Peace arrived early to her martial arts class, got changed, and then sat down to watch the younger class while she waited. Before long, she fell asleep, the combined exertion of her fight the day previous and her activities earlier in the day having worn her out. One of her classmates woke her up when her class was starting, but all throughout it her brain and body felt like they were moving through molasses. Her exhaustion seemed to have brought her to a new level of relaxation, allowing her to stretch more than she had ever before during warm-ups, but making her absolute rubbish at kicking. Eventually Kimura-sensei had her move on to punching, and while her punches were much slower than usual, that allowed her teacher to more thoroughly criticize her form. She mindlessly followed her instructions and, by the end of that section of the class, had actually improved her punching form significantly. Once again, Peace held stances while the others sparred, but her lack of focus on maintaining perfect form actually ended up being a boon: she wasn't over-correcting for the slightest of problems, which ultimately resulted in a much firmer stance.
At the end of the class, Kimura-sensei and a couple of the higher-ranking students pulled Peace to the side and asked if she had a safe place to sleep for the night. She nodded in affirmation of the question, but they didn't seem to buy it and asked if she had a house or apartment. When she shook her head no, they asked if she lived on the streets. That question caused her to hesitate, but ultimately she shook her head and made a pushing motion with her arms. One of her seniors asked if she was living out in the forest, to which she nodded, and afterward asked if she had been in a fight the day before. Responding in the positive to that question elicited a wide range of responses from the group, including offers to let her crash on a couch, to serve as her protection for a couple of nights to make sure she was okay, and an offer to call the police. She waved them all away and made her exit as quickly as she could, making sure to bow as she left.
Notes for myself:
Punching: +2 Kicking: +2 Stances: +4 Flexibility: +5 A note on the above: These are the aspects of her fighting style Peace is currently training as an amateur. 1d20, DC 15 increases the bonus by +1, natural 20 grants +2. Reaching 10 means mastery of a certain area for the current training level. After one reaches +10, its roll is transferred to a reroll for another to signify a shift in focus. After every 5 classes, anything with a +10 can be transferred out for something else. Sparring allows for a second roll for the class and occurs on a roll of 5 or 6 for colored belts below green, 3-6 for green to brown, and 2-6 above that on 1d6. Belt order at this dojo: White, white-yellow, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, brown-red, red, black (1st-10th dan). Nippon Kempo: 4/18 classes attended.
Posted: Tue May 23, 2017 7:50 pm
It felt nice to be indoors and in a different set of clothes. Bathing in the river had left her so cold she was shivering as she approached the studio, but after a few cups of warm water and several minutes spent near the heater, she was back in fighting form. Not that she was going to get to spar anyone yet, but it was always nice not to shiver oneself senseless.
Peace was getting good at avoiding the main thoroughfare on her way to the studio. She'd waltz in out of the wilderness and immediately take a right down the first alley she found, snake her way down past some roaring nightclub where the only people in the alley were usually drunks vomiting into trash cans, behind a bank, through the ground floor of an apartment building, and then through a parking garage behind a convenience store. It was all very scientific, or so she'd like to think; "scientific" was one of those words that sounded good to her, but she didn't actually know what it meant. All she knew was that that path resulted in blessedly little interaction with police and most of the insufferable city slickers she wanted to avoid. At the very least, the Sons of b***h weren't big on paperwork, whereas some people in the city made a job out of it. She didn't particularly want to meet those people.
The class went as it usually did. She was getting better at punching thanks to her exhaustion during the last class overriding her usual form. She had pretty much caught up with the progress she'd been making on kicking at this point, which was pretty nice. Her stances were getting better very rapidly thanks to Kimura-sensei's constant teachings on them while the rest of the class sparred. Peace just wondered when she'd get to punch fire.
At the end of the day, though, there was nothing better than heading home to fall asleep by the fire.
Notes for myself:
Punching: +3 Kicking: +3 Stances: +6 Flexibility: +5 A note on the above: These are the aspects of her fighting style Peace is currently training as an amateur. 1d20, DC 15 increases the bonus by +1, natural 20 grants +2. Reaching 10 means mastery of a certain area for the current training level. After one reaches +10, its roll is transferred to a reroll for another to signify a shift in focus. After every 5 classes, anything with a +10 can be transferred out for something else. Sparring allows for a second roll for the class and occurs on a roll of 5 or 6 for colored belts below green, 3-6 for green to brown, and 2-6 above that on 1d6. Belt order at this dojo: White, white-yellow, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, brown-red, red, black (1st-10th dan). Nippon Kempo: 5/18 classes attended.
