>>2986597

Standing under the boughs of the willow listening to the soft burble of the stream passing you by you consider going through Kata, practicing a moving mediation that would center mind and body in preparation for this evening, but as bend your knees and settle into your stance in preparation to begin you think of your conversation with Nikolai.

Specifically you remember what he told you regarding Contracts , bargains changeling like yourself make with Kami that allow them to use that Kami's power. He insinuated that you likely had a few Contracts of your own, and that you would be able to call on them if you put in the effort. You remember your confrontation with Marlboro Malone, how he conjured fire with a flick of his fingers. That was a small demonstration of power, but surely these Contracts can do more than parlor tricks, and if they can then you can't afford to go without them. Best to take this opportunity and reconnect with your own Contracts now while you have the chance rather than wish you had at a later date.

So you sift back through your memories of your time in the realm of the Kami, of Arcadia, and you remember bargaining with a mountain spirit and feeling the strength of the earth fill your bones. It's vague, but it's something to go on. You look around for something that could serve as the focus of a meditation attempting to reach out to an earth Kami, and your eyes fall upon a large craggy decorative rock that comes up to about your knees.

You decide that will do, and you settle down in front of it folding your legs under you and resting your hands on your knees as you focus on the stone and begin to mediate. Long deep breaths seven counts in, hold for seven counts, and then release for seven counts. Establish the rhythm. You focus on the stone and clear your mind, letting all other considerations fall from your consciousness. There is no tournament tonight. There is no park around you. You do not feel the sun on your skin or the grass underneath you. Time ceases to have meaning, you cannot say how long you have been here. You focus on the stone and clear away all other considerations until there is nothing left in your universe but the stone and the steady rhythm of your breath.

As you slip deeper into the meditative trance the stone begins to change. Two depressions in the stone become deep shadowed eyes, a ridge becomes a nose, and a crack in the stone opens up and becomes a mouth. The stone before you takes on the rough facsimile of a face, and then the crack-mouth opens wider and it begins to speak to you.

>>2986609

"Why do you seek me Kentaro Jones?" It asks in a deep gravely voice that reverberates deep within you.

"Forgive this one's intrusion Honored Kami" You say "One apologizes for disturbing you. In returning to the mortal realm one has forgotten much. One knows that we have made a bargain in the past, but one cannot recall the finer details. One had hoped you would be so benevolent as to remind this one."

The rock laughs, it sounds like two grindstones rubbing against each other mixed with the clatter of falling rocks. "It seems you have forgotten much, the thorns must have cut and torn you deeply little brother. Very well, I will answer your question."

There is a brief pause and then it answers firmly in a booming voice "We are STONE, ours is the strength of the great mountains and the solidity of the earth itself. No matter how the wind howls the mountain will not bow to it. This is the strength you have bargained for little brother, to call upon the might of Stone to sustain you and give you strength for feats beyond the ability of mere mortals to complete. Call upon us, and provide the agreed upon price in Glamour, and our strength is your's. Now go little brother, and let me rest until you need me."

The face fades and the stone becomes once more just a stone. Slowly you come back into consciousness of the world around you. But though the Kami's presence has faded, you can feel the connection in the back of your mind. Gossamer thin threads that connect you to the stone around you, and you remember how to feed them glamour and pull on them for strength.The sky has darkened, and the sun is nearly set. Your muscles are slightly stiff from your long meditation, and Natalia will likely be here shortly.

Do you

>Stretch and do a quick warm-up Kata and wait for Natalia to find you.
>Walk to the entrance of the park and wait for Natalia there
>Try calling upon the might of Stone as a test to make sure you can do it
>Write in.

>>2986641
>>Stretch and do a quick warm-up Kata and wait for Natalia to find you.

>>2986641
>Stretch and do a quick warm-up Kata and wait for Natalia to find you.

Can't be stiff before the big tournament, and I'd offer to archive but I'm working from a phone and don't know how many wrenches that throws into it

>>2986641
write a description and the tags you want and I archive it for you

>>2986745

That is very kind of you anon. Thank you. As far as tags go I'd say Changeling and Monk for sure. Not really sure what else I'd put in there for tags. Shugendo maybe, since that's what Kentaro practices.

The description I could see as something like "We meet with a leader among the Colorless and go to a fight club" or something like that. I'm really quite bad at summaries of that sort, so i'm open to suggestions if anyone has a better way to put it.

>>2986641
>Stretch and do a quick warm-up Kata and wait for Natalia to find you.

>>2986787
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2949721/

done

>>2986827

Thank you anon, you're the best.

>Stretch and do a quick warm-up Kata and wait for Natalia to find you.

>>2986844
Autumn article went up as well incidentally. Summer's next.

>>2986706
>>2986711
>>2986806
>>2987426

You decide to wait for Natalia to find you and take the time to stretch and run through kata to limber up after your long meditation. After all, you can’t go to the tournament with your muscles stiff. You start first with deep breathing exercises while gently running through basic poses to get your blood flowing before moving on to the more advanced stretches such as vertical splits.

When you feel sufficiently limber you drop down into a horse stance and start your Kata, beginning at the most basic beginners sets comprised mostly of straight forward blocks and punches, and continuing seamlessly on into more difficult Kata as you finish the one you were on. You’ve gotten to about the intermediate level, where the Kata involves recoveries from assumed knockdowns and attacks from unusual angles and as such is more demanding and dynamic when Natalia arrives.

She enters the clearing where you have been exercising as you practice a recovery from being knocked down where you kick out at your opponents knee before regaining your feet, and she stops a respectable distance away from your reach and waits quietly for you to stop striking out at the air. You decide to finish the Kata, and then turn to face her when you are done.

