Round 1: Shinomori Katsumi vs. Kuroshi Maki

[Takeda Shingen]

(OOC: Stats are in effect, as this is a stat-based board, but will be used more as a guideline than strict adherence. Please post your BASE STATS WITH FACTION STAT BONUS ONLY in your first post, at which point, they will be locked. No Musou is allowed. This fight ends on March 3rd. Good luck.)

The both of you are led to a valley located close to a village, in a forest dominated by trees, the referee already there and awaiting your arrival. A fast-running, clear water waterfall flows between two high cliffs. You start on top of a suspended bridge made of wooden planks and ropes hanging between the cliffs but, after years of weathering, two quite large holes have appeared near the ends of the bridge. Be careful, as you can be pushed down these holes or over the sides. All is not lost though, as the river is not fast flowing and quite deep, and you can continue in the river or along the river banks, where many brown rabbits can be seen bouncing around.

[Kuroshi Maki]

Stats: Strength:17
Dexterity:19
Constitution:18
Wisdom:12
Spirit:8

It seems the first round of the tournament was about to begin. I was giving directions to a place that seemed to fight a place once had to fight. I was moving trough the woods as I was brought to that place that could have been part of a painting. I stopped near a bridge that was old and rotten in the beginning area as there was a large hole. Looking down it seem to end in a river that wasn't flowing that fast and seemed rather still. It was strange as there was a waterfall not as well. It seemed my opponent wasn't there yet. The ref was there.

I would take place on the right side of the bridge and waited for my opponent on the other side. This fight was without weapons or any other thing that would should give a edge in this battle. I was pleased because I would fight the way I liked to fight. I would clench my fist out of excitement and a grin would place on my face as I would wait.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

[[Very sorry about how long this has taken to put up. Lots of school work and real life drama. Again, sorry!!!]]

Stats
Strength: 18 | Dexterity: 30 | Constitution: 20 | Wisdom: 22 | Spirit: 15

As Katsumi walked through the forest towards where the match would be, the archer contemplated why the hell she even agreed to this in the first place. Katsumi was a mercenary; she killed for money, and would sometimes take on other jobs. The woman was a ranged fighter, an archer. While she could do melee and hand-to-hand combat, having been trained in it since she was a child, it was simply not her style. Range was always her preference.

And so why on earth was she heading toward a hand-to-hand arena match? Katsumi internally shook her head at herself.

She supposed it was the reward that drew her in, for there was really no other explanation. It was handsome and would leave her set for a while. Certainly she would be able to work more leisurely and would be able to focus both on training and Haji, and, well... Katsumi supposed the prospect of that was reason enough for something as silly and ridiculous as this.

The woman was just adorned in her men's black kimono and charcoal grey hakama, chest wrapped and feet covered in socks and sandals. With her long, brown hair high up in a ponytail, she appeared to be simply a samurai without a sword or weapon... a very slender, petite, and oddly pretty one at that.

Upon reaching a break in the woods, she saw a rickety old bridge over a mostly stagnant river. And when her keen, dark eyes looked further down the bridge, Katsumi immediately tensed.

"Oh, you have to be fucking kidding me!" she growled lowly, instantaneously glaring at who she saw.

It was the man who had attacked the innocent villagers and then Katsumi, and after she saved him and tended to his wounds he continued to act like a rabid dog, demeaning both Katsumi and Haji. He reminded her of her father, with all of the self-pitying and lashing and abuse towards others. The very sight of him again caused her stomach to churn. Why on earth did her opponent have to be this damned cur?!

Hands clenching at her sides, Katsumi forced herself to go forward, mainly because she couldn't turn and leave now. There was no backing out of these tournament matches, and so Katsumi groaned. Glaring ahead at the man whose name she still did not know, Katsumi called out in her false tenor, the tone of her voice trembling with a hint of that same wrath and disgust from the previous weeks, "Let's just get this over with..."

As much as she wanted to call him a cur, Kat held her tongue and immediately went into a fighting stance, waiting for the ref to start the fight. From there, she would be ready to quickly react to whatever her opponent would try to pull.

[Kuroshi Maki]

It was him? The guy that shot me three times with arrows was to be my opponent. This just made me grin. Finally I was able to fight him up close with just brawling. He would not have his boy and be able to fight away as a coward. He also got on the bridge and didn't seem to like his opponent meaning me. Taking his fighting stance I knew he was ready so I should focus too but being able to hurt him made me laugh out load. grabbing my stomach.

" Can you feel it? Can you? "

My laugh then turned into a serious face as I walked forwards slowly. The air around me just took a sudden switch as I now was ready to break some bones. If it went my way the ref should pull me off before I kill him. As i was about halve way on the bridge I would push off into a fast dash towards him. As I came up close I would take a distance that I would be able to hit but he doesn't because fact to be true he was really small for a man more like a child. ( based on you're Bio, you're like 1.52m and Maki is 1.70. ) I would turn my left in sudden jabs pulling them back as soon as she would try to grab um. and then as she would be focused on the jab. My right foot would laugh at his knee trying to take him out of the fight as fast as possible. The knee would break as it would not be able to bent that way.

My right fist would stay close to my face as a protection, but did the kick to the knee works. My right would shoot in a powerful right towards his cheekbone in the time he would be distracted by the knee. I then return to my fighting stance.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

[[Lol yeah I know how tall Katsumi is compared to like.... everyone on the site. xDDD]]

Fucking Yomi. What a pretentious fuck! Katsumi's eyes narrowed sharply, the woman scowling at Maki, and right at the sound of the ref, she would stomp down hard at the last plank, loosening it further. Snatching it up and holding it up defensively, Katsumi moved forward as Maki charged her, watching his movements carefully.

