Endurance Training

[Oda Nobunaga]

It seems the soldiers in your camp have been getting soft. Your lordship wishes to change this! A tournament will be set up as a form of endurance training for the men. But this is going to be a different sort of tournament - One man (or woman) will step into the ring, and a challenger will step in with them. The loser leaves the ring, the winner stays, and a new challenger will step in. Those who can last the longest amount of rounds in the ring will be rewarded! It's like training, but fun!

Objective: Fight off as many challengers as you can! Your lord is watching! You must take down no less than three people, if you want to look good! Challenger's stats are all 10 in each category.

Reward: Up to +3 Con.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

[OoC: Changing the scenario just a little to fit Takehiro's situation, since he serves under no banner.]

A group of prospective recruiters under every banner had entered this large town, in which Takehiro had spent his recent days resting. They had sent out a call, requesting all able-bodied mercenaries meet at the center of the town. It seemed they were setting up some sort of competition to sort out the most skilled mercenaries, and each recruiter was willing to pay good money for some temporary alliances... this was something Takehiro couldn't turn down.

"All men who wish to be recruited must take part in this tournament, of sorts. The men who last the longest amount of bouts will be considered worth the largest sum on gold. All who will answer this call, step forward. And, no weapons."

Takehiro was the first of the mercs to step forward and into a ring made only of bystanders. He had left his spear behind, as per request. Only a moment would pass by before another man stepped into the ring, who was slightly taller, and much bulkier than himself. "Well, big guy, may the best man win!"

The large man rushed Takehiro, looking to take hold of his arms and knee him in the stomach. The mercenary responded by ducking under the large man's hands, and falling to the side. His leg shot out, kicking the large man's other leg out from under him, knocking him onto his back. From there, Takehiro placed a knee to the man's side and took his wrist, pulling his arm out as much as he could, as well as twisting it. The man's wrist popped out of place, and Takehiro let him go.

That was one man down.

The large man scuttled away, whimpering at his injured wrist, and another man hopped in in his place. This new opponent was smaller, and he looked much more nimble. He charged Takehiro, feigning a right hook. Promptly, he through his weight to the left, cartwheeling around Takehiro and kicking him twice in the face, causing the mercenary to stumble backward a bit.

"Alright, you monkey fuck, show me what you got."

The man attempted the same tactic, and as he went for the cartwheel, Takehiro caught his legs, leaving him in a handstand. The man's face was met with a very forceful punt from Takehiro's foot, causing the man to soar forward as his legs were released, gravity adding some oomph and slamming him on the ground. While his opponent was floored, Takehiro raised his leg and sent it hammering into the man's spine. He let out a whimper, and crawled out of the ring.

Two men down, baby.

A third man entered the ring, of similar stature to Takehiro. The men even held themselves in a similar manner. Unlike the previous two men, he would not strike first. Takehiro would, in turn, step forward, his right foot behind his left, and sent a left power kick to the man's sternum. He caught the foot, aiming to twist Takehiro's ankle and offset his balance. However, the mercenary used this to his advantage, kicking of the ground with his free foot and wrapping it around the man's head, bringing him to the ground in a triangle choke. The man fought for a moment, but Takehiro kept him there until he was unconscious, promptly rolling back once the man stopped wiggling.

Three down? Boo yah.

Another three men would approach the ring, only to be knocked out by the merc who seemed to be building a very good reputation for himself with these recruiters. His constant victories even seemed to deter the other mercenaries assembled from continued to fight. Triumphant yet bruised, Takehiro took the victory as the mercenary with the most value in the town.

Awww yeah.

[Takeda Shingen]

Amakusa Takehiro: +3 Con

[Sanada Yukimura]

"Young master, are you sure about this?"

"Oyakata-sama will be watching. And as the youngest and second son of his top general, I have more to prove than Nobuyuki."

"But...! Just be careful young master. Inahime will not be happy if you are injured greatly."

Reaching the training ring surrounded by the men of both his father and the Daimyo, with his height, Yukimura could see in the distance, Lord Takeda Shingen sitting and watching, his banner fluttering gently in the wind.

"Who among you is brave enough to step into the ring and test your mettle? All who answer the call, step forward and put your endurance to the test!"

After a brief moment of silence, Yukimura would step forward, handing his spear over to one of his father's men, even though they were still in Lord Shingen's camp, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders and neck. Not even a minute would pass before one of his father's men stepped into the ring, finding himself faced off against a rather tall but muscular man.

"I've always wanted to fight and take you on young master. Now is my chance."

Without a single warning, the man would dash straight up to Yukimura and go to push him out of the ring, as Yukimura would lock hands with the man, appearing like he was going to push back, only grab a hold of one of the man's arms and with an almighty roar, would flip him to the left and throw him to the ground, the man landing with a loud boom.

One down.

The man crawling out of the ring, the wind knocked out of him, the next man to step into the ring was a taller, thinner man, who appeared light on his feet. As he would dart around the ring, he would manage to nimbly evade Yukimura's strikes, even managing to land a few on the young master.

I'm confused because I'm looking at him. Just like when father was training me... What I should be following is his essence!

Closing his eyes, Yukimura would focus on the man's essence, and as he went in to attack Yukimura, he would block the man's strike and counter with one of his own, striking the man square in the chest with a powerful kick, sending him flying and landing on the ground... hard.

Two down.

A third man would enter into the ring, roughly the same build and height as Yukimura, would launch a simple jab, only to drop down at the very last minute and go for a leg sweep. Though he was caught off-guard by the sudden leg sweep, Yukimura would throw his hands out behind him and use the momentum to end up in a handstand of sorts, before pushing off with his hands and do a series of back handsprings, quickly vaulting himself over the man's outstretched leg, before ending up in a standing position, facing him once more. He'd then quickly push off of his back foot and dropping down to the ground at the last moment, would place one hand on the ground to help maintain balance before kicking his feet up and slam his foot in the man's chest, before following up with a kick to his chin, sending him up through the air and down to the ground, clutching his chest and chin.

Three down.

Four more would enter soon after, but were no match for Yukimura, who quickly proved that despite being the youngest child of Masayuki Sanada, he was a force to be reckoned with. His string of victories only served to increase the support of his men, while lowering the confidence of those that thought him weak. Triumphant yet covered in bruises, he wasn't too badly hurt, but his sister-in-law... was not going to be pleased.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Sanada Yukimura: +3 Con

[Deleted]

((Gonna change the senario a tad myself to make things fit.))

