Added (02.17.2010, 11:39 Am)
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The cold winds were blowing stronger the further Kamina progressed up the pillar. Naturally, his cloak fluttered in the wind, but he had secured it… and to be frank, it did offer some protection from the wind, so Kamina didn’t mind the fluttering too much.
“What’s up with the sensei living at the top of this stupid tower anyway?” he muttered to himself as he, for at least the thousandth time, reached up and took hold in one of the indents of the tower with one hand, pulling himself further up and then grabbing hold with his other hand, before using his strength to pull himself up with a low groan.
His sunglasses put into a capsule kept in his pocket in their capsule case to keep them from being accidentally dropped, Kamina’s eyes were for once visible, filling with tears from the strong winds.
Planting a foot in an indent, he reached up with his other hand as well, finally pulling himself further up.
He had, quite literally, been climbing for days at this point. He had no idea about quite how long he had actually been doing this, but he had been sleeping at least three times since he had begun. And honestly, sleeping while desperately holding on to a pillar so you don’t drop off it? That’s NOT a fun thing to do.
Still… he could see the clouds getting closer. He could almost touch them now.
And really, how far above the clouds could the sensei’s home be? Just having built this was already pretty impressive, wasn’t it?
Hours passed, and, finally, Kamina reached the clouds. A wide grin spreading across his lips as he was sure that he would be there soon, he continued, disappearing into the white. Not being able to see anything didn’t exactly help him out… but still, having to feel his way for indents that he could previously spot wasn’t too difficult. After already having climbed for days, he kind of knew where they would be anyway…
Another hour passed… and finally, Kamina emerged from the clouds. Finally, he could see the sensei’s home… but the distance was still far too great.
“Oh man…” he muttered, as he just hang and stared at the small black dot in the distance, far above him… before he started climbing again.

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Words last post: 114
Words this post: 387
Total words: 501

Added (02.18.2010, 9:06 Am)
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The climb continued… several more days had passed, but despite hunger and fatigue, Kamina continued climbing up the tower. Glancing down as he clung to the side of the tower to catch his breath for a moment, Kamina could see the clouds passing below him… He was so far off the ground now… and no matter what, he was starting to weaken so much… He honestly didn’t know if he would be able to use the bukujutsu technique if he fell… that was, at the least, what he had planned on using this entire time… just in case. But now?
No, he was starting to get far too weak for that.
With a loud sigh, born both from frustration and his fatigue, he turned his attention upwards, towards the home of the sensei that lived at the top of the tower, once more. He could see it. It had become far more than just a dot in the distance, far more than something that he could barely glimpse. It was actually within range now… a few hours more, he hoped… at least, if it was nothing more than that, he wouldn’t have to sleep on the damn tower again, feeling the wind rushing over him, threatening to push him down, threatening to make him lose his grip as he rested, trying to sleep properly, as impossible as that might be…
As a particularly strong gust of wind whirled across Kamina, he felt a chill running up his spine. Only holding on to the tower with his right hand, he reached down with his left, trying to adjust his cloak so that it protected him from the cold a bit better, before he continued his climb, slowly ascending towards the top of the tower.
He had lost count of the days and hours that this had taken, but slowly, he was getting there, closer and closer to the top of the tower. The small dot that was the home of the sensei was growing larger with every moment, with every movement he made that brought him closer to the top… He could actually see a noticeable difference with each passing moment now.
The discovery of how close he was actually getting spurred Kamina on, and he continued his climb with renewed strength. He could not stop now, he would not stop now, even as the sun mercilessly shone upon him and the cold winds threatened to knock him down from the tall tower.
The sweat running down his body felt cold and foreign… like it was not part of himself… but no matter what he encountered on the way, Kamina continued climbing, continued moving up, continued going further and further up the tower, until, finally, hours later, he was just beneath what appeared to be a huge platform.
For a moment, he was stunned… how did he get in there? Then he saw it, two small pair of ladders leading from two small holes in the platform.
If he stretched he could just reach it… grabbing hold of the lowest step, he pulled himself up, until he was resting on the ladder. He looked down one final time, then turned his attention up and ascended up the ladder… He would reach the sensei in a matter of moments…

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547 words
Total word count: 1048
Sauna used afterwards: pl gain = 524x1.25 = 655
First part of The Tower and the Cat Sensei quest completed, base pl x1.1