She was on the tips of her toes and when he reached her, she dodged his strike by ducking down and then using the plank to strike with immense strength at his extended arm right at the inner-elbow before lunging forward and jabbing him with the plank right in his solar plexus.

"Can you feel this, asshole?"

Katsumi would certainly take advantage of the hit, and would proceed to hit him accordingly in quick successions, using the plank as an extension of her arm so she wouldn't have to get within his arm's reach.

[Kuroshi Maki]

As I saw him rushing at my with a plank, aiming for my arm huh? Maybe she didn't understand what a jab was? its fast and the arm would never be fully extended for maybe about a second. So when the plank hit my arm it was already going back and there for the pain would be small as it didn't do anything. For such a small guy he had some power probably equal or abit stronger then me. as he would try to strike again i dashed back getting out of his sight and distance. His words just felt like he thought he was hurting me.

" Already going for some type of weapon? Coward. "

At the same time I would strike the wooden plank smashing it into pieces. I wasn't as weak and slow as I was before and knowing now the distance would win me this fight I would make sure he would not be able to get closer. I kept my perfect distance and as he would be distracted by the plank breaking I would jab once again at his nose and kicking the knee.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi wouldn't give Maki the opportunity to break her makeshift weapon, using her superior speed to dodge his attacks, ducking and evading, moving to the sides. She could sense each of his attacks and was easily able to dodge accordingly.

"The man who attacked a defenseless woman and threatened villagers is calling me a coward?" All while dodging, Katsumi spoke more than usual, typically one to never speak, especially when fighting. But this particular individual pissed her the hell off, the woman filled with wrath at seeing this revolting husk of a man again, and she spat back at him, "Go fuck yourself, you dog."

When he drew close and tried to kick at her, the woman would dodge and use the opportunity of him being on one foot to duck down and lash out with her foot to hit the shin of the leg all of his weight was currently on.

[Kuroshi Maki]

Speed wise I was at a disadvantage thatch a fact but could his speed keep closing the distance in time for all thatch to come? As he ducked under my jab and came in closer as my foot was up. she was fast but before she was in range I had time enough to place it back down. I was not as fast but for him to come in closer made me have that extra second to place down my foot. as his foot crashed against my other shin I made sure I didn't had my weight on it anymore making sure I reduced the strain on my shin and my feet would slide back. This would mean he as well would slide abit forwards. As he did come in close I would fall forwards elbows down right on top of him, if he blocked with the plank it would break.

I would get back up after the impact plank broken or not hit or no hit on his body. I would take the distance again far enough for him not being able to hit me before coming closer and me able to crack at him from were I was.

" yeah you can call me a dog, at least I don't pretend to be good like you. "

[Shinomori Katsumi]

As he slid back, her foot didn't even make a collision and her eyes widened sharply. That wasn't good whatsoever. Knowing he would take use of the opportunity, she used the momentum and forced herself to fall roughly onto her back, swiftly rolling to the side. As a result, Katsumi just narrowly missed the elbow strike. It wasn't the most preferable action, but she didn't have a lot of options here and getting hit was the last thing she wanted right now.

Grunting, the woman scrambled up onto her feet, back to the ropes of the bridge. At him dashing forward again, Katsumi would attempt to dodge his blows, slipping past him so that she was at his side, and use the opportunity to strike him on the back of the head with the plank and jump back, turning them around, so that he would be on the side that she had entered on.

"I... am far from good."

There was an emptiness within her eyes. She was neither good nor evil, instead innately neutral. Katsumi did what she needed to survive, and would always go back to that, despite Haji's goodness occasionally rubbing off on her. She knew Haji's intentions were good, but she was broken and no amount of fixing could remove the scars from the deep wounds that had been afflicted upon her since she could remember.

[Kuroshi Maki]

Dammit he dodged that elbow, but of course I got back up and attacked him as he dodged to my side, The target was the back of my head but he was way shorter so hitting my head would not be that easy as I move forwards her strike hit my upper back and abit painful it would just push me forwards making me end on the end of the bridge were he started. Far from good? Then why pretend to be one if you no act like you're not good? A wannabe till the end huh. I smirked as I would turn around facing this little man. Whiteout that bow he was not that great. I could see the size now as I didn't really noticed before.

" Far from good? Yeah that's right you're more fucked up then me you bitch! "

I would rushed forwards with a craze face and when I came closer I would smash my feet on the bridge making two wooden planks raise up from the bridge making it more unstable but soon would kick both of them at him, It wasn't my plan to him him with it but if it did fine but if he dodged I would already be there with a straight right. I would be hard for him to see if both wooden planks would make me disappear. Sucks to be little huh.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Maki slamming into the bridge would successfully break the planks he went for! In fact, the planks around them broke as well, and the rope began to loosen! From the stress put on the bridge, the planks would shatter and the two would fall down into the water below, and land against the rocks that lay beneath the water!

[Takeda Shingen]

The moment Katsumi and Maki were sent tumbling into the river below, the referee would end the match, as Katsumi was knocked out from the impact, and raise the red flag in his right hand.

"This match is over! The winner is Kuroshi Maki!"

+1 EXP to Shinomori Katsumi and Kuroshi Maki. Maki advances to the next round, as Freya forfeited.