He rolled his shoulders as he stepped onto the docks. "Hey, Hanzo. You sure this is the right place?" The middle-aged man with a potbelly and a gray crew cut waved him off. "You asked for Kyoshi Island, didn't you? That big statue over there look like any of the other avatars?" He shrugged. "Well, seeing as I've never met any of them, how the hell would I know? Alright, thanks for the lift. Here you go." Jacob tossed him a small ruby about the size of his thumb. "Pleasure doing business with ya kid. Enjoy your stay." He strode off the docks and into the center of the small village.
August 1st, 99 10:00 AM
Kyoshi Island
Chek Village
The first thing he did was look at the roofs of the village houses and scoff. One of the locals took offense to this, coming up to him and poking his chest. "Hoy, you aren't off the boat for five minutes and you're already looking down on us? Ever heard of being a gracious guest?" Jacob shook his head. "You misunderstand. The houses look fine, I'm just disappointed. The angle is too narrow for me to run on without falling off, that's all. Rooftops are my preferred method of traveling." The local went from anger to confusion in a heartbeat at the frank tone he used to say something so absurd. "Rooftops?" He sighed and looked up at the roofs with regret. "For this exact reason, actually. I don't have to interact with people if I'm ten feet above them. I'm looking for the Kyoshi Warriors, got any clue where I should look?" He glanced at the man again, taking in his attire. 'Leather breastplate, club at his hip, helmet made of what looks like bronze, all over simple cloth. Probably the closest thing to a policeman here.' He looked at Jacob suspiciously, hand shifting to rest on the club. "Why are you looking for them? We don't need any trouble, stranger." Jacob raised his hands in mock surrender. "Chill out man. I'm just here because my sensei said they'd impugned his honor a while back, and I'm supposed to fight them for it. Just a friendly spar and then I'll probably be on my way." 'Let's see if he buys it. Sounds believable enough with how important honor is in this world. I'm really in this particular village to sightsee.' His hand shifted off his club and his posture relaxed. "Head down the main road. Their dojo is right at the end. Hope you're ready for an assbeating, the Warriors are our pride and joy." He cracked his neck from side to side and popped his knuckles. "We'll see about that."
August 1st, 10:30 AM
Kyoshi Island
Kyoshi Warriors Dojo
He pushed open the paper door that led inside and leaned against the frame. It was a simple place, with tatami mat flooring and a few small tables with metal fans on and above them. The Warriors themselves were the main attraction, and they stopped what they were doing for a moment to see who had entered. "Please, don't let me stop you. I just want to watch for a bit." They whispered amongst themselves for a few seconds, and the longer they talked the more his head fell forward. 'Kinda cute? Why is he shirtless? Nice muscles? What's with the tattoo? Ah, finally we have a 'Who is he?' One of them's smart at least.' "I can hear every word you're saying." One of the girls in the middle reddened through the kabuki-like makeup she had on, while another started to fuss with the armored green kimono she wore. Eventually the woman who was clearly the leader by the way the others looked at her strode up to him, metal fans folded at her side. "Then I'll ask right to your face. Who are you?" He smiled brightly and extended a hand. "Jacob. Nice to meet you, miss. I've heard a lot about you ladies, and wanted to see if the rumors were true." Her gloves were rough leather, and her grip was strong. "What rumors?" He shrugged nonchalantly. "That this is where the most beautiful women become the best warriors." He winked at her. "At least half is right, so I look forward to seeing the other."
Her auburn hair shifted slightly and her brown eyes narrowed almost to slits. "Then would you like a demonstration?" He clapped his hands together as if to pray and bowed. "I would be honored. Who will I fight?" She waved her hand at the other girls and they cleared the floor. "Me. Get out your weapon." He scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Ah, I actually prefer hand-to-hand over my sword. You can still use your fans if you'd like." 'Let's see if she'll take the bait. Come on, you know you want to.' Her glare intensified as they walked into the center of the room. "You don't think I can beat you if you use your blade, do you? I'll teach you to look down on me." He waved his hands anxiously. "It's not that, I just wouldn't want to break those pretty fans of yours. They go great with your outfit, by the way." He turned around and walked to his side of the dojo, tossing his scabbard off to the side. Light footsteps hit the mats behind him and he smirked. 'I think I'll pay a bit of homage to one of my favorite blondes in this fight.'
