Lightning Strikes Twice - Training with Kohryu

Page 21, 508 post

The wind rushed through their hair-- or mane in Tailong's case as the giant serpentine dragon soared through the air. The clouds passed by them effortlessly while the large, glowing red dragon swam through the sky--- towards the mountains of Midi. Upon his back, was the Dragon Slayer Indra, holding on as his companion rode him towards their destination.

Apparently, the Dragon Slayer had received a message. A messenger hawk had delivered it to the Ace of Spades-- and it appeared to be from none other than Kohryu himself, the dragon who taught Indra Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic. The message said, he wanted to impart more wisdom to him. To Indra, that was an invitation he wouldn't turn down. This sounded more fun than any mission or job he done so far.

Naturally, with Tailong being the servant to the dragon, he had no complaint to transform and fly back to Midi to meet him in his mountain home. The trip on the dragon's back made travel very fast, faster than most modern modes of transpiration. Of course, any other form would make Indra sick. It was the one thing he hated about being a dragon slayer-- the sudden inability to tolerate man-made modes of transportation.

Within a few hours, both Indra and Tailong were back home in Midi. The dragon flew to the caves that laid in the mountainside. The muscular man hopped off the dragon's back-- and Tailong shrunk back to his usual minuscule, comedic, less intimidating size. He fluttered in the air as they stood before the cave entrance that led up to Kohryu's sanctum inside the mountain.

"Have you been putting on weight?" Tailong asked as he plopped onto Indra's bare shoulder. The dragon slayer glared daggers at his serpentine partner. "Was kind of dragging slower than I usually do."

"Maybe its all those hamburgers you wolf down, smart ass," Indra countered--- offended by the assumption. The only weight on Indra was muscle. Besides, as he said, the dragon did have a ravenous appetite for having such a small form.

"Hey, I'm a growing dragon, ya know," Tailong countered.

However, the truth was, someone had followed them. The moment Tailong, something had been on him or followed his tailwinds to their destination. It was then now that the wind had died down and he got his bearrings of his surroundings, did he notice. He sniffed the air and recognized it. At first, his mind thought it were samurai or bounty hunters from his monastery... but it was not who he expected.

"You?!" Indra said in both anger and surprise, "WHat the hell are you doing here?"

(Now you may enter-- if you can write as if you had stowed away behind Tailong's back or tail, or flew in behind him using your own magic. )

WC: 411

”Man, this spaceship won’t go anywhere,” Imai sulked for himself. The progress of his vehicle was lacking speed, but he didn’t rush or anything. No deadline meant that Imai could procrastinate as much as possible. However, he did want to explore the heavens very soon, so if he wanted to fulfil that dream, then he would have to knock it up a bit. And that required his greatest, ingenious masterplan of all time - to build a spaceship! It was absolutely reasonable. A spaceship was needed to rise up to the stars and observe them from up close… or rather, avoid that, jeez, that would blind your eyes - especially when you weren’t really safe from looking at the sun too much.

Either way, Imai soon found himself snoozing on a nearby table at the Red Dragon Inn. He could snooze at Yggdrasil, but he decided to wait for some awesome client to enter the inn and request a wizard’s help. Maybe he was up for the task… if he didn’t wake up by the rumbling sound of an expansion in size just outside. Intrigued, he rubbed his eyes awake and ventured outside, discreetly leaning behind the doorway as he saw Indra and Tailong - oh boy, was Tailong always that colossal? That dragon was like… at least a hundred feet or more. Imai couldn’t miss out on this opportunity as he grabbed onto the tail for a quick surprise-hug, but… well, the dragon kind of flew away with him hanging onto its tail in fright.

It was a wonder why they didn’t notice him. Wasn’t Indra a renowned Dragon Slayer? Kenna-nee was a Dragon Slayer, too, and her senses were top notch; they could smell Imai’s soda breath from miles away. Maybe it was due to the wind that they passed with high speed… or perhaps Indra was too deeply drowned in his thoughts to even bother. Or maybe the tall lad already felt Imai’s presence? Maybe he was okay with the boy’s company? Sparkling eyes of hope resonated Imai’s face as he soon saw the dragon preparing for a landing.

…

They were in a whole other country, now. Imai hadn’t figured out precisely what country, and it wasn’t dark enough to use the stars for navigation. Either way, Indra and Tailong began conversing as if they didn’t even notice the boy’s presence. How mean of them; and Imai had come all the way to accompany them. Meanies.

However, he couldn’t help but be taken aback, his arms flailing back at Indra’s sudden outrage. He really didn’t know that Imai had followed him?! “Oh… uhh, uhm, hehee… y-you see, I kinda was left hanging on Tailong’s tail, and uh… thought you were on a mission or something… or yeah, something like that,” he explained in an apologetic tone, “… Y-You should work on your senses, though. Kenna-nee could smell me from miles away, and you’re just like her, aren’t you?” He pulled the ultimate face of reveal to Indra; the fact that the tall dude was a Dragon Slayer… which in Fiore meant less than it should. Honestly.

Imai did know his dragons, though. His magical sensory was unrivalled, and he could recognize all sorts of magical signatures such as Lost Magic, Requip, Elements and more. It was all thanks to the teachings of that old geezer.

“I know your deal, bro; you’re a Dragon Slayer!”

