaxl]

The being named Brandon seemed docile enough. He was visibly surprised by the way he "interrupted" his search, but who wouldn't be? He recovered quickly enough, as he introduced himself. However, the machine across his face spoke up, revealing its opinion on Jorlaxl's appearance. Hearing this, the master smirked, saying, "Ah, so it likes me then?" Chuckling at the occurrence, he continued, "What is that for, anyway? Does it only give a commentary to the things you see, or does it have any other functions?"

Cracking his knuckles, Jorlaxl began speaking again. "You're interested in training, huh? I've had a select few students, including Ammy. How has she been, by the way? She left a few years back, and I have yet to hear of her." Motioning with his hand towards the training room, he turned around and began walking in that direction, hoping Brandon would follow him. "The solo training room is this way, which I expect you'd be interested in. You are welcome to stay here at the school as long as you'd like, Brandon. That is free of charge. What's mine is yours, and all that." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand while continuing to walk down the hall.

Eventually, he reached the door that led to the training room, which was large enough to accommodate 20 people comfortably, leaving room enough for a well-spaced training session. "Training you will also be free, but learning any special moves is where the money comes in. Sorry, my friend, but I need to pay the bills somehow." Grinning, he bowed low. "Now, are you interested in sparring now, or would you like to go explore the school for a bit?"

[brandon007]

"Oh shes just some.... Ancient AI I found on a moon awhile back. She can do all sorts of things, though Im not sure what she really can do. But this is a scouter of my own....erm...Modifications. My AI wrong the software for it. It allows me to track people in a HUD, while it seems to also give off a signal that scrambles any other nearby scouters, or scouters that try to lock onto me. Handy little thing." He said, as he followed Jor, taking in the sights as he listened to his new instructor.

"Oh Ammy has been doing well. Strangely, We keep meeting in all sorts of places... Here, Kold, even on Vegeta. It almost seems like shes following me... Though, shes probably still wondering how I made that crater just outside the school, in the forest." He said, as he looked into the large training room and smiled to himself. He was really going to like it here afterall, though it would seem that he was the only one of his kind here, so far.

"Anyways, I do understand that you have to charge for 'special' training, though Im not exactly a rich man... How much is it per special technique anyways?" He asked, as he fiddled around in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, just incase he was able to afford it, and pay upfront.

[Jorlaxl]

Jorlaxl listened patiently as Brandon explained the uses of his 'scouter,' something Jorlaxl has never seen before in the entirety of his life, as far as he can remember. It seemed to be a useful tool indeed, and if it could talk to him, that made it even better. Nodding where appropriate, Jorlaxl replied, "Well, it just seemed lucky that you found it on that moon of yours."

Brandon seemed to be liking the scenery so far, which made Jorlaxl smile. He would really like the reflecting pool, if he decided to stay for a while. "How long are you planning to stay, Brandon? I know that you can't stay around forever, no matter how much you'd like to stick around. I'm not trying to force a timeframe on you, I'm just curious how long you've planned on staying."

When they arrived in the training room, he actually brought up the training cost, and Brandon seemed nervous about payment. "You needn't worry about payment just yet, so put your wallet away. I usually charge 1000 Zeni per technique, but since you're planning on becoming an actual student, I'll charge half of that. And only then, the techniques that I learned from becoming master of this school will be charged for; the rest I can teach you for free."

Cracking his neck, Jorlaxl stared straight into Brandon's eyes, sensing his power with his unique ki power. His curiosity piqued, Jorlaxl spoke. "If you want, I could outline the special techniques that I offer for you now. We can even spar right now, if you'd like. In it, I'll show you the technique and teach it, if you pay up. And it would behoove you to do so, for all the money i collect is going towards some gravity chambers for the school."

[brandon007]

"Haha ya. Its too bad the moon blew up. I could of hooked you up with some new toys. This wrist computer and my AI isnt the only thing I got from that moon, but Ill have to show you in a spar." He replied, as he held up his wrist, to show off his computer of alien design. The device seemed to be bio-genetically attached to the boys arm, and there wasnt a visible way to remove it if Jorlaxl took a closer look to it.

"As for staying here, It will all depend on when I feel the time comes when I am needed. I do plan to stay quite a while, I would like to get alot stronger then I am now. So if your needing an apprentice, Im all up for it." He said, as he put his wallet away. He could actually afford a special technique. Which was awesome in Brandons point of view.

