"And now comes the little one. What was that about being fast tiny?"
Javi fumes at the taunting, giving a terse nod to the other half-elf's performance, "The day's not over, Nisk." He follows the group in quiet brooding, thinking back over how the last obstacle went wrong.
As the woman leads them to their meal, his mood brightens a bit. "Oh, good… I'm starving. So what do you think we're up against next?"
While you eat your plain but hearty repast, the woman leans against the wall. She has a silver coin in hand that she makes dance about her fingers and appear and disappear, obviously marking time until you are finished with the meal.
Nisk finishes quickly, exhibiting a quick unsavoring method of eating common to those who don't, or didn't, get food often. "So... why are you all here?" The half-elf asks curiously, looking around at the motley group. He pulls a coin of his own from his belt pouch and dances it adroitly across his own fingers with a smile at the woman.
Torgus pours the gruel into his mouth and looks up to the women after he finishes and gives her a devious smile, "You know I've known women that can do that with other parts of there body, and can I get some more." As he waits for more food he responds to Nisk, "The Bear be here for new challeges, I've killed all the best pit fighters in Ballenwood. So I needed something that my blood pumping again and after hearing the rumors of this place, I just had to come. My owners be damned!" He gives a soft chuckle.
Smirking slightly at Nisk, the woman fetches a short stick from her robe pocket and starts to make that dance.
At Torgus' request the woman does not move, and after the Bear continues to expect service she merely scoffs and ignores him.
Watching the group finish up their meal, the woman beckons you to follow her inside the house you are staying in. She takes a seat at one of the chairs at the table and gestures to suggest you should do the same.
After you are all seated, she asks "What do you know of Irori?"
Javi is about to answer Nisk's question when the woman asks hers. With some surprise, he answers both at once, "I made a decision a while back not to be anyone's slave, and as far as I can tell, that requires you to be able to stand up to people who try to take advantage of others." There is a pause before he realizes he didn't quite answer the second question, "I remember stories from my youth of Irori… the one man who rose above what he was born to to become something more… something perfect. What better teacher could there be?"
Nisk rolls his eyes, already bored. Lessons... always lessons. Like learning how to add numbers or how much food a bear needs will help me fight. "I know only what my previous Master told me. Irori was a guy who got so good at fighting he became a God. Pretty story, but legends won't help us survive" The half-elf's eyes are hard with anger. "Following this Irori didn't stop a group of thugs from killing him."
Listening before responding "There are many stories of the Perfect Man, but what can be drawn from them depends upon how they are interpreted. Many Irorans believe that faith in the Master of Masters is about enlightenment" smirking slightly as she continues "Our sect focuses on another aspect of his faith - Perfection."
She pauses for a few moments as she draws forth what you recognise as a Harrow deck, which she begins shuffling as she continues "To be accepted here as a disciple, you will need to ascribe to that goal. Perfection of not self, but action." the shuffling grows more elaborate as the cards seem to move of their own accord through the air, twisting and turning as they blend together. "To be capable of acts so perfect that they transcend belief."
"Aorye? I believe I killed that man in the pits, but I could be mistaken." He then listens her little lesson, "Intriguing he sound likes he would be a good challenge unlike Aorye was, you know that women with the coin trick I spoke of earlier, she used those as well. But she did it a little different hehe." Torgus finally fills his bowl again after being ignored.
Cards continuing their shuffling for a few more moments, she then stops and places them down in a stack in the center of the table. "Would you pick a card?" she states in a challenging tone.
Nisk reaches forward and pulls forth The Liar. "So much for cards having meaning. Destruction? Treacherous Love? Neither is much my thing." He scoffs and shakes his black hair away from his face.
As the cards start to be passed out Torgus gives a puzzled look towards the women then whispers to the young lad Javi, "I thought they loose an article of clothing for every card they revealed, at least thats how they did after my important matches." He'll itch is arm looking on to women with disapointment and confusion even before he gains the card.
This is the chaotic neutral card of strength. It represents overwhelming strength that catches the subject up in something much more powerful
The Brass Dwarf
This is the lawful neutral card of constitution, showing an azer. It represents a creature invulnerable to a current threat
The Rabbit Prince
This is the chaotic neutral card of dexterity. It represents the quiky vicissitudes of melee combat. The Rabbit Prince is the personification of the capriciousness of battle, and his broken sword indicates that defeat may come to anyone. The card sometimes represents younger members of royal or noble houses.
The Twin
This is the neutral card of charisma. The doppelganger represents duality of purpose or identity, or indecision and fence-sitting for the subject or the entire spread.
Javi laughs at the big man's story, shaking his head.
Javi looks at the card, knowing a bit of what it represents, but that's about it. His confusion is clear as he looks at the others then the woman, "So, what does this mean? What am I supposed to do with it?"
He even appears hesitant to touch it on the off chance that he could mis-handle the situation.
"There are some that draw meaning from the cards, others that give the cards their meaning, and more that seek to deny what the cards foretell." she shrugs slightly "It is up to the Harrowed to decide"
He nods at her response. Then, not wanting to miss an opportunity to display more of his skills - and certainly not wanting to be shown up by his competitive new half-elf friend - Javi waits til everyone is looking at their card or at the woman.
His right hand darts out like a dusky snake, flashing back to his lap faster than a blink. The card is nowhere to be seen. To cover the move, he picks up his bowl with his left hand and sips down the last of his gruel, wiping his mouth with his sleeve as he monitors the others for signs that they saw the grab.
You're not the only one with fast hands, Nisk.
Torgus takes the card, "Haha sounds fitting!" He takes a long look at the card then looks back at the women, wondering if maybe her show starts after the cards are all dealt. He offers to take another if she lets him.
