[Other FULL] Youkai Academy [IC] [T] [Best Rookie 1Q '13]

Sparring match: Part 2

Yorick fell through the air after the attack, rattled from the impact. In her state of free-fall, everything around her seemed to slow down, although she knew full well that this was not the case. She took the brief moments before she hit the ground to consider her next move. It seemed that Allister was practicing ways to keep her away, so it would be better if she continued charging from different directions to aid in Allister's practice, regardless of the pain from any success from that practice. If it would help stop Fairytale, it was for the best.

For some reason, though, at the thought of doing the same thing she'd been doing, her body tensed up. Perhaps her body was not as ready to suffer for the greater good as her mind was. She had to admit that the pain from the hits so far were beginning to slow her down, and if Allister had been able to hold her off thus far, nothing more could be gained from holding her off when slowed. The ground was fast approaching. Yorick realized she would have to take a different approach, at least until she had recovered.

Falling from great heights was nothing new to Yorick as she used to jump from several tall trees and ledges in the forest, so it was a simple matter adjusting herself in the air for a better landing and hitting the ground in proper form. Facing Allister, she did not charge like before. Instead she crouched low to the ground and began slowly circling Allister, simultaneously watching for openings while staying wary of attacks. On instinct, she even bared her fangs and began emitting a low growl to put her foe on edge.

Allister, like Yorick, was plotting his next move. It seemed to the mage that Yorick had cottoned on to the strategy he'd been using and was employing a more patient one. It was a good move, although Allister couldn't help but grin and raise an eyebrow at Yoricks growling.
I could try a barrier, or maybe something a bit more offensive with me at the epicenter... but he'll just move back and come at me once the barrier drops or the attack finishes. I guess it's time to try a more difficult piece of magic... I'll still need a barrier first though. Just a simple one.[I/]
"Praemunio!" A shimmering blue sphere of energy formed around Allister, but he was far from done. He just needed to be protected whilst he used a longer incantation, he hadn't mastered this spell non-verbally or found a shorter version yet "Summone nubes et pluvia.
Summone tonitrua et fulgura, et caligo. Misisti iram furoris sui natura!"

As Allister chanted a wind whipped up into existence - swirling around the room, clouds formed above and around them, becoming a thick mist as rain fell from those above. Small booming noises echoed through the room as the thunder and lighting began. Allister's artificial storm began expanding throughout the room. The spell was quite strenuous, but as his barrier broke Allister started moving. Erratic as it was, the lightning wouldn't hit him but he still had to contend with his own gale and downpour. Still he'd achieved what he wanted, Yorick would now have to try and find him with his vision useless, his ears bombarded by thunder and rain making it harder to track down Allister's scent... and then there was the lightning. It way only a matter of time before Yorick found Allister, but it was not going to be a pleasant experience. This spell was one Allister had written himself, it was one he was very proud of - an ideal way of handling physical attackers.

The moment Allister opened her mouth, Yorick moved. Ordinarily, she would have been on Allister before the mage finished her second syllable, but forcing herself into her top speed without any buildup to compensate for the lack of a moon didn't go well with the pain that had been building up and it triggered a surge of pain that offered a moment's hesitation. That was enough to prevent her from reaching Allister before the barrier was erected. The werewolf pummeled her fists into the magic bubble, and it seemed to be giving way under the wolf's great physical power, but it still was not fast enough. A sudden storm began to fill the gym, strange as it was, and it grew in intensity very quickly. The area was filled with rain and mist, and the overhead lights were hidden by dark clouds, all affecting Yorick's vision. Howling winds muffled her hearing and carried scents everywhere making smell unreliable.

The moment Allister's shield finally shattered, the mage fled into the storm she had made. Yorick moved to pursue her, but a nearby bolt of lightning forced her back to avoid being hit. Once Yorick refocused on the pursuit, Allister was out of sight. Scent and sound would be no help in finding her, so Yorick had only one option. Taking a deep breath, she focused her vision. While it was difficult to see anything in these conditions, Yorick's eyes were still very sharp and strikes of lightning would occasionally light up a wider area. She scanned her surroundings carefully while staying mindful of the lightning as best as she could. More than her speed, it was reflexes and instinct that gave her the ability to dodge the lightning strikes, if only barely so.

