There was a lot to unpack within the whirlpool of her turbulent emotions. As much of a jerk as Levi had been, she worried that she had gone too far. She had not held back in the slightest when she attacked him, and had inadvertently made good on her trash talk to rearrange his face. She wasn’t even sure that he would be able to have children after this. She needed to be more aware of the harm she was now capable of inflicting as a cultivator, even without weapons.
As she was pondering the issue, she heard Tiny call to her from outside the tent.
“Hey, Lunara! May I come inside the tent to speak with you? I have a proposition you might be interested in.”
“Sure, come in. I’ve already changed.”
Tiny entered the tent and gave Samantha a firm pat on the shoulder. “Before I get to business, I want to congratulate you on that spectacular win! Oh, the sound it made when you kicked him? The look on his face afterwards? That’s a kind of joy money can’t buy, I’ll tell you that.” Tiny beamed, sighing in contentment as she closed her eyes to relive the moment, “What a piece of work some of these guys are, though. Unbelievable.” she finished, shaking her head slightly.
“I was actually just thinking about that. Do you think I went too far?”
Tiny looked down on her with a raised eyebrow and shook her head, “Absolutely not. In fact, not far enough in my opinion! If it were me, I would’ve hammered down on his face a couple more times until someone had to pull me off of him. I have never seen any combatant try and disrobe a female fighter before. Levi was trying to push the boundaries and set a precedent with that foolishness. Instead, you set the precedent! Strip a cultivator of her clothes? Lose your manhood. Thank the gods his family line ends with him.”
Samantha’s eyes widened in mild horror, “You don’t think he’ll actually be impotent now, do you?”
“Oh, definitely! I think you kicked it clean off of his body, by the sound of it.” Tiny cackled, her mirth evident as Samantha’s eyes widened further with every word. Seeing her expression, Tiny laughed even harder until she was nearly out of breath, “I’m joking! Ah, that face is too good. Don’t worry so much. Even if you mashed it to pulp the healers will bring it back to mostly-working order. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were ‘out of the game’ so to speak for a while though.”
Samantha let out a sigh of relief, “Well… I hope you’re right about no one ever trying that tactic again. Anyway, what did you want to meet with me about?”
Tiny regained her composure and nodded, “I gotta say Lunara, you have impressed me. I could tell during the fight that hand to hand wasn’t your specialty, but you really held your own. Levi, despite being a scumbag, is no slouch. He hits hard and plays dirty, and yet you managed to shrug off the damage and get back into the fight. Not to mention whatever movement art you used towards the end that made you faster than most Mid Coppers have any right to be. The big question is if you can go faster.”
Deciding to be honest without giving too much away, Samantha simply replied, “I can but I’d need to refill my qi pool first. Why?”
“One more question first. What weapon do you typically favor?”
Getting a bit suspicious at the questions about her combat preferences, Samantha reluctantly answered, “Spear.”
“Good! That’s good. Distance will be your best friend…” Tiny mumbled to herself before refocusing, “Truth is, I’m not the only one you’ve impressed. A few of the other High Coppers and I got to talking after your bout, and we think we can use you to win the tournament. Not for free of course! When one of us manages to win the whole thing we’ll pay you a portion of our winnings–if only to stick it to those tournament organizers for hiring that impossibly tough Peak Copper.” Tiny concluded, a mischievous twinkle sparkling in her eyes as she smiled.
“Wait, how can I help you win?” Samantha asked, confused at this line of thinking.
“I’ve completely gone out of order, haven’t I?” Tiny lamented, lightly bonking herself on the forehead with the base of her palm, “Listen, I’ve got good news and bad news for you.”
Samantha suddenly didn’t like where this was going, “...Go on.”
“We’ve heard through the grapevine that you got an unlucky draw for the next round of fights. You’ll be fighting the Peak Copper, Samson.”
A queasiness immediately overtook Samantha as she looked up into the multi-colored eyes of her acquaintance. “Oh.”
“So, the next round is going to be your last in this tournament, I’m afraid. As good a fight as you put up against Levi... Samson is on a whole ‘nother level. But, like I said, the other High Coppers and I are keen on one of us taking the grand prize this time around, and we think we can use you to do it.”
Still reeling from the revelation that she would be fighting someone on the cusp of becoming Bronze, Samantha was incredulous at what she was being told. She was fairly confident in her abilities, but she wasn’t delusional, “I don’t see how I can be of much help. As much as I hate to admit it, he’s two ranks above me and is literally a career fighter. I’m barely able to keep up when training with my High Copper cousin, so I’ll be lucky to last even a minute if Samson gets serious!”
