Re: The Search for the Berserker Armor (Serio Katsuya)

by **Hei** January 27th 2010, 8:39 pm

He nodded. "Very well. Here." He handed her a crimson sphere which was, surprisingly, warm to the touch. "It is ice, yes. I only froze a small amount of particles on the surface of the sphere and am currently keeping them from receding into the blood beneath it. The pressure is keeping the shape." Bartimaeus cocked his head. "All you must do to drink from it is breathe onto it and hold your mouth under the area you breathed on. The ice will reform after a mouthful has left the sphere." He showed her how to do it on his sphere, a small river of crimson flowing into his mouth. He swallowed and breathed a sigh of relief, warmth flooding through his body. A drop of blood seeped down the corner his mouth onto his chin. "Not afraid of anything? Hm. Not even me? I am certainly surprised. I'm not a tame house pet. I am a wild beast, after all." He smiled widely, his sharp canines glinting in the dim sunlight. In truth, he wouldn't hurt her, but he took that as a challenge and did want to scare her a bit, at least.

by **Serio Katsuya** January 28th 2010, 8:08 pm

Serio mimiced his movements, but itstead of copying him exactly, she poked her finger into the side of it, and drank from the hole. She backed off a little because she wasn't used to the taste. In the process of doing that, she made a mess. The shimmering liquid soaked into her white shirt, and began to dry. "Aw man... I made a mess..." She started to wipe off what she could from her revealed skin, but wasn't sure if it was all gone. She felt embarassed. "Well, I'm not totally emotionless, but why would I be afraid of my friends?" She asked, as she slightly backed away from his large glistening teeth. Without even realizing it, she drank some more of the sweet tasting blood. "I have a name for this. Blood-cicle." She said with a giggle. "Sorry, just being weird is all. But I suppose if you want to call yourself scary, I will honestly say that if I was half asleep, walking through my house, and you just popped out in front of me, I would be scared. Otherwise, you're a cute, giant house kitty to me." She said with a big smile revealing her canines.

by **Hei** January 28th 2010, 9:57 pm

He smirked. "Allow me." He moved his hand and placed it a few inches in front of her chest. The blood that spilled onto her froze immediately and seemed to almost crawl toward his hand. The red stain moved itself from her shirt and jumped into his palm. He rolled his eyes. "Quite the sesquepedalian, are we?" But at the response to his question, Bartimaeus was at a loss for words. His eyes wide, he blinked once before falling backwards, laughing harder than he could ever remember. The crimson sphere fell to the ground with a thump next to his head, but he didn't even notice. His eyes began to tear up and he clutched at his stomach as his body was wracked with more laughter. It wasn't a hysterical laugh, but a rich one that lightened the mood even further. When the laughter finally subsided after a few minutes, he sat up and wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh wow... I have never been referred to as 'cute' before, and to hear that term used to describe me..." He giggled again. "Wow."

by **Serio Katsuya** January 31st 2010, 11:27 am

Serio blushed as he moved his hand to remove the stains from her shirt. She watchedh im laugh too, and since in seemed almost inevitable, she laughed too. Serio wasn't exactly sure what he was laughing about, but she did too. Then after the laughing came to a stop, she heard what he said. She blushed. "Sorry?" Serio wasn't sure to say, so she just stared at the ground in front of her. A smile slowly grew across her face. "Oh well. Since you haven't heard before, all I can say is there is a first for everything." She said and took another drink from the ice. Serio wondered what about the blood was so delicious to her, and she wondered how long she'd be around to hang around with Bartimaeus. She never had someone want to be her friend. And what struck her was that it hadn't even been twenty-four hours since he threatened to kill her, and that they became friends anyway. She really thought he was awesome, and wanted him to continue to be her friend. "So Bartimaeus, what do you do for fun?" She asked, hoping that something she'd never thought of would be something new for her.

by **Hei** January 31st 2010, 3:55 pm

"Why are you sorry? I was just taken aback a bit, I don't mind it. And yes, I suppose there is. You seem to be a lot of firsts for me, you know. My first friend, the first person I don't constantly feel the urge to kill, the first shapeshifter I have ever met... It's a strange coincidence." He nonchalantly took a swig from his own crimson orb and let out a relaxed and content breath. "If you think deer blood is good, imagine that of a human." His eyes glazed over for a second before he shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. At her question, he cocked his head. "Fun? I do not have fun. I create. I learn. I discover. I told you that I have created new elemental techniques, such as my oxygen and plasma control. I am currently researching something that I call 'dark matter', the power of nothingness." He raised his hand, palm upwards, and created a small flame above it. "My body generated this fire. But where did the energy come from? Dark matter. It created energy from nothing." The fire dissapated but if Serio looked closely she could see light bending around a small invisible disk where the fire used to be. "This is all I can do so far... It is a perfect vacuum." It quickly disappeared with a sonic boom. "Nature abhors a vacuum and creates matter within it, so not only do I have to create an absence of matter, I have to fight the laws of physics in order to maintain it. But..." He smiled widely. "The power of nothingness is infinite."

