Post by Frigid on Jul 19, 2015 22:13:29 GMT -5
A sigh left Frigid's mouth as he strode down the streets of Beta Minor. He was supposed to be leaving on a recon mission tomorrow, and he was beginning to become nervous. He had already talked with Ninjin, who vowed to help him if things went wrong, and that helped a little; but Frigid couldn't help but feel that way. This was a big step, something that he had been waiting for for a long time. Something that he truly believed he needed to do. However, there was still a part deep down inside him that kept asking, "Are you really ready for this?"
Of course, this was the reason the Icejin found himself walking alone down the high class streets of The Collective. The novelty of being crowned number two strongest fighter in the universe had worn off; Frigid was tired of the constant attention, so the Icejin wore a dark brown cloak for a disguise. And it was working. He had no problem blending in with the public, and for the first time since he'd entered the tournament, he felt normal again, aside from the pressure of his pending task, of course.
Turning a corner and pushing a path through some civilians, Frigid strode on, his feet guiding him, not caring where he'd wind up. It was just nice to have some time to himself. It seemed crowded for so early in the morning, but that didn't bother him. Taking a deep breath of the muggy air, Frigid got a whiff of something he'd never smelled before. Though the district Frigid was in was known to smell like cigars, motor oil, and pollution, he could make out the scent of fire and something metallic. Following his nose, the Icejin rose into the air, a hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the sun. Scouting his surroundings, the garb-clad warrior spotted a small tent, which he'd never seen before, behind it a pillar of dark-grey smoke.
Landing in front of the tent, Frigid was greeted by the largest man he'd ever seen. Standing at least eleven feet tall, and weighing over a quarter-ton, the small, frail-looking Icejin was dwarfed. The man's face was covered in singed hair, his arms as thick as trees, but bald. This man worked for a living, there was no doubt about that, "OY! Ye be mighty small to be lookin' fer weapons, aren't ye?"
Frigid huffed, pulling the hood of his cloak over his eye, "Weapons?" he asked, his interest peaked.
"Aye. I be a blacksmith. I craft the finest weapons in all the Collective, I do!"
"A blacksmith, hm? Perhaps you'd care to show me?"
"Questionin' my craft, are ye?!" The man boomed, his voice powerful enough to shake the ground.
Frigid ducked back for a split second before he heard a chuckle leave the mans throat, followed by a laugh just as powerful, "It's okay! I'll show ye!"
A sigh of relief left Frigid as the man motioned for him to come over. He wore an brown apron, a black short-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and work boots. Had Frigid ever imagined a blacksmith, this was exactly what he would have came up with. The man told Frigid his name was Brutus, and he was from a planet where the trees were made of steel. His people were all master blacksmiths, and Brutus had moved to the Collective in order to make enough money to support his family back home. It didn't take long for Frigid to see through his hard shell.
Brutus took a bar of steel from a bucket and set it on a table. Carefully grabbing a steel rod, he connected the bar to the end of it, using a torch. Then, using the rod as a handle he placed bar in a oven until it turned bright, glowing red. Removing it from the oven, he placed the steel on the flat of the anvil, a proceeded to hit it with a hammer that looked big in even this giants hands. Repeating the process multiple times, Frigid watched as a blade began to form. It was amazing to watch someone build something from raw steel.
After getting the blade to an acceptable form, Brutus dunked the hot steel into a tub of oil, "Tempering" he called it. Soon after, he began work on a hilt, and a guard, then he sharpened it. Frigid took the after-product, and studied it intently. There was no doubt, this weapon was a work of art.
Brutus turned, and huffed, "Looks like that'll be the last one I make today."
"What? Why?" Frigid asked, his sight turning from the blade to the giant, who was obviously upset.
"I'm almost out of firewood and it'll take me all day to get more."
Frigid smiled under his cloak, placing the sword on a table, "Just tell me what you need. I'll help you out!"
Brutus told Frigid where to find the wood he needed and handed him an axe, and the Icejin was off. Heading north of the collective to where there was a small patch of forest. There wasn't much forest on the Collective, but if one traveled far north, they'd hit a nice stretch. In just an hour, the Icejin was standing in the center of a lush, green forest of pine. Brutus had told him the kind of wood he needed grew on a tree with yellow bark, and that they flourished around pine trees.