As the sun began to dip over the horizon, Kamaitachi sighed. It was looking like this would be another night spent with an empty belly due to empty pockets. He had found himself in rare circumstances this night. First of all, he was sober. Second of all, he had actually taken the time to wash and clean himself and his clothes. His Green and gold robes almost looking semi presentable and all for the sake of the third rarity, entering a city. Kamaitachi had vehemently avoided large cities before, in fact he didn't even know the name of this one. They all looked the same to him. Same wooden shacks stacked tightly side by side, same gutters running with filth. Same crowded dirt streets swarming with people.

Same thieves and cut purses that stalked the dark.

A Man laid bleeding on the ground before Kamaitachi. Stabbed by his own knife and dead by the Monsters own hand. The dead man had tried to mug a monster and paid the price for his foolishness. Without a Daishō, the Katana and Wakizashi that Marked a man as Samurai, noone took him seriously. Especially not a man carrying peasants tools as weapons.

The dead man had no money on him, or food for that matter. Fortunatly for Kamaitachi, divine providence would soon turn it's gaze to him.
From a dark alley a man would approach. Small and timid he would inform the monster about a small field outside the city where the men gathered to test thier martial arts upon a wave of opponents while bets were placed on how long a man could last. His interest piqued, Kamaitachi had chosen to follow.
Soon he would find himself outside in an empty field standing atop of a raised wooden ring, stripped from the waist up and prepared to face his first opponent.

His first opponent would fall quickly under a flurry of viscous blows, unable to properly defend himself fast enough as Kamaitachi darted from side to side sending palm strikes and roundhouse kicks into the mans face and ribs.

One down.

Kamaitachi scolded himself. This was just as much about endurance as it was skill. He would have to conserve his energy from now on if he had wanted any chance at the prize.

His next opponent was a large man with a bizarre mustache. The two combatants circled each other warily, looking for a single slip in thier defenses, looking for just one moment of carelessness before suddenly both men became a blur of motion, meeting in the middle of the ring in a clash of tangled limbs as they wrestled for the advantage until Kamaitachi suddenly found himself on his back after being tossed with a judo hip throw. Knowing he was in trouble, the monster went to guard, pulling the large man in before defeating him with a craftily set Arm bar, causing the large man to tap out lest he suffer a broken elbow.

Two down.

The third man? Now the third man was a terror. Wolf lean and hungry, he eyed Kamaitachi as the two men stood in thier fighting stances, stock still and waiting for the first person to strike. The fight began slowly as the pair traded probing blows, working to open up each others defenses while ensuring they weren't overextending themselves. They both attempted to counter each other with throws, but that would prove fruitless as both men had impeccable balance, rolling away from each other and regaining thier footing with ease. Slowly the tempo would increase until the combatants were locked throwing an near endless succession of punches and kicks as they ducked and weaved around each other.
Much to the Delight of the crowd as they picked sides and cheered thier favorite.
Finally Kamaitachi, noticing his opponent beginning to tire, would end the fight decisively with a combo involving a kick to his opponents leading inner thigh, a straight kick to his chest followed by a final roundhouse kick to the side of the mans head, knocking him out cold.

Three victories? Not bad, not bad at all.
Unfortunatly for him, hungry as he was, that fight had used up quite abit of his formidable stamina. His next three bouts were hard won and he barely defeated his seventh opponent before finally falling to his eighth, who was a woman surprisingly enough who used a Chinese Martial arts style known as 'The Tiger.'

Still. He had won enough to supply himself with food and booze for a few days more at least. To the Young man, who felt abuzz with pride in himself, an emotion he never thought he would feel again, it was enough. While the people celebrated after the tournament, Kamaitachi fed himself, gathered his things and disappeared down the road.

 

[Oda Nobunaga]

Yoritomo Tetsuo: +3 Con

[Shinomori Katsumi]

[[OoC: Same group she has been in before~ ^_^]]

After her shift keeping watch was over, the merc made her way through the camp. There seemed to be some sort of event going on, as there was a commotion and numerous men gathered about. Her interest was piqued and, after grabbing an apple, she made her way over to the group, munching on the food.

Apparently the leader of the camp wanted to keep improving the skills of his soldiers and to make sure they were at their best in order to protect his beloved daughter. Katsumi could respect that, and the petite person silently watched at the men entered the ring and duked it out on one another.

The girl wasn't much of a fighter herself, an archer through and through, so she wasn't too interested in getting involved. But it seemed the others wanted this new merc to prove herself, picking on her due to her size, because she made a pretty minuscule man. They poked and jested, and she ignored them, not caring in the least, but it drew the commander's attention, and she suddenly found herself in the ring, having to prove herself to keep her job.

What the hell?

Katsumi felt annoyed, because she was an archer and not some brute, but couldn't do anything besides go along with it, considering she wanted to get paid. Fortunately for her, the first man to enter the ring wasn't all that big. Of course, he was larger than her, but then again everybody was here. The sound to start went off and the man charged her. Katsumi was able to dodge him quickly, dancing around the other. He was unable to land any hits, and quickly tired himself out, and as soon as he started to drastically slow down, the girl took advantage and jumped forward. Lashing her leg out, she kicked his side and popped him right in the jaw. Hitting him again, his head snapped back and the first challenger fell onto the ground, and he didn't get up, groaning and spitting up a bloody tooth. Maybe her punch was stronger than she expected.

One down.

The second came in and the fight went pretty much the same. She dodged and narrowly missed a few, staying light on her feet and jumping around. This frustrated the other, and his impatience was what led him to his fall. After using all of his strength to try and get her down in one hit, she dodged and spun, going behind him and striking him down with a kick in the back, and a few in the side.

It was the third challenger that nearly did in the teen. He was quite large and muscled, and his intimidating stature caused the archer to gulp. She had seen this one fight before and knew he was good, definitely better than the other. That didn't bode well for her.

The fight began and he rushed her quickly, and she had to dance with him. Unlike with the others, he wouldn't let her keep her distance, and so she was forced to constantly dodge, narrowly missing his fists. Because she was constantly backing up and jumping away, eventually Kat tripped up and his fist collided into her side. One of her ribs surely cracked under the impact, and she hissed, stumbling away. He tried to strike her down, but she was able to get away, but just barely.

Breathing hurt and she clutched the wound, wincing and biting down on her bottom lip. The fighter smirked at her, giving her a smug grin, and her eyes narrowed. What a dick! He was enjoying this!

The man charged her again and Katsumi jumped back again, flipping over and palm resting on the ground, and pushing her back. With haste, she landed and was back on her feet again, and there were a few ooo's from her athleticism that Katsumi ignored. All she cared about right now was not getting severely injured from this asshole, who seemed intent on breaking her bones.

Unfortunately, the woman was slowed down due to that cracked rib, and he every so often was able to get punches in. Blood dribbled from her mouth and soon plenty of bruises would cover her body, one nice one right on the left cheek.