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2017 4:53 pm
The weather was surprisingly tolerable without the heat being amplified, Peace remarked as she strolled toward her class. She wasn't quite sure if that bounty's abilities had reached out all the way to the city, but she figured they hadn't due to all the people outside. There were even children running and playing, and she doubted they would've been out if it had been terrifically hot earlier. Then again, what did she know? It wasn't like she had kids, and she'd pretty much been forced out for most of her time she was living at home.
There was a large fan running in the studio when she arrived, one which she enjoyed thoroughly between the children's and adults' classes while her peers got changed. One of the advantages of showing up early, she found, was she usually got to change clothes without worrying about anyone else walking in. She liked her privacy, even if she did live outside.
Class was much the same as it had been, almost disappointingly so. There was little to report on there aside from all the extra running Kimura-sensei made her do in lieu of holding stances. It was kind of weird, she thought, but Kimura-sensei was the expert here. Peace was starting to get the hang of the basic forms for punching and kicking and stances and her flexibility wasn't that shabby either, so she figured maybe the running was to build up endurance for the future. It was also possible Kimura-sensei just didn't want to deal with critiquing her stances as much that day, but Peace tended to believe the former. It was more flattering that way.
After class, the day had cooled down quite a bit and made way for the kind of crisp summer evening that gets creative-types in a tizzy. It was warm but cool, crisp without being chilly, and all around pleasant. Peace really hoped this weather lasted as she strolled back out toward her camp on the mountain.
Notes for myself:
Punching: +4 Kicking: +3 Stances: +6 Flexibility: +6 A note on the above: These are the aspects of her fighting style Peace is currently training as an amateur. 1d20, DC 15 increases the bonus by +1, natural 20 grants +2. Reaching 10 means mastery of a certain area for the current training level. After one reaches +10, its roll is transferred to a reroll for another to signify a shift in focus. After every 5 classes, anything with a +10 can be transferred out for something else. Sparring allows for a second roll for the class and occurs on a roll of 5 or 6 for colored belts below green, 3-6 for green to brown, and 2-6 above that on 1d6. Belt order at this dojo: White, white-yellow, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, brown-red, red, black (1st-10th dan). Nippon Kempo: 6/18 classes attended.
Posted: Sat May 27, 2017 8:30 pm
Peace wandered through town a few hours before her class was supposed to start, just taking the time to look at the sights. There wasn't much she liked about the city compared to the wilderness, but the density of interesting shops was one thing she greatly enjoyed. If nothing else, it meant she had something to do while killing time. Unfortunately for her, several of them were full of things that assumed literacy as a basic skill, which meant she missed out on a lot of fun. She did eventually wander into some sort of gaming parlor, but she'd have to come back at a later date to take advantage of it as it was getting close to the time her class started.
Kimura-sensei was unusually lenient as an instructor that class. Of course, she still had Peace go through all the usual motions, but she seemed to be less mentally present than usual. Class came and went fairly uneventfully, after which Peace approached the instructor with the intent to ask for more lessons, but was somewhat surprised to find Kimura-sensei offered it first. She explained that she had seen Peace's interview the previous day--which, it turned out, some of the others had also seen--and figured the vagabond lifestyle could benefit from an accelerated teaching schedule. The extra classes would be a bit less intense than the normal ones to keep from overworking her, but they would allow Peace to develop some valuable muscle memory. Peace eagerly accepted and practically skipped out of the building she was so giddy with excitement.
Notes for myself:
Punching: +4 Kicking: +4 Stances: +7 Flexibility: +6 A note on the above: These are the aspects of her fighting style Peace is currently training as an amateur. 1d20, DC 15 increases the bonus by +1, natural 20 grants +2. Reaching 10 means mastery of a certain area for the current training level. After one reaches +10, its roll is transferred to a reroll for another to signify a shift in focus. After every 5 classes, anything with a +10 can be transferred out for something else. Sparring allows for a second roll for the class and occurs on a roll of 5 or 6 for colored belts below green, 3-6 for green to brown, and 2-6 above that on 1d6. Belt order at this dojo: White, white-yellow, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, brown-red, red, black (1st-10th dan). Nippon Kempo: 7/18 classes attended.