“That some sort of Karate?” She asks you with a small grin.

You puzzle over her wording for a moment before memories of your life before your time in the realm of the Kami begin to stir and you grasp her meaning. “Not as you recognize it no, but there are likely similarities. One would have to observe this Karate to say with certainty.” You tell her with a small style of your own.

“Looks bad ass” She says “But shouldn’t you be conserving your strength and not wearing yourself out or something like that?”

You take a moment to take stock, yes you've worked up a light sweat and your breathing somewhat more heavily than you had been before you began your Kata, but you are far from tired. No your limbs feel loose and your muscles are pleasantly warm. Your blood sings. You feel ready.

“One is grateful for your concern, but you need not trouble yourself.” You reply “One knows one’s limits and did not exceed them, one was simply warming up.”

>>2990716

“Cool.” She says and she gestures for you to follow her and turns back towards the path out of the park. “So how was meditation?”

“Productive” You tell her as you step up beside her and walk her out to the path, slipping easily into the polite small talk. “How was your afternoon Miss Natalia.”

“Good” She says “Been looking for better work, had some good interviews today. Hopefully I’ll hear back from them soon. I’m getting real sick of waiting tables.”

“One is sure you will be successful” You reply. “But one wishes you the best of luck all the same.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” She says as you make your way to the gate “So have you given any thought to employment yourself? I mean short term you’ll have to find something pretty basic, but after a while you’ll be able to afford to buy some fake ID, or maybe Nikolai could work something out.”

“One has not given it much consideration” You reply as you step out onto the street and turn back towards the fight club. “One supposes one has not had time to do so, but one will surely consider it now that you have brought the subject to one’s attention.”

“You can probably get something at a warehouse by the docks shifting freight or at a club as a bouncer until you can find something better.” She tells you.

“One is grateful for the suggestions” You reply. “One will keep them in mind.”

The two of you slip into amicable silence as you make the rest of your way back. You think that Natalia doesn’t want to distract you any further, and if that is the case you appreciate it. You spend the rest of the walk centering yourself and preparing for what is to come.

When you get back to the boxing gym and step into the side alley you see that the gate is already being opened by a small dark skinned man with pinched facial features covered by faintly glowing green tattoos and ink stained fingers that smudge the doorway and leave a stain as he opens the gate. There’s a quill tucked behind one of his pointed ears, and he doesn’t even look back at you as you enter the alley, though he does leave the gateway open.

It’s probably fortunate he doesn’t look back, because as soon as you see him you feel Natalia stiffen next to you and mumble “Shit”

>>2990722

“Someone you know” You ask her quietly

“Not personally” She replies, “Just by reputation. Inkfinger, works records and money trails for King Flynt.”

“Will he be a problem” You ask her.

“No, no he shouldn’t know me, not by sight at least.” She tells you. “Still, I think I’ll keep a low profile tonight.”

Then she walks through the portal quickly before it can close, and before you can say anything. You wonder if it was intentional. As you step through you look through the now much more crowded room. It’s far more crowded than it had been this afternoon, and you can see there have been a few more changes. Sometime while you were gone someone had set up a tiered series of steps around the central pit to allow more people to watch, and there’s a large projection of the pit being cast across the back wall by a glowing crystal globe suspended on top of a staff. At the moment it just shows two changelings with red bandannas dumping in and smoothing out fresh sand, but shortly you know it will be projecting the fights for those not in the ‘stands’ as it were to see.

You look around for Natalia, but before you can find her in the throng you are intercepted by a lithe man with haughty aristocratic features possessed of an unnatural grace and fair countenance wearing a red scarf.

“There you are” He tells you “My mistress was beginning to think you wouldn’t show. Cutting it a bit close don’t you think? Come on we need to get you to the drawing quickly.”

He reaches out as if to grab you by the arm and pull you, and then looks at you again and seems to think better of it and gestures insistently for you to follow him. Before you follow him you stop and look again for Natalia, and you catch sight of her. She waves at you, and then gestures for you to go and gives you a thumbs up. You walk behind the man and he takes you past the chalkboard to a door that leads to a side room.

File: bracket.png (44 KB, 2740x1594)

44 KB PNG

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>2990726

The room is filled. You see the Bookie, and nine other individuals with red glowing tattoos, but it’s the fighters that catch your eye. Most of them are wearing shorts and going bare chested. There’s a man with craggy Grey skin and bat like wings. One with crystalline flesh that flashes as electricity runs under their skin. A massive brute of a man bigger even than you with scarring on one side of his face. A man with long flowing red hair and scaled and clawed hands that breaths out smoke. One with long limbs that walks softly on the balls of his feet and has a face more suited to a runway model than a pit fighter. One with pale skin that keeps to the shadowed corner of the room flicking his fingers in and out, releasing and retracting blade like claws. A walking statue made of bronze, and finally two bestial changelings. A thick set man with rams horns that looks a bit like Jonathan, if Jonathan put on about fifty pounds of muscle, and a man with white feathers for hair and talon-ed hands. None of them has glowing tattoos.

As you enter you hear the bookie speak up and say “Good you are all here, we can get started with the drawing. This is going to be only a ten man tournament since we had two sponsors drop out. The tournament will follow this bracket structure.” She says as she points to a diagram on the wall. “As you can see some fighters will get buys. In order to prevent accusations of favoritism you’ll be drawing lots to determine your order in the fights.”

She nods to a man next to her and he holds out a box with an opening in the top and rattles it causing the contents to shake before holding it out. “Please come forward and select a lot” The bookie says, and you and the other fighters step forward and reach in to pull out your lots. As you were at the back of the room you are the last to grab your lot.

tbc

>>2990737

You look at the little ball you pulled out, and see that it reads four.