After making that strike across her face, he grabbed a hold of the petite woman and she struggled in his grip. With a smirk and a laugh, the brute pinned Katsumi against his chest and a pop resounded within the air, and she cried out. Pushing her forward, Katsumi fell onto the ground and clutched her dislocated shoulder.

He seemed convinced she was done and that he won the match, laughing with some of the men (although some still winced from sympathy for the merc.) Katsumi was on her knees, so she was not completely down, and her brows furrowed deeply. She saw the leader of the camp looking at her intently and she cursed under her breath.

She had to end this quickly if she wanted to end it at all and keep her job.

Inhaling deeply, breath shaky, her body trembled and Katsumi clenched her eyes shut. She had done this twice before from the beatings from her father, so Kat knew what to do, and that meant the archer knew the pain that was coming. Swallowing roughly, the merc readied herself and used her free hand to pop her shoulder back into place. She held back her cry, one, two tears slipping down her cheeks, and she growled in response.

Fuck this arrogant prick. His precariousness and cockiness was going to be what was his downfall.

Quickly standing up, right arm (fortunately not her dominant one) useless and hanging limply at her side, Katsumi rushed forward with incredible speed. There were a few gasps, and that seemed to catch the large man's attention, but it was too late. She used her weight and put all of her strength into her hit, drawing her dominant hand back and punching the man right in the face. Blood spurted from his nose and, growling lowly, Kat skidded to a stop and kicked the brute right in the nuts. He had been an ass to her, and so she was the same to him. He cried out and, as he started to fall, Katsumi spun around and kicked him again, but this time in the gut.

When he fell roughly onto his back, the woman purposefully fell onto his chest, knees slamming into his center of his chest. She fell off of him and scrambled up, huffing loudly, and stepped onto his throat. Anger and pain were clear within her shimmering dark eyes, and she pressed down, putting pressure on it.

"Fuck... you..." she muttered under her breath before letting up.

She won this match, and was now calling it quits. Spitting onto the ground, saliva mixed with spit, the woman made her way out of the ring. The crowd separated for her and the petite person struggled past them.

The commander complimented her, saying she did a good job and was tough, and gave her the night and the next day off. Oh, that was so nice of him, after he doubted her and made her, by far his best ranged fighter do hand-to-hand combat to apparently prove herself. Why was everyone such a fucking asshole?

She simply nodded and walked past him, muttering a thanks, even though she was greatly aggravated. Katsumi wasn't there to impress anybody. This was certainly not fun for her. She had been hired to protect this guy's daughter as a mercenary, specifically an archer. The girl's little ass, so to speak, was more than sore. She was so done.

Katsumi desperately needed to go to the hot springs, calm down, and tend to her injuries, and maybe relax a little. She freaking deserved it after this bullshit.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Shinomori Katsumi: +3 Con

[Kyoya Naotora]

So, Lord Date had recently decided he wanted his soldiers to compete in a tournament of sorts, as a means of building their endurance. The best fighters were even going to be rewarded by his Lordship himself. Because of this, Naotora felt an irregular urge to prove herself. Normally, she was content with her position, and felt no real desire to go out of her way. Though, this was a tournament in front of Lord Date, and a lot could come from performing well in front of him.

When the ring of soldiers formed, Naotora would be the first to step in. Upon her entry, some of the men would back off, intimidated, while others lurched forward, seeking to break the woman who'd made her way among their ranks. But then, some men just wanted to see how they faired against the strongest woman they'd met. Whatever their reasons, Naotora stepping into the ring seemed to motivate and deter a large number of people.

Her first opponent stepped into the ring. He was a smaller man than her, a man with a woman's stature, just a little more meat on his bones. Without much warning, he charged the woman, raising his right elbow and knee in a strike that would numb her left arm and leg upon contact. Though, he was quite predictable. The woman stepped to her left, watching the man pass by, and she sent her right fist sailing toward the man's jaw. His own speed mixed with her powerful punch sent him spinning to his left, before he fell on the floor. The punch seemed especially effective, having gotten his join, just under his ear, and he was pulled out from the ring.

That's-a one.

Another man stepped into the ring. He was bulky, bigger than the woman by a lot. He slowly approached her, throwing a right straight for her face. She sidestepped it, approaching under his striking arm and slamming her right knee into his stomach. His right elbow came up, striking the woman's back, momentarily deterring her. Naotora quickly recovered, however, catching herself and sending a heavy punch into the man's stomach, the two strikes causing him to double over from pain. While his body was bent, the woman put both hands together and slammed them into the side of his head, knocking him to the ground as well.

That's-a two.

A third person entered the ring now. A small man, Naotora's size. Though, he pulled out a dagger from his hair, letting it down and tossing the blade aside. He smiled, quickly revealing that he was a she. Brow raised, Naotora was quite surprised. Though, this was going to be interesting.

The woman charged Naotora, sending a right power side kick to her stomach. Naotora responded by catching the foot, pushing the girl, and then tugging on her foot and throwing her to the ground. The woman lost her balance, and Naotora rushed forward and got her in a chokehold. The woman hammered her elbows into Naotora's side, causing the warrior to let go, and she rolled away. Naotora followed, raising her leg into the air and slamming it down upon the woman, though she blocked the blow by bringing her forearms above her head. The woman lifted her body, catching Naotora off guard, before she swept her leg out, catching Naotora's and bringing it out from under her.

On the ground now, the woman put both hands to Naotora's neck. She quickly reacted, chopping her hand at the girl's throat, causing her to momentarily lose her breath. In that moment, Naotora brought her legs up and around the woman's neck, reigning her in for a triangle choke. She would fight for a moment, but all the while, Naotora rained blows in on the top of her head, and soon she was unconscious.

That's-a three.

The woman didn't keep track of just how many fights she participated in that night, but it's safe to assume there were a lot. Like, a lot.

[Takeda Shingen]

Kyoya Naotora: +3 Con

[Morei Haji]

I found myself standing in an arena, hearing word of a tournament being held in this region. It was being sanctioned by the Oda, and while I held no affiliation with them, I did hold an interest. I needed to get stronger, and there was no way I could do that without testing my mettle against other warriors. At least a tournament provided a safe means in which to do it, and yet, I'm sure everyone would be fighting their best.

"Round one!" A man of average proportions stepped into the ring, wielding a katana. He drew it, looking smugly at me. "My enemy is this kid? Easy." He stared me down, and I shrugged, placing my hand on my sakabato as I drew it without a word. The crowd seemed to send jeers in my direction as they saw the sharp end of the blade faced me. So I was a white haired freak upon being too scared to fight with a real sword, heh.

"Fight!"