Added (02.18.2010, 8:51 Pm)
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Kamina finally reached the top of the ladder. Pulling himself up, he groaned loudly as he laid down on the solid ground, panting loudly as he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the relief of actually having solid ground under his body, being able to relax for a moment and not having to cling to the side of the tower.
“Yes, it is quite a climb, is it not?” a voice asked.
Opening his eyes, Kamina looked up, finally taking in the area. It was a huge round area, kind of like a big pavilion, with rails at the side and a fountain in the middle… and on top of the string was a small gourd… And next to the fountain stood a cat. On its hind legs. A small, round cat… though big for a cat, like a child in size. With a big wooden cane that was taller than it.
“Eh?” Kamina simply asked, as he sat up, staring towards the cat and the spring.
“I guess whoever told you of me didn’t tell you what I looked like,” the cat continued, as it walked towards Kamina, extending a paw to help him up.
Accepting it, Kamina stood up, towering above the cat.
“I am Master Korin, and I believe you have come here to drink of the Holy Water?” the cat asked, pointing towards the gourd with its cane as Kamina, still confused about the talking cat, looked at it for a second, before turning to look at Korin.
Kamina looked back and forth between the two a few times, before, finally, he understood.
“You’re the great sensei here that watches over the Holy Water that’s supposed to make whoever drinks it stronger?” he finally asked, a grin spreading across his lips as Korin nodded. “Perfect! Gimme!”
Korin smiled. Motioning towards the gourd with his cane again, he simply answered: “If you can take it, you may drink.”
Kamina grinned. Perfect. Water that would make him stronger, a sensei that would teach him how to use that strength. Perfect. He walked towards the fountain, reaching for the gourd… only to have his hands slapped away by Korin’s cane the second before he got the gourd.
“Ow! What the hell!?” Kamina shouted as he pulled his hands back, gently nursing them. “What’d you do that for!?”
“What’s the matter?” Korin asked, a mischievous tone in the cat’s voice. “Did you not want anything to drink? Just take the gourd… if you can.”
Kamina stared at the cat in disbelief for a moment. This guy… he was going to try and keep the gourd from him? Going to try and make sure that he didn’t drink any of the Holy Water? Then what the hell was the point of the damn climb all the way up here in the first place?
Then, he moved. His left hand shot forward, towards the gourd, only to be blocked by Korin’s cane once more. Not wasting a moment, he twisted his hand around, taking hold of the cane and then moved forward with his right hand, attempting to grab the gourd.
Letting go of his cane, Korin jumped up, passing over the gourd and heading straight for Kamina, delivering a kick to his face that caused him to fall backwards. Catching his cane in mid-air, Korin spun around before he caught the gourd with his cane, hoisting it up and holding it, starting to wave it in front of Kamina’s face as he stumbled to his feet.
“Hey hey hey!” Kamina yelled as he scrambled to his feet, reached up to the side of his cloak and then pulled it off, throwing it to the side. “What the hell was that!?”
Korin chuckled lightly, as he leaned against his cane. “Oh, if you can’t even get the water, then there’s no way it will help you. See this as a bit of training, boy.”
For once not wasting any time talking, Kamina rushed forward, running straight at Korin, only to have the cat jump back, out of the way. Pushing off from the ground, Kamina flew through the air, intent on catching Korin, who simply bounced off the ceiling of his pavilion, landing behind Kamina, who stopped, floating in mid-air.
“Bukujutsu, huh? Good job learning that,” Korin teased, as Kamina sent himself flying after the cat once more, almost catching him between his arms… before Korin delivered another kick to Kamina’s face, stopping him abruptly. “Tsk tsk. Not nearly enough, I’m afraid.”
Groaning, Kamina slid to the ground, before rushing at the cat once more. He couldn’t give up like this… He had to try and get the damn gourd so he could get the damn Holy Water… No, he didn’t have to try. He had to actually DO it… only to stumble over his feet and fall face first on the floor.
“Damn it… so weak from all the climbing…” he muttered, as he pushed himself up.
“Hmm? How about a rest then? Just sleep, not like anyone else will suddenly pop up here,” Korin said, as he looked at Kamina. “It’s getting dark anyway, you can try again tomorrow.”
Kamina stared dumbfounded at Korin for a moment, before lying down and starting to try and sleep. Korin just watched him, a smile playing across his cat-like lips.

The same night…

While Korin was snoring loudly, Kamina slowly sat up… the cat was still holding the gourd, but… he could take it. He could take it easily and drink the water, without the cat being none the wiser… or just try to drink from the fountain.
He stared at Korin for a moment, before, with a shrug, lying down again. No, there was no point to that. It wouldn’t be right to do it in that way, he had to do this as it is supposed to be done… with training training training! And hey, it would only be a matter of time before he managed to trip the damn cat anyway, right?
Slowly opening one of his eyes, Korin smiled as he watched Kamina’s actions. That was good. At least he was not a cheater.