“Now that you’ve all seen your numbers if you would please find your opponents and then come to the front so that we can record your names in the correct order.” The bookie calls out. “Contracts may only be used if both competitors agree to their use. Natural advantages given by your nature are allowed. Please speak with your respective opponents and make a decision regarding use of contracts before coming to have yourselves recorded.”

The room becomes loud as different fighters call out in an attempt to find each other. You can hear a loud voice calling out “Hey, who’s got number four?” and you follow the sound of the voice to the crystalline man. Up close he has a sort of rocky appearance, like quartz silica. His head is lit up with a little ball of lightning that shoots out bolts that flow down through his body and limbs. He’s smaller and lighter than you, but he shows not signs of concern as you walk up to him.

“Hey what's up” He says as he puts his hands between his head and smirks up at you, spouting off words at a mile a minute. “Names Alexander. Bad luck for you big guy but I’m afraid this is as far as you go. I got this thing in the bag. Tell you what, I’ll be kind and give you some time to show off before I beat your ass so you can look good for potential patrons alright? So you want to allow contract use or not? I really could care less, so I'll let you choose.”

Do you choose

>Contracts
>No Contracts

And Battle Strategy

>Overwhelm him from the start with your greater size
>Play it safe and don’t commit until the opportune moment
>Defend and wait for him to tire himself out he probably can’t really hurt you.
>Write in

>>2990831
>no contracts
we are not really familiar with them

>Play it safe and don’t commit until the opportune moment
wait for the opening, be patient, counter his every move to frustrate him into overcommiting

>>2990863
Agreed

>>2990863

Seconding this, as far as jobs go I personally want to see just where going full monk route and accepting acetic living would lead us both as a character and where we would end up positioned in changeling society. I think it would meld well with our character so far and be a way for us to flesh more of ourselves, exploring the religious side isn't something I've seen a lot of quests do and certainly not with this particular frame

>No Contracts
>Play it safe and don’t commit until the opportune moment

Most Lost are killers or have been. It doesn't pay to disrespect our opponent.

Rolled 36, 46, 73, 17, 34, 3, 71, 55, 79, 82 = 496 (10d100)

Update incoming. If I could get some rolls of 5d100 from whoever is around if there is anyone it would be appreciated.

Rolled 38, 67, 12, 76, 74 = 267 (5d100)

>>2993689

Here is a fistful of dice

Rolled 68, 79, 100, 72, 90 = 409 (5d100)

>>2993689
For a few dice more

>>2993733

Fuck man, nicely done

>>2990831

"One would prefer that we refrain from the use of contracts" You tell Alexander. You know better than to go into battle with an untested blade, and you know that your opponent is likely far more familiar with their use than you are.

"Alright, playing it safe I get that." He replies "Can't blame you for being scared. Not everyone is as awesome as me."

You stare at him stoically. If it is his intent to rouse your ire then he will need to be far more provocative. The Buddha taught that to be manipulated by another's insults was to be their slave, and that one must act not according to another’s actions but according to one's own determination. Only then can one be their own master. You know better than to be goaded into rash action in these circumstances.

He looks at you for a moment waiting for a response, until the silence and your blank stare makes him feel awkward and he coughs and says "Lets just go get ourselves added to the roster.”

You nod slowly and then walk to the board and write your name on the fourth slot and turn to the bookie and tell her “One has agreed with one’s opponent that we will not use contracts for our fight.”

She nods her head and tell you “Alright, got it. You’re second fight. Go ahead and wait here until you are called out. They’ll project the fights over on that wall for you to watch while you wait your turn.”

She points over to the side wall that would be to the left of someone entering the room through the doorway, where you can see a crystal ball similar to the one set up outside but smaller is being placed on a stand.

As it lights up and projects the image of the pit you hear the voice of the announcer from earlier in the afternoon boom out “Ladies and Lords, fair gentlefolk, I hope you’ve prepared yourselves, because it’s time for the tournament to begin. And for our first match we have a crowd favorite. Don’t call him an Indian, cause this Native American is vicious! Give it up for Brave Flying Eagle!”

The crowd cheers as the projection on the wall shows the man with the white feathered head and the hands like birds feet walk out and make his way to the pit with arms upraised.

“And his opponent” The announcer calls out as the first fighter descends into the pit “He’s a new prospect but he’s no slouch. Here at the personal invitation of Sir Arnold we have Francisco ‘the Frog’ Silva!”

The lithe man steps out into sight and makes his way out to the pit. He doesn’t raise his hands up. He just sedately glides his way towards the fight. His feet barely seem to touch the ground, and his aristocratic features are lit up by a glowing smile. He nods at a few people as he walks past them, and while the cheering isn’t as loud as it had been for his opponent it’s still respectable.

>>2993796

As he descends back into the pit the projection pans out to show both fighters, and they square off against each other and the crowd quiets down in anticipation. There’s a moments pause and then the announcer cries out “Fight!”

Immediately, before the sound of the announcers voice begins to fade, the taloned man darts forward and swipes at the other man’s face, but he misses as the other man dodges by bending backwards as if his spine was made of rubber.

He falls all the way back to the ground, catching himself with his left arm and with his left leg bent under him and his right leg sticking out to the side. The lithe man twists his body and plants his right arm while lifting his left arm, whipping his right leg low across the ground at his opponent’s legs.