When he was asked what techniques he wanted to learn, he replied "Well Im looking for something quick, powerful, and medium to long range. Though, I should warn you. I cannot seem to use the normal KI your accustomed to."

[Jorlaxl]

Listening intently, Jorlaxl gazed into the Wrist-computer, completely entranced by its alien design and interface. Such things have always fascinated the Master of Crane, and this watch was no exception. The markings were some that he has never seen before, so he made no further attempts to read it; it was beyond his comprehension for now. Picking up a vase that was sat on a table, he rolled it around in his hands while Brandon explained that he wanted to not only stay for a while, but to also become Jorlaxl's apprentice. "If you're interested in becoming my apprentice, than so be it. There's no special ritual or branding to go through, but you do need to wear this." walking to a storage closet in the back of the room, he rummaged through a box on the floor until he found what he was looking for.

Walking back to Brandon, he handed him a template that had a strange symbol on it. (it's the japanese character on my sig.) "This is the logo for the school. Now, all you need to do is tell me where you want it on you. A tattoo maybe, an insignia on your clothes, or even a marking on a weapon you own. Previous students have done those before. Tell me where you want it, and I'll apply it, but remember that it's permanent. You'll be representing my school wherever you go, so wear it proudly."

Brandon's statements about his ki surprised Jorlaxl. Not having normal ki would explain the strange power from within him. Still holding the vase in one hand, he threw it into the air high, and showed off. Pooling the ki within his body, Jorlaxl pointed at the vase and shot off the dodon-pa. A purple line of ki shot from his index finger, cleanly shooting a hole through the middle of the vase. The line continued going until it hit the wall, where it made a fizzling noise before dissipating. The vase fell back into his hand, where he showed it to Brandon. The rest of the vase was untouched, except for the burning hole in the center.

"This is more powerful than regular waves of energy you may have seen before. The line of energy shoots straight through and is more concentrated than normal energy attacks. Of course, you can alter it so it also affects the rest of whatever it is you're shooting. This is one of the special techniques, are you interested?"

[brandon007]

"Hmmm... If its just like Ink, then I can wear it on my arm." He said, as he lifted up his shirt, and held it in one hand. The boys upper body seemed to of endured its own fair share of injuries, as scars riddled his chest, and back. "Any arm, it doesnt matter. Id ask to put it on my gun, but it changes shape, so a mark on it wouldnt exactly work." He said, as he watched Jor toss up a vase, and fired a concentrated beam right through it.

A precision technique, something that Brandon needed to help balance out his big brutish attacks. "That attack... It looks like the long ranged attack for my gun, except a different colour. Id love to learn it. Whats it called?" He asked, as he wrapped his shirt around his waist, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a capsule that seemed to be of the same technology as his computer.

"This is what I have been mostly using for ranged attacks. This is one of the 3 configurations I have discovered in it so far." He said, as the capsule started to glow before the capsule seemed to burst apart, as many pieces replicated themselves, as they soon moved on their own, and configured into a weapon that hummed in Brandon's hand.

[Jorlaxl]

Jorlaxl raised his eyebrow in surprise as Brandon lifted his shirt, revealing scarred tissue that seemed to be from battles past. Being of a regenerative nature, Jorlaxl was incapable of bearing scars, so this was new to him. However, Brandon signified that he wanted the marking on his arm, so Jorlaxl shrugged and took the marking from Brandon. Placing it squarely on the inside of Brandon's wrist, Jorlaxl waved his hand over it, and the process known as the sealing started.

Brandon would feel a slight warmth, not uncomfortable but more of a tingling feeling. The symbol glowed a dark purple color, and stayed like that for a good 15 seconds. After that, the symbol dimmed, and the warmth would end. Grinning, Jorlaxl looked up and said, ""There. Now even though you can't use conventional ki, whenever you do use whatever it is you do, your symbol will light up. It's not overtly distracting or anything, but it's a nifty trick, wouldn't you agree?"

Brandon then started to show off his gun, something that came out of a capsule and he combined to seem fully functional. Jorlaxl inspected it briefly, and then began talking again. "Yeah, that seems like a good weapon, but this will be easier to pull off, as you'll be shooting it out of a finger, wherever you point. It's called the Dodon-pa, something I learned when I became the master. It's only 500 zeni, would you be interested in learning?"

[brandon007]

Brandon watched as he felt the warm sensation on his wrist. It seemed pleasant up until the feeling faded as he inspected the mark when his wrist was free again. "It glows? Neato!" He said, as he focused some of his energy around his wrist, and sure enough, his new tattoo glowed a mixture of light blue, yellow and green, representing his energies of Ice, Thunder, and wind.