Frigid tried looking from above the tree lines, but a thick layer of smog made it impossible. His only option was the search on foot. After weaving through the trees for two hours, Frigid was beginning to think he was on a fool's task. If this tree was here, he'd have found it by now, wouldn't he? As his frustration began to build, Frigid debated bringing back a load of pine, but he knew that wouldn't help Brutus. Frigid watched how the man crafted his wares, how each step he took had his whole soul in it. Frigid couldn't let the giant man down.
Turning a corner, Frigid emerged from a low cloud of smog, to be greeted by a special tree. Glowing bright yellow, it was like a scene from a corny movie, and Frigid stared overwhelmed for a second. The tree was thicker than a bus, and as tall as a skyscraper, dwarfing the Icejin much more than Brutus had. As he walked towards it, Frigid smiled, almost humored by the fact he needed to cut such a beautiful tree down. The reality struck him. He had to chop this tree down with an axe! The idea was ridiculous!
Huffing, the Icejin placed the axe on the ground, and two bright, golden blades of ki burst from his arms, "I'll take care of this thing in a jiff!" He exclaimed, a cocky smirk on his face. Rushing forward, Frigid drew his arms back, and released a fury of slashed towards the base of the tree. With each hit, Frigid could feel the dirt cratering under his feet. He was powerful, and he lived up to his reputation of Second strongest in the universe with each attack.
Then, Frigid jumped back, ready to watch the tree fall. One second, two, three.. Frigid counted, waiting. But the tree stood tall. And as Frigid examined, he saw his attacks hadn't even scratched the bark. Staring for a second in disbelief, he tried to make since of this discovery. Perhaps he hadn't hit it enough?
Cocking his blades back, the Icejin mirrored a second fury of slashes, pouring everything he had into it. Again, he could feel his power with each attack. The ground cratered more, this time around, trees surrounding the scene fell, some torn to pieces from the sheer force behind the Icejin's attacks. And after he could attack no more, the Icejin stepped back, his breath a heavy pant as he was again denied the sight of the tree falling.
Taking a few second to catch his breath, Frigid continued to ponder the situation. What could he do to break this thing? The answer came to him as he took a few more steps backwards. He'd blast it out. Cocking his right hand back once again, Frigid's blades vanished. This time a blast forming inside his closed fist. Pulling more and more energy, Frigid counted the seconds.
One...
Two...
Three...
The energy burned brightly inside his clenched fingers, growing more and more powerful by the second.
... Eight...
Nine...
...
NOW!
Thrusting his fist forward, the ground behind Frigid exploded, his fist firing a blast bigger than any he'd ever produced. The Golden ki wave connected brightly with the tree, a display of fireworks bursting into the air. Frigid poured nearly every ounce of energy into his attack, and his eyes snapped shut as it ended, his face connecting with the dirt.
Eyes fluttering open after a second, Frigid was confident that he'd taken care of the tree this time around. As he slowly rose, Frigid was greeted by a familiar glowing tree, standing tall as if nothing ever happened. Frigid would have been angry, but he hadn't the energy any more. A dry chuckle escaped his throat as he slowly limped over to the tree. Placing a hand on the bark, he shook his head, "How do you do it?"
Placing a hand to his forehead, Frigid looked around at the carnage he'd inflicted to the forest. He'd taken down at least twenty pine trees, and completely destroyed the forest floor. With a sigh, his eyes settled back on the axe Brutus had given him. "What the hell..." he said with a humorous tone, and limped forwards to pick up the axe. As he slowly returned to the base of the tree, axe in hand, Frigid laughed again, "I don't have much energy left... This might be pointless, but... Here goes nothing..."
Raising the axe in the air, Frigid swung, putting as much energy in the swing as he could. The axe connected with a dull, quiet, THUNK.
Frigid chuckled once more, pulling the axe back, and dropping it on the ground. That was all he had, and it hadn't even made a scratch. Maybe he was right. Maybe he wasn't ready for his new life. He couldn't even chop down a tree! What good would he do to go on this mission and risk his friends lives? Why was he even-
His thought was interrupted by a dull rumbling. Turning back around towards the tree, Frigid was sure the tree was now mocking him. But that was far from the case. The rumbling grew into a dull roar, then a sound matching a crack of lightning. Frigid watched as a small, thin crack ripped through the tree, spider-webbing out across it, continuing up the trunk. After reaching the top, the tree stopped glowing, turning a dark black. Suddenly a bright with light burst forwards, the tree seeming to break into a million pieces. Shielding his eyes from the brightness, Frigid could feel streaks of warm hitting his body.