“That’s just it though, isn’t it? He won’t be taking you seriously.”
Samantha opened her mouth to object, but Tiny held up a hand signaling for her to wait for further explanation.
“Samson is good at consistently winning these tournaments, else they wouldn’t bother hiring him. Part of what makes him so effective is his ability to pace himself throughout the night, only using the minimum required effort for each battle so he has enough energy to make it to the end. He’ll be a bit wary of you since you’re a new player in the game, but you’re also two full ranks below him and obviously less experienced. He’s not going to come out of the gate with his strongest combat arts blazing to face you--no offense.”
“None taken.” Samantha said.
Tiny continued, “So, instead of using your qi to defend yourself or try and make the fight last longer, we want you to use your speed to surprise him and land a single debilitating blow. Something like a spear through the gut or punching a hole through one of his limbs, where the injury won’t be able to be fully healed by the time the next round comes up. This will slow him down or make him unable to fight at his full strength, giving one of us an actual shot at winning for once. He’s familiar with all the rest of us by this point, so this is something that only you can manage and you’ll get paid for the trouble. What do you say?”
Samantha mulled over the information for a moment before voicing some concerns that she had, “So, I’ll be gambling my ‘put on a good show’ pay from the arena proprietors on one of you High Coppers beating Samson, keeping your word on giving me a portion of your payout, and giving me a payout that exceeds what I would have made by using my qi differently? It sounds like a bad bet to me, honestly.”
Tiny nodded in understanding, “Valid points, and it’s wise of you to not immediately take my word for it.” As she spoke, she reached into a small pouch at her side and brought out a few items, holding them out to Samantha to appraise. “We’ve pooled together a few things to give you in advance as a show of good faith, and as proof that we’ll be betting on you in our own way as well.”
In Tiny’s large palm lay a small spirit pearl, a hefty piece of Jerky, and a medicinal pill. Samantha took the three items wordlessly as Tiny explained what each was.
“This beast core is Rank 1-Low Quality, this Wind Fox Jerky grants +1 to Agility for 2 hours after eating it, and this pill slightly increases the rate your Dantian absorbs ambient qi for a short time, making your qi pool refill faster. All together these things are worth more than you would likely get from a single round payout anyway. If you give your word as a cultivator to do your best to uphold the terms of our agreement, they are yours to use now in preparation for the fight.”
Tiny didn’t need to warn Samantha what would happen if she accepted these items and then reneged on her oath to multiple High Coppers.
She didn’t love the idea of gambling her pay away when she wanted more money for shopping, but when thinking about it a bit more, it wasn’t guaranteed that she’d get nothing for the fight if she agreed to this scheme. In fact, managing to land a major blow against the ‘reigning champion’ might bring in even more coin depending on the upset it caused in the crowd.
She deliberated for a few more seconds before finally giving her answer, “I mean, if he’s going to take me out anyway… I might as well, right? I’ll make him pay for the victory, at least. But what happens if I lose the coin toss and can’t pick--? oomph”
Tiny enthusiastically clapped her on the back in the middle of her sentence, and Samantha felt the wind rush out of her as she stumbled to the ground from the impact.
Bludgeoning has activated [As One]. Minor damage to spine (Samantha) has been transformed into negligible damage for Silas and Samantha.
“That’s the spirit!” Tiny laughed as she picked Samantha up from off the floor, “And don’t worry about the coin toss, we’ve got it covered. In any case, you have about an hour before you need to face Samson, so I’d recommend taking those now to maximize their effectiveness. See you in a bit! If you’re not back by the time it’s your turn to fight I’ll come back for you.”
Tiny picked up the cloak she had lent Samantha, tossed it over her shoulder, and was gone in a blur of motion, leaving Samantha mildly stunned and alone in the tent.
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Deciding there wasn’t any point putting it off, she followed Tiny’s advice and took the medicinal pill first.
You have consumed ‘Qi Restoration Pill’ (Minor)!
Effect: Regenerates 4 qi over the next hour (will not exceed maximum)
Then, she ate the jerky which brought her Agility temporarily up to 9.
You have consumed qi-enriched meat (Rank 1-Low)!
Effect: +1 Agility
Duration: 2 hours
Lastly, she sat in the lotus position and held the spirit pearl in her hands nervously. This would be the first time using a beast core since straining her channels a little over two weeks prior. Regular usage of her arts had stopped being painful a while ago, but she wasn’t sure if that meant she had completely recovered or not. She decided to take it very slow, just to be safe.