The man dashed forward, as did I. Sword in my right hand, my left hand on my sheathe at my waist. The man slashed downward at me, and I stepped to the side to avoid the blow. His sword struck the ground as my hand arched back before slashing, striking the man directly in the torso. He reeled back in pain, dropping his blade as he did so and falling to the ground. He looked at me angrily. "Damn kid packs a punch..." The crowd roared in laughter that he was getting schooled so early on. I smirked, picking the guy's katana up and tossing it to him. He caught it and angrily charged at me again. He swung at me wildly, and I remained calm, blocking each and every strike. My final parry would have me jumping to the side, and the man tripped forward and nearly fell over.

"Anger is your enemy." I said amused. The man just took this as motivation to get even angrier at me and came charging at me again. I sidestepped once more, slashing at his leg and striking him in the knee. The blunt trauma cased him to fall, and I would spin, bringing the hilt of my sword to his forehead, striking him hard. This sent him falling back, defeated. Spinning my sword fashionably before sheathing it, I returned to my starting location while the man's friends came in to drag him out.

Alright, so I wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. But if my opponents were just average guys... well, it's not a good indicator of my potential in the slightest. After Takehiro just defeated me so easily... I looked over to see the second opponent waltz in, this one wielded a staff. Drawing my sakabato again, I curiously wondered how this guy fought. And at the announcer's declaration, the man was off in an instantly. Slamming his staff into the ground, he flipped into a cartwheel, bringing the staff down at me as he came down right side up. I brought my sword up to block the blow, but the momentum from it caused my leg to buckle and I fell to my knees, holding the staff up with my sword above me. My eyes widened as I had forgotten about the sharp end of the blade facing me, and here it was, inches from my face...

"Tch."

Steadying the blade with one hand, I brought the other to my spare sword. My sakabato neared closer to my face slightly, but with one swift motion, I withdrew my short katana from its sheathe and struck at the man's legs. He jumped away quickly, staff and all, and there was no pressure on me anymore.

"You attached your sword to your waist backwards so you could pull it out blunt-side first? Interesting..."

He took no moment to hesitate, running at me before spinning around, bringing his staff to strike at me from the side. I brought up both blades, blocking his blow and grunting. He used this moment to jump up and send his foot at my chest, kicking me squarely. I winced in pain a bit, stepping back before spinning around and striking him directly in the back with the sakabato. The man struck the ground, rolling into a crouching position.

"Damn, you really do hit hard..." He grunted, getting back up and running at me. He jabbed his staff forward at me, and I jumped up, landing my feet on his staff as I brought both the sakabato and the blunt end of my katana down on both of his shoulders with all of my might. This attack buckled the man completely, and he fell to the ground in a slump, groaning in pain.

"Phew... two down." I stood up, backing away from the downed staff wielder. No sooner had he been pulled from the arena than a new man stepped in. He was much larger and wielded a great axe, which he carried like nothing over his shoulder.

"W-what... ahh, fuck..."

Okay, so maybe I swore for the first time. It was acceptable in these odds, I felt. This guy was a frickin' beast. He grinned at me darkly before lifting his axe, charging forward at me. His axe swung down, and I jumped to the side, staring wide-eyed at the ground where I had just been. The impact of the axe had torn it asunder! "Jesus..." I had barely any time to react, as the man quickly lifted his axe once more and swung it horizontally at me. I ducked underneath it, feeling the wind as his axe passed. Swiftly, I charged forward, striking at the guy's abdomen with my sakabato. It seemed to have no effect, as the man quickly reached down and grabbed the back of my robe and tossed me over him. I sailed through the air before landed on the ground, and man did it hurt.

"Argh... damn..." I rolled over, rubbing my elbow as I winced. Looking over at the man, my eyes widened again. He was right above me, axe raised. As he brought it down, I quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two. I hopped to my feet and quickly charged again, bringing my sakabato down on his shoulder. He grunted a bit, bringing his hand to punch me square in the face. As I got sent backwards, he left his axe embedded in the ground, grabbing my robe and punching me directly in the stomach, and I felt like I coughed out blood before the guy lifted me up and tossed me over him again. Hitting the ground hard, I laid there for a moment, my blade out of my grip but it was nearby. Reaching over to it, I gripped it tightly, panting a bit. This guy was tough...

I picked myself back up to my feet, gripping my sakabato firmly. Pulling my other blade out as well, I stared the guy down. I wasn't going to last long without taking him down quickly. The man grinned, axe at the ready. He charged me down, swinging his axe at me horizontally again. I quickly jumped up, landing on his axe this time. As he stopped swinging, holding me up now, I would bring both my sakabato and the blunt edge of my blade to both sides of his head at the same time. This strike would deal a heavy blow to the man, and no sooner had he lost his balance did I jump from the axe to get behind him. I would turn around in midair, bringing the reverse-bladed sword down at the back of his head and striking him directly. This caused the man to get sent flying forward and unconscious.

"Ha...haha...I did it..." I laid on the ground exhausted, while the man was carried off as well. As the announcer was about to call for round 4, I quickly waved my arms.

"No! No no no! I'm done! I yield!" I grinned nervously. I got to go, much to the crowd's dismay. I think they really wanted me to get my ass kicked more.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Morei Haji: +3 Con

[Kuroshi Maki]

( This takes place after the monthly quest thingy, because there Maki found out the man he seeks is in the Oda army )

Finding out that the man was hiding among the ranks of the Oda army, Maki set up his quest to find him there. It would not be a easy task to just find one in a army as big as that of Oda. First I had to get in myself, As I was thinking of a way to get in something came to my attention. There was a training going on to improve the soldiers. If I could slip in there and show something they like maybe I could get closer to the ones I seek.

There was a platform in the center of the trainings camp, it seems they really made a stage for me to shine on. I walked up to the platform as the one in charge asked one to step forward. I stepped on the platform looking at the other side to see who my first enemy would be. I stepped on without a weapon, I was going to destroy them with just the things god gave us when we were born. No steel just flesh and bones. My body had health good enough to be able to move on full speed and full strength again.

" Instead of one give me two."

My words seems to please the leader as he ordered one more to step up. There was I unarmed against two men wearing both wooden swords. A dead warrior was worth nothing so they fought with wooden blades instead. But this didn't please me at all, before they could attack I would raise my hand to stop.

" Give them a weapon they could really defend themselves with, steel not wood. "

The soldiers looked at each other in disbelieve, did this guy really wanted us to kill him? Once again the leader laughed and ordered them to pick up there steel weapons. Now the real fun was about to begin. The warriors made there fighting pose and closed in slowly. They saw me as a madman. I on the other hand didn't waste time and rushed forwards. This took them both of guard. As I duck low I made a leg sweep, sweeping one of them as he crashed down on the platform. The other warrior stepped back and made a swing with his blade. As I rose up my hands would grab his stopping the blade just a few incs from my face. I would then smash the blade back against the guys nose breaking it and let him stumble back dazed.

