How Do I Stack?

Jin walked along the sidewalk path, nearly at the mansion he was to pay a little visit to, 'Hah! Finally a job that's quick and easy, only one task.' Looking around he saw he was in a rather wealthy neighbourhood, just as described in the job description, 'This Milton better be strong though, I still wanna actually earn my money.' A golden gate up ahead caught his eye, strongly reflecting the sun to let everyone around know it is the most expensive lot around. Jinchu went directly for it with a slightly sarcastic roll of his eyes. Behind the gate stood a very large mansion, outshining every other property in peripheral view. He knew what he read in the job listing that it was very flashy and obnoxious but Jin just didn't expect it to be quite so bad. He remembered specifically that the listing said to come right up to the door so he didn't even stop at the gate, just pushed along through it, keeping conscious thought to keep his magic in check. It had been a good while since his Crash Magic got away from him but Jin always liked to be a little extra careful around objects that are worth more than what he makes in the average month.

The front yard was decently large, letting the mansion be set further back in the property. He had a path to walk on though and did so rather briskly. In a minute or two he was at the front door which was a good deal bigger than he originally perceived, reaching a height twice the size of a normal door and also there were two doors fitting in one frame which made the entrance look extra wide as well. Jin took the whole site in and sighed, whispering under his breath, "Damn... Looks like this guy could give me a good deal more than 500 jewels if he really wanted. I'll have to see if he ever wants a rematch afterwards." There was little left to do but knock on the door and see who shows up. His left hand lightly rattled the left door, still taking great care to suppress all his magical ability. A few quiet moments passed then Jin heard a faint sound of foot steps coming from inside. It seemed someone was hurrying to answer the door, Jin wondered who it could be; would it be Milton or maybe a hired hand, who knew.

426/2500 words

Milton was waiting anxiously in the sitting room. It was actually more of a living room, however, with it's plush couches and large display cabinets. Today was the day that he would prove to his family (and other people) that he was not a spoiled brat, not another clone of his family. He brought both his guns up in front of him, admiring the shine the light reflected on it.

The young man was then jolted out of his revere when he heard one of the butlers opening the door. Milton jumped from his seat and ran to the front door. He should have waited by the front door instead! Less time wasted that way.

"Oh! Jeeves! I got it!" He was smiling from ear to ear as he lightly nudged his worker out of the way. "You're Mr. Raizen right? The rogue mage that accepted the job?" His voice and demeanor practically oozed excitement. "Here! Let's head to the back."

Milton strode outside next to Jinchu and jerked his head over to side of the house. His strides were purposeful and quick. Though he was quite eager to start, Milton also felt a bit guilty by taking the long way. He did not to subject his guest to his family's judgmental questions and stares, however.

Jinchu was about to respond to the butler that answered the door but before he could utter a word someone else bolted to the doorway to greet him. He just nodded to the question of his identity, might as well just wait to talk for the moment. Sure enough his response wasn't really needed as Milton already came out to lead him to where they were supposed to fight. Rai followed along only half a step behind because he walked a lot more casually than his client just ahead. He figured maybe beginning a casual talk might slow Milton down a little bit.

"So, what kind of magic do you use, Milton? You weren't all that specific in the request form." He would introduce his own magic first but he knew that someone not heavily invested in the public aspect of the magic world would understand what Crash magic was without a thorough explanation. If Milton asked he would break it down as best he could but until then he would not mention his own abilities.

"And also, did you want to get started right away? I would prefer to do that but I am content if you choose to get acquainted first, I have a feeling we will be seeing more of each other than we expect." Even with his genuine offer Jinchu was more interested in getting started in the fight as soon as they reached where Milton intended and talk later; he was counting on this being a good battle.

686/2500 words

At the question Milton slowed just a tad bit so that he was on the same pace as Jinchu. He was now walking beside his soon-to-be opponent though he still seemed to be leading. "Ah. I use Guns Magic." He paused a bit, wondering if he should explain how his own magic worked. In his opinion, it was quite unique. He hadn't heard of anyone else having the same concept despite Guns Magic being a bit more common than others.

