Stay Away from Crazy People (DKC x Seiki)

"I tried to warn all of you. But nobody ever listens to the crazy guy until it's too late." Adrian said.

His body was covered in his favored black robes. He was covered in blood, though his robes did well to hide how much blood was there. In his hand was a metal flask. He took a long swig from his flask before screwing the cap back on. He held it out to the other male that had come into the camp. Adrian wasn't expecting anyone to be back so soon. Eventually they would have come back to scout for supplies but for someone to return so suddenly did throw him off. His eyes looked Seiki over and he rose from the hood of the ruined car.

Not far away the Devil's Teardrop stood in the ground, shifted slightly. The Sword of Light rested at his hip. The ivory handle and sheath were both stained with blood. He tilted his head lightly watching the other male before he tossed the flask toward Seiki.

"Victoriam speramus, cantate tibi itam! Concordiam optamus, iuvate liberatem! Victoriam speramus, negate sub versorem! Concordiam optamus nunc." he said softly.

As he spoke his hand made motions in the air as if he were praying for the dead enemies that lay scattered around the grounds.

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"I'm sorry. Your friend hasn't come back through here. I'm afraid that if she isn't with the rest of you she may have been taken by the demons of the woods. All you can do for her now is pray." he said, turning to face Seiki. "Listen, running around the woods screaming isn't going to help you. You're all aware of the animals out here, and just as I said, they would come. There's no telling what else is out here for you. But then again most city people don't get why they have to be careful in the woods. Come. I'll help you look for her."

He pulled the Devil's teardrop from the ground and spun the weapon lightly, clearing the blood and dirt from the blade. Twisting the weapon in his grasp like most would spin a pencil, he gripped the blade at the base. His arm extended toward Seiki, offering the black bladed weapon to the other male.

"You're going to need something to protect you. I don't know if you can use this, but it's better than being without anything." he said, smirking gently at him. "But if you lack the strength to help your friend say so now, and don't waste my time."

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"Then perhaps you should trade with me." he said, offering the hilt of the Sword of Light to his partner. "You'll need more help. Let's get started."

Having traded weapons Adrian slammed the Devil's Teardrop into the ground all the way up to the hilt. Walking ahead his hands disappeared into the sleeves of his dark robes. His body moved with the balanced and even stride of a warrior. The sword of light was a powerful weapon but it had never harmed anyone with the heart to wield it, and if this boy could hold it, he more than likely could use it given the right training. Adrian's eyes glanced around as he walked away from Haven.

"I wont lie to you, but the odds of finding her out here are nearly astronomical. I don't have any way of tracking people down without a trail. We'll start with the last place you saw her. Which way to we go?" he asked.

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"Goranova is a powerful weapon. But her powers are nothing when not open to her master. A sword is a weapon, designed to kill, nothing more. The most powerful blade can still do nothing without a master. The power you feel is your own. All she did was open the door, you were the one that stepped through." he said, not looking back at the other male.

Adrian stopped where he stood and glanced over his shoulder lightly. The boy was awakening his strength rather quickly. Adrian was much older when his own artifact had merged with his soul. Popping his neck left, then right, he turned to face the other male. His eyebrow quirked as he waited for a moment.

"You want to play with the sword or do you want to try looking for your friend? If she was taken by demons then there is nothing we can do for her. I will pray but you have a lot to learn if you want to be able to protect those close to you. If you had been stronger you could have probably seen what happened to her. maybe even saved her."

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"You lack the experience needed to take them down. Unfortunately I lack the ability to sense auras. I have encountered those that can but I have a hard time grasping the concept of how to do it. Some say that they see auras and trails of mist like energy. And yet at the same time I've heard that they see glowing lights that are different dependent on who they're tracking. I don't get it and I don't want to." he said, "That guy that was in charge and the people in charge of the city are hiding a war from the public. Humanity has the ability to draw out strength and show that they are able to stand on an even level as Kami or Oni. But by hiding the war from them they keep humanity held back. Panic or not people need to know the truth. You should take what they tell you about the incidents in the city with a grain of salt."

He moved slowly, trying to take in anything around him that might indicate someone had been taken or was carrying someone. Footprints were deeper the heavier you were. The faster you moved the deeper your heel was, and the longer your stride had to be. Any found couldn't be ruled out. People ran when panicked and the people that fled Haven were just that. Slow paces were the ones that would stand out here.

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"Yes, I can summon things, though I've met others that have more control over theirs. In this world there are people younger than you, and stronger than me. My name is Ashram. What's yours?" he asked, not looking at him. "For example I know a girl in high school, maybe college at the moment. She's got a demon under her control. Bitch thought it was fun to kick my ass and leave me for dead. Well let's just say that I'm now more powerful than most demon hunters and have the drive to become more than just that."