Instead of using the beast core to advance her cultivation or burn through a clogged meridian, she used it to refill her qi pool. By pulling the energy into her dantian, her body could quickly process the new qi and make it her own. As her qi pool filled, she kept close watch over her condition to make sure she wasn’t harming herself, but blessedly felt no pain from the process. It seemed she had fully healed, after all.
Before she realized it, Tiny’s had returned to the tent, “Hey Lunara! It’s about time for your fight to start.”
Looking over her status, Samantha saw that she had regained 7 points of qi in the last hour, bringing her pool up to 16/18. She stored the partially-drained spirit pearl in her pack with her clothes and mask, then walked back with Tiny.
The short journey was a bit surreal to Samantha. She knew for a fact she was about to be mercilessly pummeled, but the distinct goal at the forefront of her mind prevented her from losing her nerve. Upon returning to the preparation area and approaching Samson, he smoothly rose from his meditative pose on the ground and looked down on her.
The somewhat terrifying mask he wore was of superb make, and the sturdy-looking metal was beautifully decorated with detailed filigree that was reminiscent of strands of fur. The mask itself appeared to be modeled after several different spirit beasts put together, with vicious looking teeth bared in a snarl, sharp horns, and horizontal eye slits that gave the impression of goat-like pupils. She could not see anything of the human face beneath, but the unsettling headwear in combination with his oppressive aura, large muscular build, and countless scars made her feel as though she was confronting a demon. She bowed low at the waist to the higher leveled man, showing him his due respect before they walked to the center of the fighting ring together.
The crowd was as rowdy as she had ever seen them, screaming Samson’s name as they pounded their feet against the bleachers in a chaotic rhythm. The announcer held up his hands high above his head in a placating gesture to calm the audience, and within a few moments the onlookers fell silent.
“Here we have two individuals that need no introduction! Our champion from the last tournament, Samson, and the newcomer Lunara who had a dramatic victory in her last fight.” As he spoke the last sentence, he crossed his hands over his groin and mimicked an agonized expression as the spectators laughed. “That kick was nuts, but she better not get too cocky!”
“Oh gods…” Samantha spoke under her breath, fighting the urge to cringe at the awful puns.
“Do you have anything you’d like to say before the coin toss?” the announcer queried.
“I won’t waste my breath on a Mid-Copper.” Samson said with obvious disdain, spitting out her cultivation level like it was a slur.
Before Samantha could formulate an appropriate response, a elderly, masculine voice loudly called out from the stands, “Coin toss? She’s two full ranks lower! Let her pick! Let her pick!”
The chant was picked up by the folks surrounding the man, and spread throughout the crowd until the entire audience was involved with the demand. Samantha could see with [Prey’s Perception] that Tiny was openly cackling in the preparation area. She supposed this was what Tiny meant when she said that they would have the coin toss covered. They must have planted someone in the stands.
The announcer did his best to regain his control over the crowd, but it took a full minute before they quieted enough for his words to be heard again. The announcer glanced over to Samson, and Samson gave him an almost imperceptible nod of approval.
“Very well! We want nothing but to please our cherished patrons! How about a free choice for both parties?”
The crowd's riotous cheers was all the confirmation he needed before two racks of weapons were brought out. Not worrying about what Samson was picking, she looked for the spear that would suit her needs best. She ended up settling for a seven foot long spear, similar to the one she had originally brought into the Eastern Reaches on her cultivation quest. It was nothing special, but at least it was sharp.
Samson and Samantha took their places at opposite ends of the ring as the gambling period started, and she got a look at his choice of weapon: a whip, of all things. The handle of the whip was solid metal so it could be used to deflect strikes, but the rest of it was a thick-braided leather of deep red which she immediately associated with the pelt of a Firestorm Bear. Looking at the state of her own weapon--a basic wood shaft and iron spear tip with a fraying tassel hanging just beneath--she couldn’t help but notice that the proprietors were tipping the scales in Samson’s favor however they could despite the existing power gap.
In the end, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t trying to win, only wound. If she could land a body shot then she’d count it as her victory.
The announcer began his countdown, and Samantha activated [Inspect]. As soon as ‘one’ was called she and Samson both sprung into action. The first thing he did was direct his potent killing intent towards her, trying to suppress her from a distance and imbalance her. It worked to a degree, causing her to nearly gag with the onset of nausea and making her sweat with the effort of pushing out her own aura to try and offset the effects.