Soon enough,Yorick spotted a slight, unnatural shift in movement in a certain direction that was different from the rain's motion. It must have either been Allister or a form created by one of Allister's spells. There was no way to be sure with only her limited sight, but it was the only lead she had. She quickly made an effort to ascertain the direction in which the blur had been moving and relocated it, trying to use the movement to figure out what direction it was facing as well. She shifted her position in an attempt to quickly move behind it while keeping watch for any reactionary motion she could to tell whether or not the predator had been spotted by its prey. She neared and prepared to pounce yet again.

I should probably try to find a way to stop the storm affecting my own senses without distortions revealing my presence. On top of that the lightning will never strike me... that means that I have to keep moving otherwise my location is obvious... but that then causes distortions that can give away my position. So whilst this should be quite effective, it is advisable to use this time to either flee from the fight or to sneak up on my opponent somehow. Given that he was meant to be sparring with Yorick, it was pretty evident that fleeing wasn't a viable option in that circumstance. With that in mind, Allister began to move carefully through the storm.

Wandering the storm, Allister wasn't entirely sure of the direction he was moving, he felt apprehensive knowing that as a hunter Yorick had a far better internal compass that he did. He needed to use this storm to his advantage somehow. Allister stopped moving, knowing that every moment he stood still would make him easier to find and focused his mind. Alchemy was still something Allister knew little about, but he was capable now of producing small objects. Matter began to move over Allister's palms, and soon enough several coin-like discs had appeared. This was preparation for an extremely difficult piece of magic that Allister wasn't entirely sure he could even pull off yet.

It was a good thing that Allister had succeeded with the alchemy, turning he saw Yorick preparing to leap for him. He was still the prey, in fact he had been for the majority of the battle being constantly on the defensive. Sometimes though, the best offense was a good defence. As Yorick leapt for Allister, he cast the spell - screaming it loudly to maximise his ability to control it... being somewhat put off by the surprisingly high pitch of his voice - and releasing the "coins".
"Muto!"

The discs were instantly dispersed by the force of the winds, flying around like bullets, but that wasn't what the spell did. Magic was all about intention, through intent a mage could distort reality. Theoretically, magic could be enacted with any word, and it didn't need to be spoken out loud. It was the intent the mage associated with the word that caused the rules of the world to distort. Flames could be conjured with no fuel, objects could be constructed from particles in the air and even the weather could be manipulated. Despite the simplicity of his incantation, it was Allister's intent to do something practically impossible - switch the position of matter in space without it having to cross distance. Allister was attempting large-scale teleportation.

The "coins", Yorick and even Allister flashed with a bright blue just as Yorick was about to land what would probably have been a finishing blow on Allister. In an instant, every one of the objects that had glowed was switched with another one. Allister and Yorick were on totally opposite sides of the storm. Metal discs whizzed past Allister as he felt to one knee. Magic might have allowed him to distort reality, but the bigger the distortion the greater the price. In teleportation, distance is irrelevant only the number of objects being moved and the power of the mage were relevant. There had been twelve discs plus Yorick and Allister - too much for him to handle just yet and still be able to fight. The storm dissipated and the discs clattered to the floor. Allister breathed heavily
"I think you win this round Yorick, that sort of magic is still way too much for me without a talisman of some sort."

As Yorick leapt forward, suddenly there was a bright flash and she found herself slamming into the ground with her face. She got up as fast as she could and scanned the area for where Allister could be, finding nothing. Strangely, the storm soon faded, and she could see Allister kneeling far away, breathing heavily before she announced her own defeat. It seemed Allister had overexerted herself.

Now that the sparring match had finally ended, Yorick returned to her human form, still uncomfortable with having been in her werewolf form right in the middle of the gym in the first place, and her first move was to rub her immensely aching face. She noticed that her nose seemed broken even, probably as a result of colliding with the invisible wall at such a speed at the beginning of the match. Hopefully she would not have to deal with that for too long, as werewolves healed at a fairly quick rate.