'Just who does this guy think he is? Walking into our dojo, insulting our weapons, refusing to even draw the sword on his hip… I'm going to kick his ass!' These were the thoughts running through Suki's mind as she ran at him. The worried look from a warrior on his side stopped her in her tracks. She felt a gust of wind blow past her face as Jacob's foot stopped an inch from her nose. "Ah ah ah, we haven't started yet miss. Say, you never did tell me your name." 'He's fast. I wasn't expecting him to be anything more than talk, I'll have to take this seriously.' She flipped out her fans and hopped back a few feet as he lowered his leg. "Giving me the silent treatment? You're no fun. Fine, I'll try and guess. Hisato? Chie? Ibuki?" Her face twisted a little at the last name. 'That's disturbingly close. Does he actually know who I am?' He grinned, having noticed her reaction. "Ah. Ibuki, huh? Pretty name for a pretty girl." 'He's trying to flatter me, after all that?! Not going to save you now!' She kept her stance and waited for him to approach. "Making me take the lead? Not the first time a girl has been afraid to try and handle me. Here I come, 'Buki!" (Play Il vento d'orifto - Giorno's Theme Eurobeat Remix) He ran straight at her and jumped into the air. 'What the hell kind of style is that? He's perfectly open to an attack! It has to be a trap. Well, I won't take the bait again!' She stepped back and he grinned. 'Shit! He knew I was going to do that! But I'm so far away, what can he do from there?' "You just thought 'But I'm so far away, what can he do from there,' didn't you?" His feet tapped the ground for a second, and instead of the slapping of flesh on mat there was a small bang. 'Now he's reading my mind?!' He flew into the air even though his legs didn't bend at all. He started to come down at an angle and began to punch down. 'He can punch all he wants, it won't get through my fans! Hope you enjoy the bruised knuckles, Jacob!' She made to block with her fans, and he smirked again. 'Dammit! What's this guy's deal?!' He shouted "POWER DUNK!" as his fist slammed into the half-inch thick pieces of metal. Suki fell back a few inches from the impact but stayed on her feet.
When she pulled her fans back something seemed off, and she inspected the one that had taken the brunt of the hit. An imprint of his fist was left in the metal and her jaw dropped. 'He dented them with his bare hands?! This guy is a monster!' He rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. I'm not a monster, it took me so long to get that down it's not even funny. You should get a mask or something, it's really easy to read your face. Also…" He dashed in and grabbed her by the wrists. "Never lose your concentration in a fight." He pushed her behind him and hooked an arm around her neck. 'That's a weird way to put me in a chokehold.' He took them both to the ground, slamming her back into the floor and bouncing her up. 'I've lost. There's no way I can get out of this.' Jacob wasn't finished as he punched her armored stomach, sending her higher. He flipped into a handstand, bent his elbows, and pushed himself off the ground. He shouted "RISING TACKLE!" as he began to spin, kicking into her chestplate. His whirling ceased and with one final kick she smacked into the rafters. He landed on his hands and flipped to catch her as she fell. (Stop playing Il vento d'orifto - Giorno's Theme Eurobeat Remix)
Jacob set her down gently on the floor. 'Did I go overboard? Shit, I didn't mean to actually hurt her.' He tapped her cheek lightly and she stirred. "Phew, thought I'd have another murder trial on my hands. You alright, 'Buki?" She groaned and glared at him. "You dented my fans." He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. I'll get you a new pair." He offered her his hand. She let him pull her up and adjusted her kimono. "I'm also sorry about being an ass. Wasn't sure if you'd fight me without a little incentive." She crossed her arms and snapped at the other Warriors. "Quit staring and get back to training! Let's talk outside." He shrugged. "Sure. Makes no difference to me."
August 1st, 11:00 AM
Kyoshi Island
Forest near Chek
"You're not here to confirm rumors, are you?" Jacob shrugged. "Not really, it's just something I wanted to do on the side. My real business here is far more… combat oriented. I'm the best there is at what I do, and what I do isn't very nice." 'Technically the truth because there's nobody else hunting down Prometheus's little embers.' Ibuki frowned at him. "You're bluntly admitting to being a fire nation spy? I couldn't beat you alone, but if I call the rest of the-" He waved his hands frantically from side to side. "Nope, definitely not. I am very much not affiliated with the fire nation. Actually, last I checked the princess herself set a bounty on my head. Let me see, where did I put the poster?"
He fished around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a rolled up piece of paper. He unrolled it and held it up next to his face. "Pretty striking resemblance, huh? I don't know how she found out what my face looked like, though. Anyways, not the point." Her frown deepened, the makeup cracking a little. "Then why are you on Kyoshi? And how did you manage to get such a hefty bounty? Ten thousand gold pieces doesn't get given out for just anyone." His head fell forward a bit. "Uh, the shorter and far less confusing while also much more believable version is that I'm dealing with fire nation spies, and I'm damn good at it, enough that they decided something should be done about me. You know what that means, right?" Her eyes flew open in shock. "There's a spy in the village?!" He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "No, there is not to my knowledge. Why would I pick a fight with you if I was trying to catch a spy? That'd give them the chance to slip away. Like I said, this place is just something on the side I wanted to see. My sources tell me he's further inland. I'll be out of your hair soon, unless you'd like me to stay for a bit."
She raised an eyebrow at his remark. "And why would I want you to stay?" He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "This place doesn't seem like it gets visitors all that often, you less so. Figured you might like a change of pace, even if it's only for a day or two." She bit her lip and started to think about something. 'Wheels are turning. Wants to ask me to stay, but there's an issue. Now she's solved the issue, but it's not a matter of want anymore.' He took a shallow breath before she spoke. "Your next line is "I'm coming with you to catch the spy," isn't it?" "I'm coming with yo-" Her jaw dropped and he grinned. "Sure. I don't mind company." Jacob suddenly frowned. "I'm not sure if you understand what I meant by dealing with, though. I kill most of them, Ibuki, and if you don't want that on your soul, now's the time to back out." She crossed her arms and glared at him. "You're telling me a sixteen-year-old is going around murdering elite firebenders? You're good at close combat, but that doesn't matter if you're burned to a crisp when you get there. And my name isn't Ibuki, it's Suki." He rubbed his chin. "Well, that's something you could have told me earlier. And yes, I am good at close combat, but that's not my only skill."