by **Serio Katsuya** January 31st 2010, 5:42 pm

Serio smiled a bit. She supposed that he did open a whole new door when he decided to help her through the woods. "Yes, quite the coincidence." Her eyes widened when he talked about human blood. Disturbing thoughts clouded her mind. "Well, instead of learning and all of that, would you be willing to teach?" Serio asked Bartimaeus. Her curiousity was poking its head out again. She watched his movements, though he wasn't one to move very often. As his expressions changed through this time that they were sitting, Serio couldn't help but to wonder if he had experianced these before. "I'm not sure if I have anything of any use to you, but I could try to find something you may not know... But I'm sure your wisdom is beyond mine." She sighed a little bit. "I'm sure it'll come to me soon enough." She said with a smile. Then finishing the blood inside of the sphere, Serio broke off a chunk and chewed on it, as if it were an ice cube, waiting for Bartimaeus to say something.

by **Hei** January 31st 2010, 9:11 pm

"Teach? Serio, I happen to be a teacher at Sentou Gakuin. Of course I would be. Just don't expect to learn very quickly; it took me decades to perfect my techniques and I am still refining them." Bartimaeus cocked his head. "Yes... another mind would be of assistance to me regardless of how wizened it is." He smiled. "A teacher and student both learn from each other, believe it or not. I would be happy to teach you what I know. But be careful, because my techniques are much more dangerous than the normal elements. I can even completely morph my flesh into an element of my choosing... Whether it be fire-" His right arm burst into flame, his skin like molten lava. "- or ice-" His left froze, a mist of cold eminating from it. "-or anything else. I am excited beyond bound at what an elemental form of dark matter would grant me..." He smiled, but his smile withered as he looked at his hands. "It is for this power that I forfeited my humanity, or at least what was left after I became a lycan. This is what truly makes me a monster."

by **Serio Katsuya** January 31st 2010, 10:12 pm

Serio just let her face fall b lank. She thought that he would be a great teacher, and that she liked learning slowly. "Learning slowly is fine. I tend to take a little while to understand it all... I hope that you'll teach me as much as you know." Serio said. She then smiled. Serio stood up. "Well, we can begin the teaching/learning process now, or we can wait, but I must warn you. I'm quite the eager learner, and I like to rush things once I get them down and know the technique of it." She said with a large, ear to ear grin. Then she looked to the ground letting her bangs fall into her face, covering her left eye. She began to think of the thoughts from before. Never really killed anyone for the sport or for survival. I hope that, if I do learn to do that, I learn to kill a human quickly. "A random thought just popped into my mind. Have you ever tried looking for others like you?" Serio asked Bartimaeus, after looking up and pushing the hair out of her face. Her eyes also grew curious at this time.

by **Hei** February 3rd 2010, 9:47 pm

"I would be happy to." He stood up as well and smiled. "I'd rather wait, as there's something special happening tonight... Something that I think would be quite the experience for you." A knowing glint shone in his eye. "Tonight is the night of, not only the harvest moon... but the blue moon." He looked up to the sky. "The blue moon is actually the second full moon in a single month... It's also the peak of the lycans' power. If you wish to experience that..." Shudders ran through his body. They weren't bad though- he looked excited. "Then by all means. If you're not prepared for that, then shapeshift into something else." He cocked his head. "I don't have to find others like me. They find me. I am the..." Bartimaeus thought for a second. "I suppose you would call me the alpha male. I am the most powerful lycan alive that I know of, so obviously others of my kind are attracted to me."