The Feather headed man lifts his foreleg out of the reach of of the low sweeping kick, but the other fighter isn’t finished. He swings up his right leg and then pushes explosively off of the ground with his left leg raising his whole body up on his right arm as he kicks with his left leg landing a solid blow into Brave Flying Eagle’s side.

The avian changeling recoils and clutches at his side as Francisco regains his feet and they square off with each other again. “The Frog” twists so that his back is facing his opponent while crouching slightly, and then uncoils like a spring and pushes off his right leg bringing up his knee before pushing off of his left and twisting back the other way. He soars though the air towards his opponent in a massive flying roundhouse kick.

Rather than try to back out of the way or duck it, the taloned man steps in towards the kick and braces with his right arm. Rather than being struck by the lower shin and instep his arm is hit by Francisco’s thigh, and while the force still rocks him slightly he avoids the worst of it, and then he reaches out and grabs leg that kicked him. His talons sink into the other mans flesh, and the Native American fighter lets out a loud victorious screech as he turns and throws his opponent to the ground.

As Francisco slams into the ground Brave Flying Eagle pounces on him, straddling his chest and raining blows down at his downed opponent. On his back the downed fighter desperately protects his face with his forearms, and blood sprays the sand as his arms are bruised and slashed by the pounding he’s taking.

>>2993800

It looks like the match is all but over, when Francisco draws his legs up under him and bucks explosively right as the other man leans forward to strike at him, knocking his opponent off of him and to the side. Planting both of his hands on the ground “The Frog” pushes his body off of the ground twists like a top, lashing out with his legs in a kick that catches the feather headed man in the face as he regains his knees and turns back to face his opponent.

You can see Brave Flying Eagles nose crunch under the fair fighter’s heel, and he drops to the sand like he’s boneless. You’d think he might be dead if not for the rise and fall of his chest and the bubbles in the blood on his face that show he’s still breathing when the projection zooms in on him.

Blood running from the punctures in his leg and dripping from his torn up forearms Franciso stands up and waves at the crowd as they cheer, before being lead out of the pit as Brave Flying Eagle is carried out on a stretcher.

>>2993722
>>2993733

Well daggum. Now that's gonna make this interesting. Thanks for the rolls gents.

Give me a bit everyone, gonna need a second to write our fight up. I didn't expect to take so long on this one .Might not get it finished until tomorrow to be quite honest. It's late and I'm kinda beat.

Why did I choose to do a tournament arc? I hate writing fights. I'm horrible at it. What was I thinking...

>>2993813

No worries on timeframes man and I like the fight scenes for sure, they're very visceral, only advice I'd say is that we don't need a blow by blow of the fights we're not in, just a couple paragraphs would probably do for flavor and flesh in the setting

>>2993819
Yeah, the general way the fight went and how it ended its enough.

>>2990831
>Defend and wait for him to tire himself out
>Play it safe and don’t commit until the opportune moment
Something in between. This is a hectical person, they are often quick to tire in a confrontation. Sometimes they don't even realize being tired and try stupid things.

Rolled 83, 11, 54, 65, 1 = 214 (5d100)

>>2993689
>>2993813

F

>>2999188
noooooooooo

>>2999188

Can't really blame you for saying that. I certainly have a shit track record for posting when I say I will, and this was a long absence. I won't make excuses, I wasn't here or even in contact and that's what matters I suppose.

If I have lost you as a player, then I guess that's my fault for not putting more into this, and I'll have to accept that. I'll keep running either way, but I hope you'll forgive me and be here for the ride. Always makes me smile to see your posts.

Anyway updates in the works. There will be a post tonight, one way or the other. 100 percent promise that.

>>2999480

Oh no man, I'm definitely still playing, just wanted to reach out and poke the thread to see if it was still kicking, didnt mean to come across so severe but that's my bad for not making a clearer tone

>>2999480

Definitely did not mean to hit a nuclear option there, just want you to know I've really been enjoying this game and don't want to be pushing too hard, I totally get life getting in the way and it sounds like yours is particularly busy in big chunks. I appreciate you still doing this around all that

>>2994059
>>2990863
>>2990972
>>2991416
>>2991425


You turn away from the projection and move over to the exit from the room where you and the other fighters are waiting for your turns. You know you won’t have to wait much longer, your number is up. You wait by the doorway as the winner of the first fight steps inside, and then makes his way over to one of the tattooed summer courtiers, presumably the member of the court who sponsored him, who is waiting with a roll of bandages.

“And in a dramatic upset ‘The Frog’ overcomes the Eagle and advances” You hear the announcer crying out over the roar of the crowd. “And now for our second fight of the night. Hailing from the far east, a fearsome warrior of the orient lured to our fair city by the promise of fighters strong enough to challenge his might, give it up for KENTARO.”

Belatedly you realize that was your cue as the announcer calls out your name and someone shoves you through the door. You stand there for a moment as the crowd looks at you, and then the shouting starts. Most of it is cheering, cries of excitement, but there are some who seem to be booing or shouting insults as well.

With no other real alternative you begin to walk your way to the pit. You pass through a gap left for you in the throng, a narrow passage between the bodies leading straight to the arena. You’ve begun to descend the ladder into the pit as the announcer’s voice begins to ring out again announcing your opponent. “And facing him, the fastest fists in the city. He’s the golden boy of the south side, an old school pugilist like no other! Alexander ‘the Lightshow’!”

You’re down in the pit by the time he finishes speaking and you step away from the ladder to let your opponent come down. As you step further into the pit the smell stands out to you immediately. The air is heavy with the metallic tang of blood, and as you take a quick look around you can see the dark spots in the sand where it’s been clumped together by blood leftover from the last fight.