After stating his magic he stopped. Milton looked around his personal training grounds. It was fairly open with some boulders jutting out from the ground. And of course, there were ringed targets everywhere. They were all newly replaced however so Milton didn't think Jinchu would be able to discern what kind of Guns Magic he had.

"Anyways, I'd like to start now too," Milton grinned and pointed right gun barrel at Jinchu. "We can get acquainted later."

[OOC: Sorry for the inactivity. I've had a lot of shifts at work and a busy school schedule. I should be active again though, at least able to do a post a day. Anyways thanks for your patience]

Jin's only acknowledgement to Milton's response was a confirming nod. It was quite clear that what he used would be gun magic but still the question of the style he used still hung in the air rather freely, 'Well I can't fault him for wanting to keep me guessing, I haven't really given him any information on my skills so I guess I should just go with the flow.' Only a second after Milton's response he halted, appearing to gaze at the training area before them.

"Nice," was Jinchu's only response. There were fresh targets everywhere which looked quite interesting, 'Hmm... He must be able to utilize his resources quite well, I bet he just changed his targets haha!' More than anything he appreciated that in general the grounds looked natural instead of a ringed or man-made battle stadium. It was always better to train for battle in situations that would actually appear in real life.

"Anyways, I'd like to start now too," spoke Milton as he made a grin paired with the action of pointing the gun right in Jin's face. Jinchu fought hard to keep a straight face, he nearly let out a laugh that would only sound like he was making fun of his client, 'So... He thinks he may have the upper-hand by doing that? Interesting.'

His physical response to having the gun pointed at him was nonexistent. After a second where Milton would likely assume to be in good position, Jin just barely took his left foot off the ground (His left was the closer foot to Milton). In another moment he forced it back down to reconnect with the earth. On impact the ground around Jin would begin to shake, instantly able to cause his opponent to lose balance and, to make matters for Milton more complicated, a coning strip of land would rise up from the earth in the direction that Milton was standing from Jin. It was a ramp of land that was created, having the part that Milton was standing on push him towards Jin, torso first. The combination of the ramp of land and the ground tremor would make it nearly impossible for Milton to stop himself falling forward.

During the moment of commotion that he would create, Jin spun on the balls of his foot he used to initiate his magic, crouching low as he did so while sticking his free leg out to sweep the legs of his already balance-compromised opponent. Whether he connected on the hit or not he would continue by popping back up from the spin and send a punch towards Milton's body, infusing his magic into the blow. He kept it low-key concentration though so it was only one of his more basic spells. Either way, if his Crashing Fist landed it would send Milton flying back. The key party of this attack is that the direction Jin punched would send his target flying in the direction where his back would slam him against the ramp of land, knocking the wind out of him. This may have seemed to be a cut-throat way to start a battle but Jinchu was not one to hold back for anybody, plus he was asking for it by threatening the act of giving first blood.

Spells Used:

Spoiler:

1248/2500 Words

He was feeling ecstatic and a little disappointed at the same time. Jinchu did not have any weapons or items that could indicate that he had some sort of holder type magic like he did, and so he guessed he would be some kind of caster. Pity. Milton quite liked it when he can best another holder mage but the satisfaction of beating a caster was also rewarding.

His gun was still pointed right at Jinchu and was deflated that he had not reacted at all. Wait. All of a sudden there was a tremor that flowed beneath him, causing him to pitch forward and slightly to the side thus losing his balance. As he was falling toward his opponent, Milton did not miss Jinchu's movement for a sweeping kick. Half by instinct and a split decision, Milton allowed himself to be knocked over; however, with this new momentum of falling to Jinchu's left side Milton hit the ground and smoothly rolled slightly behind him, hovering in between his peripheral vision and blind spot as Jinchu was immediately back up on his feet. Jinchu's magic infused fist swiped through air just as Milton loaded up his guns with his blood.