"Oh that IS cool!" He said with a bright smile. He watched Jor briefly study his weapon, then he listened to him. "Dodon-pa? Sure. Hell, Id be happy to learn everything that you want to offer. I only got over 500 Zenie at the time anyways, but I am sure that I will get more eventually."

[Jorlaxl]

Jorlaxl nodded, and the lesson can now truly begin. Taking his jacket off, he let it fall to the ground, revealing the heavy training armor he wore underneath. Lifting his right hand, palm up, he used his telekinesis powers to lift up 10 different targets along the walls of the training room. Nodding at the sufficient targets, he turned to face Brandon and pointed to his right hand with his left. "Now, watch this." Jorlaxl then began to twirl his right index finger, pooling his ki into it. After a moment, purple lightning began to generate around his finger, and he spun it around until it began to slowly circle the tip of his finger on its own.

After a moment, he grabbed Brandon's right hand with his own left and held out Brandon's finger. Touching Brandon's finger with his own (kind of E.T. style,) Jorlaxl transferred the ki energy from around his finger to Brandon's own. Grinning at his own form of successful experimentation, Jorlaxl bowed and told Brandon, "Alright, since you don't use ki, I'll give you some of my own to practice with. It's easy right now, just shoot one of the targets. Aim carefully, and just forcefully shoot out the ki."

[brandon007]

Brandon watched the ET show right up until Jor took is finger, and made contact with his own. He felt the energy flow into him, but immediately knew that something was wrong, very wrong. For Brandon was about to find out why Darklings couldnt use Ki.

A Burning sensation flowed into his body, as strength in his muscles grew much weaker with each passing moment. "It...Hurts....." He said, as he collapsed onto one knee. Almost panicking from the new sensation that seared through his body, he focused the new energy, and immediately pushed it into the ground, purging it from his body.

That moment, was when the burning stopped, and his strength slowly returned. "That.... was very unpleasant..." He said, panting softly as he looked up to Jor. "S-Sorry Boss, It seems that Ki doesnt agree with me for some reason..."

[Jorlaxl]

Jorlaxl's new apprentice fell to his knees, obviously very weak from the ki he infused into his body. This would prove to be a very interesting session indeed. How could a student excel in a ki-oriented school when he was as averse to it as water is to oil? Shaking his head, he held out his hand to help Brandon get back to his feet. How is he going to do this? Thoughts swirled around his head as different ideas sprang to mind, and after a moment, he came up with one he found satisfactory.

"Alright Brandon, try this." Aiming at a target with his pointer finger, he began to explain to Brandon how to use this mystifying technique. After all, he couldn't take money from someone if they don't fully and completely understand what they're paying for. He'll have to do it step by step.

"Alright, point at the target with your finger, and imagine a small opening in your finger opening up. It won't actually happen, but it helps if you visualize it." After that, Jorlaxl began to collect ki around his body and focused it into his finger, ready to shoot out at any moment.

After that, begin collecting whatever kind of force you have within you and focus it around your finger, your opening point. Don't let it come out early, you need to gather as much as you can. You can't use ki, but I'm sure you have something in you." All the while, Jorlaxl was doing this as well, feeling the dark purple ki within his body collect near his finger.

Finally, all you do is focus on shooting it out, and if you're pointing and are accurate enough, it'll shoot out in a thin line, making it deadly precise and powerful. Definitely more powerful than the gun you have now."

To explain it further, he yelled out "YAHHHH!" Shooting the ki from his finger, a dark purple line shot out, shooting the target through the chest, and fizzling against the wall.

"And worry not about the walls, they're ki resistant."

[brandon007]

Brandon watched and listened to Jor on how to execute the technique. It seemed interesting enough, as he started to focus his energy. Although he immediately thought of his ice powers, so the temperature around Brandon dropped rapidly. Jor could see Brandons breath through the cold, as blue energy swirled around his finger.

"I think... I got it!" He said, as multiple small beams fired out from his finger in random directions, Much like a shotgun, however not a single beam hit his target, as each beam left a small patch of ice on the wall from each beam impact.

"Damn it, I thought I did have it..." He said, sounding a bit dissapointed. He had the power, but he lacked accuracy, and that was something that didnt come naturally to him. "Sorry, Im just used to large beams. And whenever I did something small, I had my gun to do it for me."