Once safe, the Icejin opened his eyes, and what he saw confused him. Sitting in the crater that was the brightly glowing tree was a neat bundle of sticks, tied up with a neat bow. Frigid's jaw hit the floor, his eyes darting from the axe to the bundle of wood. What had just happened.
Shaking off the disbelief, Frigid grabbed the axe and firewood and took to the air, heading back to Brutus. This time the trip would take twice as long, and it would nearly been noon when he reached the tent.
Touching down at the tent, Frigid placed the axe and the wood on a table, and let out a huge sigh, "I'm back."
Brutus turned and eyed Frigid closely. There was something off about the way he looked at him. As if he was studying to see what shape he was in. Like he was testing him. Then, the giant let out a huge, ground shaking laugh, "I told ye I had the best weapons in the universe!"
Frigid smiled under his cloak, letting out a quiet laugh, "You could have told me I had to use your axe, you know?"
Brutus smiled humorously, wiping tears of laughter from his chubby cheeks, "But where would be the fun in that?"
The two shared a mainly one-sided laugh, and Frigid turned to leave, "Well, I must be going."
Brutus nodded, watching Frigid begin to leave, "Wait, boy!" He shouted, causing the cloaked Icejin to turn, "Yeah?"
The giant huffed, and tossed a hefty olive-green sack into the air. Frigid quickly caught it and rose a brow, "What's this?"
"Ye didn't think I would sent ye off without paying, did ye? Brutus always pays his help!"
Shaking his hands and head, Frigid tried to object, but Brutus rose a large hand, his face showing he was serious, "I insist. If ye try and give it back, ye'll get to find out just what my weapons can do to flesh!" He roared.
And for a second, Frigid was actually to scared to object. But then, Brutus let out another belly-laugh, and shook his head, "Yer too serious! Just remember, boy! There is a correct tool for everything! And if ye ever need a tool, come see the Amazing Brutus!"
And with that, the Icejin was shooed out of the tent, and back into the raging-river of foot traffic that was the streets of Beta Minor. Tucking the Zeni sack under his cloak, Frigid rose back into the air, away from the bustling city below. He knew he was ready for adventure now. And he would be leaving the Collective much wiser, and stronger. And with a bit more Zeni in his pocket. But first, he was going to go home and take a nap. Who knew the life of the lumberjack was so tiring?!
(End. Zeni please.)
Of course, this was the reason the Icejin found himself walking alone down the high class streets of The Collective. The novelty of being crowned number two strongest fighter in the universe had worn off; Frigid was tired of the constant attention, so the Icejin wore a dark brown cloak for a disguise. And it was working. He had no problem blending in with the public, and for the first time since he'd entered the tournament, he felt normal again, aside from the pressure of his pending task, of course.
Turning a corner and pushing a path through some civilians, Frigid strode on, his feet guiding him, not caring where he'd wind up. It was just nice to have some time to himself. It seemed crowded for so early in the morning, but that didn't bother him. Taking a deep breath of the muggy air, Frigid got a whiff of something he'd never smelled before. Though the district Frigid was in was known to smell like cigars, motor oil, and pollution, he could make out the scent of fire and something metallic. Following his nose, the Icejin rose into the air, a hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the sun. Scouting his surroundings, the garb-clad warrior spotted a small tent, which he'd never seen before, behind it a pillar of dark-grey smoke.
Landing in front of the tent, Frigid was greeted by the largest man he'd ever seen. Standing at least eleven feet tall, and weighing over a quarter-ton, the small, frail-looking Icejin was dwarfed. The man's face was covered in singed hair, his arms as thick as trees, but bald. This man worked for a living, there was no doubt about that, "OY! Ye be mighty small to be lookin' fer weapons, aren't ye?"
Frigid huffed, pulling the hood of his cloak over his eye, "Weapons?" he asked, his interest peaked.
"Aye. I be a blacksmith. I craft the finest weapons in all the Collective, I do!"
"A blacksmith, hm? Perhaps you'd care to show me?"
"Questionin' my craft, are ye?!" The man boomed, his voice powerful enough to shake the ground.
Frigid ducked back for a split second before he heard a chuckle leave the mans throat, followed by a laugh just as powerful, "It's okay! I'll show ye!"