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88!
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2017 12:14 pm
Peace waltzed right up to the kempo studio shortly before her extra lesson was supposed to start and was let in by one of the senior students. After she changed into her practice gear, Peace stood off to one side of the floor until Kimura-sensei shuffled in and called her over. The extra class proceeded much as the normal one had, but whether it was because of the additional attention or Peace's complete focus on this, her only thing to do that day, a great deal of progress was made. Then things took a turn for the strange, as Kimura-sensei reminded Peace that there were to be no parahuman abilities used in the dojo, then told her to change into some of the sparring armor.
The senior student was waiting for Peace after she and Kimura-sensei finished outfitting her with some padding that fit well, and after some brief instruction, she was told to use what she'd learned against her fellow student. She made doubly sure to deactivate her powers for the fight, not wanting to severely injure someone who'd gone out of their way to help her. The spar was short, but really helped her cement a lot of what she'd been learning. After she'd worked up a good sweat, they were told to stop and she bowed to her senior, then to Kimura-sensei, who scolded her for not having her head entirely in the game; Peace thought that was unfair since she was concentrating on suppressing her powers, but couldn't effectively argue her position and so nodded. They did some cool-down exercises and then she was free to go.
It had been interesting sparring while armored without using her defenses, Peace mused as she exited the dojo and took an immediate turn down an alleyway. She'd felt the impacts much more than she was used to and had been reminded of a couple of scraps she'd gotten into as a kid. It was a good experience and one which would toughen her up a bit if it kept occurring, but she was glad when she could relax and put her defenses up again.
She heard sirens in the distance, then walked straight into a shady-looking character who sprinted around the corner. She managed to catch herself, but he fell to the ground and, in a panic, drew a knife and waved it at her as he stood up. In his other hand he held a lady's wallet, one similar to what Peace's neighbor had had while she was growing up. The man's face was masked with a thick black scarf and his clothing was about as average as it could possibly be. If it weren't for the knife, Peace probably would have believed him when he said he wasn't worth it to take down, but if he was picking fights and possibly also stealing from people, she didn't feel inclined to let him go. Their clash was short and ended with her tackling him into a wall and then wrestling him to the ground, where they stayed until the police managed to find them.
Following a brief exchange with the cops, Peace realized she had accidentally left one of her furs back at the dojo, and so worked her way back in the hopes that there was still someone there who could let her in. Even better, the door was propped open as she approached, so she quietly inserted herself into the building and went to the back to reclaim her forgotten item. As she approached the door again to leave, she heard some angry shouting from one of the back rooms she hadn't been in and got worried. As quietly as she could manage, she sneaked over to the door and listened in. Every now and again she could hear Kimura-sensei's voice, but the conversation was overwhelmingly dominated by the shouting of a man whose voice Peace didn't recognize. All too abruptly, the door flung open and a tall, muscular behemoth of a man ducked out of what was apparently an office. He glanced at Peace, then spat an insult and a threat back at the instructor and started walking toward the exit.
Peace was not bright. She didn't know very well what it meant to be extorted for money, but she did realize that the man had threatened violence upon her instructor. She caught up with him at the door, followed him outside, and then tapped him on the shoulder. He wheeled around and gave her a look that would've made her cower if she didn't think he'd become a soprano if she punched low. She stared at him angrily for a few seconds, ignoring her instructor's orders to desist until, finally, the man got the message and waved her down the nearby alley. Once there, he told her that if a white belt like her could beat him, he'd go do some unseemly things to himself and never show his face in the area again. She nodded.
The air crackled as the man's eyes flashed yellow. Peace's hair stood on end as the area became electrically charged, but she charged in heedless. The man looked somewhat confused at this tactic and took her fist to the chest, collapsing to the ground. Peace followed suit as her body was wracked with a surge of pain like she'd been hit with a taser, and the two of them managed to stand up at about the same time. He was clearly the worse for wear since her punch was a bit more permanent than the damage he'd dealt her, but she was still shaky on her feet. A flurry of thoughts ran through her head as she watched the emotions on his face shift from confused to angry to scared and back again. She wondered if it would be prudent to grab a weapon to use against him, or perhaps some rubber gloves, or maybe douse him in water so he shocked himself, but in the end she didn't have enough time to do any of those things before he ran at her. He clearly intended to tackle her, likely so that he could shock her until she fell unconscious or stopped resisting, but his plan was thwarted when she responded by punching his face. It let out a loud, wet crunch that she didn't get to properly process before his shocks knocked her to the ground.