He looked off to his left, coming to a stop, his eyes narrowing as he stood there. His arm came from the sleeve of his yakuta before he visibly relaxed. Glancing at Seiki he thought silently, not sure if he would be able to perform at full strength with him around, let alone be able to continue with his training. Maybe that was how his own teachers had felt but they had seemed more than happy to teach him.

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"Have you ever heard the story of the highwayman?" Adrian asked, his back to Seiki.

He stood there, his eyes narrowed as he stared off into the distance. His thoughts were a whirl of as storm. His eyes searched the ground and the trees, searching for any kind of trail but it just vanished here. No signs of struggle, nothing. Or at least nothing that he could see. He turned to face Seiki, his eyes focused on the bowed male. The word 'sifu' wasn't something he was used to being called. He had heard it before but nobody had ever referred to him that way. Moving to stand beside the other male he clapped him on the back, smirking gently.

"You've got no reason to beg. I will teach you all I know of the demon world. But you must forsake all else while under my training. You cannot return to your friends or family until you believe you are ready to go out into the world. You will live in the woods, that means living with demons. You cannot get stronger without putting yourself at risk." he said, grinning. "You must fight your own battles though Fu Leng will not allow his apprentice to die."

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"Good. Then let's begin your lessons. Is it safe to assume you can fight?" he asked, watching the other male.

As he watched Seiki he brought the weapon in his hand up. The Devil's Teardrop came to rest on Adrian's shoulder, the flat of the blade on his person. Adrian was used to fighting, and he would have to test the boy to see how good he really was. Adrian could take more damage than most demons could, and far above nearly anyone he'd ever met. If the boy could fight Adrian would have to see how far he could go first. And the way to do that was to seriously push him to his limits.

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"Alright. Then I don't have to waste my time with beginner bullshit. I
want you to hit me as hard as you can. Hit me right here." he said,
tapping his chest. "And don't hold back at all. I can take anything you can throw at me, I'm a lot tougher than I
look."

With that he turned and thrust the Devil's Teardrop out, driving it into the trunk of a tree, all the way up to the hilt. Facing the other boy he let his arms fall to his sides as he waited patiently. He wanted to see exactly how hard his new charge could hit. If he could hurt Adrian he could hurt demons. At least in most cases. Demon hide was tougher than humans. But if Adrian could feel the attack he would be just fine.

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The member 'escalation' has done the following action : Dices roll

'1-100' : 91

Grunting Adrian stood there, his face contorted in pain. Dropping to one knee his right hand shot out to help keep him from falling over. Shaking he slowly rose back to his feet. He wiped the blood from his lips and took his flask out again. Taking another swig from it he smirked. He popped his neck left, then right. He grinned, standing there, nodding at the boy.

"That's a good hit. But it's not nearly enough to take down a demon fully. But you'd have him in a lot of pain. I wont lie to you, it hurt. And if I weren't used to getting hit like that I would probably be dying." he said. "But you have a lot to learn. I'm going to teach you to fight with a sword. You can deal much more damage with that weapon than you can with your fists. I will push you to your limits, and you will become much stronger. I'll train you the way I learned. Now, you will have to be ready to kill or be killed. You will slay creatures, and should we find a way home you will fight demons. And when we train you better have every intent to kill me, because if you don't you wont survive."

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"Now, sit, and I will tell you the story of the highwayman." he said, as he sat, relaxing against the trunk of a tree.

Adrian's eyes stared off into the distance as he sat there, his face going from the grin he'd had to a look of solemn intensity. He stared off into the distance, watching the sun vanish over the horizon. He rubbed his forehead as he thought quietly, trying to figure out where it would be best to begin with the story of the highwayman.

"...There are many tales of the old world, and should time and luck stay with you, you may just find yourself making a legend yourself. Nobody knows what his name was, at least not anymore. But he was a highwayman, a bandit. Kinda like Robin Hood, if you want to believe in that. But this man robbed from royalty and used only enough to keep himself set for a bit. He then gave a bit to the woman he loved and the rest was given away. Made it harder to track him down. But eventually they found him..." he said.

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"The woman's name was Bess, and she was more beautiful than all the king's gold to this man. But she was desired by her father's assistant. But she wanted the Highwayman, and so her father's assistant, Tim, listened to them on that last night. He heard the Highwayman ask her for a kiss, and tell Bess that he was going to rob someone and return to her father's inn." he said, looking to Seiki. "One kiss my bonnie sweetheart, I'm after a prize tonight. But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light. But if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day, then look for me by the moonlight. Watch for me by the moonlight, I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

Adrian paused, frowning as he turned his empty flask over, making sure there was nothing left as he sat there. Shrugging he tucked the small metal object back into his robes. His eyes turned back to the distance, watching the vermilion sky turn darker as the day gave way to the night.

