Papuru Star

A Yuni with grey streaks running through blue and burgundy smooth, rock skin sat heavily at a table. A stone cup full of water was there, which the Yuni took slow measured sips from. Another man was in the seat opposite the Yuni, a floating viewscope and filming light to either side of him.

Interviewer

Good evening, Mr. Skipstone. I hope the trip here was pleasant.

Vaug

Call me Vaug and it was as fine as any trip a hundred and ninety year old man is likely to take these days.

Interviewer

Okay. So, why don't we start by introducing yourself.

Vaug

Well, the name's Vaug Skipstone, born and raised right here in Gemma. Competed in the 96th Coalition Carnage, I did. Made Finals, too.

Interviewer

I know. I read all about it. Now, what can you tell me about Juna.

Vaug chuckles.

Vaug

Juna was the most wonderful person I have ever known and I know a lot of folks. I'm not saying that because she's me great granddaughter or anything. She truly was a wonder to behold. She always looked on the brighter side of things, you know? Even as a child. She's the youngest of twelve and was ignored half her life. By her parents, by me own granddaughter even! And her siblings! I love them all, bless them, but they were so wrapped up in their own lives, they always forgot she existed. If it weren't for the various pranks she would pull to get their attention, I'm convinced they all would have forgotten her name. Instead, the pranks only made them see her as an annoyance more then anything else. When she wanted help with homework or some other thing, they were too busy or not around at all. Me granddaughter and her lazy, no good husband was no better. She respected them enough to spare them her outlandish pranks, but they are as selfish as their other kids. So she came to me. I was her favorite adult. She said so. After watching footage of me battles during the 96th competition, she began shadowing me everywhere, learning me and me ways.

He sighed under his breath.

Vaug

Damn, that kid was bright. I taught her the art of Flow of Hand; she learned fast. She entered the 99th to test herself. And for fun, shouldn't forget that. She even made Finals like me too. I remember it well.

PAST

99th Coalition Carnage: The Finals: Bout 5

Juna laughs boisterously as she dodges another volley of razor sharp feathers unleashed by her airborne opponent, the Tilris, Koshinataa. He, in turn, attempts to avoid her fireflies as they chase him through the manufactured air and in the airless void around Galaxy Station's Battle Arena. Composed completely of flames, the fireflies were powered by Juna's very soul, thus no oxygen was no problem. They were fast enough to keep Koshinataa darting over the audience, out to open space and back again. This dance had been going on for a handful of minutes; him running, returning, tossing a few feathers, then running again. She found this humourous.

Koshinataa did not, however, and decided to change tactics. A mini portal appeared beside him, keeping pace with his breakneck speed. He plunged his arm inside, up to the elbow, avoiding the trap the fireflies nearly had him in. When he retracted his arm, he held a strange looking device with a trigger. Juna had never seen its like before, but he's utilized those portals throughout the competition to produce exotic weapons that only had lethality as a common factor. This one released a type of cloud that when the fireflies went through, they turned into a gelatinous like substance.

He tossed the device over his shoulder for it to float lazily in the direction of the Papuru Star, which sat like a humongous, violet, marble behind. He then dive-bombed toward her, cutting through empty space, like a rat-hawk cuts through stone to feast on tasty lava grubs. Another mini portal appeared and he took out a jagged ruby encrusted sword. Her entire body is covered in flames at this point, which she then internalizes, absorbing every bit of it. Her body glew a deep crimson, blotting out the usual wavy patterns of burgundy and dark blue which mark those of her family. She entered her fighting stance with a flurry of fancy arm movements, smoke rising from where her molten feet melted the stone panels of the ring.

Vaug (voiceover)

Juna's flame control made other practitioners of the element look like novices. She utilized our races immunity to heat and stored massive amounts of it into her body. Called it 'Yuni Fire' since it's impossible for anyone but a Yuni to do it. I was concerned at first because that bird fella seemed to be predicting all her moves before hand. But seeing the smile on her face made all my doubts vanish in a puff of smoke.

Juna began to run to meet Koshinataa's divebomb and activated her Quickening before leaping to meet him in space. He prepares to cut a piece of her loose from the rest, but she exploded before he could. The space above Galaxy Station was luminated in a blinding flash of fire; the shockwave caused the station's shields to activate, thus saving it from moderate damage and the terrified spectators from instant death. The sound alone caused many to pass out in shock. The fireball burned brightly before flaring out, with Juna, back to her normal self, landing lightly on her feet in the center of the ring.