Someone called the police at some point, Peace realized as she picked herself up, sirens blaring nearby. Kimura-sensei was standing wide-eyed at the end of the alleyway, surveying the the aftermath of the conflict like it was a surrealist painting. The instructor directed the police down the alleyway toward the scene of the fight, and Peace soon found herself being handcuffed right alongside the extortionist. She looked at the cuffs with confusion and alarm and tried to escape the police, but it was only when her instructor intervened and explained her role in the fight that she was let go. Ultimately she was still taken to the station to give her account of the fight--which went about as well as could be expected--and she was given a reward for taking out a small-time villain.
She stopped by the studio on her way home and found it locked up tight. More satisfied than not at this outcome, she strolled back out to the wilderness so she could get a good night's sleep.
Punching: +7 Kicking: +5 Stances: +9 Flexibility: +8 A note on the above: These are the aspects of her fighting style Peace is currently training as an amateur. 1d20, DC 15 increases the bonus by +1, natural 20 grants +2. Reaching 10 means mastery of a certain area for the current training level. After one reaches +10, its roll is transferred to a reroll for another to signify a shift in focus. After every 5 classes, anything with a +10 can be transferred out for something else. Sparring allows for a second roll for the class and occurs on a roll of 5 or 6 for colored belts below green, 3-6 for green to brown, and 2-6 above that on 1d6. Belt order at this dojo: White, white-yellow, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, brown-red, red, black (1st-10th dan). Nippon Kempo: 8/18 classes attended.
Posted: Mon May 29, 2017 5:37 pm
The second of Peace's extra classes was, in a way, much calmer than the first: there was no sparring, and overall she would be made to focus on mostly the most basic of the basic motions she'd learned so far. Kimura-sensei seemed to be deliberately keeping the exercise light by emphasizing form rather than vigor, but the reason why escaped the diligent pupil.
At the same time, though, the class was much louder than was normal: there was a group of people drilling holes in the front facade of the building and installing bars over the windows. Peace couldn't think why they would want extra security since the man from the previous day was likely behind bars, but didn't broach the subject.
Class wound down with a light cool-down exercise, after which Peace wandered back toward the wilderness. She also thought about stopping by to see Gil, but didn't know exactly where to go to find him.
Notes for myself:
Punching: +8 Kicking: +7 Stances: +10 Flexibility: +8 A note on the above: These are the aspects of her fighting style Peace is currently training as an amateur. 1d20, DC 15 increases the bonus by +1, natural 20 grants +2. Reaching 10 means mastery of a certain area for the current training level. After one reaches +10, its roll is transferred to a reroll for another to signify a shift in focus. After every 5 classes, anything with a +10 can be transferred out for something else. Sparring allows for a second roll for the class and occurs on a roll of 5 or 6 for colored belts below green, 3-6 for green to brown, and 2-6 above that on 1d6. Belt order at this dojo: White, white-yellow, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, brown-red, red, black (1st-10th dan). Nippon Kempo: 9/18 classes attended.
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Posted: Wed May 31, 2017 9:59 pm
This was Peace's first class with the main group since starting up her extra classes, and she was very much looking forward to seeing how far she'd come. The bars on the windows were firmly attached now, which meant that there wasn't a great cacophony while they practiced, which she was thankful for. The class proceeded as normal, except instead of holding stances while the others sparred, Peace was made to do more stretches. She had no idea why until almost the end of class, when the rest were told to sit on the sidelines while she sparred the same person who had come to help out the other day. Once more she donned the protective padding and made doubly sure to suppress her powers, bowed to her senior, and threw herself into the spar. She attacked with fervor using the form of punch and kick that she'd been taught, and at the end, after bowing again, Kimura-sensei approached. The elderly instructor untied Peace's white belt and replaced it with one that had a stripe of yellow running down the center. The audience clapped, then came out for cool-down exercises.