by **Serio Katsuya** February 4th 2010, 8:32 am

Serio's eyes widened and she smiled at him. "I would love to experiance that, I'm just not sure what it will do. But yes, I'll join you tonight." She said, still grinning. As she moved into a laying position -laying on her stomach- she still watched Bartimaeus. "So alpha, huh? That's pretty cool. What's it like to be that powerful?" Serio asked. "And, another question. Would you explain to me exactly what happens when it's blue moon?" Serio asked, as she continued to pay attention. She was like a student, waiting for an answer to a silly little question. As she laid there, she thought again about what she had learned so far today. She was quite pleased with the bank of knowledge she acquired today. Serio felt as if there was a book Bartimaeus was reading from to get all of this information from, but he wasn't reading anything at all. Serio was so shocked in her own way with all of this new stuff she learned. 'Thank you, Bartimaeus, for all that you have taught me today.' She smiled then, and waited for a response.

by **Hei** February 4th 2010, 2:22 pm

He snorted. "I care not for the trivialities of power. It merely serves its purpose for me every now and then. I suppose you can akin it to wealth. The more you have, the more you want, unless you are of a like mind as I. That is why I became a teacher- so that I can distribute some of my own expertise and power to the next of our generation." He lay down beside her, on his back rather than stomach, and looked over toward her. "I cannot explain that... It's a sudden surge of power. The bloodlust is nigh insatiable. You will forcefully change into your lycanthrope form, your sanity will diminish, but you will never feel more alive." He put his hands behind his head and looked skyward at the sun unblinkingly. "Quite honestly... as much as it makes me feel more inhuman, it is probably the single thing that I would miss if- when I find a cure for my curse. You become an animal. Things don't worry you anymore. There is nothing you can't do, but there is nothing you feel that you have to do either. Life doesn"t seem all that bad" He smiled

by **Serio Katsuya** February 6th 2010, 10:25 am

She laid on her side facing him now to listen, and put her head on her left hand to look at him. She nodded as he explain things to her. As she listened, she pictured being forcefully changed, and she didn't know if she'd like that. Serio was debating whether or not to stay a lycan through the process. She was a bit scared. "Wow. I'm not sure if I should stay a lycanthrope through this, or if I just want to be an observer." She said to him when he finished. "I'd love to experiance this, but..." She wasn't she wanted to admit it or not, but she figured that it would be ok. "I'm a little afraid." She said, and a slight blush from remembering what she told him earlier. "I'd like to learn how to control being a lycanthrope, because I want to stay one, but I'm just afraid of the after effects." Serio said, as she moved onto her back, and looked up. Her expression was expressionless, but she was still a little afraid.

by **Hei** February 6th 2010, 2:29 pm

His brow furrowed. "I did not mean to frighten you. I merely believed that you would appreciate an honest assessment of what would happen to you, and me for that matter." He looked back at the sky. "I can understand about your fear of lycanthropy, because I'm not exactly sure of the full capabilities of my curse as of yet. However, I would be happy to walk you through it, if you still wish to go through with it." Bartimaeus turned to look at her once more. "I suppose that you can take solace in the fact that you are no longer alone. I won't pressure you into it, but please make sure that you do not come too close to me during the... transformation. I won't be myself, and I would not want to have the slightest possibility of hurting you." Something in the back of his mind was nagging him... What would happen to him with the Berserker armor attached to him? Would the rage take over?

by **Serio Katsuya** February 7th 2010, 5:37 pm

She pondered the cnsequences he told her about the blue moon. "I'd like to see what it would be like to go through with that much power, but I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself afterwards." Then she thought for a minute. "So here's another thing. Do you want me to go through it with you?" Serio asked, turning to look at him too. She wasn't sure what to say really. She just continued to replay the scenes over and over through her mind. She was a little nervous, but if he wanted her to go through it with him, she would. If he decided against it, she'd turn into something else, and sit on the sidelines to watch. "What if this power gain causes you to be able to control the armor?" She smiled. "Wouldn't that be great?" She asked. Serio didn't know what would happen to her since she could be anything. Maybe she would stay as a lycan forever, maybe not. Though she wouldn't really mind that. Serio had a friend now that might help her get through it, and she'd help him out too. Serio smiled again, and looked towards the sky again. "Well, I'd like it if you would help me be a bit more brave about this then, if you want me to go through it with you."

by **Hei** February 7th 2010, 9:54 pm

He remained silent as she spoke, his mouth moving as he silently pondered something. He blinked, rapidly, something he normally does not do. "Hm. I would assume that, even when you're in another form, your anatomy is perfectly attuned to the species whose form you take, correct?" He could, in theory, stop her from undergoing a complete transformation, but he didn't know if it would be completely stable. Bartimaeus hesitantly took her hand and turned it over so the palm faced upwards and placed his thumb on her wrist below her pinky. He was not checking her pulse, but searching for a pressure point. If that was the same, then the rest of her would be too. He pressed down between the tendons, firmly but lightly. "If this works, you should feel a bit calmer... Do you?" He hoped for her sake that it worked so that she wouldn't have to completely let go of her mind.