Adding to her discomfort, all her clothes were wet from the storm. She realized that such a thing had never happened to her before, as the only time she wore clothes back home was at night when she was sheltered in the cabin and she hadn't been out during a major storm since coming to Youkai Academy. It was a much different feeling than having wet fur and it wasn't one she particularly liked. The clothes stuck to her body yet drooped down as if they were a second layer of skin that had grown old and now sagged. She also noticed that the silk-like material of the shirt had become see-through from being wet. Luthas had taught Yorick about modesty as it pertained to society before. Although he‒ or rather, she‒ said that both genders needed to stay modest, she had seemed to emphasize the need for a female to stay modest.

Addressing that need, Yorick walked over to where her blazer laid on the ground. Although it was also wet, it would cover her and keep her modest. Once it was back on, Yorick turned back to Allister, curious. "How would you acquire a 'talisman'?" If such a thing would allow Allister to perform such incredible magic without becoming exhausted, it would certainly be helpful against Fairytale. Since Yorick was not satisfied with recognizing talismans as 'such a thing', she moved to retrieve her dictionary while waiting for a response.

"It means an object used for channeling and storing magic, I technically have one on my wrist right now" Allister indicated the bracelet on his arm - his arm being slightly skinnier it slid around a lot more than it usually did - "and whilst I have been storing magic in it, it's for an emergency only."

Allister brushed his unusually long hair back, grimacing at the uncomfortable sensation of more water trickling down his neck and back.
This gender swap spell is quite the nuisance, I'm fairly sure it's why Yorick was faster and weaker too. Is that how werewolves work? If only this spell was more like a Yokai form and he could change between them at will... being able to get faster or more durable depending on the situation would be quite useful. Or at least I'd be able to have the right bits again...
The idea popped into Allister's head the moment after he'd finished complaining to himself - in reality it seemed kind of obvious now that he'd thought of it.
"Yorick, I'm going to ask you a question and then I'm going to give you my take on it." he figured checking on his theory wouldn't hurt either "Which of your forms do you consider your true form? The human-looking appearance or the wolf one?"

Yorick raised an eyebrow at the question. "I am not sure either of my forms is a false form, so I suppose they are both-" It occurred to her that it was again a question that did not make sense, and such a question from such a person demanded to be further examined for implicit meanings. She paused with her hand on her chin, picking apart the question as she did the previous one, establishing connections through logic as if making a trail to lead her to what the question truly asked. This one was a bit simpler, only requiring knowledge an alternate definition of 'true' and a handful of other definitions. After reconsidering the question, she looked to Allister with a new answer. "As I was born in my lupine form, I would say that form is my 'true' form, as you say."

"I see, that makes sense. Let's try looking at this another way though. What if rather than it being some sort of special form you're just conditioned to thinking that way? I'd suggest that you were right the first time, neither is a true form but are just different aspects of yourself that you can shift between? Does that make sense to you? If it does I might have just solved another dilemma." Allister was actually grinning now, he was pretty much on a tangent.

At first, Allister's response confused Yorick as it meant that the initial question that made less sense was meant exactly what it seemed to mean, but then Yorick thought over the response. The usage of 'what if' signified a rhetorical question, and in Yorick's experience they were usually used in an attempt to communicate new ideas. It would seem that Allister intended to confuse her listener, being Yorick, before using that question to offer a point of view that was new and strange to the listener yet also clarified the earlier question. Yorick's brow furrowed for a moment at the realization that she would have to keep watch for not only implications, but of trick questions as well from now on.

Soon enough, Yorick's cheerful expression returned and she said, "Yes, it does indeed make sense. What is this dilemma of which you speak, though?"