Peace's flabbers were thoroughly gasted by this occurrence. She had not been expecting a new belt so soon, or with so little extra preparation. It was true she'd been coming in for extra classes, but she hadn't anticipated it was for this purpose. After class everyone congratulated her, and as she was heading out to leave, she was presented with a congratulatory meal consisting of a chicken breast braised and seasoned with a medley of spices and a sauce she couldn't identify, served with brown rice mixed with vegetables, and a peeled orange. This treatment was atypical, or so she determined based on the lamentations of her fellow students, but Kimura-sensei made it clear the food was partly payment for dealing with the fellow from the other day. She also made it clear that Peace's progress made her deserving of the new belt, and not to worry herself about that sort of thing.
Peace cleaned her plate in short order, after which the crowd started to disperse. She bowed to Kimura-sensei to show her thanks, but was eventually shooed out with the last of her fellow students, at which point she headed back to her camp in the wilderness. She felt the weight of the meal in her stomach and the sense of triumph her accomplishment had brought her as she retreated from the city.
New belt rank attained!
Notes for myself:
Punching: +10 Kicking: +10 Stances: +10 Flexibility: +10 A note on the above: These are the aspects of her fighting style Peace is currently training as an amateur. 1d20, DC 15 increases the bonus by +1, natural 20 grants +2. Reaching 10 means mastery of a certain area for the current training level. After one reaches +10, its roll is transferred to a reroll for another to signify a shift in focus. After every 5 classes, anything with a +10 can be transferred out for something else. Sparring allows for a second roll for the class and occurs on a roll of 5 or 6 for colored belts below green, 3-6 for green to brown, and 2-6 above that on 1d6. Belt order at this dojo: White, white-yellow, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, brown-red, red, black (1st-10th dan). Nippon Kempo: 10/18 classes attended.
Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:26 am
Things were completely different now. Even if the methodology was similar, Peace's training had turned toward a completely different mindset: support. These moves were certainly not the flashiest, but she quickly realized they were just as crucial for survival during a fight as punching and kicking were. She'd never given much thought to how she got to her opponents, but the dojo's application of footwork certainly caught her attention, and she found herself oddly enraptured by it.
The class opened as usual, and after spending a solid ten minutes on warm-ups and reviewing her punches and kicks, she was told to assume a stance and shown how to perform a few basic blocks. Following extensive critique on her form, she was also taught to take advancing and receding steps without disturbing her stance. It was extremely difficult at first--in fact, she fell over several times just trying to disturb her stance, so thoroughly was it ingrained in her--but her overwhelming focus on it quickly spurred on some serious improvement. Kimura-sensei, clearly noticing her pupil's fascination with the subject, opted to dwell on it for what would have normally been the remainder of their time together, though it appeared there was also supposed to be another component to this class. In any case, she gave thorough instruction on the ins and outs of basic advancing and receding footwork, emphasizing form over celerity and insisting the latter would come with practice. After Peace had thoroughly tired herself out, she was made to do basic strength training exercises and told to run a few laps around the studio.
Eventually one of the more senior members of Peace's class showed up to spar with her, this one different from the one she'd dealt with previously. She did her best to incorporate her instruction on blocking in with her footwork, but could only manage to guard against a couple of hits out of the dozens that came her way. It was clear her opponent was holding back for her skill level--a fact she wasn't too pleased about, but which she understood and respected--which only made each hit sting more through the body armor. The match ended when she was too exhausted to continue, which was most likely caused by her overenthusiastic pursuit of footwork techniques.
She thanked her instructors with a bow when dismissed, then changed back into her usual clothes and headed out into the city feeling a bit weak in the knees. She needed some downtime after that class and it was all her own fault.
Notes for myself:
Blocking: +2 Footwork: +6 Strength: +1 Speed: +2 A note on the above: These are the aspects of her fighting style Peace is currently training as a white-yellow belt. 1d20, DC 15 increases the bonus by +1, natural 20 grants +2. Reaching 10 means mastery of a certain area for the current training level. After one reaches +10, its roll is transferred to a reroll for another to signify a shift in focus. After every 5 classes, anything with a +10 can be transferred out for something else. Sparring allows for a second roll for the class and occurs on a roll of 5 or 6 for colored belts below green, 3-6 for green to brown, and 2-6 above that on 1d6. Belt order at this dojo: White, white-yellow, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, brown-red, red, black (1st-10th dan). Nippon Kempo: 11/18 classes attended.
