escordvi | Hey Young Blood

Entry tags:

Hey Young Blood

Who: Darin and Cid
Status: Closed
Where: A small, barren island
What: Cid's going to put Darin through his paces to see what his power's really like
Warnings:

[In all honesty, Darin was a little nervous about meeting up with Cid. Not that the older man worried him any— if anything, Cid is probably one of the people Darin's come to trust the most in the months since he's been here. No, it was the nature of their meeting and the discussion of his powers that has him antsy. Darin doesn't really know exactly what Cid's planned, but he's also aware he needs help. Darin has no baseline for drawing out his power. The most he's been doing over the course of these months is physical training to try and push his body to a point where throwing a punch won't blow his arm off.]

[If he pushes himself further, can he really trust himself to not hurt Cid? Or anyone else? He has to trust that Cid, at least, has a plan.]

[But there's one other side of this. And that's the fact that if Cid was forced to use his powers, then he'd be cutting his own life short. Benedikta clued him in on the nature of a Dominant's curse and, to Darin's knowledge, he doesn't have such a limitation.]

[But it didn't change the fact that he had to stop running. If he was ever going to get a handle on who he was and be able to rise to the challenges that people like Ganondorf posed, he had to start somewhere.]

[Better to go at it with a friend rather than all alone.]

[Darin docks on the small, barren island. There's sparse foliage but the entire island appears to be mostly rock and nothing else. At least he'd be able to cut loose without worrying about people seeing him and freaking out. If Cid wasn't already here, Darin will begin doing some stretches.]

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[Darin will be able to get a few stretches in before Cid pulls on his boat. Given how sparse the island is, it won't be difficult for either of them to see each other, and in fact Cid will raise a hand and wave while calling out to him.]

Ahoy there! Weren't waiting too long I hope?

[Docking the boat against the shore, he starts moving some large crates and boxes that were on the deck.]

[Darin perks up almost immediately and waves back.]

Hey, you old Salt!

[Darin makes his way over to help unload...whatever it was that Cid brought with him.]

Nah, I've only been here for a little bit. What's with all of the crates though?

Good, took a bit more time to get everything ready than I expected.

[He'll explain as he directs Darin to pick up the heaviest and where to set them on shore—he knows the boy is strong, might as well make use of it.]

But these here should help me at least figure out what exactly it is I'm dealing with. Bit of "target practice," if you will.

[Darin follows Cid's instructions, hoisting the heaviest of crates above his head with relative ease.]

'Target practice?' You know I can't sling spells, right? As far as I know, all I can do is punch super hard.

[Still, he can't help but feel a little excited at the prospect of having someone with powers actually put him through his paces. Maybe he'll finally be able to learn something about who he is.]

Target practice, punching practice, same thing.

[A wry chuckle.]

And not to worry, I fully expect you to destroy these things. But it will give me a better sense of how to go into this.

[And with the last of the boxes unloaded, he'll start unpacking them to arrange out in the rocky field before them. As he does, he'll also explain a bit more.]

You see, these targets, or dummies, are equipped with various defensive magic and enchantments. They are all designed to withstand considerable magical and physical blows. Ideally we'd have a leviathan grade to try and gauge yours—[A wry chuckle.]—but as you can imagine, that's not so easy to come by.

So I just want you to go through these first at your most controlled strength.

"My most controlled," huh? [Darin echoes as he steps up to one of the dummies that Cid is in the process of setting up. Darin's spent plenty of time sparring with training dummies. Hell, his master Kessler refused to train him in the sword unless he'd shown the barest basics of martial discipline.]

Do you want me to show you how much I've suppressed and just...work my way up from there?

[Darin starts to rub his right wrist thoughtfully. It's been awhile since he's had to tamp down this much. This seemed like a good way to gauge his progress on his own.]

[He nods and points in the order of how he should go.]

Aye. I'm sure you'll be curious to see how things fare against your strength as well.

[He then taps something on the back of each one.]

They even have a gauge that can measure how much force you inflict upon them. Of course, they can only read so high, but even a broken gauge can give us a better frame of reference. Might even could try to develop something that's more in tune to your needs.

[Especially since ultimately Darin wants to try and control his strength, being able to measure in some capacity would help with that.]

Huh...

[Darin inspects the gauge as he looks over the dummy. Honestly...that was some impressive engineering. In fact, Darin wonders how far this concept could be extrapolated. Already he's considering different sensors across the body, measuring striking power against vital points. That would be a really valuable way to train...]

[But he knows that he and Cid can go down the engineering rabbit hole for hours and that's not what they're here for. Maybe later over drinks...]

Alright...seems simple enough. Let's give it a shot.

[Darin squares up to the first dummy and settles into an informal, boxing like stance. He's reasonably light on his feet and bounces on the balls of his feet.]

First up, I'll hit this at the strength I usually kept myself at so no one suspected anything...

[He steps in and drives a punch into the dummy. No explosive force or recoil and, judging from the gauge, he's only a hair stronger than a trained soldier. Enough to give him an edge, but not enough for him to stand out.]