Two days later…

Dashing forward, Kamina swung his right arm, attempting to take the gourd. Once more, Korin spun around, evading the strike. He kicked at Kamina’s arm, only to have Kamina strike forward with his other hand, catching hold of Korin’s foot.
“Gotcha’!” he shouted, as he pulled at the foot, pulling Korin towards him.
Of course… it was not going to be that easy, as Korin punched him with one hand while holding the cane with his other. Groaning, Kamina struck back, punching towards Korin a few times, only to have each punched blocked… with one hand.
“Is that really all that you can do, oh great Kamina-sama?” Korin mocked, as he finally jumped back, out of the way of Kamina. “You will have to do much better than that if you want to drink some of the water.”
Kamina stared at Korin. He cursed under his breath before rushing forward again, throwing a new punch, followed by a kick. He would get through that damn cat’s defenses and get the water. There was no way that he would just walk away without getting the water he had fought so hard for.

Days pass once more…
Three days later…

Korin jumped back, only barely avoiding as Kamina attempted to grab the cat between his arms. A somewhat shocked expression on his face, Korin nonetheless grinned as he shook his head.
“Still not good enough, boy… At your current level it is impossible for you to lay a hand on me… much less the gourd. Be reasonable and give up, would you?” Korin shouted, standing opposite Kamina in the pavilion.
Of course, he didn’t really mean it. There was something about Kamina’s tenacity, his seeming inability to give up, something about the way he acted and his very spirit that just seemed to make him likeable… But he still felt that pushing Kamina, actually trying to push him down, might be the best choice. After all… someone just needed to be provoked…
“Reason? Impossible!?” Kamina shouted, as he stared towards Korin, the anger evident in his voice as he suddenly held his sunglasses in his hand. “Who the hell do you think I am!?” Looking away, he placed his sunglasses on, before turning to look at Korin once again as he struck a pose, pointing straight up at the sky… or rather, the ceiling. “I kick reason to the curb and go beyond the impossible!”
With a loud yell, Kamina threw himself forward towards Korin once again, a completely different look in his eyes behind the sunglasses, more focused and serious… not just angry or confused. He threw a punch that barely passed by Korin’s face, rustling his fur. Surprised, Korin jumped to the side to evade the blow, as Kamina kicked with his opposite leg. Only just managing to see the kick coming in at him, Korin dodged, crouching under the kick… which left him wide open for Kamina to kick back with the leg he had just swung at Korin.
“GAH!” Korin shouted as Kamina’s kick connected with his body, sending him flying back… and Kamina, not wasting any time, spun around and jumped at Korin… catching the cane and holding it up, staring at the gourd with a wide grin on his lips.
“Oh yeah!” he shouted, holding it up towards the ceiling. “VIIIICTORY!!!”
Korin just stared at Kamina as he got to his feet, a smile on his lips. “Well done, well done…”
“Can I drink then?” Kamina asked, pushing his sunglasses up so he could look at Korin from under them.
Korin nodded, a smile still on his lips, as Kamina raised the gourd to his lips… and drank, emptying the gourd, before putting it down. “AAAH! That’s some good water!” he exclaimed, looking down at himself. “Strange… I don’t really feel stronger, y’know.”
Korin chuckled lightly. “It’s just normal water, Kamina. There’s no Holy Water.”
“What!? Then what did I do all that for!?” Kamina exclaimed, staring wide eyed at Korin.
“Think about it, boy. Climbing the tower to get all the way up here, fighting me in this thin air and trying to get the gourd non-stop for days? You’ve become far stronger than you were already!”
Kamina stopped for a moment, thinking about it… and then a wide grin spread across his lips. “ALRIGHT! Training accomplished!” he shouted, throwing a few punches in the air.
Chuckling again, Korin smiled at Kamina. “Here, take this,” he said, throwing a bean to Kamina.
Catching the bean, Kamina stared at it for a second. “A bean?”
“A senzu bean. It will completely restore your energy and heal you if you eat it… and should satisfy your appetite too,” Korin explained. “Take care of it, they’re kind of rare… as in, I grow them here. If you bring me some fish every now and again I’ll give you some more.”
Kamina thought about it for a moment, a smile steadily spreading across his lips. A bean that, when eaten, could restore him completely, no matter what he had done before? Now that was something to think about… that had some real possibilities. And all that… for fish?
“Well, well, well! I think I’m gonna go and get me a fishing rod!” he stated loudly, as he went over and picked up his cloak. “Uhh… would it be alright if I just fly up here next time? And… like, do you have any ideas for where I can go next for some training to get stronger? I don’t think Oyaji’s books mentioned anything but this place…”
“Of course you can fly up here, you’ve done the training, it won’t help any if you just do the same again like that!” Korin said, then pointed out in the distance. “That way! Go see Master Roshi and told him I sent you. Oh, and bring him some porn. Then he’s sure to train you.”
Kamina looked at him for a moment. Porn? “Umm… alright?” he muttered. “Well… See ya Korin, thanks for the training!” he shouted, before he jumped out from the tower, flying in the direction that Korin had pointed.

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2048 words
Sauna used afterwards, Power Growth from mainly fighting: pl gain = 1024x1.25x1.2 = 1536
Second part of The Tower and the Cat Sensei quest completed: base pl x1.1. Senzu bean gained