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"..He did not come at the dawning, he did not come at the noon. And out of the sunset, before the rise of the moon came a red-coat troop. King George's men came marching right up to the old inn door. They said nothing to the landlord though they drank his ale. And then they gagged Bess and bound her to the foot of her bed. They set up to wait for the highwayman to return. She was tied up at attention, musket beside her. She twisted her hands and worked them and her fingers. They stretched and strained as hours crawled by like years. But all the knots held, she couldn't get free. But her hands, slick with sweat and blood the tip of her finger touched it... She had the trigger.

"At midnight she could hear it, the clatter of horseshoes on cobblestones, but the men in the room gave no indication they heard him. And over the hill came the highwayman. She stared as she watched him. Nearer and nearer he came. There was death at every window.. Hell at one dark window. Her eyes grew wide and she took a deep breath. Then her finger moved in the moonlight.. A musket shattered the moonlight and she warned him with her death. He turned his spurs to the west, and didn't know she was dead. Not until the dawn did he hear that Bess had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there." he said, his body shaking as his eyes closed.

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"No. That's not the end of the story. Back he spurred like a mad man, shrieking a curse to the sky. With the white road smoking behind him, and his rapier brandished high, he charged them. Blood red were his spurs in the golden light of noon, and wine red was his velvet coat. That's when they shot him down, like a dog on the highway. And there they left him, to lay in his blood on the highway, a lock of Bess' hair at her throat." he said.

Adrian's eyes opened once more to look up at the stars. Ever since he had taken on the Soul Eater many memories had come to him. All of them were so real, as if they really were his but he never recognized the places he was in them. The throne room with the queen, in the sewers with Nanami dying in his arms, and countless others. But that was the way of the Cursed Rune.

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The question caught Adrian by surprise. He laughed as he looked at Seiki and shrugged before he rose. He nodded and shrugged before he drew the Devil's teardrop from the tree, tearing it out the side of the tree before he began drawing in the ground with it. He drew five circles, each one marked with images of earth, fire, water, air, and the last one was just one circle in the middle. Adrian cleaned the blade and sheathed his weapon in the tree once more before he nodded.

"First you must understand the world around you. Now in ancient times people believed that there were only five elements. Each of these represents one of these elements. Most people know about the common four, Air, Earth, Fire and Water. Before you begin on the fifth, you must understand the first four. And don't even start with me it has nothing to do with love or whatever." he explained.

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"I know the spells of no such elements. My magical knowledge is vast, but my knowledge of actual spells is limited only to three. In reality there are countless forms of magic. Ranging from the elements to light and shadow. Everything has something that it is powerful against, but there are also things that they are weak against. The same is true of many other things. Now we will begin your learning with the one you feel is best. Pick one of these four elements." he said.

This was, of course, another test. It gave Adrian insight into the other male's state of mind and many other things. A beginner would most likely choose Air, where as someone wanting to master something more advanced might try Earth. Air was easy, moved when it was pushed, giving those that moved against it way, but when used properly it used the resistance of its enemy knocking them over. Earth, however was stubborn, the opposite of wind, never moving unless acted upon by another force that was greater than its own. Fire, however, was dynamic, ever changing, destroying it's surroundings by using them as fuel. The last element, however was water and that was something much more diligent than fire ever was. It was as giving as air, as dynamic as fire, and as stubborn as earth.

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"Interesting. You didn't just pick that because you're a pyromaniac did you?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow as he grinned. "No, of course you didn't. Fire is dynamic and energetic, the most powerful of the basic elements. An element of potential and change. It drives a warrior to greatness, guiding his hand and steel in the perfect stroke. It drives men to learn, to devour knowledge as much as they can and learn anything new that they can. The people that are powerful in the aspects of fire are both agile and brilliant. But those weak in it are clumsy and very stupid. I will teach you the aspects of fire, to look for it inside you. But if you want a spell, you will have to find one elsewhere. I don't know any fire spells."

His arms folded over his chest as he looked at Seiki. He had great potential but he seemed so far from grasping it. But then again putting someone in a life threatening situation. It was sink or swim in war. You could train with your friends all you want, but no matter what, unless you were good enough on the battlefield you would not come back.

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"Then consider her or her friends your sensei as well. A good student learns from fools and sages alike, so to learn from only one person would be very.. un-fire-like. Rise, boy, I want you to draw Goranova from your hip and hold her. Get a feel for her weight, and the way she moves. I will teach you to master her. But you must be careful. She is fickle and very proud. You will have to break her spirit to master her completely, which is something even I haven't done. It's said that in the hands of a true master the blade will shatter and only pure energy will replace it. This is the legend of the Sword of Light." he said, watching Seiki.

If he was going to pass his knowledge on he would have to start where he was most powerful. His sword skills. He smiled locking his arms behind his back as he grinned. Who knew, if the boy was good enough then he would be given the weapon he held. The Devil's Teardrop had chosen Adrian long before, and the Sword of Light would never accept him as a true master, even though it had accepted him before.