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Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2017 5:47 pm
This class was absolutely miserable. After her escapades that day and the training of the previous day, Peace needed some rest, but of course she would find no such thing in a place meant for workouts. She lethargically went through all of the planned training, then hauled herself over to Kimura-sensei after class. Without her having to say or do anything extra, the instructor knew exactly what Peace wanted was a day off, and told her immediately that she could have one. It was, after all, counterproductive to train every day without taking some time off occasionally. The bundle of exhaustion known as Peace then beat a lethargic retreat toward the mountainous wilderness surrounding New York.
Notes for myself:
Blocking: +2 Footwork: +7 Strength: +1 Speed: +3 A note on the above: These are the aspects of her fighting style Peace is currently training as a white-yellow belt. 1d20, DC 15 increases the bonus by +1, natural 20 grants +2. Reaching 10 means mastery of a certain area for the current training level. After one reaches +10, its roll is transferred to a reroll for another to signify a shift in focus. After every 5 classes, anything with a +10 can be transferred out for something else. Sparring allows for a second roll for the class and occurs on a roll of 5 or 6 for colored belts below green, 3-6 for green to brown, and 2-6 above that on 1d6. Belt order at this dojo: White, white-yellow, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, brown-red, red, black (1st-10th dan). Nippon Kempo: 12/18 classes attended.
Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2017 5:49 pm
It seemed Peace's early arrivals were becoming the expectation rather than the exception, as others from her class were already present when she showed up. Of course, that didn't mean the actual lessons would be any different from normal, and indeed they weren't, as Peace focused on developing her blocks, footwork, and speed. She would have also done strength training had there not been an interruption as a small group of armed thugs inserted themselves into the studio. Peace watched as Kimura-sensei went pale, but before the elderly instructor could respond to the intruders, she was shot in the leg.
The air was tense and sang in the aftermath of the gunshot. Peace's fellow students were frozen in place as the thugs demanded protection money and an apology for harming their associate from Kimura-sensei, who was wheezing on the ground and clutching her wound. Another group showed up outside, armed to the teeth with mostly melee weapons, few visible guns between them. They busted the window open and seemed to have surrounded the building. Clearly this was a show of force, even to someone as dull as Peace. In short order, the studio began looking less like a dojo and more like a war zone. The students were rounded up and put in the back room, including her, but there was nothing they could do to stop her from trying to watch what happened next; as she peered around the corner, she saw them pull up Kimura-sensei by her hair, repeat their demands, and threaten to kill the students if she didn't cough up the dough immediately. Then, crucially, Peace saw the elderly woman's eyes turn her way, as though pleading for help.
Nineteen people. One of them grabbed Peace to drag her back with the rest of the students and she turned his nose and mouth into little more than a bloody pulp. Two more immediately leapt on her, but she knocked one of them off immediately with a punch to the side of his head, then swung wildly as the other wrestled her to the ground. Suddenly she felt his grip loosen and rolled around to plant her fist in his gut. One of the other students had pulled him off of her, but now the last three goons in the back room were descending on the two of them. Peace launched herself at the aggressors, knocking one backward into the wall but taking the butt of a gun and a hard knee in exchange. She immediately focused on the one with the gun and managed to take him out in short order, then pummeled the last guy into the floor.
Thirteen people remained. A bullet tore left a hole in her clothing, barely missing her side. She sprinted toward the source--the man who was holding Kimura-sensei hostage--and stumbled out of the way of a second bullet purely by accident before again finding her footing and planting her fist in his gut. He coughed up his lunch all over himself, but that wasn't enough for her; as he was the one to incite this violence, he was to pay the highest price. She grabbed his gun arm and punched his forearm as hard as she could manage, causing it to contort and let out two sickening snaps. He screamed as she pushed him to the ground, but the screaming quieted a bit after she broke his nose and hit him hard enough in the eye that it felt like something cracked.
Twelve people remained. The only two people who were both inside and capable of fighting drew their weapons on Peace and fired. One of them managed to graze her with a bullet while the other missed entirely, seemingly terrified witless by the rampaging woman. Peace gritted her teeth against the pain and went on the counterattack. She missed the nearest man with a punch and earned a bullet to the upper arm for her trouble, but she managed to grab the other one and wrangle him into the first, preventing any reprisals as she punched them until they stopped struggling.