A sigh of relief left Frigid as the man motioned for him to come over. He wore an brown apron, a black short-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and work boots. Had Frigid ever imagined a blacksmith, this was exactly what he would have came up with. The man told Frigid his name was Brutus, and he was from a planet where the trees were made of steel. His people were all master blacksmiths, and Brutus had moved to the Collective in order to make enough money to support his family back home. It didn't take long for Frigid to see through his hard shell.
Brutus took a bar of steel from a bucket and set it on a table. Carefully grabbing a steel rod, he connected the bar to the end of it, using a torch. Then, using the rod as a handle he placed bar in a oven until it turned bright, glowing red. Removing it from the oven, he placed the steel on the flat of the anvil, a proceeded to hit it with a hammer that looked big in even this giants hands. Repeating the process multiple times, Frigid watched as a blade began to form. It was amazing to watch someone build something from raw steel.
After getting the blade to an acceptable form, Brutus dunked the hot steel into a tub of oil, "Tempering" he called it. Soon after, he began work on a hilt, and a guard, then he sharpened it. Frigid took the after-product, and studied it intently. There was no doubt, this weapon was a work of art.
Brutus turned, and huffed, "Looks like that'll be the last one I make today."
"What? Why?" Frigid asked, his sight turning from the blade to the giant, who was obviously upset.
"I'm almost out of firewood and it'll take me all day to get more."
Frigid smiled under his cloak, placing the sword on a table, "Just tell me what you need. I'll help you out!"
Brutus told Frigid where to find the wood he needed and handed him an axe, and the Icejin was off. Heading north of the collective to where there was a small patch of forest. There wasn't much forest on the Collective, but if one traveled far north, they'd hit a nice stretch. In just an hour, the Icejin was standing in the center of a lush, green forest of pine. Brutus had told him the kind of wood he needed grew on a tree with yellow bark, and that they flourished around pine trees.
Frigid tried looking from above the tree lines, but a thick layer of smog made it impossible. His only option was the search on foot. After weaving through the trees for two hours, Frigid was beginning to think he was on a fool's task. If this tree was here, he'd have found it by now, wouldn't he? As his frustration began to build, Frigid debated bringing back a load of pine, but he knew that wouldn't help Brutus. Frigid watched how the man crafted his wares, how each step he took had his whole soul in it. Frigid couldn't let the giant man down.
Turning a corner, Frigid emerged from a low cloud of smog, to be greeted by a special tree. Glowing bright yellow, it was like a scene from a corny movie, and Frigid stared overwhelmed for a second. The tree was thicker than a bus, and as tall as a skyscraper, dwarfing the Icejin much more than Brutus had. As he walked towards it, Frigid smiled, almost humored by the fact he needed to cut such a beautiful tree down. The reality struck him. He had to chop this tree down with an axe! The idea was ridiculous!
Huffing, the Icejin placed the axe on the ground, and two bright, golden blades of ki burst from his arms, "I'll take care of this thing in a jiff!" He exclaimed, a cocky smirk on his face. Rushing forward, Frigid drew his arms back, and released a fury of slashed towards the base of the tree. With each hit, Frigid could feel the dirt cratering under his feet. He was powerful, and he lived up to his reputation of Second strongest in the universe with each attack.
Then, Frigid jumped back, ready to watch the tree fall. One second, two, three.. Frigid counted, waiting. But the tree stood tall. And as Frigid examined, he saw his attacks hadn't even scratched the bark. Staring for a second in disbelief, he tried to make since of this discovery. Perhaps he hadn't hit it enough?
Cocking his blades back, the Icejin mirrored a second fury of slashes, pouring everything he had into it. Again, he could feel his power with each attack. The ground cratered more, this time around, trees surrounding the scene fell, some torn to pieces from the sheer force behind the Icejin's attacks. And after he could attack no more, the Icejin stepped back, his breath a heavy pant as he was again denied the sight of the tree falling.
Taking a few second to catch his breath, Frigid continued to ponder the situation. What could he do to break this thing? The answer came to him as he took a few more steps backwards. He'd blast it out. Cocking his right hand back once again, Frigid's blades vanished. This time a blast forming inside his closed fist. Pulling more and more energy, Frigid counted the seconds.
One...
Two...
Three...
The energy burned brightly inside his clenched fingers, growing more and more powerful by the second.
... Eight...
Nine...
...
NOW!