Bid farewell to your bloodstained past, or the light will find no hold.

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"There is a particular way to hold a sword. But that is dependent on the person using it." he said as he drew the Devil's teardrop from the tree once again.

This time as he removed the black bladed weapon from the trunk of the tree, the tree fell against another severed with a clean cut through the whole of it. Adrian ignored the birds as they chirped, squaked and flew away. Instead the swordsman set his right foot, into place and slid his left back behind him. His knees bent slightly and he held the blade from the waist level, the blade pointing toward the other male's head. It was a basic stance, but one that used very little energy to move. It was the first stance he had ever learned. It was neutral, neither offensive or defensive. The wielder could attack from this stance and defend equally.

"This is one stance most will find comfortable. It gives you the ability to be both defensive and offensive at the same time. But you have to be careful. It's a beginner's stance, and masters know how to get around it. But you must find a stance, and grip that feels comfortable. But with Goranova don't grip her tightly. Your knuckles should never turn white with her between your fingers. Grip her as if you were shaking hands with someone you just met. She's not a delicate flower, but neither does she enjoy being squeezed." he said.

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"You look confused. Is she talking to you yet?" he asked, as he shifted.

He stepped back, his feet coming together at a forty-five degree angle. As he moved he lowered his weapon, pointing the tip to the dirt below as he smirked darkly. He waited patiently knowing exactly what Goranova could be like if she were mad. Then again in a good mood she was still a bitch of sorts. But that was probably just his own personal idea of the spirit of the sword. He knew the demon that held the Devil's Teardrop. But to Adrian the sword of light held the very spirit of Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, herself.

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Are you serious? Is he fucking serious? Why the FUCK would you give me to him!?

"Yes he's serious. And it's because he's more than good enough for you. Or at least he will be when I'm done." he said, smiling as he stood there.

The initial voice had been distant, almost hard to hear, like someone shouting from a good distance away. It was the voice of a young woman, but she made no appearance yet. Adrian just stood there, smirking as he folded his arms over his chest. He still held the Devil's teardrop in his under hand, the blade running past his hip. He just smirked as he waited patiently. He was more than happy to help another person achieve their potential. And Goranova would be perfect for that, since this boy seemed to want to slay demons.

"She'll manifest when you have mastered your potential with a sword. Your fists are good but she cuts through demons like a burning knife through butter." he said, eyebrow quirking.

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"Perhaps it's best if we did stop the lecture today. But we wont find many demons in these times. For whatever reason they have yet to manifest. Perhaps the Kaiu wall still stands, but we will get you trained. Take any stance you have and use any means you deem needed to hit me. But you may only use Goranova, you are not to strike with anything else. But just be careful. I will count down from ten and every time I hit zero I will strike back." he said.

He shifted, into a seemingly defenseless stance, his body turned sideways, though he kept his eyes on Seiki. He had the sword held in front of him though it was lowered, the tip just an inch off the ground. He stood there, letting the wind blow against him lightly, his dark robes flailing gently as he waited. He watched the other male, not sure if he could even hit Adrian at this point. But he had to learn.

"And remember what I said. You have to come at me with every intention to kill or you will fail miserably. The faster your swings, the stronger your strokes, and the more accurate you will be. Now come... Ten." he said, starting the countdown.

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Adrian watched carefully, but the boy was sloppy with a sword. But then again Adrian was sloppy when he was learning it too. He slid backwards, the weapon coming down in front of him rather than across him. He continued to back up, his body moving with a swift stride, before he came to a stop, his stance still unbroken. He hadn't moved at all from the waist up, unless you counted his lips curling into a smirk. The boy had a way to go. He had experience in combat but had some distance to travel between the perfection of Adrian's strokes and the wild slashes that he currently had. But if he was good at anything Adrian could see the potential for greatness in people. And Seiki could be a powerful demon killer with the right training. And this was merely step one.

"Nine." he said, continuing his count down.

He was already planning his next step, and had come up with a contingency just in case he was wrong. But it was going to be difficult for the rookie to land a hit. If it even came close he could use Godspeed to dodge it, provided he had enough time to move.

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Adrian just kicked off the ground, throwing himself up and over the other male. His body came down in a roll before he came up, extending the black bladed weapon above his head. He grinned as the air around it began to swirl slowly. The blade distorted as the air broke, moving to his will as he stood there. His eyes focused on the other male, grinning before he turned, slashing his blade. The weapon flashed out, the air erupting away from him, tearing a long line in the ground, six feet wide. He grinned, turning back to Seiki. The Devil's Teardrop sat at his side.

Woah... That was new.

Goranova's voice did little, if anything, to hide the fact that she had never seen that before.

"Eight..." he said.

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