by **Serio Katsuya** February 9th 2010, 8:34 am

Serio thought for a minute or two. "Well, yes. I take over all of the characterstics of the species I change into. I follow their norms, and whatnot." She said, thinking that by the time he decided he was tired of her, Bartimaeus would be a walking encyclopedia about shapeshifters. When Bartimaeus found Serio's pressure point, she didn't feel better. "Yes I do feel calmer. And I'm sorry about acting all crazy." Serio looked at the ground. "I am slightly psyco I suppose." She said with a small smile. She giggled at herself. "I am quite the crazy one, and am surprised you've stuck around as long as you have." She looked at him now. "But thanks." She said. Moving to a sitting position, Serio watched his movements, thinking about what would happen if she did undergo this... Process of Power. "Actually, I think I will go with you, as a lycan. I would like to see what it is like. I don't mind pain or anything. It's actually something I like." Serio explained, hoping that didn't sound to masochistic.

by **Hei** February 10th 2010, 6:09 pm

Bartimaeus snorted. "I can smell the hormones your body releases. Please don't lie to me because I know for a fact that did nothing." He blinked. Then, smiling, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Serio, I spent two centuries living in a rain forest with a couple of witch doctors who taught me how to control lycanthropy after killing the man who saved my life." He shook his head, somewhat sadly. "I'm surprised that I have been able to maintain even a shred of sanity over these hundreds of years. You and I are alike in that regard, at least." He remained standing as she sat, but when she told him about her liking pain, he looked to the side and bit his lip. "I... like it too, oddly enough. But it won't cause pain, I can promise you that. It will just make you drunk with power." He was rather embarrassed at admitting that he was a bit of a masochist too, but it only felt right considering she had told him. She might as well know some of his secrets too.

by **Serio Katsuya** February 10th 2010, 6:59 pm

Serio pondered the hormone thing. "Hey, I don't lie, but I don't want you to waste your time on me like that. Thank you, though." She said. Her eyes widened as he spoke about the guy he killed. "That must be hard to live with. Sorry to hear about that." She said. "But you seem pretty sane to me. And I wouldn't mind it if you went crazy. Sure I'd be a little scared, but I think I could get used to it." Serio leaned against his leg, still thinking. "Well, drunk with power, huh? That will be new for me. And no pain. Cool." Serio smiled a silly smile. Now she looked up at Bartimaeus. "Well, I hate to make things short, but what else do you want to do today?" Serio asked. She wanted to learn more about him or anything he'd be willing to teach or share with her. Serio pushed and held the hair that was in her face, out. And since she was looking at Bartimaeus, she thought curiously about what he told her so far today.

by **Hei** February 10th 2010, 7:18 pm

He nodded. "It was difficult getting over Blaine's death. I attempted suicide after killing him, but it obviously didn't work. I can't suffocate because I no longer breathe." He looked down at her. "I suppose I can show you my elemental invocations. I'd suggest you not lean on my leg, however. I wouldn't want to burn you." When she shifted away from him, he went down on all fours but was still in the form of a human. He took a deep breath and let it hiss out through his teeth as his face scrunched up in concentration. The air around him began to shimmer with heat, the foilage near him burning as it reached a few thousand degrees. His skin split as red fault lines ran up his arms, down his back and legs, and across his chest, ending at his eyes which were closed. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the earth beneath him cracked and shuddered as an explosion of power resounded through the forest. His form was obscured by dust, but when that settled, Serio could see him clearly. His now red skin was boiling, the fault lines a bright orange, his eyes a startling white. His hair was a mane of fire which reached down his back. The black lines of the berserker armor were still visible, but only barely. His voice sounded like coals rubbing together. "This is the weakest of my elemental invocations. Fire, obviously."