Vaug (voiceover)

That same smile broke me heart. As I watch her start to magically float up and out the air pocket, with her still smiling, mind you, I thought this was some new technique she came up with. She told me afterwards he had cast some illusion spell making her believe she had won.

A smirk was planted firmly on Koshinataa's lips as Juna, still celebrating, face contorted in shock and fear as she finds herself in space with no air to breathe. A group of Yuni yell for the M.C. to stop the fight, Vaug among them.

Vaug (voiceover)

If me understanding of Soul Style is correct, you need to be in breathable atmosphere before you activate your Sustenance ability in order to breathe in space. Since her guard was down, she lost.

A booming voice then announces on the station speakers:

Grodin

The victor of Bout 5 and moving on to the Final Bout, Superstar Koshinataa!!!!

The crowd of more then four hundred thousand erupt in applause and cheers. Juna disappeared and reappeared in the ring, on her knees, hands to throat, gasping in lungfuls of air. A flapping of wings usher in Koshinataa's landing before her.

Koshinataa

Nice try, pebble girl, but my Thrice Sight can't be beat by the like of you.

She smiles up at him.

Juna

I disagree, you tricked me, but it's cool. I learn. Maybe we'll run into each other in the future.

Koshinataa

When I win this tournament and claim the title of Tutor on my world, I will be their Superstar until my death. So if you plan on competing in ten years, you better be stronger then this.

Juna

Okay then. See you in ten.

Ten years later. 100th Coalition Carnage: Battle 6

Roxy

Alright, ladies and gents, its been an exciting start for this decade's competition and we're about to kick it in high gear with a grudge match! Last time these two met was the Finals of the 99th Coalition Carnage. Will the outcome be the same? It's Superstar Juna vs. Superstar Koshinataa! And now for the geodome.....oh! The Kistal of Might. This should be interesting indeed. Let the battle begin!

PRESENT

Vaug took another sip of water from the stone cup. He set it back down with a heavy thump that shook the table.

Vaug

Gotta say, I was not happy when she entered the blasted tournament again. I was proud of her after the first one, but she was already famous enough just for making Finals. She had matured to full adult by the time of the next one so I thought she would settle down with a career, start her own family, but...

Interviewer

Hold on. Are you saying Juna was a teenager during the 99th competition?

Vaug

Yes. Fresh out of her rebellious preteens. Everyone in the family but me was egging her on, telling her to go for it and win. In the end, of course, she listened to them. If she hadn't, maybe things would be different today.

PAST

The Kistal of Might started as a project, an abstract piece of art meant to signify the strength of mind and culturistic uniqueness of the Tilris race in general and its creator in particular. Hot pink is a term usually used by onlookers in describing it's color, hot pink with tiny flecks of white that seemed to slowly float about inside. What was once an irregular object the size of a typical house painting five hundred years ago, was now in itself a small island sitting at six hundred square miles. Its true composition unknown, with carbon being the closest known element, kistal flows and reconfigures itself every dozen minutes or so into weird shapes and towering sentinels. A section that was spiked outcroppings and angled dunes, could be a pink mesa in less time then it takes to scout the area.

It's even stranger when a visitor steps foot on the colored quartz, for the kistal then takes the form of a location they have been to before. Some get the inside of family homes, others entire neighborhoods that were only visited in passing. So when Juna is teleported in and the kistal crinkles and scrapes against itself to take the form of her great grandfather's neighborhood, she wasn't surprised. She fought here before, after all. Any psudo locals that catch her off guard would spring from her opponent's own subconscious.

She skates forward, relying on the slickness of her soles to glide over the surface as if it were composed of ice. Pink hovels of kistal lined her on both sides, bouncing back the loud sounds of rock scraping against stone that was her travel. She would not be sneaking up on her opponent, not that she believed she could even under optimal circumstances. Her Awareness picked up nothing from him, which could mean any number of things.

She saw the facsimile of Rockjo's Eatery; home of the most delicious insectoids in the galaxy, and was suddenly aware she'd skipped breakfast. So engrossed in her own appetite she nearly missed the incoming soul streaking her way from above. Her dodge to the left saved her life as Koshinataa struck the spot she was just occupying with a spiked mace. The blow, at that speed, would have reduced her to rubble, but doesn't even leave a scratch on the kistal.