WC: 568

The sight of the young Imai was indeed a surprise to them-- but Tailong tried to brush it off as he turned to Indra with a sneer. "Yeah, Indra. You should have sensed he was there. Master Kohryu would be SOOOO disappointed when I tell him you couldn't sense him." the dragon teased.

Indra glared back at the tiny dragon, tempted to zap him again. "He was downwind of your flying, you gecko!" Indra shot back, using the word 'gecko' to insult Tailong. He turned back to the boy, annoyed by the fact he couldn't tell. "And I didn't expect you to stow away on his back-- who should of known he was being tailed. "

Tailong cringed at that one too. Seemed neither one had noticed, so focused to get to their destination.

Indra just crossed his arms in impatience as he looked at the kid. He recalled how persistant and full of questions he was, clearly star-eyed at anything related to dragons to the point he would brown-nose on Tailong for more information. However, he pointed out Indra was indeed a dragon slayer, which caused both of the two to glance at one another.

"Fine, fine..." Indra grumbled as he spilled the beans. "Yes, I'm a Dragon Slayer. I figure you would of known that by now... and we are on a 'mission' you can say." he admitted and said things calmly-- hoping this guy wouldn't start blabbering till he was finished. "We were summoned by Master Kohryu-- if you must know, who is the Thunder Dragon King. He was the one who taught me Dragon Slayer Magic. And he summoned me to teach me more about my magic. There you got your answers, nosey." he replied.

Despite the fact that down-wind situation wounded Indra's pride a little, he didn't know still why this kid tagged along. "So, mind explaining what possessed you enough to grab a hold of Tailong's tail to hitch a ride with us? We are a fair distance away from Dragon Inn. " he now pushed, wanting to know what the kid wanted.

There was no telling what this impulsive kid would do-- or worse if Kohryu learned he was there with him. Would he welcome him, or make him a small snack? He didn't put it past Kohryu that he wouldn't be tempted for human flesh-- considering he did mention about eating Indra when they first met.

WC: 405

“Yeah, right Tailong? I bet this uh… wait… Kohryu?” Imai spoke up by the pronunciation of a dragon’s name being Kohryu, “Kohryu… never heard of that name before. That’s weird… do you mean Kōryū?” It was just a guess from the star wizard - Kōryū meant something like ‘Brilliant, Dazzling Dragon’, and… wait, maybe! Just maybe! Indra had come all this way to the harsh biomes of Midi for the sole purpose of…

… of killing a dragon! Maybe there was a rogue dragon challenging his position!

Upon confirmation that Indra was, in fact, a Dragon Slayer, Imai jumped up in relief. “Yay, I was right!!!” he celebrated, “Both you and Kenna-nee have dragon-shaped magic! I couldn’t miss such a detail…!” Indra further explained that he was summoned here by the other dragon which held authority over him - Master Kohryu, the THUNDER DRAGON KING?!?! This just turned up for the better; a legit Thunder Dragon King? As in, a legit king? Oh god, oh god, oh god…!!!!

“U-Uh, oh that… uhm…” Imai had to come up with a good reason to have tailed Indra all the way to Midi. Was curiosity enough? Perhaps? He needed a reason that related to the place and reason… if the dragon was going to teach Indra magic- oh, there it was. As a spark in the darkness, Imai’s head went into overdrive by the almost sensual, zooming jump drive of an idea that crashed into his mind.

“C-Can Master Kōryū also teach me magic?” he genuinely asked Indra. What would happen if Imai became a Dragon Slayer too? Would Kenna be proud to see him become more like her?

WC: 276 + 568 = 844

"Humans, he has many names but that is an accurate one," Tailong corrected-- but Indra gave the little dragon a mild shock to shut him up. He was unsure what this all meant-- to have someone tag along with him. Dragon's were mercurial by nature and might not welcome other outsiders so willingly. This could end in a disaster for all of them...

He was thrown off by the mention of "Kenna", someone that Indra didn't know. "Kenna? Who is that ? Someone in our guild?" He asked, honestly not knowing anything about her-- or the fact she could have been another slayer. He shook his head, sure the answer was good but tried to get back on point. Before he could even scold the kid further-- he jumped right to the next topic, wishing to be taught by the same dragon.

A vein of annoyance crossed Indra's forehead. "Are you soft in the head or something?" Indra snapped, clearly crossed having him tail them. "First of all, slow down for five seconds! Second, There is no telling how Koryu will react when he sees you. I fought for my life to convince him to teach me Dragon Slayer magic. " he stated strongly, trying to make sure this hyper-active kid knew what he was talking about.

"Well... had you not come along," Tailong commented, nodding his head and little arms crossed in thought, "He probably would of beaten Lord Koryu alot faster than you did--"

"SHUT IT!" Indra snarled back, silencing the little dragon. He turned back to the kid. He took a deep breath to try and calm him. "Look, he might be showing me new spells but I don't think he can just teach you Dragon Slayer magic like mine. Its not just teaching how to use it but its an adaption that changes your entire body. That said-- there is no guarantee you may walk away with what your hoping for."

Still, if this kid wanted to meet Koryu and learn what he had to share-- there was nothing he could have against it. He just would need to ask the dragon himself before he would set foot in his chambers.

... Or else the kid would become a pile of ash after a lightning strike and he would have to explain to the guild why one of their aces ended up deep-fried dragon chow.