Ten people remained. The crowd outside was clearly intimidated. Peace could feel the bullet in her arm and the blood running out of the wound, but the pain was nonexistent. In the distance she could hear sirens, but they were the background noise for her rampage. She rocketed through the front door and punched the goons posted their in the teeth before they could stop trembling in their boots enough to raise a defense. She traded blows with a third and slugged a fourth in the jaw, sending the two of them down. A couple of the remaining ones came at her from behind and held her arms so she couldn't fight back. As two more rushed in from the front, she lashed out the only way she could: she anchored herself against her captors and kicked toward the incoming two. It was very odd, but her feet felt the same way her fists usually did when she punched. She hit those two nimrods in the chest, knocking both them and her captors backward. Peace's body moved with power and precision as she elbowed one of her captors in the gut, freeing her from his grip. The other held out until she socked him in the wrist, at which point he promptly released her. She knocked out one of the others when he rushed her while she was standing up, but another knocked her down again. She managed to shake him off and knocked him out only to have the same thing happen again, so the next time she got loose she hit that guy twice for good measure.
Three people remained. They were trembling in their boots as they watched a bloodied woman rise on a small pile of their friends' unconscious bodies. The wound in her arm was starting to bother her, but she wasn't done dealing with those thugs yet. After a few tense seconds, one of them rushed at her and earned a fist to the jaw for his trouble. Shortly thereafter she sent another one of his comrades down on top of him, at which point the final person threw down their weapon and surrendered. She punched him in the gut for good measure.
Her energy was dwindling rapidly, and by the time she made it to the stoop of the studio she couldn't keep herself upright. She sat down just inside the door and watched drowsily as the police and an ambulance rolled up. Her muscles throbbed painfully from overexertion and her bullet wounds dripped blood. She could feel bruises forming where she'd gotten hit, but she was remarkably well-off for someone who'd just taken out a score of criminals.
Vigilante Justice x2: Complete.
Notes for myself:
Blocking: +4 Footwork: +9 Strength: +2 Speed: +4 A note on the above: These are the aspects of her fighting style Peace is currently training as a white-yellow belt. 1d20, DC 15 increases the bonus by +1, natural 20 grants +2. Reaching 10 means mastery of a certain area for the current training level. After one reaches +10, its roll is transferred to a reroll for another to signify a shift in focus. After every 5 classes, anything with a +10 can be transferred out for something else. Sparring allows for a second roll for the class and occurs on a roll of 5 or 6 for colored belts below green, 3-6 for green to brown, and 2-6 above that on 1d6. Belt order at this dojo: White, white-yellow, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, brown-red, red, black (1st-10th dan). Nippon Kempo: 13/18 classes attended.
Ergo War
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Ergo War
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Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2017 6:58 pm
Peace woke up in a hospital room a few hours later. The wounds in her arm and side had been stitched closed while she was out and it felt like the bullet had been removed, though she wasn't entirely sure about that. A quick look around the room let her spot the things she'd left at the studio, along with her bloodied gi. She held her uninjured arm up, stared at it for a few seconds, then sat up. Everything ached. She would've tried to get out of bed, but at that moment a nurse came into the room to check on her. They went through a few quick tests to make sure Peace was lucid and not in too much pain--her arm hurt terribly, but it faded with the application of painkillers--and then the nurse asked if she was up to talking to the police.
Peace had some reservations at this point. She nodded, but held a finger up to her lips. The nurse quickly gathered that she was mute and left the room to grab the police officer, a thin woman younger than Peace who introduced herself as Officer Cross. Questions started as normal, but it soon came out that not only was Peace mute, she was also incapable of sign language and writing. Eventually Cross got resourceful and sketched a map of the building and the street outside and had Peace put pennies where the groups of people had been, with a dime representing Peace herself. After giving a short summary of the encounter by moving coins about, Peace answered a few yes or no questions and was left to recover.
Hospital Care: -$400? Days of Recovery: 1/17.
Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 1:01 pm
Hellhole or not, Peace needed to leave the hospital, and fast. She didn't like staying in the city just on the principle of the thing, but she was pretty sure she'd seen some of the numskulls she'd beaten up over the past few weeks in some of the neighboring rooms. Sure, the criminals were strapped down or otherwise kept inside their rooms by force, but she really didn't want to be around if they suddenly got loose or realized she was there. The last thing she needed was to get attacked and have a reason to stay longer. She'd already paid her bills and signed some paperwork--and what a hellish time that was, what with the person reading her the contents of the contract and then asking her to sign certain places--but they wanted to hold her for another day at least to make sure her wounds wouldn't get infected. Hurting like the dickens was one thing, but she was pretty sure they were fine on the infection front, so she was mildly upset at that too.