Without extending her hands, the cards zip back out of your grasp and into her pack that she stows away. To Torgus: "One card only I am afraid hairy one."
"Come, you have more work to do" and she leads you back out to where you sparred with Fangul in the morning. The Ulfen is not there, though the Mwangi who you first saw in the pass is. The lady adds "Mtumbo will take you now" before offering the tattooed warrior a short nod and lithely stalking away.
Mtumbo smiles broadly at you all "I am Mtumbo, of the free Mwangi. Teacher of wrestling. I hope you hold no grudges from the pass, we each play our part."
As they come into the view of the mountain-of-Mwangi, Javi resists a groan. Oh great… I get to be turned into a pretzel again…
He whispers back to the others, "Anyone actually make a fair showing against this guy? He made me look like a little girl."
"Haha no hard fellings sir, but you better watch out I'm sober this time haha!" Torgus cracks his knuckles and gives a devilish grin.
Nisk rolls his eyes annoyed. "Not too good. Bastard won't fight me, just twist me up like I was fighting a snake." Nisk smiles at his own pun, his eyes hard as he looks to Mtumbo.
Sensing Nisk's ill-will Mtumbo's smile grows wider and he addresses him"By all means angry one, you may try again? I promise not to make you twisty this time" The tattoos adorning his chest and arms ripple and seem to move.
Into the silence "Not game angry one.... no bother, come we train"
Mtumbo leads the group through a gruelling set of exercises. A kata with focus on flexibility and explosive movement is run through a few times to get you acquainted with it. Then Mtumbo has you wear a weighted coat and sand bags on your legs to increase the resistance. Although your actions are clumsy and sluggish to start, you gradually get accustomed to the weight and complete the work.
He then runs through the exercises once more with no weights so that you can feel the difference and your movements are slightly faster and more precise.
Javi finishes the most recent of the strange movement exercises, glad to be rid of the encumbering suit. It had been obvious that the young man hadn't ever experienced the type of practiced movements required by the katas, but he'd learned quickly enough, only really struggling when doing them in the heavy suit.
At one point, while catching a break, he speaks up from where he rests with his hands on his knees, "So…. Mtumbo…" it's obvious he's not sure whether there should be a title there or not, "are we supposed to learn all styles here? Or just those that we're actually cut out to master?" He looks over at Torgus. "I'm fairly sure I'm never going to be able to out-wrestle you or him."
Smiling a wide grin "While here you read from all de books, but only study one all the way through."
"HAHA, lad you still have a little growing to do, but after that maybe you will be able to out wrestle him, HAHA." Torgus slaps Javi on the back.
"The other fella said something about you being my instructor or something? Do you think you can handle it HAHA. I hope you can HAHA."
To Torgus: A twinkle alights his eye "Aye, Fangul told me that you like to hug."
And to Cassadar: "You have the truth of it slippery one. There are many ways in which one may seek to better another. Knowing how to avoid it is one way to fight.... amongst others" the tattoos on his chest ripple as he says the last two words.
"Wrestling and avoidance are not my thing. Why hug a man when you can simply strike and remove him from the picture?" Nisk shrugs dismissively. "Sure, your way may work against some people, but most people will break out, or just beat you down. Putting a threat down is the only way of insuring victory." Nisk looks around for support for his theory, obviously expecting lots.
To Torgus: A twinkle alights his eye "Aye, Fangul told me that you like to hug."
Torgus shurgs, "I was raised as a slave prize fighter I have issues with affection, hehe."
Then he turns to Nisk "But when you try the hit and take out the target can get away from you easy, when you got him in a squeeze the only thing getting out is the air from his lungs, haha."
Mtumbo grows serious for a few moments "Hairy one is right, wrestling not just to restrain. Crush throat, break jaw, snap back - all this part of what I teach...."
The sun is dipping below the horizon as Mtumbo finishes up at the rink and takes you back to where you sleep. Bidding you farewell at the door, he lumbers back toward the monastery.
Javi shrugs as he rubs off Torgus's painful back-slap, "I might just leave the throat-crushing, jaw-breaking, and back-snapping to the big guys… at least when grappling is required."
Hours later, Javi crashes into his bunk, too tired to remove his clothes first.
Having tired yourself sufficiently during the day, the night passes easily as you sink into your meagre beds. The slumber brings no dreams, and you awaken just after the dawn to the sounds of shouting and clash of metal.
Nisk awakens, feigning sleep for a few more moments as he usually does, then standing. What is that? Orcish? Nisk looks around, attempting to tell where the noise is coming from.
Nisk will awaken the others, holding a finger to his lips for silence and keeping a hand over their mouths until he sees they understand, then huddle them and whisper. "Anyone understand that language? Sounds like Orcish, but I know none of it. Think you could see what's going on without being seen?" The last he directs to Javi, whom he's seen be quite unnoticed.
When Nisk comes to wake the younger half-elf, he finds his dark brown eyes already open and trained on the door. He slips quietly from his bunk to the impromptu huddle. He shakes his head as to the guttural language, but gives a confident nod and smirk when asked to take a look.
His bare feet are silent as they carry him to the door, and after pressing his ear against the door for sounds of anything in the immediate vicinity, opens the it the smallest amount, looking through slit created into the night beyond.
Javi sneaks back... close enough to whisper. "No one in sight, but I heard a group headed our way from around the monastery. We should be ready to ambush them should it come to that."
As Nisk wakes up Torgus or as he is known right now the snoring bear!
"What do you want?" It takes him a moment to understand what the two are saying. Then he looks to little Javi, "We best hurry before the instructors steal all the fun, HAHA." He starts to put on his armor and belt.