WC: 400

Oh wait, he hadn’t met Kenna until now. Imai didn’t know that - wasn’t aware of that - couldn’t guess that and all the other phrases to express his oblivious ignorance to that specific fact. Okay. “Y-Yeah… she’s a Dragon Slayer, too. You share the same magic image somewhere buried inside those massive abs... I wish I could grow such big abs,” he casually dug deeper into his own explanation.

Now that was just mean. He wasn’t soft, he was just taken aback and curious! Who would blame a man for being curious? Come on! “What?! You’re soft in the head…!” he spoke right back at the tall Sabertooth Wizard. Despite proper respect to the Ace not received yet… well, if it truly was the deal of a Dragon King that they talked about, then Indra did already leave an image of absolute raw strength and valor. For a guy to survive a dragon’s training was awe-worthy… and Imai wanted to experience that himself.

“Hmh…” Imai hummed in deep thought. His next action was to enter the cave without warning, leaving Indra behind if the latter didn’t try and catch up already. Albeit smaller, Imai packed a lot of physical power himself - thankfully granted by his experience as a wizard. He was very light on his feet, walking around without even making a sound, and as he entered the cave, the atmosphere instantly felt… different.

There was a monster in here… the presence of a dragon was nigh.

WC: 249 + 844 = 1093

Abs got nothing to do with Dragon Slayers, Indra thought as he watched the kid go on and on. He knew he would be popular being a dragon slayer, but this was breaking out of his comfort zone from fawning ladies wanting a piece of him, let alone the kid was a guy. A chill ran down his spine at the thought and just moved on.

Either way, he should meet this Kenna in due time, that was for sure. For now, he was already feeling late to meet Koryu and knew he had to deal with THIS first. But then...

The kid made a bee-line right into the cave. This actually shocked Indra to see the kid literally run inside without any hesitation. "HEY! ARE YOU CRAZY! STOP! Ace or not stupid kid won't listen!!" Indra shouted as both he and Tailong ran after him.

(THis really was a super reckless idiotic thing you do running into a dragon's home.)

As Imai ran up the passage into the mountain-- he soon would find the break in the cave walls via the shining golden light. As he would rush forward, he soon would find it.

The entire cave soon broke into a more carved elegant show of stone-- but soon led to an actual room. The inside was built as an oriental palace room-- breaking the reality of a seemingly inhospitable cave. The ceilings were huge, golden pillars reached to the ceiling and carved reliefs and golden ephagies were layered into the ground and walls. It all screamed regal presence as he would find this place.

However, there was no sign of a dragon... but a certain man was seen in the distance. He sat in a throne, dressed in black, gold and red robes. He looked like no other human, however, the intense aura of focus would give away something more if the kid was stupid enough to approach him without announcing himself.


Indra was not far behind-- and would probably tackle the stupid kid if he did anything stupid.

WC: 343

How would Imai look with abs, though? Imagining a lad like himself with huge abs… actually terrified him. Perhaps he should go for a slim build for life, not exactly becoming the next greatest bodybuilder like Indra here, but rather just… well, being him. Being alive. Healthy. Health was good. Although, maybe some push-ups and sit-ups will help in the long run…, he thought.

He could hear Indra’s roaring wrath following behind him as he strolled into the cave. He couldn’t help but hold a laugh back, but the humor turned into awe at the very look of this place. He wasn’t in a cave - no, he was in a freaking palace! A palace inside a cave with marbles and shiny, golden pillars holding the tall ceiling up! This was the absolute, ideal residence of royalty… or more!

Imai’s eyes almost popped out of his head for a moment, then retracted back and shone like the gold itself. “Oooooooooooh~” he let out in delight, “This place is huuuuge…” He would have commented the decorations - for instance the golden ephagies and the calligraphy, but… oh wow, shit…

The strongest magic power felt in ages stood further away… rather, he sat on a throne and eyed the kid from afar, his sharp, darting eyes clearly surprised by the emergence of a stranger inside his area and domain. “…. U-Uh, hey there,” Imai greeted with a waving hand, “Man, what powerful wizard are you? I can see your magic power covering the entire place… this is inhuman. Ah, wait, I’m Imai Uchuuken. An honor to meet you.” Despite the strange phenomenon of absolute show of power from the elder male, Imai held his composure and confident look on his face. His eyes dazzled with a strange type of dominating spirit that wasn’t easily broken down by anyone.

“… Oh, hold up, you’re Kōryū, aren’t you?” Imai suddenly let out in a shocked tone. This kind of surprised him, since he had no previous knowledge of dragons taking forms as humans… except from those legends of Emperor Jimmu.

WC: 346 + 1093 = 1439

The interruption drew Koryu from his rest and thought as he heard the clear voice of the boy as a thunderous echo in his chamber. Clearly, one with little restraint as he soon approached. A stern look was caked to his face-- even though under the guise of a seemingly old man. THe truth was, there was much more to this man than meeted the eye. The boy was quick to speak and more so to introduce himself. The expression of Koryo was one as if he might of found a mouse wandering within his house that just walked right up to a prowling cat.

When he was addressed by name, Koryu raised a brow at the loud-mouthed stranger. "Indeed I am. And why exactly have you come here uninvited, little boy," Koryu said in a knowing tone. "Humans are a handful as it is. But ones with no manners or sense of restraint. Do you have a death wish?"

However, it wasn't clear if it was just an actual question or a threat-- but the 'electricity' could be felt in the air.

WHACK!!