At this point the other warrior has gotten back up on his feet ready to strike, my back turned towards him he thought he had the upper hand. As his blade came crashing down I stepped to the side with a dash making his blade hit nothing but the platform. With a spin i was now facing him again, my right fist crashing against his nose breaking also his nose, but I would now finish this fool of as he stumbled back I stepped forwards grabbing him by his armor pulling him in as my forehead crashed again against his nose. This knocked him out and his body just fell down. My hands would grab the blade he dropped and turned towards the other warrior who was still abit dazed. My blade would aim for his throat but before I could hit it the leader yelled me to stop. My blade was hitting him but stopped in time to not kill him.

" It seems its a unfair fight how about you trow me another one. "

My words were now starting to anger the leader as he got up himself. He didn't wear a weapon as he stepped up into the platform. This just put a grin up my face as I tossed the weapon of the platform, I then walked up close as we both took a fighting pose. It seems I had angered the man enough to make him come down and fight me. I didn't care to proof myself I wanted to make a statement for those I seek.
He man launched a barrage of attacks, a one two combination came straight at my face, the man was fast but he lacked the willpower. As I stepped back both punches missed there target. He then came in with a kick witch I blocked by simply raising my feet to crash against his knee. This broke the man his leg, to beat a man was easy if you hit the right target. At this point more warriors came up the platform and all wearing a wooden sword. As they attacked me at the same time there wasn't a chance for me to defend myself. After getting hit many times I dropped to a knee. The man was now being held up and face me.

" You have proven yourself now step off or die! "

His words were clear and I didn't care about killing any of them so I simply got up and made a small bow before stepping of the platform, as I came behind one of the tents I let the pain sink in and dropped down to my knee's yet I was having a smile on my face.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Kuroshi Maki: +3 Con

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

Lord Nobunaga has recently decided he wanted to have his men partake in a tournament, of sorts. Everyone was expected to go in and kick some ass, taking on one person at a time until they couldn't take on anyone else. It was a good idea, given how everyone had this alpha-male complex, and it could really put some people in their place. Not to mention, those who did the best were going to look really good in front of their Lord, and there wasn't a single person here who didn't want that.

Rifle in hand, Iemasa stepped into the ring of people, grinning smugly at the crowd. Some people cheered at his entry, others booed him. It was to be expected, given the nature of things. "Come on! Who wants to take me on?!" He challenged every person there directly, before a man with a katana stepped in. "What are you gonna do, shoot me, pretty boy?" The crowd whooped at his entry, and Iemasa just laughed, his rifle resting on his shoulder now. "Nah, I'm just gonna smack you around with this bad boy." With that, the fight begun.

Bearing his katana, the opponent rushed forward, aiming to slash his weapon down across Iemasa's face. The rifleman stepped forward, bring his rifle up and swatting the blade quickly out of the way and ramming it into the guy's cheek, causing him to stumble to his side. The guy cursed, quickly regaining his composure and slashing at Iemasa's belly. He brought his rifle down, blocking the blade, and slammed his foot into the guy's chin, causing him to fall back onto the floor. Before he could get up, the rifleman stepped on his chest and put the gun to his neck. "Bang." Though he didn't really fire, the humiliation was there, and the victory was evident. Iemasa stepped off the man's chest, and he roared with anger, threatening to strike him as his back was turned, but the man knew he was defeated and sunk back into the crowd, angry.

A second opponent stepped into the ring, cracking his neck. The man held a spear, so he had reach on his side, which Iemasa noted, but it seemed like it didn't affect him in the least. The man charged forward, thrusting his spear for Iemasa's chest. He responded swiftly, stepping to the side and dashing forward, striking the man's diaphragm with the tip of the rifle, and then swinging it upward, bashing the man's nose in. He roared in pain, bringing his spear around in a wide arc, before stabbing it forward several times in rapid succession. Iemasa blocked each of the blows, as he was much quicker than the opponent, and finally ended up catching the spear. He snapped it in half, slamming his rifle into its center, and took the bladed end and launched it into the man's thigh. One shove pushed the man back and out of the ring. That was two down.

Without warning, a third man came into the ring, slamming his club into the back of Iemasa's head. The rifleman fell to the floor, dazed, landing face-first. Before he could collect himself, the man kicked the side of his head, hitting his cheek. The crowd roared with applause, as the rifleman seemed to be put in his place, and the newcomer seemed to revel in it, distracting him. Angry now, Iemasa stood to his feet, ramming his heel into the back of the guy's knee, and slamming the butt-end of the rifle into the back of his neck. The man fell forward, and Iemasa stepped on his back, slamming his rifle into the sides of the guy's head over and over, until his ears began to bleed. "You don't know who you're fucking with, do you?!" After a moment of the beating, the guy was crying for Iemasa to stop, and the man knelt down, taking the guy's head in his hand. He lifted it up just so he could whisper in his ear, "You shouldn't turn your back on your opponent." With that, he slammed the guy's head into the ground, and dragged him out of the ring.

"Next?!"

Iemasa faced the crowd, and some of the people seemed scared. The fighting would continue for the rest of the night, and Iemasa saw a good deal of victories, because he was so much faster than most of the people there. Not once did he actually fire his rifle, but boy, did he want to.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Tokugawa Iemasa: +3 Con

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou alongside the other men of Captain Koboyashi unit cheered, as their comrade currently in the ring physically threw the most recent challenger to the ground of the ring. It was the man’s second win, and Shou wondered just how many the man was going to beat before he lost. However as the loser almost crawled his way out of the ring, no one else stepped up among them to take on the challenge. “Yamabara get in there. I won’t have you just watching.” Captain Koboyashi ordered pushing Shou forward to the edge of the ring. “Yes sir.” Shou groaned as he climb into the ring.


“Well this is going to be an easy win.” The previous winning said laughing. Shou looked over the larger built man, and was worried for a moment, until he noticed the tired look that only touched the man’s eyes. “We’ll see.” Shou simply replied, planting his feet and getting ready. The man charged and came out swinging, a fist flying out at the side of Shou head. It was slow, however and he managed to duck under the fist, before throwing a fist of his own into the other man’s gut, and making him stagger backwards. Shou wouldn’t allow the other man to recover, and would following with sliding steps before alternating between hand and slamming another two fists into the man’s stomach.


However the larger man didn’t seem as phased by the follow up as he had the initial strike, and lifted both hands above his head and clasped them together before bringing them downward. Shou only managed to move at the last moment, and the double arm slam came down atop his shoulder hard, instead of his head, pushing him down slightly. Almost copying the idea from foe, Shou clasped his own hands together and brought them up as he raise his body, both hands catching the man solidly in the underside of the chin. Once again the man staggered back, this time to the edge of the ring raising his hands if as still to fight, before his eyes seemed to glaze over and he fell backwards out of the ring.