She retaliates with a quick release blast of emerald colored flame. The stream is avoided, but it forces Koshinataa to bank. In his turn, he throws the mace, which she covers with her flame. It crystalized on contact, but continued it's trajectory and momentum. Evading it was child's play and it smashed to sparkling chunks against the window of a jewelry shop. Had it been the real thing, the window would have shattered instead, but kistal is rumoured indestructible. Her instincts had her ready for the next attack, but it never came. Instead, her avian adversary floated a couple dozen meters before her, his slim yet toned arms slow motions keeping him airborne.

Koshinataa

Green fire that turns objects to crystal. That's new. What's it called?

Juna

I call it jade flame.

Koshinataa

Never heard of it. Anyway, you ready for this ass whoopin'?

Juna

Did you ever get that Tutor title you were drooling for back in the day?

Koshinataa

That's none of your damn business.

Juna made her move. Her Quickening was one of, if not, the fastest of all the Superstars, at least according to the SRC. She made sure to go her max speed during the Superstars' Guild's tests, but one of the others could have intentionally low balled their tests. She understood why, but it wasn't in her nature to not do the best she can at everything. Like now, she was hoping to win with a quick knockout, moving faster then his magics can react.

A common counter with Mage Style is illusion casting. Juna hated illusions with a passion. She had barely left the ground in her leap toward his hovering form before she thought this might be one. It was and she sailed right through him and into a rainstorm of feather knives. Juna knew precisely how durable she was and understood the dangers Koshinataa's magic induced feathers posed. Not a minute in and he had her using her greatest asset, her Aura Cloak. Aura Cloaks only have a nine second duration, whether it makes contact with an object or not and varies in recharge per the individual. She had sixteen hours before hers returned so the rest of this match called for caution.

Upon her nimble landing, the Kistal of Might began to shift. The pink neighborhood she used to visit often as a child seemed to melt away in seconds, replaced by what she could only describe as a massive cage. High above, bars numbering around two dozen crisscrossed the pitch black sky. Those same bars arched down to encase the two combatants in a space roughly a quarter of the size of her great grandfather's stomping grounds. Dozens of smaller cubed cages line the interior at spaced intervals with a gigantic cylinder standing at the center, connecting the bars at the top. Beyond her kistal prison sat at least two more cages and beyond that, complete and total darkness, as was common on the world of Tilris. She noticed Koshinataa then, a look of wiry amusement on his face as he looked at their new surroundings.

A fire red light blossoms deep inside Juna's chest before flowing from her mouth in the form of winged insects of fire. Eight came at Koshinataa, who without looking and with no outward motion, caused them all to explode well short of their target. He continued to stare around himself, a look of nostalgia on his face.

Koshinataa

You forgot my Thrice Sight, Yuni? I can counter anything you throw at me before they can pose any type of threat. I used it to kick your ass back then.

Juna

You won that by ring out. This be a cage match now. Come down here and play.

Koshinataa

I spent the better part of twenty years in a place like this, fighting for my life the entire stay. It may have been steel bars instead of this mystic kistal, but the results are the same. Nowhere to run.

Juna

Precisely.

A mini portal popped up next to him and this time he extracted a steel ball, which he lets slip from his hand. The ball hits the kistal flooring with a clang and bounced several meters before coming down and bounced an additional ten meters. It also grew in size with each bounce until it was twice her height. Eventually, it bounced to the top of the cage, going much faster then before. It ricochet off in her direction.

Juna dodged the hundred ton steel ball which shook the crystal-like cage and nearly deafens her with each contact. It bounced toward her again and she quickens away with millimeters to spare. It bounced away once it made contact with the opposite cage bars, entering into a random series of chaotic vectors. Soon, it was moving almost too fast for her to see. She knew one hit might put her away, despite her toughness.

Koshinataa himself had to avoid his own weapon but he did so seconds before it even came his way. He also sent steel feathers at her when she is able to catch her breath. Her retaliatory green fire never got near him as they were easily dodged.

Koshinataa

You're still lacking, pebble girl. This green flame is nothing special, in fact, it's less useful then the normal version.

She ignored him, avoiding the steel ball again and again. A fireball meant for him is intercepted by the ball, only partially crystalizing it. The crystal chunk broke off, altering the ball's trajectory each bounce to the point she could no longer correctly guess which direction it would go.