Without any hesitation, Indra had caught up with Imai and smacked him good in the head-- not a real hard one but enough to make the astromancer see stars a little. "ARE YOU STUPID!?" Indra roared, having got there just in time.

Tailong soon flew in and joined beside them as Indra stood before Koryu and properly bowed before his master.

Koryu's intense gaze soften at the presence of Indra, and soon relaxed a bit. "Oh, Indra. I take it this... person is a friend of yours? Or did you come bringing him as a pet or snack for me?" he said in a mild, teasing tone.

Indra felt a bit out of place as he literally had charged in to stop him-- but now there they were. Even Tailong had now transformed into his full size-- and grabbed Imai with his giant paw to 'muffle' the mouthy boy. Tailong loved Imai as someone who would fawn over him, but he was doing his best to keep the kid from killing himself in the presence of the sharp-as-lightning Koryu.

"Forgive me, Master Koryu. Imai is a... acquaintance. A fellow guild member, who had the brilliant idea to stow away on Tailong to follow us here," Indra explained while Tailong tried to keep Imai quiet. "He is very curious and knows about other Dragon Slayers but... he was adamant to come here despite our warnings and... well you can see."

The older man looked to Imai, clearly capable to wiggle out Tailong's grip easy enough but seen as the two would fight. "Heh, so I see," the dragon in human form said.

"He really thought highly of you and wished to meet you. I hope you will not mind-- and forgive his impulsive tendencies. " Indra said humbly.

This time a clear chuckle fell from him as he laughed. His laugh would bellow through the walls, betraying the presence behind his human disguise. "Impulsive, now who else could go by that description?" he said knowingly to Indra, but Indra merely bowed his head, accepting the jab at how he dedicated to learn Dragon Slayer magic when they first met. Koryu raised a hand and stroked his beard in thought as he looked at Tailong and Imai.

"Very well," Koryu said warmly as he rested his hands behind his back. "I suppose eating him would be a bit tough going down, anyway." The obvious kick to his tone betrayed the joking nature that the man was using at the moment.

Though Imai wouldn't know, what Koryu enjoyed more than the stereotype of eating a human, was messing with them every now and again. He had an appreciation for the brave and enthusiastic, but he often would often not like humans unless they proved themselves worthy of his presence. After all, he was the Lightning Dragon King.

WC: 659

“Ohhhh,” Imai let out fascinated. He had finally stood up face to face with a dragon… and he began to realize the inappropriate actions of his. Not being invited beforehand, rushing in on his own as if he lived here, all the things. “N-No, I was just cur-“

WHACK!!

His head bounced into his torso for a moment in a cartoonish fashion. Indra had caught up to him and attempted to take control of the situation - you know, as the one who had knowledge about the dragon in particular as well as the main objective in this conquest of training. “Ouuuuuuch,” Imai cried in a sulking voice, “I was just curious, that’s all…” Safe to say, his curiosity took a toll and all control of his movements, so… sorry, Indra.

“L-Listen, I just wanted to see the big dragon for-“ Imai began to explain pathetically before getting grabbed by Tailong who silenced him with his big paw, “*muffled*” Indra began apologizing for the young Ace’s enthusiasm. Imai really had to work on his explosive actions - a wrong step, and he could have gotten toasted.

… The dragon was being cocky despite its high position. It clearly put a word of challenge to Imai, since he was used to these tones in people’s voices.

“Iw’m nawt juwst ewmpolsiffuh,” he began explaining under Tailong’s grab, “Aye jawst wawntehd tuh lawrn Dwahgen Sulayuh Mahjic wif Indwah…” Translation would be ‘I’m not just impulsive! I just wanted to learn Dragon Slayer Magic’ with Indra.

WC: 252
TWC: 1439 + 252 = 1691

Realizing that Imai was reasonably safe from being 'eaten' , Tailong let out a sigh of relief and let go of the mouthy youth-- and began to transform back into his smaller form. At which, Tailong perched himself upon Imai's head, finally getting to rest after his long flight and chasing after Imai through the cave. Indra gave Imai a mindful glance, but turned back to Koryu, wondering what his final verdict was.

As the last of Imai's words were somewhat audible, and Koryu raised a brow at the young boy. "You wish to learn Dragon Slayer magic? Well that puts me in an odd position I'm afraid..." the dragon in human form said. "You see, dragon slayer magic isn't something as simple as learning it from a book or study. The actual magic is magically passed from the dragon to the human-- and as a result, it makes the body undergo a permanent transformation. They are no longer 'human' in that sense. "

"Indra accepted those risks when he sought me out, but I cannot just give it to you, not right now anyway..." he said, not to dash the young boy's hope completely. "But you are more than welcome to sit in and learn what I have to teach. Does that sound acceptable? Dragon slayer or no, you will learn some things-- as much as Indra will."

Indra frowned at the jab at him. Sure he had flaws that Koryu would bring up and rub into him-- but he honored Koryu and all that he represented. he was the only mentor he could respect.

"So, shall we get started? Follow me, " Koryu said and led them to another chamber in his cave-mansion home.

Hmh… the words coming from Koryu did both assure him as well as excite him in an anxious and extra-happy fashion. At first, he was worried; the dragon mentor explained that Dragon Slayer Magic wasn’t as simple as being learnable by observation and deeper adaptation into just anyone’s lives. It was actually a granted ability passed down from dragon to human… so if Imai wanted to become a Dragon Slayer, then that meant that he would essentially become a Dragon himself.