His right gun, which was now sporting a harden spike of blood, was jabbed forward to pierce his unguarded side while his left gun shot a single bullet at Jinchu's left foot, hoping to slow him down throughout the fight.

magic costs:

970 magic out of 1000 remaining:

(OOC: WIZARD! HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR OWN TITLE IN THE SPOILER!? OwO TEACH ME YOUR WAYS!)

Milton was successfully knocked off-balance and Jinchu was able to follow up with his leg-sweep. He popped up to deliver the punch but even as he turned he saw that his opponent had plans of his own and maneuvered his drop to be missed by the punch, 'Hmmm... He shows some ability in forethought it seems.' Jin simply let his body movements follow-through and it was too late to reign in his magic. This does not mean he would be caught off-guard though, he would simply use it to his advantage. Using the momentum from his punch he lunged forward, lifted off his feet to flip up the ramp of ramp of rock he created.

Instead of letting himself be fully aerial for the flip he thrust his Crash-fist down to make a small crater in the ground, to do a 180 degree handspring up the elevated ground. As he did this he heard the gun-shot, Milton had fired at him, but of course he missed, Jinchu was not interested in giving him a still-shot. Even before he landed he had his eyes glued to Milton, not in an intense stare, but very aware of what he was doing. Jin made an observation of the blood-red pike sticking out of the end of his right gun barrel, 'Interesting, what kind of ammunition is that?'

"Interesting," was all he said, not confirming what exactly he meant by it, just that Milton had his attention. He walked forward, taking a quick note of the bullet that had missed him, only slightly wedged into the ground. It wasn't exactly solid, it seemed to be losing whatever magical component that held it together. There were few liquids that were blood-red without food coloring and Jin was just content to guess the most obvious choice, "Is that blood? Cool." He kept going forward, his pace staying constant, it was almost ominous because he looked to be excited, nearly having a visible smirk on his lips but at the same time his body was so calm. If he was allowed to, he would walk until there was only a foot's distance between him and his client.

"Your style is interesting, I like it. I will give you five minutes before I tear it apart."

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Magic: 980/1000

The moment Milton realized that his close quarter attacks missed, he turned and ran just as Jinchu made use of his momentum and redirected his Crash-Fist to the ground, completely missing his person. Once he was a good distance away from his opponent, about three meters, Milton skidded to a stop and spun his heel. His guns were already, once again, up and ready to be shot though his right gun was still sporting the spike of blood.

This was what he was looking for! The thrill of battle. The blood pumping through his veins. The ADRENALINE! He was going to prove his worth today. He knew it. He could practically taste it. And what more... his opponent was powerful. Jinchu Raizen was a Crash Magic user. It was a very dangerous and as such... a paramount type of magic. Milton just had to let out a chuckle of amusement. Whether it was because of what Jinchu had just said or that he had become drunk in the moment was unclear.

"Is that so?" Milton replied, a smirk on his lips. "I'd like to see you try!"

He pulled the trigger on his left gun, letting out another Blood Shot, aiming right at Jinchu's chest, while letting the spike lose its form so that the right gun was now free to use again. In reality, Milton was not feeling all that confident in his skills. He was keeping his spirits up. There was no way he would go down without putting up a fight. Now, as he recalled, Crash Magic was meant for close combat which was his mistake in the beginning. So, he should keep his distance. Without delay, he shot another bullet, this time from his right gun and aiming at a spot he predicted his opponent might go to. He hoped that Jinchu would be too preoccupied with the first shot that it gave his second bullet to, at least, graze him.

Jinchu kept his steps going forward, not seeming to even acknowledge Milton's challenge, 'Five minutes and playtime will be over, I challenge you to stop me before that...' A shot went off, shooting out of the left, pikeless gun barrel. Jinchu had his magic ready, Crash Magic always had a constant force ready to go, which is what makes it so dangerous in every aspect of the user's life. He snapped up his right arm to intercept, the concentration flooding his palm to form a particular spell favourite of his.

The blood bullet redirected on impact, flying right back to Milton's chest in the same manner the shot was fired at Jin. Because of the simplicity of his response, not altering his course, the second shot fired would look to be off-target but of course the intention was to force Jinchu into its line of fire. The Crash mage would not look that far into it though, only assuming that there could have been some plan concerning the missed shot.