One down.


With a hand Shou rubbed the shoulder and collar bone that the other man had hit, even though he had been tired the blow had packed quite a punch, and using the arm immediately after may have not been the best idea. Another member of the unit was pushed into the ring by Koboyashi. Combatant number two charged at him while he was still rubbing his shoulder, and Shou side stepped the kick aimed at his chest, staggering to the side thrown off balance. The other man turned and followed throwing quick punches at his face, and Shou pulled his uninjured arm of his shoulder and desperately blocked the blows by pushing them aside with his forearm. Turning his arm on the last thrown punch, Shou grabbed the other man’s arm and twisted slightly before pushing the man away. Stepping forward he brought his other arm up and return the offensive slamming a fist into the man’s face, swearing in pain as the shock flew down his own arm and into his shoulder.


Obviously hurt by the blow, the other man still didn’t let it stop him and grabbed Shou injured arm turning round and pulling he threw Shou over his shoulder and into the ground. With another swear, Shou swung a leg out from his new position on the floor and kick into the side of the man’s knee, before pulling his leg back, and using his foot to take his knee out from behind. Falling towards, him Shou grabbed the man with his good arm and rolled his body with all he could, pushing the other guy to the floor beside him and then sat on top of him a hand pressed to his neck. “You lose, get up get out.” Shou said through gritted teeth, getting off the man and letting him retreat from the ring.


That made two down.


Another stepped up and unlike the previous two waited for Shou to make the first move. Using the opportunity to catch his breath, Shou cautiously moved forward testing the man with a few jabs, which were easily dodged, and then attempted to sweep kick the man’s leg from under him. The guy jumped over the leg, and mid-air kick Shou in the chest knocking him backwards and to the floor. Rolling back to his feet, Shou narrowly avoided a fist coming down at where he had been, and watched as the man shouted in pain from hitting the ground with all the force he had mustered. Darting forward at the pain distracted man, swung out a series of blows, two to the man’s gut, before a final strike to the man’s temple with his injured arm, knocking him to the ground defeated.


Three down.


“Well done. Messenger boy, I’m impressed.” Koboyashi congratulated pulling himself into the ring. “Let us make this interesting.” Koboyashi said with a grin, worrying Shou. He knew the captain was the best fighter in the unit, he had once been a mercenary of some level of renown. With a level of speed Shou hadn’t suspected of the captain, dashed forwards a leg snapping up and kicking him squarely in the shoulder pushing him back. Hopping forwards the leg came round again from the other side and Shou only just managed to bring an arm up to block it, and tried to grab the leg, only for the captain to pull it away to quickly for him and kick it back out forwards into Shou’s chest. Grunting Shou pushed forwards both arms coming under the leg and pushing upwards to throw Koboyashi backwards, and was shocked when the captain turned the momentum into a back flip and landed on his feet.


Through ragged breathes from both pain and the winded feeling the last kick had caused, Shou pushed himself forward charging forwards hoping to catch the captain as he landed with an elbow to the face, only for Koboyashi to catch his arm, turn and throw him clear out of the ring. “Don’t let pain cause you to make obvious moves; you were doing so well Yamabara.” Koboyashi told him, quickly before pointing at another member of the unit to come face him. Laying on the ground out side the ring, Shou refused to move, from the pain, but was silently impressed with himself at how long he lasted. He was not use to an unarmed fight, and lasting as long as he did was a good thing in his mind.

[Takeda Shingen]

Yamabara Shou: +3 Con

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Three exercises had come and gone, and frankly, the worst of them had long since passed. How intelligent of the governor to have the soldiers run the fitness challenge first, as it set a certain bar for the rest of the training camp, as well as got the hardest of them all out of the way. Kenji returned on the next day to continue the training exercises, linking up with his assigned unit. Today, they were to assemble at the center of camp and join up with the other groups.

Upon arrival, Kenji noted something new about the camp yard. A ring had been created, and mats had been layed out for an audience to sit, people from the town taking up the space to watch whatever was about to occur. At the center, upraised from the rest, resided both the stern governor and an unknown face. Kenji tilted his head in curiosity before one of the men in his unit nudged his side, whispering. "That's Mogami-dono. Bow when everyone else does." The merc mouthed a silent 'oh', and followed the man's advice, everyone present bowing low as the Lord of the Mogami clan rose.

He gave a brief speech of showing interest in the growth of his soldiers, and stated that they were to spar in his presence within the ring present before them, so that he could observe their progress. As he sat down, from his side rose the governor, who confirmed his words and explained the rules. It was simple: two soldiers would enter the ring, chosen at random, and fight bare-handed. The loser would be the one who either submitted, fell unconscious, or was otherwise thrown from the boundaries of the ring. At this point, another man would come to fight the victor. The reigning 'champion', so to speak, was given rights to ask for a weapon-based match or unarmed combat each time, and in the case of the former, wooden weaponry would be provided. The contest would end once all men had been in the ring at least once, and those whom lasted the longest would be rewarded.

With that said, the fights begun. Kenji hung back and observed a few matches with some interest. No one was wasting time or messing around anymore; not only because they knew such activities would get them killed in real combat, but because the daimyo was watching over them. A pathetic showing wouldn't be in their best interests. After a handful of matches, it was Kenji's turn. He stepped into the ring, facing off with someone who had won two fights. The man was tall and slim, and had fought his previous match with a short bokken, reminiscent of a wakizashi, opting for speed over power. The two bowed, and upon rising, his adversary addressed the merc, "Would you care for a weapon, or rather that I forfeit mine?"

"If you're offering, I'd like a weapon. Bokken, please," he requested politely.

Nodding, the slim man stepped back and waited as Kenji was presented with a wooden katana. He gave it a couple swings to test the weight, then settled into a loose combat stance, his opponent taking none.

The fight was brief. His adversary made the first move and dashed in close, swiping his wakizashi for Kenji's head. The mercenary tipped his head back to narrowly avoid being bashed in the face, slashing his knee up at the same time to strike the man's stomach. Stunned, he was left vulnerable as Kenji proceeded to strike his shoulder with the bokken, then swung down to bludgeon the back of his hand, forcing him to drop his own weapon. The tall man recovered and made to counterattack, throwing an uppercut that Kenji weaved past before engaging with a left hook to the jaw, followed immediately with a pommel strike colliding into the opposite side of his face. That did the trick, the slender soldier landing on his side and halfway out of the ring. Though it wasn't a full evacuation, it was enough to render him the loser.