That must’ve meant that Kenna, his big sister figure, as well as big, buff Indra here, were Dragons… in the more magical and spiritual sense. Like having the body of a mortal human, but the soul of a wrathful dragon. It was so fascinating! He almost popped his eyes out in awe.

Apparently, Imai’s time to become one hadn’t shown up yet according to Koryu. However, when the elder Dragon suggested that Imai could find himself welcome to sit and learn of his teachings, he had to accept the offer. “Y-Yes, of course! That’s very acceptable…!” he replied joyously.

His feet would generously follow Koryu’s as they entered the cave-mansion built inside the mountain…

WC: 195

Indra was unsure where Koryu was leading both him and Imai down a hallway-- one just as elegant but darker. The dragon slayer never understood why his master would live in such a cave entrance, but that was dragons for you. Still, he had a good sense of taste. There just was so much he didn't know about Koryu so far, but now would be a good time to learn about him along with whatever new techniques he wished to impart on him.

"I had sent you into the world to grow and develop the magic I gave you on your own," Koryu said as they walked down the hall. "So far you used the bare minimum of what your magic was capable of. Now its time to hammer the more intense applications into you." he said in a firm manner with his back turned to both his student and guest.

A gulp escaped Tailong as the little dragon rode on Imai's head for comfort.

Indra, however, smirked. "Don't you know by now you can't scare me off? Its gonna take more than that to drive me away." Indra said cockily.

Koryu growled, but showed a grin on his face as he glanced behind his shoulder. "I'll take that bet. Prepare yourself..." he said ominously as they entered another chamber, light filling their vision.

As they entered, Indra was baffled by what he saw as Koryu stood before them. He soon snapped his fingers, and lightning flashed before them. It was a dizzying sensation for all of them-- but soon it cleared and they were in another position.

Indra and Imai were now seated at a large table across from where Koryu stood. Behind him was a blackboard, erect in the middle of the room as he held a small pointing stick with a glowing tip to write and draw on. "Class is in session," the Lightning Dragon King said as he stood as some kind of stuffy professor.

Indra's eyes went wide with surprise and dread. "You mean... we are to STUDY?" Indra groaned, his idea of further training dashed. His shoulders drooped a bit as he realized what the further training implied.

A muffled laugh reached Indra's ears as he glanced to find Tailong with his maw covered by his paws, clearly to contain his laughter.

A crack of the tip of the pointing stick went off as Koryu gained the attention of both students-- and hopefully Imai would keep in attention as well. Whether for show or for serious teaching, Koryu seemed as demanding as any professior in a magic institution. "You wish to learn Lightning Magic, even for a Dragon Slayer... requires proper study. Do not forget, a mage's power come from both the mind and body. You must sharpen both to use your magic to its peak condition. You will learn this, or you will fail..." he said it firmly.

Indra just grumbled and sunk down with his elbows on the desk. "Great..." He said with a clear lack of enthusiasm.

Koryu turned to the blackboard and used the pointer to draw out a diagram. "Now-- Lightning Magic, as many of you can guess is the practice to generate and control lightning on its fundamental level. Among other forms of elemental magic, its one of the hardest to control due to the chaotic nature of how it is generated. " Indra gave a hard tap of the pointer to a diagram he showed of a thundercloud, and a rough drawing of the land, sky and area in between. "Remember-- any form of elemental magic and how its used depends on many factors. The amoung of magic energy, technique and experience the caster has. However, in the most exemplary of situations-- all forms of elemental magic must follow the natural laws of their environment. Dedicate that to memory. It will be on a test. "

Indra grumbled as he sunk lower into his arms. "He's getting into this, isn't he?" Indra said to Tailong and Imai.

"Now, can anyone tell me..." Koryu said as he drew out a simple lightning bolt from the cloud he drew. "... What is Lightning and how is it created?"

WC: 700

Oh boy! If Indra had more to learn about his Lost Magic, then Imai wouldn’t dare miss out on the sweet lecture! He was already on his toes, eager to see what Koryu had in store for them. He petted Tailong who nestled on his head and managed to follow Koryu and Indra to a new chamber with light filling his vision and slowly fading away. “W-Woah…” he let out. But he wasn’t able to react too much before teleporting to a new position by external forces.

They both sat down on chairs at a large table, and Koryu was on the other side. There was a blackboard… oh, wait, this was what Koryu meant by lecture? The words ‘class is in session’ gave Imai nostalgia of his early school days back when he knew nothing about his innate capabilities with magic - you know, back when his parents thought his future leaning more towards education than physical slash magical labor.

Unlike Indra, though, this didn’t pull Imai down. He was just as excited as always, ready to impress Koryu with his knowledge!

As reliable as it sounded, Lightning Magic was one of the types of Caster Magic that leant towards the utilization of a single element - lightning. The question was ‘what is lightning’ and ‘how is it created’…

“Ah!” Imai spoke up and raised a hand, “Lightning is an electrostatic discharge. You’ve drawn the cloud, because that lightning is typically created by generating large discharges inside of thunderclouds… you could also say that it’s very hot plasma created by these thunderclouds’ electron flow.”

“As far as I remember from my studies, inside thunderclouds is a collection of particles that continuously clash with each other, thus generating friction and therefore static electricity. Once when charged enough, a spark emerges and causes the air to heat up incredibly fast, creating the embodiment that we see as a lightning bolt.”