[But, interestingly enough, Darin's form is tense. It's clear to a trained eye how he's holding back and, more importantly, his form is terrible. Almost intentionally sloppy. Wasted movements, strange footwork. He's acting like he's never fought before despite the dao strapped across the small of his back. A dao that he's never even drawn.]

[Cid watches with a scrutinizing eye, arms crossed over his chest as studies every moment Darin makes. Thus it's easy for him to see that sloppy posture, and he wonders if that's on purpose or even the only way for him to hit as "lightly" as he is. Hmmm.]

All right, well you managed to spare it. Keep going.

[For now, he's just going to watch what Darin does first. He's not sure what all he's done before now, and the only way he'll get a clear picture is if he lets him do what he's used to before trying to make changes.]

[Darin nods and starts punching— each strike growing in intensity as the gauge climbs. Every so often, Cid will catches glimpses of his posture— his weight, shifting. There's a mishmash of styles here: a brawler for sure, and definitely a counter-fighter. But none of these movements are refined. They're untrained. But as he moves, there's glimpses of actual training there. Not in fisticuffs or pugilism, but the form of one who's trained, extensively, with a sword.]

[After several more strikes, Darin's managed to register himself well above an athlete or prize fighter in peak condition. And even then, he doesn't seem particularly winded or troubled.]

So, any verdict yet? Should I open it up a bit more...?

[Very curious as he watches him, noting the slight differences. Having practically grown up and trained among mercenaries, he's familiar with different forms of fighting, both refined and not. And he, too, although an excellent swordsman, has a bit of a brawler in him from those old days. Although Waloed had their own particular style, he never forced anyone into it if he could see them using a form more better suited for them. It was just a matter of refining it to their best potential, as is the issue he sees with Darin here.

He wonders if some of that "rough" work is playing into his ability to control his strength, but he'll keep that pinned in his mind for now as he nods and gestures to one of the larger targets.]

Aye, work on that one. This one is supposed to be able to withstand cannon fire, but suppose we'll see about that.

[A light grin.]

I know this is for you, but I have to thank you as well for being able to test these for me.

[Darin works his way over to the sturdier training dummy. Knowing what he does about this next one, there's some noticeable shifts in his stance and movement. His form becomes a little more disciplined and focused. He shows much more adept training in martial and hand-to-hand basics. His weight even seems to shift. The blasts that reverberate through the dummy would easily splinter the hull of a ship...]

[But there's also a lack of follow-through. The punches are strong, sure, but they're basically jabs. If Darin were to throw a full straight or haymaker, the power behind those blows would be devastating.]

What would you even use these things for? They seem kinda tailor made to put me through my paces.

You uh...getting any good info? I feel like I'm just kinda...I dunno. I feel like I should be working harder.

[His suspicions that the sloppy form may be deliberate are firming up with these changes, although it makes him wonder how he wasn't able to use the same forms while reigning in that strength. Usually one would be able to train as such, but perhaps it's far more difficult then he thinks.]

Oh I'm sure there are plenty of others who have issues controlling their powers and strength. And if not, testing defenses against weaponry is another good use for these.

But not to worry, I'm getting quite a lot of data, both about you and from the dummies.

[He then points to the largest of them all.]

Now I want you to hit that with as much force you think you can do without breaking. Feel free to gradually work up to it. Supposedly this should be as strong as some of the toughest barrier shields equipped on the leviathans, which are designed to defend against heavy bombardment. Not impervious of course, and if what you say is true you likely could break it if you went full force. But let's see how you feel after going up against it.

[Darin stares at the largest dummy a little dubiously. His face is pensive.]

So...you want me to put in as much strength as I can without hurting myself? My absolute limit?

If that's the case you...might want to step back.

It's all right if you break it, so don't worry too much.

[A dismissive wave of his hand before he jogs faaaaaaaar away to hide behind a very large boulder. He'll peek out for a moment to shout at him.]

I chose this place for a reason!

[Darin takes a slow, steadying breath. Cid really wanted him to pour everything he could into this punch without hurting himself? He could do that.]

[The last time he punched like this, it was against Ganondorf. He was so worked up then, he can't remember if he even hurt himself. But he tries to remember that anger. The anger of being so completely overwhelmed by that giant bastard. The helplessness.]

[There's a palpable charge in the air as Darin tries to remember that feeling. Digging deep to the anger he felt. To Darin, he believes he's simply standing there, eyes closed, muscles tensing...]

[To Cid, there's a feeling of weight in the air. A pressure, ominous but not quite stifling.]

[Darin remembers Zelda's pain when Ganondorf told her of Queen Sonia. A pain that cut through them both. His eyes snap open and for a moment, they flash a sickly gold as he steps in.]