"C'mon, I expect a more elaborate display! Hehe." Of course he didn't expect to hear a response from the Gun user at this moment as he would be busy dealing with his own redirected bullet. Jinchu again was walking in that same ominous manner toward his target, his red hair and jacket almost looking like the blood his opponent wielded. Depending on Milton's demeanor he could respond to this with a fearful reaction but either way Jin's current position would come off as threatening.

Magic: 970/1000

Spoiler:

Word Count: 1899/2500

Jinchu was indeed a worthy adversary. Maybe even more so than what he was currently judging him. Milton lost all good thoughts about his opponent just as he continued to advance towards him as if his attacks were nothing but mere flies to bat away. Actually, it seemed it already was by the speeding bullet that was coming his way. Having dealt with guns and the effects of bullets as his magic was something he counted as a blessing. When he first started learning how to use his magic and had decided that shooting at things that would deflect his bullets was a good idea, Milton had his fair share of his bullets hitting him.

So the moment he shot his bullets and Jinchu made no movement to dodge, Milton had the insight to predict that his opponent was about to put up a shield of some sorts. He had already been running away (diagonally) from the ricocheted attack, barely dodging it and gaining a hole in his favorite jacket.

Oh, it was on now!

Milton knew that his base spell would do no damage at all in the fight. So he was going to go for the next level. His guns were locked and loaded, ready for firing. "Let's see if you can take this!" He squeezed both triggers, and immediately two shots went barreling towards Jinchu. Mid-way through flight, the bullets merged together to form a bigger bullet.

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930 out of 1000 Remaining:

With his good form, Milton had his own plans for evasion, making an accurate inference that Jin was unleashing his own attack back at him. The bullet flew through his coat, missing his body only by a bit. Jin watched his opponent move, set up and take aim for his next move to be made. Jinchu restrained his urge to speed up and attack, holding himself to his word not to begin his assault until the five minutes he promised were up. He clearly was not going to relent though as his current push was forcing Milton to do many elaborate advances just to attempt a hit, revealing his style and abilities in full effect while Jin merely made observations and dealt with the obstacles.

"Let's see if you can take this!" Milton said with his guns aimed to fire and without delay, pulled the triggers firing off two bullets in sync right for Jin. He may have had more difficulty anticipating the attack if Milton didn't broadcast it but the situation was relatively straight-forward. His magic readily charged in each fist, suggesting the intention to punch each bullet that came for him, it was obvious as he raised his hands for the defense the bullets merged, creating something a lot bigger.

"A new trick? I like it!" Jin's voice boomed with a confident vigor as, instead of individually punching at the projectile he smashed his fists together. The concussive vibrations of his colliding fists coated his whole body with a barrier. The Crash Barrier let the giant bullet look to make a full-on direct hit to his chest. On contact the bullet looked to have exploded on itself, unable to continue its course. The concussive shield Jin created held up until the giant fell, returning to its blood state.

"Hey, you actually aren't bad, haha! But I'd say you only have a couple minutes left, your racing the clock here, make me earn it!" His words weren't meant to be disheartening but Jinchu did understand that they may have that sort of effect. He continued moving forward, a smile carved upon his lips, Jinchu was really beginning to get into this battle.

Magic: 960/1000:

Word Count: 2275/2500

Just like before Jinchu did not even bat an eyelash in the face of his new and higher level technique. Milton felt himself grow even more frustrated with himself and his attacks. So far, nothing had worked to his advantage despite being out of range. The spells that Jinchu put out matched his blow for blow. This made him wonder just how much his training had gone to waste. What was he doing all this time? Milton clicked his tongue in irritation as his eyes, despite having glasses, saw Jinchu stop his attack.

His Twin Blood Shot had clearly made contact, but even so it fell apart. Ignoring Jinchu's jeering and keeping his mouth shut, Milton immediately fired off a single Blood Shot that was headed towards Jinchu's chest. He then followed it up with his signature spell, Bloody Milton Arrow.