WC: 319

Indra raised a brow at how childlike Imai responded to the request, raising his hand like a giddy schoolboy. Even Tailong looked down at him from his perch on Imai's head, curious to his reaction. Tailong was content where he was and listened like a visitor to a lecture.

Koryu listened to Imai-- and smiled as he hit the points right on the mark. Though not in the order he initially wished to cover, it was done exactly as he was about to describe. "A crude analogy but well put. You hit all the right marks. Well done, boy," Koryu said with enthusiasm as he soon drew dots inside the cloud with pluses and minuses. "These particles are known as positive and negative charges-- this is caused by the change in temperature from the lower atmosphere and higher atmosphere and result in both the clouds and the different particles. Now pay attention cause this is import---"

Snooooooree....

Koryu stopped as he heard the sound to his sharp hearing. He turned to soon see next to Imai was Indra, now with his head in his arms and eyes closed as he seemed to doze off in the middle of the conversation. The dragon teacher gave a grumpy look at his apprentice, who out of all of them was the most resilient to teach.

"Oooooh, he's in trouble..." Tailong said in a sing-song-snickering tone atop of Imai's head.

However, Koryu kept calm as all he did was raise a single finger He snapped his fingers-- and a small bolt of lightning struck from the ceiling. The bolt zapped Indra in the back and caused a mild-electric shock into him.

"WHAA?!" Indra shouted, jolted awake and now sitting up right. HIs hair stood a little bit on end, but the lightning strike was nothing bad by comparison.

"I'm sorry, Indra. Is my lesson boring you?" he said in a calm, casual tone. However, his eyes screamed a terrifying glare that would scare most men in his dragon form. Even now lightning crackled off his robed form.

Indra shook his head as he sat up. "Sorry, master... but you know I'm a more hands' on learning person," he said shamelessly unapologetic in his tone.

However, this made Koryu smirk with ideas. "Well then, perhaps you would like to help in my explanation by being a volunteer to demonstrate what happens to a person struck by lightning. Hm?"

Indra soon frowned at the idea, seeing the clear vindictive look in his master's eyes. "Eh-hehe... maybe later, master."

"Then no more sleeping!" he said firmly and returned to the board. "As I was saying, lightning is generated by the friction and charge by several particles and what is produced is lightning. This 'flow' we know as lightning is created by several bursts of these particles as 'electricity' which is a mixture of what most would call plasma and ions. "

Though Indra was awake, he grumpily half-listened with his chin supported by his fist, clearly being the poster child of a student who didn't want to listen to a lecture. "Indra," Koryu interrupted the man's brooding. "If Lightning magic is made of the same matter as regular lightning, what is in it?" he asked.

Indra took a second to think as he recalled the words said. "Um... you said ions and plasma. But I'm not sure what those are." he admitted.

Koryu nodded, agreeing with Indra on the parts. "Ions are tiny, near invisible particles similar to aethernano, for which is a fundamental building block of matter. However, these particles are charged with the same positive and negative current I just described. " The dragon in the man's vision was more pleased to hear his lesson was starting to take root among both humans. "Now, here is a question for you both. If lightning is created from the charge of positive and negative ions-- if it strikes from a point of a high positivly charged position, where will the lightning strike?"

A difficult question, but one they could easily figure out if they were paying attention.

WC: 681

Huh? It was right! Yes, Koryu was right! Imai had forgotten to mention them, but positive and negative charges played a huge role in the creation of lightning. It also explained the motion of hail and rain drops in a cloud - usually, air pushed upwards if it was warm and vice versa. It made so much sense to a nerd… but Indra appeared to be different from him. Perhaps… uh… hello? Earth calling Indra?

It was a comical situation to find a student sleeping through your lecture. Imai tried to hold back his cackle, but when the lightning bolt hit Indra’s back, Imai’s head moved itself back from pure fright of the sudden action taking place. Koryu was a tad displeased by the snoring through his lecture and oozed out a terrifying aura… no! Imai wasn’t so easy to scare. He was obedient, yes, maybe too much at times, but he knew his values.

And as such, the lesson continued. Plasma and ions flowing through the space between one spot and another was usually depicted as, yes, a lightning bolt… in this specific case, that was. Maybe not as a plasma cannon, but were those a thing?

And Koryu came up with an interesting question - now that lightning bolts were charged with two types of particles, positive and negative, he asked the two Sabertooth Wizards about where a lightning would strike if coming from a point of a high positively charged position.

“Wouldn’t the positive charges cause it to aim for a negatively charged position?” Imai decided to answer, “Like two magnets. Positive attracts negative.” He showcased with his fingers the attraction of magnets in a primitive way.

WC: 280

Imai's responce to the question caused Koryu to give a toothed smile. HIs dragon canines showed just beyond the grin of his teeth. "I can see why you are praised so highly among the guilds, Imai. You are quite brilliant for your age," he commented-- Indra gave a small little sound of displeasure as he groaned and looked the other direction. Koryu returned to the board and drew out the positive and negative charges. "Yes. In fact, you hit on a very critical point. The basic principles of lightning do not simply govern lightning bolts -- but also the forces of magnetism themselves. Many make the mistake of thinking magnetism is a result of metallic properties or air properties-- but the reality is, it is more related to Lightning than anything else. "

Snnnoooooooreee...