Victory number one, Kenji noted. He kindly helped the man and his lost weapon out of the ring, then returned.

Next up was a woman who was a few inches shy of the mercenary's height, toned and built for unarmed combat. Without asking, he tossed his bokken clear of the ring and bowed, the lady returning the notion. "I look forward to this match."

"Likewise. Let's make it a good one," Kenji stated, smiling.

After a brief interlude, the match commenced. It would be Kenji who moved first this time, advancing on his opponent with his fists raised for defense. He threw a low jab that the martial artist blocked, retaliating with an uppercut that he in turn guarded against. They threw straight punches simultaineously, meeting in the middle in a deadlock that persisted for a few seconds until Kenji swept his leg low into hers. He was partly successful, tripping her left leg, but stopping against the right, which had clearly been braced. Still, her stability had been reduced, and he took full advantage, dropping his fist and rushing in past hers to shoulder tackle her. To the ground she went, though not before unintentionally tripping Kenji up and causing him to fall down on top.

Under more gentle circumstances, this might be a good opportunity for a witty line, but they were being observed by the daimyo of the province. Kenji acted first, his impact having winded the martial artist and thus leaving her unable to immediately strike. He rolled off of her and to his feet, waiting for her to rise after a few moments. Without further pause, the lady soldier rushed in with a high roundhouse, Kenji's raised arms blocking the kick. He gave for a second from the force of the blow, then quickly shifted his arms toward her now raised leg and grappling it. Shoving it up and throwing her balance off again, he advanced with an axe kick that made solid contact with her ribs and once more sending her to the ground. She quickly kicked back to her feet, but as her head came up, she met Kenji's straight punch with her forehead and promptly dropped back down, not out cold, but soundly beaten.

Victory number two.

As with his first opponent, the mercenary walked over and helped her to her feet, to her approval. She nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. "Well done. Let's fight again."

Kenji returned the nod and smiled. "Gladly. I want to see you put me on my back next time." The two shared a chuckle before she left the ring, making way for the third opponent.

The man who entered next was even taller than Kenji, and lugging tree trunks around under his arms... Wait, those are his arms. How much weight did he have to lift to earn such thick muscle? Regardless of the reason, he figured that this fight would require weapons, lest he get crushed under the might of those trunks.

"I'm thinking this'll be a weapons match. Could I have that bokken back? My friend here will take...?"

"Staff," he specified. Or demanded. With such a deep tone and a stern face, it was hard to tell, though Kenji detected no ill will from him. Perhaps he was a misunderstood giant? In any event, he was thrown the wooden katana whilst a rokushakubo, the six foot staff, this one made of rattan for training purposes, was handed to his adversary. The stance that this man took made it seem like he was wielding a club instead of a weapon meant for finesse. Kenji settled into a defensive stance of his own, examining his opponent's posture or lack thereof.

The bruiser struck first, stepping in and punctuating his sudden heavy swing with a roar. Kenji braced and raised his sword into the staff's path, the two weapons clashing violently. He felt his bokken shudder with the force of the blow, vibrating his hand slightly; had that made contact with his body, he didn't know how it would've ended. Instead of pondering the possibilities, he slipped underneath the staff's reach and swung for the man's knees, landing a solid strike. The wince on his opponent's face implied that it hurt, yet it didn't stop him as he brought the other end of the staff down at Kenji's head, giving him just enough time to swing his weapon up and clash again. Another shudder.

Kenji wasn't willing to give his enemy the advantage of weapon range again, and persisted in remaining close despite the risks, strafing to one side and thrusting in for the soldier's ribs. Once more he winced, and yet once more he made to strike, but the mercenary was aware, diverolling past and rising just behind his turning enemy. With his back exposed, the bruiser was left vulnerable to Kenji's two-handed uppercut slash, bringing the blade up across his back hard. Kenji heard a grunt, but refused to wait for the counterattack this time and flipped his bokken around so he could ram the pommel into the bruiser's spine. The grunt was louder this time; he was whittling him down bit by bit.

Now the mercenary was unable to predict his opponent's sudden turn, the rokushakubo tearing through the air ahead of his path and toward Kenji's skull. He barely had time to duck down, feeling the weapon graze his head; though it didn't properly hit, the precious little space that it did touch on its way over stung. At full force without dodging, Kenji knew that kind of attack would've left him unconscious. Clearly, the giant was not so gentle, at least not when he was sustaining damage. If Kenji didn't finish this match in the next few attacks, he might not make it out awake.

Putting his all into the next motion, Kenji rose past the rokushakubo right as the bruiser had completely turned around to face him, thrusting his sword in both hands up toward his forehead. Though the man started to shift his head to one side, he still took the attack in his temple, stopping him for the slightest of seconds. Kenji followed through and, stepping back, slashed down across his chest, then whipped around in a sharp circle to deal a horizon cut into his opponent's belly. This combo of attacks finally caused the giant to stagger back, and Kenji knew he had him on the ropes. He advanced, then swiped his sword up to block a retaliatory staff swing from his enemy.

When the weapons contacted, his bokken snapped in half, the half with the tip spiralling away and leaving Kenji with the hilt and base. This bothered him not, for he essentially had a sharp weapon, and his enemy's staff was wild above his head. Kenji lunged at the giant and reached for his shoulder, latching on and reeling himself up close to bring the broken bokken to the man's throat.

Under normal battle circumstances, he could've killed the man at this point. The victor was clear.

For a moment, the giant was stunned. He dropped his weapon and remained in place, while Kenji released his shoulder and landed on his feet. They stared at eachother, the bruiser down at Kenji, and he up at him, before mutually nodding and shaking hands.

"Good fight," commended the supersized soldier.

"The same to you. Let's do it again sometime," offered Kenji, to which he received an affirmatory grunt.

Victory number three.

The rest of his fights went along for a while, the merc reigning as champion for a further eight fights in a row. His twelfth match ended in a draw where both opponents tumbled simultaineously out of the ring. No one was able to discern who had gotten out first, but Kenji conceded the ring to his adversary to step out of the limelight, settling on watching the rest of the matches from the sidelines.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Miyamoto Kenji: +3 Con

[Wakeshima Shoji]

"Any takers?" inquired Shoji with a grin.

There was a game of sorts going on which was to test out the fighting capabilities of the people in the camp. There had been cheering and a lot of excitement until Shoji stepped in. Towering over pretty much everyone there, when the psychopath stepped into the ring after two men knocked themselves out, the crowd grew quiet. His stature and height were intimidating enough, but they had seen Shoji in battle, and people stepped back when his crimson hues went over them.