His signature spell was not flashy nor huge like his Twin Blood Shot, but Milton hoped that Jinchu wouldn't think much of it. Many times, people would wave it off as another base spell and probably thought he was just buying time. And that was what Milton was hoping for.

Nevertheless, to make it look like he was preparing himself for something bigger, he turned and ran to get gain more distance between them. After travelling another ten feet, Milton turned back to see if his attack had worked while getting ready to use another spell; however it wasn't a combative spell at all. Instead, he waited. Milton did not think that Jinchu would be able to block it this time. His arrow was fast, powerful, and small.

880 out of 1000 Remaining:

Jinchu was nearly at his limit for patience, his opponent was really making him want to move, yearning to engage him. Even still there was at least a minute left before he could act. At the moment Jinchu did not have the ability to pull up a defensive spell so once his opponent attacked again he would be forced to get creative. It wasn't too difficult to consider an option as one came to him, a spell he had already used but it would be appropriate.

Just as he thought of the spell he could defensively use next, Milton had fired off his standard shot right at him, looking to follow up with another. In reaction to the initial blast he stomped the ground, creating a small crater and the earth around him shook. Of course Milton was out of range to be effected by the shaking but that was not the purpose. The strip of earth ahead of him rose, creating a long ramp, even an inch or two taller than Jin was. It wasn't a perfect response, the first bullet would get by the ramp, just skimming the top before it reached full height.

Jinchu heard the second shot fired just after he stomped down and he knew it would make contact with the upturned rock before even getting a chance to touch him. The first bullet he just ducked under as it was a straight-forward shot. What Jinchu did not expect was the power of the second shot. It blasted through behind the first bullet, only slowing down from penetrating the rocky ramp. He could not deny that he was mildly surprised, daresay impressed with the attack. He was already low from getting under the first bullet and only needed to lean back to steer clear of the crimson arrow coming at him.

Jinchu rode his leaning momentum, launching off his feet into a back-handspring. He even watched the blood-arrow fly over him when he was flipping back, almost as if everything around, including Jin, was suspended in a slow-motion. Instead of performing a full handspring he stayed planted on his hands as he flipped back onto his feet, 'Hehe, that's what I'm talkin' about!' There was an excited glow to his eyes now, even though Milton would have trouble seeing him looking straight on because of the ramp being in-between their lines of vision.

'I don't want to keep my eyes off of him for too long, he has been good with his magic thus far and I'd rather not give him leeway.' He was planted on all fours like he was about to start a race, it almost seemed to immortalize the moment. Jinchu was about to hit his mark of waiting five full minutes before going for his target, a true grin framed his face. An alarm went off in his head that signified the time where he would begin the end of this battle.

"Your five minutes are up. You better prepare yourself now, my turn is finally going to begin."

Magic: 950/1000:

Word Count: 2796/2500 (PASSED)

Milton had to, despite his situation, see the bright side of things. His ultimate attack. Hah! The Bloody Milton Arrow had easily been dodged. Of course, its speed had slowed down considerably after going through the thick wall of rock, but still... He shook his head and an unbelievable shake contorted throughout his body. It came out as a slow chuckle, a bit of disbelief and surprise weaving through, before it boomed out into a slightly hysterical laughter.

"AHAHA!" Milton brought one hand up to his forehead while the other was held out towards Jinchu in a "stop, please hold" gesture. "Forgive me - Haha! - But I think we'll have to stop." His laughter had died down and he began to feel the effects of blood loss. "Unfortunately, I will have to admit my defeat here and reward you for your skills."

He began to walk towards Jinchu but started to sway mid-walk. The world began to tilt one side and Milton tried to compensate by going to the other side. It did not help as his equilibrium immediately tried to follow his lead, making him seem a bit drunk rather than suffering from blood loss. "Ugh... Would you..." Milton tried to think and look straight but there were doubles and triples of everything.

Clearing his throat and seemingly regaining his balance, Milton grinned and asked, "Would you like to stay for afternoon tea?"

Passed:

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