Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Westeria City: Little Shintenchi - Ming Dojo

[Tiko]

as written by Tiko

Though the exterior of the Ming Dojo was all but lost among the surrounding buildings, the interior was open and spacious. There was no mistaking the building for anything but what it was. A large mat covered the floor save for the outer edges where one could walk, and the walls were adorned with rows of weapon racks. Swords, polearms, axes, throwing knives, and a wide assortment of other weaponry were all neatly displayed along the racks.

A group of students was gathered around the mat today, primarily ranging in age from children to young teens while their torajin instructor, Ming Sun, was in the middle of a display in the center of the mat. Near at hand stood another, Talys, a good friend who was known to put on demonstrations with her for the students now and again.

"The leopard does not seek to overpower its opponent with raw strength, as the tiger does, nor does it aim to wear down its opponent with the evasiveness of the crane. The leopard is cunning."

She shifted stance, standing tall with one hand curled into the characteristic leopard fist; a half-open fist with the fingers bent at the first joint rather than the knuckles.

"It combines elements of both to outsmart, and to outmaneuver its enemies."

She swept her arm back and threw her fist forward into a precise jab, followed by a shift of her footwork that left her twisting with the grace of a dancer, before throwing another blow.

"Precise strikes aimed to wound and debilitate, coupled with the speed to withdraw once more."

She shifted again, bringing an arm up in a block.

"It has the agility to both strike, and block, simultaneously."

She finished off with a flurry of blows and kicks to demonstrate the sheer speed of the style before falling into a ready stance with one palm open, and the other curled into a leopard fist as she faced off against Talys.

It was the third demonstration to be put on, with tiger and crane already displayed. The former had fallen quickly to Talys' speed and agility, unable to overpower him. Crane had fared better, but the match had worn on with neither able to gain the upper hand or to wear the other out. Leopard was Sun's favored style though, and the one in which she had yet to be bested by Talys in their three years of friendship.

 

[Tiko]

as written by Script

Talys smiled as he listened to Sun's explanation - he was familiar to the extreme with the Leopard, and knew that using it, she was more than a match for him in a fair fight. As she turned to him, he once more assumed his own ready stance - almost entirely side-on, with both palms open; one arm raised high and the other low.

As ever, he waited for Sun to make the first move. His style was reactionary, using his opponent's strikes and his evasions to open opportunities to strike back, or use their power against them.

 

[Tiko]

as written by Tiko

They had scarcely begun when a resounding crash interrupted them mid exchange of blows. A flaming ball of metal had struck a shop only a few buildings down the street with all the devastation of a cannon ball. The students looked around in confusion, uncertain what had just happened. Sun herself paused, unsure as well.

"What was that?" a student asked.

"It sounded like an explosion."

The resounding cries of 'fire' that reached them from outside jarred Sun out of her shock.

"Stay here," Sun told them as she moved swiftly towards the front entrance.

A glance outside ascertained that there was indeed a fire as the flames of Butcher's fireball licked their way up the walls of a nearby shop. With how closely clustered the shops on the street where, the flames had the capacity to spread like wildfire through Little Shintenchi.

The Dojo itself was far too close to be safe haven for whatever was going on and she quickly gestured for the children to join her at door.

"Kang," she called to one of the older students, a boy of about sixteen. "Take the others down to the corner, and wait in the teahouse," she instructed. "Talys, we need to help get those fires out or the whole street will go up."

 

[Tiko]

as written by Script

"Of course," Talys agreed, having stepped towards the door himself. A quick scan of the street and the sky didn't identify the source of the flames, but it would be foolish to assume that it wasn't still a danger. The dancer flexed his fingers, a lick of flame dancing between them like a spark, "I should be able to tame it without trouble, so long as we can reach it."