He drew his hand up like he was controlling a marionette and a pillar of earth shot up to meet him. He snapped off the top like it was made of cheap bread and compressed it to the size of a toothpick. He picked his teeth with it, got out a small bit of something, and chucked it away. "I'm a bender too. The earth under our feet, these hands, the blade in there, have taken seventeen lives off this earth. I'm already a killer, but you've still got a shot at staying relatively pure. If you understand, and want to come anyways, I'll be at the village gates leading inland in thirty minutes. Don't bother packing a tent." He walked off into the dojo, found one girl fainted next to his sword and smirked, then strutted away whistling an oddly uplifting tune, that of a warrior fighting his way to the top, defeating foes far stronger than himself through wit and determination alone.
August 1st, 11:30 AM
Kyoshi Island
Outside Chek Village
Jacob looked at the clock in his menu. 'Thirty minutes are up. Damn shame, she seemed nice. Ah well, I've had two months on the road by myself already, nothing I'm not used to.' He set off southward, glancing at the arrow on his map. 'This guy is the fifth on the list, level 51. I can take him, though; my ace in the hole is perfect for dealing with overwhelming opponents.' A rush of footsteps coming from behind him made him turn around. A grin split his face when Suki screeched to a halt in front of him, a pack on her back. "You owe me a new pair of fans. I'm coming with you until you've paid that debt." He rubbed his chin. "Not exactly what I was expecting you to say, but that's fair. Let's get going, partner." He held out a fist and she bumped it tentatively. 'Maybe this will be a fun trip after all.'
Hey ladies and gents! I'm back, with the newest installment of the Jacob saga. I realized something while I was taking a short break from writing to clear my head. The gamer elements of the story were in desperate need of a tune-up. So here's the beginning of the gamer revolution: Jacob's stat sheet, in a brand new epic format that hopefully looks good, with every combat skill, along with minor changes to some "skills" that didn't fit the definition I wanted.
[No Title] Jacob Hayes
Lvl: 32
Exp: 1700/6600
HP: 800/800
SP: 950/950
STR: 51 (5 points spent, 16 points earned)
AWN: 27 (2 points spent, 6 points earned)
INT: 42 (5 points earned)
CON: 50 (10 points spent, 10 points earned)
SPD: 48 (13 points used, 15 points earned)
CHR: 69 (19 points earned)
Armor: [None]
Weapon: [Emeradic Reaper]
Perks: Silver Tongue
Gaia's Chosen
Detective (Inactive)
Traits: Prodigy
Easygoing
Observant
Devoted
Combat Proficiencies:
Unarmed Lvl 29
Sword Mastery Lvl 42
Earthbending Lvl 36
Skills: Aether Lvl 23: 2413/5750 "EAT THIS!" Launch yourself into the air with a pillar of rock, or your own leg muscles, and come down spinning with a devastating slam. Deals (222 base damage + sword base damage/5) * height fallen in meters * .5 STR. Special Traits: Unstoppable, Recoilless (Locked until level 25).
Costs: 150 SP
Aether max damage: 21,522 (5m fall distance)
*NEW* Skills
Power Dunk Lvl 17: 1265/4250 "A+A+down+B=win." Jump up into the air and come crashing down with a strong punch. Deals 91 base damage * (.2STR) Special Trait: Guardbreaker
Costs: 25 SP
Guardbreaker: Any attack with this trait deals ten times the damage to shields or barriers it hits, and any defenses such as spikes will be destroyed.
Power Dunk max damage: 928 (guardless), 9,280 (guarded)
Rising Tackle Lvl 20: 2300/5000 "TORNADO UPPERC- oh wait that's the wrong move." Launch yourself off the ground with your hands and spin around, trapping your opponents with weaker hits until the finisher comes out and slams them real good! Deals 169 base damage * (.2SPD) Special Trait: Intangible (Locked until level 25)
Costs: 100 SP
Intangibility: Attacks that hit you for the duration of this move will deal zero damage and cannot inflict status effects. You must charge the move for a full second in order for this to take effect.
Rising Tackle max damage: 1622
? Lvl 1: 113/250 "? ? ?" ? Deals 1 base damage * (Lost HP/10) Special Traits: Unstoppable, Guardbreaker, Desperate Strength
Costs: ? SP
Desperate Strength: ?
? max damage: ?,?
Alright, that sums it up! For those of you wondering, that skill at the end is a surprise. Until we see him use them or he mentions them directly, they won't be filled out or mentioned on the sheet. I'll have an updated version of Jacob's stat sheet at the end of every chapter, only including changes. Au revoir, mes amis!