Thrusting his fist forward, the ground behind Frigid exploded, his fist firing a blast bigger than any he'd ever produced. The Golden ki wave connected brightly with the tree, a display of fireworks bursting into the air. Frigid poured nearly every ounce of energy into his attack, and his eyes snapped shut as it ended, his face connecting with the dirt.
Eyes fluttering open after a second, Frigid was confident that he'd taken care of the tree this time around. As he slowly rose, Frigid was greeted by a familiar glowing tree, standing tall as if nothing ever happened. Frigid would have been angry, but he hadn't the energy any more. A dry chuckle escaped his throat as he slowly limped over to the tree. Placing a hand on the bark, he shook his head, "How do you do it?"
Placing a hand to his forehead, Frigid looked around at the carnage he'd inflicted to the forest. He'd taken down at least twenty pine trees, and completely destroyed the forest floor. With a sigh, his eyes settled back on the axe Brutus had given him. "What the hell..." he said with a humorous tone, and limped forwards to pick up the axe. As he slowly returned to the base of the tree, axe in hand, Frigid laughed again, "I don't have much energy left... This might be pointless, but... Here goes nothing..."
Raising the axe in the air, Frigid swung, putting as much energy in the swing as he could. The axe connected with a dull, quiet, THUNK.
Frigid chuckled once more, pulling the axe back, and dropping it on the ground. That was all he had, and it hadn't even made a scratch. Maybe he was right. Maybe he wasn't ready for his new life. He couldn't even chop down a tree! What good would he do to go on this mission and risk his friends lives? Why was he even-
His thought was interrupted by a dull rumbling. Turning back around towards the tree, Frigid was sure the tree was now mocking him. But that was far from the case. The rumbling grew into a dull roar, then a sound matching a crack of lightning. Frigid watched as a small, thin crack ripped through the tree, spider-webbing out across it, continuing up the trunk. After reaching the top, the tree stopped glowing, turning a dark black. Suddenly a bright with light burst forwards, the tree seeming to break into a million pieces. Shielding his eyes from the brightness, Frigid could feel streaks of warm hitting his body.
Once safe, the Icejin opened his eyes, and what he saw confused him. Sitting in the crater that was the brightly glowing tree was a neat bundle of sticks, tied up with a neat bow. Frigid's jaw hit the floor, his eyes darting from the axe to the bundle of wood. What had just happened.
Shaking off the disbelief, Frigid grabbed the axe and firewood and took to the air, heading back to Brutus. This time the trip would take twice as long, and it would nearly been noon when he reached the tent.
Touching down at the tent, Frigid placed the axe and the wood on a table, and let out a huge sigh, "I'm back."
Brutus turned and eyed Frigid closely. There was something off about the way he looked at him. As if he was studying to see what shape he was in. Like he was testing him. Then, the giant let out a huge, ground shaking laugh, "I told ye I had the best weapons in the universe!"
Frigid smiled under his cloak, letting out a quiet laugh, "You could have told me I had to use your axe, you know?"
Brutus smiled humorously, wiping tears of laughter from his chubby cheeks, "But where would be the fun in that?"
The two shared a mainly one-sided laugh, and Frigid turned to leave, "Well, I must be going."
Brutus nodded, watching Frigid begin to leave, "Wait, boy!" He shouted, causing the cloaked Icejin to turn, "Yeah?"
The giant huffed, and tossed a hefty olive-green sack into the air. Frigid quickly caught it and rose a brow, "What's this?"
"Ye didn't think I would sent ye off without paying, did ye? Brutus always pays his help!"
Shaking his hands and head, Frigid tried to object, but Brutus rose a large hand, his face showing he was serious, "I insist. If ye try and give it back, ye'll get to find out just what my weapons can do to flesh!" He roared.
And for a second, Frigid was actually to scared to object. But then, Brutus let out another belly-laugh, and shook his head, "Yer too serious! Just remember, boy! There is a correct tool for everything! And if ye ever need a tool, come see the Amazing Brutus!"
And with that, the Icejin was shooed out of the tent, and back into the raging-river of foot traffic that was the streets of Beta Minor. Tucking the Zeni sack under his cloak, Frigid rose back into the air, away from the bustling city below. He knew he was ready for adventure now. And he would be leaving the Collective much wiser, and stronger. And with a bit more Zeni in his pocket. But first, he was going to go home and take a nap. Who knew the life of the lumberjack was so tiring?!
(End. Zeni please.)