Allister watched Yorick in contemplation and then the familiar cheerful expression appearing on the female face. Honestly he was going to be very glad to be rid of the eerie feeling he got from seeing something so familiar but so different.
"The dilemma of you having lady parts." Allister laughed a bit, he wasn't sure why but he felt extremely confident and it seemed to be making him a tad giddy "This whole time I've been thinking of returning back to my true self. I should be treating this the same as yokai forms, two entirely separate appearances that are the same person. Rather than use a spell to turn us back, I'll use a spell to turn us into men - or women if that's what the people in question were originally."

Honestly, Yorick didn't mind being female at all. It didn't really prevent her from doing anything she enjoyed or needed and it also offered an opportunity to learn more about females. However, it did not seem that Allister or many of the other students felt the same way. She herself also had not completed her training on becoming a gentleman, and would not be able to if she were not a man. It was also entirely possible to simply find a way to become female again at another time if she needed to so she could learn about being a 'proper lady', as Luthas put it, among other things.

Yorick turned to Allister and asked, "Is there anything you need in order to perform the spell?" Considering that magic such as the strange displacement-causing spell from before required a talisman to be performed optimally, it was entirely possible that a gender switching spell would as well. If it did, Yorick would lend whatever aid she could.

"Hmm... no I don't think so. It's actually not a particularly difficult form of magic at all really, although I admit I don't practice it too often. So there is a slight possibility you won't look exactly the same as you did before becoming female. Probably nothing major, just slightly longer hair or slight changes in your features." Allister was actually feeling unusually excited, this would be an excellent way of testing to see if he was truly capable of countering Fairytale's mages.
"Might take me a couple of goes to get the spell right, shall we get started?"
and then I'll definitely need a rest... I'm not going to properly recover if I keep doing magic.

Yorick just nodded, looking slightly perplexed but very curious to see what would happen next. She had no idea what Allister was going to exactly, just that it was going to be some kind of spell. In her expectant excitement, she decided she should go do some research on magic later in the library in order to better understand the enigmatic force that seemed capable of anything.

"Right, here we go" Allister took a few deep breaths and considered his wording carefully. He was once again returning to the latin language - it was generally the language he found easiest to associate with the intent to cast a spell.
"Unus mulieres" Allister felt the surge of magic but nothing happened.

Over the next few times Allister tried a couple of different incantations as well as repeated the original. It took plenty of time and he felt himself starting to tire further from the effort of using magic in his already exhausted state, even though he hadn't succeeded in actually casting a spell. Becoming frustrated Allister reached deep inside himself, letting a lot of his remaining energy surge through himself as he returned to the original spell
"Unus mulieres!" There was no flash of light, but as he toppled back to his knees with blurred vision he could feel that something had changed. With how the spell had hit him, he wondered exactly how far he'd reached. What he'd done pouring so much energy into that spell had been far too risky, but he knew it had paid off.

Suddenly, Yorick's body began to feel numb. She could tell something was happening to her despite the fact that she couldn't feel exactly what. Feeling returned to her soon enough, and at the end of it it seemed that all had been restored, though this meant that the proper way to address herself now would be as a male. His male form was a good deal bulkier, although not as much as his lupine form, so the fitted blazer was once again tight. Fortunately the rest of his clothes adjusted well enough, but he would have to change as soon as he could since female uniforms were meant for females to wear, which he was no longer. Examining his body, he noticed that his hair, which had lengthened slightly upon switching genders, had simply remained its new length although it wasn't a very significant difference since it was long to begin with.

It seemed Allister had also returned to his former appearance, seeming quite exhausted from casting the spell. It worked, but Yorick doubted Allister's ability to cast it repeatedly in order to restore the entire school's population. "Allister, would you be able to teach this spell to any teachers capable of magic?"

"Probably, in all honesty I'm shocked that none of them realised how to do it themselves." Allister picked himself up properly, he had no intention of letting many people know what his limits were. "I'm actually not sure how far the spell reached, in theory a fair few of us males might have returned to normal since I put so much effort into that. Either way, we should be alright for now. I can work out a female equivalent relatively easily now."

This has been tiring, but all the different magic I've cast is a good way of examining what I can and can't do. Plus Yorick and I have been able to analyse our abilities and weaknesses reasonably well too.

​