By far the best thing that happened all day was the visit she received from some of her classmates. Only a couple stopped by, but they wished her well and thanked her for her assistance before going to see Kimura-sensei. Even that short interaction managed to cheer Peace up a bit, but it also made her wonder if Gil had realized she was gone. Sure, they didn't see each other too often, but it was a nice thought that someone might miss her if she was gone.
Dinner was nasty. She ate it, but she wasn't sure what it was, and she sure didn't like it.
Days of Recovery: 2/17
Ergo War
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Ergo War
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 8:06 pm
The checkout process for the hospital was just as tedious and time-consuming as Peace had always dreamed it would be. After about four hours of dealing with check-out procedures, Peace got to wander around of her own accord again. She first went to visit Kimura-sensei, but was turned away at the door, so she was out of options. She was told to stay away from extremely strenuous activities and to keep her wounds clean, which automatically ruled out pretty much everything she did on a daily basis. It also meant she'd either have to buy food while in the city or rely on fruits and small creatures for meat. She really wished she knew how to trap things better.
Once out in the city, Peace had little idea of where she was. She wasn't familiar with the area around the hospital, so she approximated the direction she needed to go using the city skyline as a guide, walking away from the highest buildings. After an hour of walking that reminded her why she shouldn't stay in bed all day for two days in a row, she came upon familiar territory and eventually found herself standing in front of her martial arts studio. It was taped off like a crime scene in some of the movies she'd seen as a kid, so she knew not to go in, but the inside was an absolute mess. Papers littered the floor, there were a few splashes of blood, and the main window had a plastic sheet over it to keep the elements out. It was certainly a piece of work.
As the afternoon started to come on in full force, Peace headed back to her camp, wondering what she should do with the probably spoiled bird meat in the cooler.
Days of Recovery: 3/17.
Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:59 am
After a couple of strenuous weeks of recuperation, Peace waltzed right back into the hospital looking triumphant. Her stitches were swiftly removed and she was sent on her way with little ceremony. It was honestly kind of a let-down, but she was still dead-set on finding a burger to eat as a reward for herself for completing her recovery period with such grace and poise. Or, well, completing it at least.
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Philipwn
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 6:20 pm
Perhaps unsurprisingly, such a regimented and monotonous existence as his healing required wore on the 15-year-old Gil, and it wasn't long before he found himself in need of a break from the routine. Checking the time, he noticed that Peace would likely be getting out of her martial arts classes pretty soon, and if he hurried he might be able to meet her in the city and find something to do. He had a rook to give her, and doing so in the city was an excuse to go out and do something, which was a chance he relished. Still unwilling to appear weak in front of any possible witnesses, Gil elected to leave his hat behind, and hope that no one made the connection. It was a good thing this injury occurred so early in his career, before he was a household name and everyone knew his face. Hat stowed, and arm very carefully bundled in his sling, he raced off to go meet his friend.
Arriving in the city, Gil slowed his pace significantly to avoid damaging sidewalks or giving away his identity. Instead he maintained a brisk walk as he searched for his friend. Honestly, for someone who made so little noise, never speaking and walking quietly enough to stalk deer, it always amazed Gil how easy she was to pick out of a crowd. It was like people sensed that she was different and kept just wide enough a berth that you could notice from a distance. Or maybe it had something to do with her power, and people instinctively knew not to touch her? Whatever the case, Gil was grateful for it, because it hastened his search considerably. To his happiness, but certainly not his surprise, Peace was looking for burgers. Gil smiled as he flashed back to the last serious burger binge he'd seen the woman go on. As far as he knew, her picture still hung on the wall of that diner, though for him it was the fact that he'd financed it which kept it fresh in his memory: you don't forget a hole in your wallet like that, even after it's been healed. Regardless, thrilled for the break from his routine, Gil fell into step with Peace on the prowl for food. Once they were seated he could present her with the rook he'd made for her, and maybe they could break it in upon their return to the forest. Maybe he needed this distraction more than he'd thought.