You move over to a clean spot and wait and try to ignore the smell, even if part of you wants to breathe in deeply and salivate. You don’t have to wait too long. It isn’t a long walk from the room where the competitors are waiting to the pit, and Alexander is soon climbing down the ladder and turning to face you.

He smiles and walks forward until he’s just too far to strike at, but still close enough to be heard over the din and says “Mighty warrior of the east huh? Right, I’m shaking in my boots. Shoulda known you were just a novelty side show thrown in to be fresh meat for the rest of us.”

>>3000446

“Fight” Calls out the voice of the announcer, and you raise your hands defensively and prepare for Alexander’s attack. You do not know how he intends to fight this, and you’d rather wait and play it safe bidding your time for an opportunity than over commit early and be punished for your mistake. Across from you Alexander raises up his fists in front of him and starts to move lightly on his feet, but doesn’t make any moves to attack you.

You stare at each other for several seconds before Alexander begins to slide to the right. You turn to match him, keeping your eyes on your opponent and refusing to allow him to move into an advantageous position.

Loose grains of sand shift underneath you and rub against your feet, and you hear someone above you shout out impatiently “Do something already!”

And still you wait. You aren’t going to make the first move. You will not be goaded into acting before you are ready, but Alexander seems to be more willing to obey the whims of the mob. He steps forward moving into striking distance and begins to jab at you.

As he punches the electricity moving through his body lights up his fists and they flash and strobe with each punch. The lights are slightly disorienting, but by deflecting his fists before they can get up to your face and focusing on watching his torso and shoulders to see when the strikes are coming and predicting them rather than focusing on the fists themselves you’re able to avoid being blinded by it.

His jabs are crisp, and incredibly fast. If the announcer hadn’t given you some forewarning one might have landed. As it is you brush them to the side, moving your arms in small circles that deflect your opponents fist off it’s intended course. The punches are light, he isn’t putting his full force behind them. They’re clearly intended as more of a test of your defenses than anything else, perhaps the setup for a follow up strike, and he isn’t risking damaging his hands by putting more force behind them.

Alexander dances side to side, trying to change angles on you, find a way past your defense, but you continue to deflect them without a great deal of effort. Seeing that his initial probe will get no further Alexander steps up his assault, speeding up and mixing in straights among the jabs and putting more force behind his blows. You aren’t able to simply brush them aside any longer. You begin to sidestep and move back in order to dodge some of his incoming strikes and the crowd roars it’s approval.

>>3000458

Seemingly encouraged by your response and by the crowd Alexander continues his assault. As you watch the far wall grow more distant and watch the edge get closer on your left out of the corner of your eye you determine he is trying to herd you up against the side of the pit. As you give ground and your foot steps on a patch of damp sand, bloody sand left from the last match that squishes between your toes, you wonder. So far he’s only thrown punches. Can he not kick? Does he know how to respond to a kick? Surely he must, he can’t have no plan for someone trying to kick him.

You test the waters, lashing out with a low kick at his shin, something that doesn’t really risk your balance or force you to commit to it too much, and the pugilist responds by dancing out of the way. His feet are as fast as his hands. But he can’t think that’s enough? You follow up with another kick aimed at his outer thigh, and he again responds by dancing back, but as you lower your leg and regain your feet he blitzes in and closes in tight with you inside the reach of your legs. He clinches and then starts to throws a short powerful body blow at your chest. His fist impacts on your floating rib and then cocks back to come slamming back in.

He never gets the chance for the followup blow. As soon as he moved in close it was over. You wrap your left leg around his right leg and pull it out from under him while throwing yourself forward, carrying both of you to the ground. You land on top of him, you weight impacting on his torso, and you hear him exhale with a painful yelp as the breath is knocked out of him.

You bring your legs up and mount his torso, and he tries to punch you low just above the belt. Or perhaps he was trying to strike you bellow the belt, you don’t find out because you shove the fist down and to the side with your right arm. Keeping control of his left arm with your own by pressing on his elbow you slide it up across his own throat and then shift your weight forward and to the side trapping his arm with your head and shoulders and wrapping your own arms around his head, assuming the Kata-Gatame. Then you shift your weight further and begin to squeeze with your arms and push with your body, crushing his throat between his own arm and yours.

>>3000464

Alexander thrashes and tries to strike at you, but you keep your own head down tight and press against him, and in the end all he’s really able to do is batter your shoulder with his fist a bit before his resistance peters out and becomes weaker. His fist hits the ground and he stops moving. You hold the choke for a second longer and then release him and crawl off of him.

The crowd doesn’t cheer as you stand. There’s a stunned silence for a moment as two men drop into the pit and check on the downed fighter. You can see one of them say something into a mic and then the announcers voice rings out “Winner by technical knockout rendering his opponent unconscious, KENTARO!” Then the cheers begin, slowly at first and then picking up as Alexander is moved onto a stretcher and the ladder is lowered for you to climb out of the pit.

Do you

>Go find the bookie, what kind of into was that?
>Go focus on watching the other fights and scoping out the competition
>Go with Alexander and make sure he’s alright
>Write in

>>3000467
>>Go focus on watching the other fights and scoping out the competition

>>3000467
>Go focus on watching the other fights and scoping out the competition

Brutal

>>3000467
>Go with Alexander and make sure he’s alright

That's a brutal way to put someone down

>>3000467
>Go with Alexander to see if he’s alright

>>3000467
>Go with Alexander and make sure he’s alright
Welp, we need to work on our theatrics more.

>>3000467
>Go with Alexander and make sure he’s alright

>>3000467
>Bow deeply before leaving
>Go focus on watching the other fights and scoping out the competition

Update to come in the morning hopefully if i can get it off before work. In the evening tomorrow if I can't. My apologies for the delay, but I must sleep.