Koryu turned to Indra--- but this time it wasn't Indra who had dozed off. Imai could feel the rumble atop his head as it was now Tailong who was asleep, curled up in the fluff of the boy's hair as he no longer felt the need to pay attention.

Indra grumbled as he rolled his eyes, now leisurely laying back in his chair. "Oh you gotta be kidding me..." He replied.

Though annoyed, Koryu remained calm as he slowly walked over to beside both Indra and Imai. It was then that he asked a question. "Did you know.. the resulting sound of thunder is the discharge of lightning that happens so fast-- it literally breaks the sound barrier. " The man leaned down closer and soon let out a sharp yell.

The yell was replace with the crack and bang of thunder-- which caused Tailong to scream in surprise, and the others to flinch! "YYEOOW!!" Tailong shouted, now up on the ceiling like a bat from the shock.

ALl the while, Koryu smirked with a sadistic glee to see his slackers reaction to minor warnings for not paying attention. "At this point in time, perhaps it is best if we see these facts shown in physical examples. You wanted hands-on learning Indra-- so here it is." Indra soon sat up in awareness, sensing the urgency to listen carefully. "To use lightning dragon slayer magic you must understand all principals of lightning. The spell i will teach you follows the nature of the different charges that lightning particles possess-- to both attract and repel one another. "

”O:” Imai’s face was full of delight by Koryu’s recognition of his nerdiness. Moreover, was he praised that much by his guild? Did that mean… did he, perhaps, have his own statue? Oh, he would love to have a statue of himself! That would be absolutely awesome! A statue dedicated to the great Ace of Sabertooth, Imai Uchuuken- haha, he couldn’t hide his excited smile by the thought.

… Wait, did Tailong sleep too? What was with these two and their sleeping habits?!

“H-Hey… Tailong… Tailong, wake up please…” Imai whispered to the small dragon, but he was way too deep in his sleep to catch onto the star wizard’s warning. Koryu had appeared in the middle between the two Sabertooth Wizards, personally showcasing them the art of… roaring like a thunderbolt-

OH GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Imai’s hair was pushed aside by the loud sound that easily caused his brain to vibrate. Tailong was wakey wakey after that, and with all three students awake, the lesson would take a more physical attire.

“Ohhhhhh,” Imai let out in a long, surprised hum. He looked to the left and to the right, surprisingly seeing not a single magnet present… wait…

“Am I the magnet? But I’m not made of iron or… well… nah, easy peasy! Bring it on, Mr. Koryu!”

Koryu laughed a bit at Imai's response to his words. "Not that kind of thing, but you will see it fairly as we proceed. Now, i hope you have paid attention-- to most of what I had to say Indra. Now I will teach you the spell that makes use of both of these. " he explained. It was then he raised another hand up and snapped his fingers.

Lightning flashed in front of them with a blinding flash, and gush of air did their surrounding change. Indra soon felt the constantly stormy weather around him as they were now outside. The sky was darkened by the swirling clouds, that was always around the peaks of Midi. They stood on one of the mountain tops, that were more like a plateau where Koryu often brought Indra out to fight or train. The latter was the case here. Before them, Koryu stood the same distance as before, in his human form.

No doubt, Imai might be curious what Koryu looked like as a real dragon-- but he would have to either ask or figure out later.

Meanwhile, Koryu smiled with his weathered face as his white hair blew in the breeze. Indra, Imai, won't you both please throw your strongest spell at me? " he asked almost as casually as if asking to pass the dinner rolls.

A squeak came from Tailong, who had now been flying in the air above them as they were trans-located. Indra glanced at Imai, unsure whether that was for the best. Still, it wouldn't be the first time he attempted to land a harmful blow against his master. "If you insist..."

He inhaled a deep breath and waited to throw his spell along side Imai-- Indra now curious what kind of magic the kid had. "Lightning Dragon... ROAR!!"


The blast of lightning erupted from Indra's maw as it flew right for the old man, poised to hit as he just stood there. Of course, Indra had little doubt his master wouldn't counter it in some way.

WC: 343

Oh wait, another flash covered his view as Imai was left in a blitz of light. He felt… outside? Wati, they were outside! That was quicker than he could teleport, what an achievement! He guessed that it was no surprise coming from the capability of a dragon, but it was still so much to fathom and witness! Imai was a wonderer and a boy of awing for anything like this…

His strongest spell… Imai would have to reflect upon his own magic to thin about that. What was truly his strongest spell in his arsenal? What was the spell that could always secure the victory or save those that he found dear and close to his heart? What was his key spell to bring a change- Indra shot out ahead of him with a Lightning Dragon’s Roar, and now Imai felt needed to haste. He summoned a bow of pure, bluish light with bright-white carvings of the hunter Orion, and as an arrow manifested between the string and his aiming fingers, he shot out: “Orion!” The arrow left the bow in high speed and caught up to the Lightning Dragon’s Roar, almost engulfing itself in the clash of positive and negative ions merging together to release the energy needed to manifest such a lightning spell.

The two spells flew towards Koryu. It was then he clapped his hands together then soon slammed them into the ground hard. He let out a thundering roar-- and something jutted out from the stone of the mountain. A towering wall that flashed with lightnign energy. The two spells struck the wall of lightning, easily shattered aparts and bits of the magic. What was left literally were sent flying into different directions.