"Oh, come ooon, comrades. We are expected to fight, aren't we?" said the man with a(n amused) pout, raising up his hands. Removing his kimono and tossing it to the side, Shoji swung his arms, which only seemed to highlight his muscles. Quirking a brow, he went on to say, pulling out a large bag of money from his hakama, "Won't anybody even join if we put higher stakes? Do some betting?"

It was everything on Shoji, which was a lot, and this piqued the interest of some fellows, which was what the man was hoping for. Finally, a brave soldier came forward and Shoji grinned.

"Fantastic! Let's start~"

The man seemed hesitant to charge, and so Shoji went forward, eventually breaking out into a run. Upon swinging his fist, the opponent seemed to narrowly dodge, doing so again at a quick second strike. Shoji wasn't even giving the man a chance to throw in any punches or kicks, swiftly causing him to draw back. Upon stumbling as he walked backwards, Shoji took advantage of the situation and brought his hand forward, punching him on the side of the head. The other stumbled away, spitting out blood, and Shoji charged again, throwing a fake one before giving a strong left hook right under the jaw. As his head snapped back, the psychopath grabbed the man's kimono, pulling him in, and kneed him in the stomach.

Not giving him the chance to recover (or cry uncle), Shoji proceeded to punch him in the sides, likely breaking some bones, and continued to clobber on the guy, throwing punches left and right with such an intense animalistic ferocity. A wolf-like grin revealed Shoji's teeth, crimson hues glinting, and it was clear he was having an excellent time. He even kicked him while he was down. The poor bastard never had a chance.

It wasn't until the opponent's cries stopped that Shoji slowed down to a stop. There was nothing left to fuel him, to give him pleasure, and so he blinked, stepping back and staring down at his work of art. Admittedly, it would have been much nicer if he had been allowed blades and to kill.

Some of the men dragged the guy out, immediately taking him for medical attention, and Shoji looked up, smiling again. "Anybody else~?"

Two men stepped in, both looking angry, and one of them hissed, "Bullshit! You need to go down, you fuckin' asshole!"

"Ooo scary~ Let's go then. Haha!"

The charged him and the taller of the two aimed strikes at Shoji, which he dodged earlier. He made a few punches, so dodged and others making hits, and a few landed on Shoji's arm that was held up defensively. Right as Shoji was about to take advantage of an opening, the other jumped on Sho's back. The psychopath stumbled back, elbowing the man sharply several times in quick succession. A shudder of pleasure at hearing the cracks of his ribs ran down his spine and it was oh so delightful. As his hold loosened on Shoji, the man took a hold on his forearm and proceeded to swing him around, colliding him into the other opponent, who had been taking advantage and landed some shots on the sides of Shoji.

They fell onto the ground and Shoji charged, kicking one of his side right in the solar plexus, before rushing the other and stomping his foot on his throat. Crimson eyes were wide in delight, nature unable to help but slip out a little, as his foot slowly started crushing the man's windpipe. But Shoji didn't kill him, stepping off when the other started to roll back onto his side (and the other guy was sufficiently knocked out.) Kicking him in the stomach and listening to pleas to stop, Shoji couldn't help but chuckle.

Another then entered the ring, and another after him, and soon a small group had charged forward to take on Shoji. This was certainly turning out to be most interesting! Shoji took out several, evading attacks and punching with both left and right hooks, kneeing some and shoving others so he could take on an opponent laying hits on him. The psychopath laughed as he was swarmed an as hits connected to him, and people continued to be bruised, both Shoji (who didn't seem to quit) and the others until finally the leader of the camp came to his senses (or something) and shouted for them to stop. Punching out one last one in the back of the head, Shoji smiled amongst the center of the moaning and groaning group, teeth a little bloodied from some blows dealt on him.

"Aw... so soon?" said the man with a pout, before chuckling and spitting out some of the blood. He moved out from the center and picked up the large bag of money and his kimono. Shoji shrugged his shoulders, exiting the ring with some of the others who could still stand. "What a shame."

He was really hoping to snap more bones ,and break some faces and pride. Oh well. There would be another time~ Although... likely not with this group. With the glares aimed his way, Shoji decided to grab his things and to leave the camp. They had such poor attitudes about the whole thing!

Psh. Wusses.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Wakeshima Shoji: +3 Con

[Ikeda Keisuke]

Recently Lord Date decided to have his men partake in a tournament of sorts, and naturally, Keisuke jumped at the chance to improve his fighting skills. Everyone was expected to take part in it, and who could resist the chance to kick some ass and take names? Not to mention it could weed out who exactly was strong and who needed to step up their training. Both his arms resting on the pole of his giant war hammer that was draped over his shoulders, Keisuke would stick to the back of the group, but as one by one, many of the men had their asses handed to them, Keisuke decided it was time for him to take a crack at it. Stepping through the ring of people, he would enter into the ring, an easy-going smile on his face, despite seeing that his opponent was one of the larger, bulkier soldiers from another squad.

No matter, he wasn't frightened, and as he cracked his neck, the big man would charge at him, axe in hand, before bringing it down on Keisuke, aiming to hammer him into the ground with the flat side of the axe. Easily dodging the strike with little effort, as the man roared angrily and stomped towards him, Keisuke would slip to the side and end up behind the larger man and with an almighty swing, would slam the head of his hammer into the side of his head, not hard enough to injure him, but hard enough to knock him out. The larger man dropping like a sack of potatoes, after taking three grown men to drag him out of the ring, his next opponent, a taller, thinner man, who appeared light on his feet, stepped in, wielding a pair of kunai. As he would dart around the ring, he would manage to nimbly evade Keisuke's strikes, even forcing Keisuke to block his slashes with his hammer. But despite all his speed, Keisuke would out-smart him, and as the man came darting up from behind Keisuke, twirling his hammer in his hands, he would thrust his arms backwards, so the blunt end of the pole would slam into the man's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to grab at his stomach in pain as he fell to his knees.

Two down.

A third man would enter into the ring, roughly the same build and height as Keisuke, would swing the naginata he wielded at Keisuke, who would jump back to avoid the slice, as he swore a few strands of his hair was cut off. Now it was personal. As the man charged at Keisuke, thrusting his naginata rapidly to keep Keisuke on the defensive, he gradually grew tired of it, and would make his move. As the man went in for a fast thrust, Keisuke would quickly duck down and strafe to the side, before lashing out with a vicious kick to the man's side, sending him to the ground... hard. Instant knock out. And you thought Keisuke's hammer was ridiculous.

Three down.

Four more would enter soon after, but were no match for Keisuke, who quickly proved he was a force to be reckoned with. His string of victories only served to increase the support of his men, while lowering the confidence of those that thought him weak. Triumphant yet covered in bruises, he wasn't too badly hurt, another step was taken towards repaying Lord Date for his kindness.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Ikeda Keisuke: +3 Con