He sent out the first probing attack, lazily flicking the whip towards her as she jumped back as far as she could to escape its range. Though the strike looked effortless on his part, the whip came down with a resounding ‘crack’ and a burst of fire exploded at the point of impact. The crowd cheered as the flare lit up the space, but Samantha could only curse the wretched proprietors for giving her opponent a qi-infused weapon on top of everything else. On the bright side, she now knew that the effective range of his attacks was around 6 feet.
She decided to send her own probing strike in kind. Pointing her spear forward to keep it between herself and her opponent, she fell back on the techniques that she had practiced for years. Wiggling the base of the weapon slightly to create an unpredictable weaving motion with the spear tip, she thrust forward as [Inspect] clued her into Samson tensing his arm for another whip attack.
He turned her spear tip away from his torso with the handle of his whip–almost as an afterthought–as he began to create an offensive pattern in front of him. It started slow at first, as if to give the crowd time to appreciate the movement before it became so fast that it was difficult to track with mortal eyes. Moving in circular motions from left to right, high to low, Samson crafted a near impenetrable wall of fiery leather. The sparks and flames left glowing trails in the air, confusing the ultimate position of the whip similarly to how the tassels on her spear functioned.
She tried to focus [Inspect] on the movements of his wrist to predict where the whip attacks actually were going to land, but her stomach dropped as she was greeted with a notification she had never seen before.
Failed to overcome qi defenses!
[Inspect] on Peak Copper has failed: Target not notified of attempt.
Before she could dismiss the message, two loud cracks followed by searing pain broke her concentration.
Qi infused strike has activated [As One]. Moderate damage to left thigh (Samantha) has been transformed into minor damage for Silas and Samantha.
Qi infused strike has activated [As One]. Moderate damage to torso (Samantha) has been transformed into minor damage for Silas and Samantha.
Samantha cried out in pain and retreated back out of range of the whip, taking stock of the damage. Two crisp lines had been burned through the now-smoking fabric of her clothes, and blackened cuts on her thigh and stomach slowly oozed blood.
She had never failed an [Inspect] attempt before, though she knew it was always a possibility. She had considered what to do in a situation like this, and was left with two choices: continue to expend one point a minute and risk her art occasionally failing, or invest more qi and hope that it would overcome the power gap between her and Samson. Seeing as this wouldn’t be an extended fight where she needed to conserve qi, the decision was easy. Unsure if two points would be enough, Samantha played it safe and invested three points into the art as she observed the slowly approaching champion.
As the overcharged [Inspect] cut through his qi defenses, she noticed a small imperfection in the pattern of his whip’s movement that would give her an opening. Granted, she would still be hit at least once as she pushed through that area, but she would be able to make it so long as he did not alter his attack’s course. There was something else she noticed too, an impatience in his stance that warned her that he was already bored of taking it easy on her. If she didn’t act quickly, she may find that her window of opportunity had closed as he moved in to finish the fight.
She waited for her chance.
Just as Samson committed his whip to a cross-body movement, Samantha pumped the entirety of her remaining 12 qi into Swift, pushing her Agility up to 21 and far beyond her maximum approximate value of 16.
WARNING! Exceeding physical limitations. Self-damage imminent.
After more than doubling her Agility, time seemed to slow as her reaction time was enhanced. As she sprinted towards the gap, a horrid ripping sensation tore through her entire body as her muscles wrenched themselves apart with each step.
Damage to right leg has activated [As One]. Moderate Wounds for Samantha have been transformed into Minor wounds for Silas and Samantha.
Damage to left leg has activated [As One]...
Her heartbeat rang like a gong in her ears as she neared her target, the sting of the fiery lash across her back hardly registering in the sea of pain she was already experiencing. She couldn’t see Samson’s expression behind the fearsome mask as she thrust her spear towards the center of his torso, but she liked to imagine that it was one of great surprise.
Her spear tip pressed against Samson’s skin just beneath the rib cage. It experienced a brief period of resistance before piercing through cloth, flesh, and muscle, punching through to the other side and out his back. Her unstoppable momentum carried her forward and she felt a fleeting moment of ecstasy at her success before the hot metal of the whip handle smashed into the side of her face.
Damage to head has activated [As One]. Fatal Wounds for Samantha have been transformed into Serious wounds for Silas and Samantha.
And all became darkness and silence.