Upon closer look, the 'wall' was in fact two large metallic protrusions out of the ground and in between them was a wall of lightning energy that surged between and around them-- marked by a single lightning shaped emblem in the center. As the two would observe the structure, Koryu stepped out from behind it and gestured to the wall.

"Indra, this is the "Charged Rampart". A spell of defense against enemy assaults. This barrier is capable of withstanding against extremely powerful magics by creating an opposing energy pulse-- which in turn repels objects thrown against it." he explained.

However, despite the impressive defense, Indra scoffed as he glared into the distance. "I thought you were going to teach me powerful spells, Master. " he complained, "A shield? This isn't even going to do me any---"

A bang of thunder came to silent him-- and the ire showed in Koryu's eyes. "Watch your next words, Indra... They may be your last if you mock the arts I take the time to show you." he warned.

Indra swallowed his words-- literally as he didn't speak em further. A snicker could be heard above as Tailong flew above Imai.

"A true warrior, be it mage, samurai, shinobi or slayer-- is only defined by the variety of techniques they can master. This goes for both offense and defense, " Koryu said firmly, now more directed to Indra than Imai-- but the young wizard was free to listen. "True on the surface, this barrier doesn't appear to do much. However, if I had wanted-- I could of used the very shield to deliver a poweful repulse charge-- throwing your own magic back at you and destroying you with it. "

"I could have---" But Indra stopped. He realized what would of happened if it did. He couldn't eat his own lightning, or any slayer for that matter.

Koryu smirked as Indra finally got a gist of it. "This spell may not be as flashy or destructive as you prefer-- but there WILL come a time this spell will save your life or the lives of those you may value. " he explained and turned to Imai. Imai, since your presence was... unexpected, how about you help Indra with his training. I want you to attack Indra with everything you got. Indra-- under no circumstance will you launch an attack of your own. You will use and ONLY use this spell against him. I would of done it myself , but I sense this child has... an abundance of energy he would love to use. " There was a snicker to Koryu's tone, as he reached up and stroked his beard in thought.

"You're a sadistic old dragon!" Indra grumbled-- knowing fighting Imai was going to suck!

WC: 566

What the- his ears were ringing right now. Upon responding to Koryu’s words, Imai and Indra had sent their strongest spells at the dragon being, but a bolt of lightning blocked their spells and cut them down to smithereens. Light just blitzed and covered his entire vision until fading away and revealing two solid bars with electric impulses between them. There was an emblem in the middle signaling a lightning symbol.

“Oooohhh! Is that a new spell? Can I-“ Imai was about to ask out, but he quickly realized that Indra was the actual Dragon Slayer. He was the one who was tasked with learning this spell. Therefore, he listened to Koryu’s explanation; a warrior in all their rights were attuned in all aspects of combat, and that included the defensive aspect as well. He should be able to block just as efficiently as punching if he wanted the upper hand in a battle. These lessons were universal and could be of good use for any brawler.

And thus, the lesson took a turn. Student was going to launch a spell against the other student; Imai was now going to direct his strongest spell against Indra and hope that the buffed warrior was ready with the shield spell. “Uh, fair enough,” Imai replied eagerly, “Okay, get ready, Indra!” He was more than energetic enough to execute his order. Magic power surged up from his feet and covered his legs. It would crawl up across his torso and soon cover his head too, turning Imai into a living lamp of blue light. This light was Ethernano that turned into photons at will, and as a burst resembling a bluish fire signaled his preparation to strike, Imai jabbed both hands forward. Together, they formed the gateway for a volley of a gazillion blasts of pure, blue light power that charged forward as many arced around to create a beautiful but devastating view. They were many, and they kept shooting out, all charging right towards Indra at once.

WC: 335

Imai was as impulsive as expected and clearly had no sense of restraint as he did just as he was asked. "What?!" Indra shouted, but was too late as he saw the gleam of blue light, followed by the mass barrage of laser-like projectiles coming at him. His eyes went wide with alarm as he quickly moved to avoid the first volley but soon saw another one coming.

He worked to try and evade them-- since his master forbid him from using any other spells. As Indra looked like a monkey evading stones, Koryu sighed and shook his head. "Indra! Stop dodging and start blocking. The POINT is to use the shield for cover. If you don't block you will---"

BAM!! The number of bolts crashed into Indra dealing searing damage. The flash was painful-- and probably not intended by Imai to actually hit Indra. But the kid clearly didn't have a sense of restraint-- which Koryu was counted on.

Indra was knocked back to his back, sears along his body from the intense photon bursts. Through the pain, Indra cracked open an eye to look at the kid. All the time he thought he was an annoying little brat-- but he had some serious power behind him. He underestimated him. "Damn it... I'm gonna kill that kid..."

Tailong hovered up above both Koryu and Imai as he observed the training. "Clearly none of you know the term restraint..." Tailong said, till he got a crossed glance by Koryu-- to which he hesitated softly with a correction.

With a grunt, Indra rose back to his feet with the sears. Luckily, he had endured similar wounds but was able to get up. "Remember, Indra. To cast it you must use both hands , opposing charges to each one. The resulting shield will appear to be the same and respond using the magnetic forces to repel the enemy attacks. " he said and glanced at Imai with enthusiasm. "Again!" he ordered.

"What?!" Indra shouted.

As Imai would probably just continue to assault him over and over again-- Koryu chuckled as he saw the potential overkill training session. "Trial by fire... the best way to learn Lightning Magic." he commented.

WC: 394