>>3002590

Thanks for the heads up

>>3000467
Damn we scary.
Also supporting >>3001325

>>3003613
>>3000635
>>3000530

*scratches head*

Maybe I'm just desensitized by practicing chokes and being choked on a regular basis, but I really didn't mean it to come off that severe.

True choking someone out is a big deal and is dangerous, and you shouldn't do it casually, and obviously you stop with a sparring partner before you actually put them out, but it's actually one of the more benign ways I know to end a fight decisively where there aren't agreed upon rules to signal submission or a ref to step in and stop it.

Or at least I think of it as relatively benign. There may be something wrong with me.

Anywho update on the way once I finish up dinner.

In other news yay for tiebreaker votes.

>>3005142
I'm >>3000530 if the ID didn't stick

I mostly thought it was brutal less in the physical, literal sense but more that we so utterly rolled and humbled that guy who was so sure he was gonna win. The actual physical activity was pretty minimum, which since he's so about physical flair, just really rubs it in

Emotionally brutal, a strike to pride and ego, if you will.

>>3005163

Ah, that makes sense. To be quite honest I saw the roll and my immediate thought was "aw jeez we're going to just walk all over this guy."

>>3005180
The only way we could've hurt his pride even more is if we tucked him into a bed with a stuffed toy right afterwards.

>>3000524
>>3000530
>>3000635
>>3000649
>>3000815
>>3000942
>>3001325

That moment when you realize you were counting wrong and the vote you thought was the tiebreaker actually tied it up…

Before you get ready to leave the pit you look around and find El Lobo. You bow once to him deeply, and receive the same grin and nod from earlier in the day, and then turn to look at your downed opponent.

Watching them slide a stretcher underneath Alexander and lift him off of the sand, you feel somewhat...concerned is not the right word. You know you released him before his life should have been at risk, and they’ve already confirmed he’s only unconscious. Nor is what you feel remorse. He met you with his fists and you overcame him. There is no shame in that, no reason to feel guilt for being the victor. It simply is. Responsibility, that may be the best way to describe it. You did render the man unconscious after all. You should at least see to it that he is properly seen to.

After ascending the ladder you stop and wait while they pull up the stretcher with ropes, and then when they have done so you make your way over to the stretcher bearers. The crowd quiets down as you walk towards the men bearing your downed opponent. They had been cheering, but the longer you stood by the edge of the pit waiting the more they quieted down and you began to hear confused muttering. As you walk towards the unconscious Alexander and those tending to him silence falls, a pregnant pause as the air fills with tension and the spectators hold their breath.

One of the stretcher bearers turns towards you. He reminds you somewhat of a fish or maybe an Eel, with over large eyes placed slightly off center towards the side of his head and his ears replaced by fins with slimy smooth skin. He draws back his lips as you approach revealing needle sharp teeth. You wouldn’t call it a smile, more of an instinctive threat display.

“Forgive this one for causing you distress, it was not one’s intent to do so” You say, and though you aren’t raising your voice you are certain most of the room can hear you with how quiet it has grown. “One merely wished to ensure that one’s opponent was seen to and received proper care. Might one accompany you so that one can do so?”

“Uh” He says as he looks up at you dumbly, before collecting himself and replying “Yeah sure I guess that’s fine.”

“Thank you” You reply and bow to him before falling in beside the stretcher. “One is grateful for your understanding.”

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>>3005615

It’s not silent as you walk beside the stretcher towards another door at the back of the room, but the crowd isn’t cheering either. There’s more muttering, though you can’t hear any words, and you can feel eyes on you as you walk before the announcer calls out again. “And now for our next match, Striking from above-”

The sound of the announcers voice cuts off as you walk through the door into the back room and it swings shut behind you. The room is a decent size, and has several cots, one of which you can see is occupied by the looser from the first match. Alexander is brought to one of them and laid down in it.

There’s a man standing next to the bed. He’s pale, almost ghostly. There’s no color in his skin or his hair and he wears sunglasses as if protecting his eyes from the light in the room. His shirt’s top buttons are popped open, and you can see red tats peeking out of the gap that cover his chest and color bones. He’s wearing a black leather jacket and smells like a campfire.

He looks you over and says “So you choke a guy out and then you follow him to make sure he’s alright? Kinda odd don’t you think.” His voice is raspy, strained, like he’s not used to talking or his throat had been injured.

“One bears Alexander no ill will” You reply “We were opponents yes, but this is a tournament not a battlefield no? One does not find it so odd to ensure he is well under the circumstances.”

“Is that so” He whispers hoarsely “Well you can go, I'll look after the boy. You should go watch the other fights, get an idea for the competition.”

You bow and reply “One will leave him in your hands then.”

He snorts and then says “Just go watch the fights. And boy? Win, or at least put up a hell of a fight. Can’t have the guy who beat my fighter go down like a pussy.”

He turns his back to you then in clear dismissal and looks at the downed Alexander. You pause for a moment and consider how to reply, before deciding to go and watch the fights before you miss any more than you already had. He’s right after all, to know one’s enemy is the secret to victory.

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>>3005624

You step out and look over at the projection. Its the man with the craggy skin and the wings fighting the guy with the Rams horns. Apparently those wings are more than just ornaments. You watch as he leaps up and touches down on the side of the pit, hanging suspended for a moment and then pushes off from the wall and flaps his wings diving at the goat in a flying tackle. Rather than try to dodge him the goat man drops his weight and catches him, before headbutting him.