[For a split second something appears across Darin's skin. Chains— like a brand but wrapping all around his frame. It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment made all the more impossible to see with the speed with which he steps in and releases a strike so devastating that the dummy is obliterated on impact. The force that rips through it breaks the form down to tiny scraps and the shockwave from that punch carries out across the island. It's like a bomb went off against his fist. These are the punches he released on Garuda and it's clear that attacks like this could easily shatter Darin's own body with the recoil.]

[He takes a step back and exhales to calm himself, turning to Cid.]

That...That's about my current limit.

[He doesn't look proud.]

[When one is a Dominant like himself, along with being an experienced, noticing that change, that pressure, comes more easily than to an average person. And there's a slight narrowing of his eyes when he briefly catches that change. He couldn't see the chains clearly, but he could see something and his intuition, be it of his own or perhaps even a nudge from Ramuh, makes his nerves tense up, bracing himself.

And it's a good thing he did take cover as even behind that boulder he could feel the force from the punch. A punch he is certain he would not want to be on the receiving end without being in some mode of prime, be it semi or full. Perhaps even as Ramuh he would be sent back.

It's a troubling thought that he would have that much power in such a form, one that may not be able to handle it fully. And now that he's witnessed it, he can get a better idea of why Darin has his problems. He mentally compares him to the other Eikons, and he knows, witnessed Clive taking down Garuda first on his own and then as Ifrit. Some could compare him to Clive, however Clive had his own Eikon. It wasn't just brute strength as Darin showed here—it was skill, tenacity, and then the strength and power of Ifrit that helped him take down Garuda, Titan, Bahamut, Odin. Likely would have bested himself had they fought properly.

Honestly, it's a shame that Clive isn't here any longer...he would know best the difficulty in controlling one's power. But Cid can still make up for it. He has his own experience, both as an experienced fighter and a Dominant, having had to once wrestle his own Eikon before. Hopefully he'll be able to help him, and at least he's no longer burdened and so weakened by his curse.

When the dust settles, he slowly rises and steps out. It doesn't take long for him to come across a piece that had blown over that way, and he'll just let out a low whistle.]

Well. Seems you weren't exaggerating. And that was the strongest without hurting yourself, meaning you could exert even more power than that?

[Rather than be shocked or afraid, he is calm, concerned even.]

[Rather than look Cid in the eye, Darin fixes his gaze on the ground between them and nods somberly. He opens and closes his fist several times, regarding it with open distaste. He hates that he can do this but he also knows his strength can be useful. He can help people if he only learned to control it.]

[But controlling that power scares him. In his mind, learning to master a power that can wipe cities off of the map is just too much power to give to one person. What if he screwed up? What if he hurt someone so completely? What if he killed someone he cared about?]

[And even then, that's not his greatest fear. His greatest fear is the disappointment on the faces of those he cares about when they realize he's let them down. Betrayed them.]

[Zelda's face the night he revealed what he was to her springs to mind. And his heart hurts. It hurts so profoundly that he shakes his head to chase the vision away.]

Multiple punches like that would start to crack my bones. Those are the types of punches I was throwing at Garuda. I've only ever managed to not hurt myself throwing a punch like that once before today...

[Even if he's not looking at him in the eye, Cid watches him carefully as he stops just a few steps away.]

And so your problem is not only controlling your strength to keep it in check, but when you do use it you're not blowing everything out, including yourself. Is that it?

Yeah, it's a balancing act.

I'm...determined to figure it out. To get stronger. But it's terrifying knowing where the power comes from.

[Darin lifts his gaze to Cid.]

Did...you ever feel like that? Knowing where your power comes from? Did it ever scare you?

[There's a wry smile at that as he starts to pick up the pieces around them. He doesn't need to, but he thinks it might be better for Darin if he doesn't feel like all the focus is on him at the moment.

When I first awakened as Ramuh's Dominant, I was honestly terrified. One minute I was facing death's door, a mace ready to smash my head in, and the next lightning erupted all around me, killing the group that had killed the rest of my team.

[He picks up a large piece of the dummy, examining it for a moment before tossing it towards the pile he was starting to make.]

I was only a lad of eighteen, with the stories of Eikons and Dominants something like myths and legends where I hailed from. I didn't even know how to use magic. So you can imagine my surprise when all of the sudden I was granted with such godlike powers without any idea of how to use them.

[Darin watches Cid for a moment before joining him. Similarly, he feels better when he can be put to use and standing around thinking about what he can do was making him anxious.]

So...how did you figure it all out then? Practice? Necessity? It sounds like your Dominants don't exactly come with a manual to read.

While there was some sense of innate knowledge, it was practice mainly. I...

[A small pause as his expression shifts for a moment, a small frown forming for a moment before he tosses what he had in his hand with a bit more force than the others.]

Had a mentor through Odin's Dominant who found me.

...A mentor? Another Dominant?

[That draws Darin's attention.]

...Kinda sounds like you guys all get drawn together. You, Benedikta, Jill, Clive, Joshua...how many Dominants were there?

[There's a wry, almost harsh laugh at that before he answers.]

Eight is the normal number, however Clive was an anomaly.

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