by **Serio Katsuya** February 10th 2010, 9:45 pm

Serio listened as he told her about the accidental death. She felt sad. Then when Bartimaeus talked about teaching her his elemental invocations, she jumped up at the sound of it. "Ok. I would love that." She said. As he changed, she watched the faults and lines grow on his skin. She watched as he turned from normal human like skin to boiling red skin. Serio wanted so badly to touch this skin since it glowed beautifully, but she knew that if she did, she would hurt herself, and wouldn't know what Bartimaeus would do. "Do you use all elements? I know water and lightning is all." She said. "I really haven't tried using them lately. Not really sure what all I am capable of with them." She said, looking at the ground in embarassment. She decided not to be a kitty about it. "Well, I would love for you to teach me something with them. As long as you don't mind?" She asked. Serio was happy that she finally may have found a teacher.

by **Hei** February 11th 2010, 10:02 am

"I do not know how to use water, but ice I can teach... I would be better suited to teach you how to use lightning." At once the flames dissipated and he stood before her in his human form. "I can use fire, plasma, oxygen, ice, and lightning. Plasma is a combination of fire and lightning, but I do not think you are ready to learn how to use something so incredibly destructive." He cocked his head. "What is it that you can do with lightning, exactly? If your attunement with the element is powerful enough then I could teach you the elemental invocation for it." He supposed he could show her that as well. "Look away for a moment, please." He closed his eyes so as not to be blinded by what was about to happen. Suddenly, he was struck by a bolt of lightning, the resounding thunder causing an immense shockwave radiating from his body. After that instant, Bartimaeus stood before her, his skin a light purple, his veins pulsating with blue electricity. His hair and eyes were silver and sparks flew from both of them. This time, his voice sounded like a broken circuit. "To become the element, you must understand how the element feels, in a way."

by **Serio Katsuya** February 11th 2010, 2:30 pm

Serio tilted her head to the side when he said that he did not know how to use water. She was actually shocked. "Ice would be okay, but I'm not sure I could use that. And lightning, well I have been training with that for a while, and I know I can blow apart little rocks about the size of my hand." She said as she raised her hand up to show him how big her hand was. "I suppose that is as much power as I have at this point. I have no idea how to be anymore destructive with it, so it would be cool if you'd show me how. And the only things I can do to boulders is make holes in them." Serio sighed. She did close her eyes as she was instructed. After a moment, the sound of thunder scared her, making her jump, but she kept her eyes closed. After he talked to her, she opened her eyes to a now purple colored Bartimaeus. "Well, teach me how." Serio said as she walked around him in circles. She wanted to learn to 'become the element.'

((End of the hour, so I couldn't post much))

by **Hei** February 13th 2010, 12:44 pm

(no prob lol)

His eyes followed her movement around him, but he remained still. "How do you think lightning feels? Look." He raised his hand and created a small orb of electricity within his palm. It bounced around excitedly, looking for release. "You need to understand how the element feels... can you see it's power, ready to burst forth? It wants to be unleashed. It is an element that is not flowing, like water, but rampant and destructive like fire. You need to feel its urgent need to be released, to destroy. Only then may you become like the element itself." He stepped toward her and touched her cheek with his hand. The electricity did not shock her, but it only felt like a small pleasant tingle. "Only then may you learn to control it to such an extent as not to destroy everything and everyone in sight, to reign in such an excessive power." He removed his hand and gave a slight smile. "The elements are alive, and it is only if you are willing to listen to them that they will teach you their secrets."

by **Serio Katsuya** February 14th 2010, 8:11 pm

Serio watched as he made the small orb, and watched it as it tried to find its way off his hand. Bartimaeus was definitely a smart man that knew what he was talking about. Well, she knew this, and that in order to become the element, she'd have to understand how the element acted. "So the lightning wants to be free from all restraints? It wants to break free and be free." She said. Serio wanted so much to understand exactly how the elements worked, and wanted to learn how to use more, but she knew that she could only leanr one at a time. When he touched her cheek, Serio jumped a little from shock, but the tinlge traveled all the way down her spine. "I'd like to learn slowly, so I am not consumed by power hunger." She said. "I would listen to them." She said with a returning smile. "I'll keep their secrets safe."

by **Hei** February 16th 2010, 8:11 pm

"I know you would." He smiled wider. Time to get started. "Close your eyes and give me your hand. I will remain in contact with you to guide you through the experience." She would feel the same pleasant tingle through her hand when she placed hers into his. "Focus on the feeling of the electricity jumping from my hand to yours and imagine that tingle spreading to the rest of your body. You will not be able to maintain an elemental aspect, but you will merge with the lightning, and it will then be able to hear the element speaking to you... not in the literal sense, but you will gain a sudden understanding of the true nature of the element which you are trying to control and ultimately become." He closed his eyes as well. "Focus. And learn."

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