The winged man recoils and tries to get away but the more bestial of the two hangs on determinedly, and they end up glued together exchanging knees body blows and head buts as the crowd roars and cheer with each strike. They pound each other for some time, slowing down as they tire and are hurt but not separating and not stopping. Finally it ends when with a bellow the winged man lands a final shot to his opponents midsection and the Satyr crumbles to the ground.

You make your way to the fighters waiting room as the pit is cleared and the next fight is called. The massive man with the scared face and the clawed man with the long read hair that breaths smoke descend into the pit next. In the beginning the larger man swings ineffectively as the smaller one dances around his sweeping blows and clumsy attempts to grab him and slashes at him with his claws in retaliation splattering the sand with blood to the crowds delight.

The massive man has all of the skill of a drunken brawler, and you think he’s sure to loose until the tide of the fight changes in a split second as the clawed man is a hair to slow and fails to avoid a meaty hand that grasps him by the arm. It’s over quickly as the larger man grabs hold of him with both hands and bodily picks him off of the ground and then roars as he slams him into the side of the pit before throwing him to the ground. You can see one of the downed man’s legs is bent at an odd angle from where it had made impact with the wall and he does not get up. Brute strength in this case, won out over speed and skill.

>>3005640

The final fight is...interesting to say the least. It’s the man with the knives that pop out of his fingers and the man who looks like a bronze statue. The fight is somewhat one sided. The knife handed man slashes at his opponent, but his blade-claws skitter off of defensively raised forearms leaving only shallow creases rather than deep cuts, however when the burnished fists of the statuesque man meet the clawed mans flesh blood flies from the impact. The clawed man tries to fight it, and manages to leave several deeper cuts in his opponent before the end, but ultimately concedes after taking a bit of a beating. Bad luck really.

The announcer calls for ‘the frog’. It’s time for your fight. You have an idea of what to expect from your opponent from watching his first fight, how will you proceed.

>Try to catch a leg and force submission with a joint lock.
>Dodge his strikes and then hit him while he’s recovering from his failed kicks.
>Blitz him and get inside his kicking range and then hammer him hard
>Write in.

Please include rolls, a nice fistful of dice. 5d100 please.

Rolled 63, 52, 11, 16, 13 = 155 (5d100)

>>3005645
>Dodge his strikes and then hit him while he’s recovering from his failed kicks.
Yeah, this is the best strategy I think. Even better if we can hit him while he's on the rebound.
And we need to up the theatrics a bit, maybe playing the 'stoic monk' character up. Quote some zen stuff as reply to banter, or something that sounds equally wise.

Rolled 72, 44, 73, 15, 47 = 251 (5d100)

>>3005640
>Dodge his strikes and then hit him while he’s recovering from his failed kicks.

Rolled 97, 39, 33, 34, 100 = 303 (5d100)

>>3005645
>Dodge his strikes and then hit him while he’s recovering from his failed kicks.

Rolled 2 (1d100)

>>3005645
>>Dodge his strikes and then hit him while he’s recovering from his failed kicks.

Rolled 84, 59, 82, 38, 70 = 333 (5d100)

>>3006098
fucked up the dice

Rolled 63, 7, 85, 67, 50 = 272 (5d100)

>>3005645
>Dodge his strikes and then hit him while he’s recovering from his failed kicks.

Rolled 84, 100, 87, 37, 50 = 358 (5d100)

>>3005645
>>Blitz him and get inside his kicking range and then hammer him hard

He saw us grapple Thundercunt, so I doubt he'll let us hold him. Plus with his weird bendy shit he'd most likely make holding him nearly impossible.

Evening all. I've been working on the update, but to be honest I probably won't get it in today. Tomorrow evening is what I'm shooting for at this point.

My apologies.

>>3009317

Worth the wait

>>3005655
>>3005730
>>3005817
>>3006098
>>3006455
>>3007119

The announcer calls your name and you step through the doors and make your way to the pit. As you walk past the throng and make your way down the ladder you consider your opponent. He’s certainly flexible, and his kicks are powerful, but his motions do not appear to be the most economical. There’s some wasted movement, in several cases the rotations he used to generate power turned his back to his opponent, and some of his moves were telegraphed particularly that jumping kick.

As you step off of the ladder onto the sandy floor of the pit you decide the best way to deal with him is going to be to dodge his strikes and then capitalize on the openings left by his attacks. As long as you can predict his attacks and react quickly enough it should be relatively straightforward. As you breathe in you can smell the blood scent. It’s thicker now following the last to fights where the brute and the bronze man got clawed up. It’s distracting, but not enough to break your focus.

You square off with your opponent and the announcer calls out for the fight to begin. You both drop into your stances. His is deep, while yours is more upright. You watch each other for a moment. You can see his arms are tightly bandaged over his wounds from the first fight, and you think you can see just a little pink appearing at points where he’s starting to bleed through but that could be your imagination.

“So why are you letting the announcer say all that garbage?” He asks you.

“The Buddha taught that there are three things that cannot be hidden long” You reply, keeping your eyes on him. “The sun, the moon, and truth.”

“That so” He says, and then he smiles and asks “So what does the Buddha have to say about two guys beating the shit out of each other for money?”

Immediately after saying this he begins to move, clearly expecting his query to have distracted you. He whips his right leg up and around at your torso twisting his hips all the way through as he strikes putting his entire body behind the kick.

You expected it however, and as his leg comes up you pivot on your back foot and slide your forefoot back, moving your torso back and slightly to the side just enough to move it out of the reach of his leg, but not so far that you can’t strike back.