A feather is able to pierce her skin between her shoulder blades, but she doesn't allow herself to feel it, dodging the erratic movements of the ball. She instead utilized one of two techniques she cooked up for this meeting. She reduced her weight, making her body as light as a new born flame. Such an action made it possible to acutely skate on air molecules.

The element of surprise and her Quickening combined couldn't overcome Koshinataa's Thrice Sight for he suddenly held a wicked looking spear, which she nearly impaled herself upon. She knew of his sight ability, (he'd mentioned it enough) and knew he would counter in some fashion, just not what. He was only able to knick her left side, not enough to even draw moisture. She rained blows at him, punches and kicks aimed at his neck, chest, belly, groin. Nothing connected, yet she was clearly faster and far stronger then the thin bird man.

Koshinataa

This is pathetic. Your panicking strikes are predictable without Thrice Sight. What happened? You were much more relaxed the last time we squared off.

Juna's response was to shoot balls of green fire point blank. Only he wasn't there anymore, having teleported outside the cage. He smirks again, and she smiles in return, but she was still trapped with the bouncy steel ball. It was going faster then before, the sound produced on impact was like a continuous ring of some humongous gong. He was wrong in his assessment of her, both now and in the past. Back then, she was not relaxed in their fight, but eager and awed at the spectacle and grandeur of the Finals. She also basked in the adulations of family and friends and a space station full of spectators. All this went against the fundamentals of her great grandfather's discipline, however.

It started by shadowing her great grandfather as a kid during his morning drills, mimicking his movements. But he wasn't around all the time so she found a school practicing his type of martial art, Ving, the ancient Yuni term meaning Flow of Hand. Her instructor, Vizor Chun, stressed the importance of softness; ironic considering their rock like bodies. 'Performance by relaxation' he called it. She was a novice a decade ago, but soon learned the truth of those words.

Everything she had done up to this point was done in a relaxed and calculated manner, including the illusion she was losing her cool. She may hate illusions, but understood their usefulness. Almost as useful as studying up on the abilities of others. Thrice Sight, she had come to learn, is a spell allowing the user to see three seconds in the future. A powerful spell, no doubt, but one that can be countered.

The kistal began to shift now, the cage breaking down and the ball zooming past Juna and into the thick darkness which surrounds the Kistal of Might in all directions. Before she could react, half a dozen feathers protruded from multiple points on her frame, water leaking weakly from the wounds.

Keeping her eyes on Koshinataa, she carefully removed each one, using white fire from her hands to cauterize the wounds. As he floated there laughing, she sent more green fire balls his way. The area now resembled that of a ship hanger bay, filled with over a dozen space worthy looking vessels made of kistal. She wondered fleetingly if the magic mineral ships could detach from the rest of the island and soar off into the not so inky blackness of space. Then, in mid flight, it would switch to a bathtub. She laughs.

Koshinataa

You must be drunk. All your shots are wide. Well, I'm done playing with you.

His next weapon had a trigger and he aimed the foreign object at her. He frowned and looked around. She smiled up at him.

Juna

Finally noticed?

The air around them was littered with suspended flickers of green flame. The very air begins to frost over like ice, spreading from where the flames floated. Every time she released her jade flame she was adding to the collection. He looked around in all directions, confusion furrowed his feathered forehead.

Koshinataa

What is your plan, peeble girl?

Juna

Since you asked so nicely, I call it Jaded Sky.

The seperate pieces of crystal air began to coalesce, sparkling in the light violet sky. They twisted and spun in a kaleidoscope of color, within a song of crackling ice.

Koshinataa (tonelessly)

It's so lovely.

Juna

Thanks. It's purpose is to draw the attention of the target with a form of hypnosis.

When she finally douses him in green fire, he was still looking up. When she was done, his crystal statue was dropping from the sky. She caught him before he could gain momentum and set him on the kistal. Roxy appears then, drifting about the crystalized Superstar. She starts to count but Juna waves her off.

Juna

He'll be like this for a couple of days.

PRESENT

Vaug laughed long and loud, tapping his foot on the rough stone of the room floor.

Vaug

She could have let him shatter to a million pieces but she wouldn't take a life needlessly. She got her revenge win and was happy for a time.

Vaug's smile faded and he sat back, eyes closed. A tear dropped when reopened nearly a minute later.

Vaug

I miss her.

End Chapter