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>>3012191

As his foot swishes past your chest missing by a few inches you step back in. The powerful full body motion of his kick has twisted him around, and as the foot he used to lash out at you touches back down to the ground you are presented with his open right side. He’s not turned all the way around, but it’s enough, and before he can react to defend himself you step into him and punch him in the kidney, twisting your hips and putting your weight behind your fist..

It’s a clean hit and you feel your knuckles sink into his flesh. You didn’t hit him as hard as you could have, but you know a blow like that is painful. Debilitatingly so for some, which seems to be the case for your opponent as he falls forward towards the sandy floor of the pit.

Following after him you're quite surprised. You’d thought he was made of sterner stuff and don't really believe that could have been enough to end it. Which is why you almost react in time when he catches him self on his hands, aligns his whole body, and then kicks like a mule. Almost being the key word. Propped up on his arms and one leg, body lined up behind his leg his foot comes flying towards you like a rocket and his heel slams into your guts.

Luckily for you it was too low for a clean blow to the solar plexus or diaphragm. You try to move with it, roll with the blow as it were to lessen the impact, but it still knocks the wind out of you and doubles you over. You choke back bile and start to straighten out preparing to deal with the follow up strike you know is coming, but he’s already moving.

He moves like greased lightning, twisting his torso he pushes off with the hand opposite of his planted leg, he goes from belly down to belly up and plants both legs and both feet before pushing off of the ground with all four limbs and straightening himself out while swinging his previously planted foot at your head.

You try to pull your head out of the path of his kick, but you're a hair to slow, and it crashes into the side of your face.

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>>3012199

Your vision fades in and out and you see spots. Your ears are ringing and you can taste blood.

Blood. You can smell it, not just yours others. Multiple scents. There’s blood on the air.

Why do you taste blood? Your head, your head hurts, you must have been struck.

Your eyes focus momentarily, and you see the ground you’re standing on is golden, gold stained with crimson.

You blink, why is the gold stained with crimson? The beautiful golden heads of grain that fill the valley and sing in the wind and scream when the storm comes aren’t supposed to be touched with crimson, and they should not be underfoot.

Shouting, you can hear shouting. Why is there shouting, why do you smell so much blood?

Battle.

It strikes you in a moment. Battle, the valley has been invaded. You must have taken a blow to the head in battle against the sinners who stole the tranquility of your home. Though still foggy with pain your head is light. Your helmet and Kesa must have been knocked loose.

Seeing motion coming out of your peripheral and you turn sharply to face it. It’s blurry, but you can see the outline of one of the invaders in it’s horrible armor of bone raising an axe to strike at you!

Your hands are empty and there is no weight on your hip nor your back. You don’t have your Daisho, or your Naginata. In desperation you throw up your arms to keep the axe from splitting you open and pray your Kote holds.

It crashes into you and deflects off of your armored forearms, though you can feel the impact in your bones your armor held.

As it’s axe falls to the side carried by its momentum towards the ground you step in to strike at the monster in it’s armor of bone. The demon thinks it’s hard outer shell and it’s spikes will save it, that without your weapons you are helpless before it, but you will prove it wrong. You know how to kill it’s kind, barehanded or otherwise.

>>3012202

With a shout you stomp down on it’s instep and hear it cry out as you feel a satisfying crunch when the bones of it’s foot give out and shatter. They guard their knees so well these demons, they really should have learned to wear Sabaton.

To your surprise when you crush it’s foot it begins to fall to the ground, you had expected to have to sweep it’s other leg, but no matter. You wanted it on it’s back in any case.

Following it down and positioning yourself above it you strike out with a palm to the base of it’s chin and force it’s head back, baring it’s throat. Such fine armor these bone wearing demons craft from the dead, but every armor has it’s weak points, and the invaders throats are left bare.

You chamber your free hand and then strike down with it. It’s held mostly loose, with the thumb to one side and the other four fingers loosely grouped causing your hand to form the rough shape of a C. As your hand descends you ready yourself to group and harden your fingers when you make impact with the sinners throat, first crushing and then grasping and tearing in a lethal tiger’s mouth strike.

But something isn’t right, you can’t feel a helmet on the palm pushing his head back, only a bare jawline. And that’s sand shifting loosely underneath your feet, not crushed stalks of grain poking and scratching at you.

You blink, and the blurry image below you resolves into clarity. The bone armor disappears and you see Francisco's bare skin as your hand descends in the lethal strike towards his exposed throat.

Unable to stop or pull the strike fully you keep your hand loose and shift the aim down as much as you can at the last second, turning what would have been a tiger mouth into an open handed slap at the base of his throat.

You release his head and stumble off of him, and Franciso curls up and clutches at his broken foot.

What do you do?

>The fight isn’t finished, you need to get him to concede victory
>Beg forgiveness for nearly ending his life
>Wait and see what he does
>Write in.

>>3012209
>Wait and see what he does

Breathe and try to clear our head, we need to get ourselves recentered and make sure we're not going to lose ourselves again

>>3012209
Supporting>>3012213
We need to find our centre again. We messed up but (probably) no permanent damage has been done.

>>3012209
>>Wait and see what he does

wow, that was awesome for me, but probably quite terrifying for our character

talk to him later, ask for his forgiveness and tell him that for a moment, we were back in the Realm

another thing, I'm curious to see Natalia's reaction to all of this, the blood thing, she said it did things with her, we are bloody and the ring is too, maybe we'll have a chance to check on her later

>>3012209
>Wait and see what he does
Hopefully he just gives up, but this guy's crafty. He'll probably try something so we need to stay on our guard.

>>3012209
>>3012213
Supporting

Update to come today. Hopefully more than one, time permitting.

>>3017326

Doing alright out there QM?