Location: Undisclosed - Research Facility

The temperature inside the industrial plant was unbearably hot. Prime Minister Lei peeped down from the rafters, observing the assembly line at work while fanning himself, exhaustively. Plumes of steam clouds spewed from the exhaust pipes of large mechanical arms. These contraptions were articulately shaping scrap metal as if it were clay. Workers tirelessly operated at their designated stations. They welded what the machine arms created while reinforcing other attachments with bolts and screws.

"Sir?" A voice called out from behind Lei.

"What?" He said, irritably.

"We've prepared the prisoner." Prime Minister Lei turned to find Isao The Fox, who looked completely unphased by the sweltering heat of the facility. He grabbed a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Finally." Lei uttered, stomping past Isao as he headed toward the elevator shaft.



The room was dark, unfiltered, and boiling. A man positioned himself on the floor with his legs crossed in meditation. Who knows how long he's been captive. With no window to the outside world the days felt lumped together. Time had become a complete uncertainty. All he had to go by was the length of his beard, which had grown from his chin, now down to his collar bone. His body ached in agonizing pain from his captor's interrogation methods. Despite his condition however, the man felt resilient enough to keep going. A loud shrill sound disrupted his momentary peace. The man leapt to his feet and got into a fighting stance.

"Do what you will, heathens!" His voice bounced all over the metal walls. The energy from the air he expended while talking, recirculated back into his chi. He felt strong. Prepared. "I will not give up the location! Not in a thousand years!"

"Yes, well....while you have the luxury of time, we do not." Prime Minister Lei's voice blasted through a speaker on the upper corner of the cell. "Give us what we want." For a moment there was silence, then one of the walls quickly collapsed to the ground. The man snapped to with his guard up but all he could see were two, glaring red orbs. After being in the darkness for so long the brightness was unbearable. An unholy growl sputtered from what sounded like a creaking jaw. Was this supposed to be some kind of animal? Whatever it was, it was massive.

"Wh-"

"Give us the location!"

"Oh gods! What is th- Arrgghh!!!--"

---

Lotus Port



As described by your invitation, you make your way toward Lotus Port to dock the red ship at dawn. Passage to the Secret Cove is never taken the same way. Last year was done through Scorpion Bay, and the year before that was through Floating Leaf city. Many people from across the land have also boarded the ship, mostly martial artists like yourself, but you do spot two food vendors. They've been walking around the deck since they boarded, soliciting their goods with warm smiles. Judging by their appearance, you can tell they do not have much, but the wares in their possession smell of wonderful soups and kabobs. The red ship draws its anchor and leaves Lotus Port. The captain, much like his crew, are quiet individuals with a monk-like demeanor. They do not say anything to each other and yet they somehow manage to fulfill their ship duties.

The red ship makes its way out into the massive lake of Daozen. The morning fog rolls in thicker than usual, making it difficult to see anything beyond the steamboat you're currently traveling on. You can sense the nervous jitters in the air. Several people have gathered onto the main deck, boasting their introductions proudly as they debate over who's style is the best. An argument suddenly erupts between a middle aged dwarf and a young human.

"Ha! You're a liar. Tsubo is your name? Heh! Master Laila of the Shallow Step would never take in someone as ungraceful as a dwarf!" The young man grinned. "You're better suited for a more clumsy school like The Smiling Fist!"

The dwarf named Tsubo clenched his teeth, pushing the young man back. "Shut your mouth, Duang, you juvenile pup! You're just jealous that my Master beat yours in combat. You're weak just like your Master Vetrus. Go cry in the corner little grieving spider!"

The deck erupts in laughter. Duang, now furious, pushes the dwarf with all of his might, forcing him tumbling backward and into one of the food vendors. She gets knocked to the floor, spilling all of her wares. Some of the warm noodles and meats got on the dwarf, staining his silk green gi. Tsubo glares at the woman. "Stupid wench! You've drenched me in this filth!" He raises a stumpy hand and cocks it, ready to backhand her in the face.

Lee walked down the gangway to the red ship. He didn't even know why he was even here right now. He did not need to go to the Secret Cove for anything about it. He knew that Boar would be there. He figured that they could have a real fight in front off all those people. They had just fought in a local market place. It had ended in a draw with enither of them being able to continue and not get caught by the guards.

When he got on he heard the two arguing with each other. He hated when anyone hurt someone else Lee saw red. He quickly moved and flipped over the dwarf and grabbed him. He quick threw him into the wall of the ship. He had learned that trick fighting Boar so fighting the Orc did have some perks. He looked at the vendor and gave her his best smile. "Hey beautiful. Name's Lee." He said laying it on thick. He was shameless. The girl had his full attention. "Did I mention I beat an Orc?" He boasted.

Yin Hu watched the water closely. He didn’t really have a choice.
Some people would say that he watched the water because cats had a natural hatred for the stuff. Others would claim that his instincts had taken over, and he was looking for fish. A third would claim to know for a fact that manbeasts loved to ride fast things such as ships, and stick their heads off the side and feel the wind. Ten they’d laugh and move along. They were all wrong, and Yin hoped that the trio was going to the tournament, and that he’d be lucky enough to see someone beat the snot out of them. It was very unlike Yin to be so vindictive, but he was in a special situation.
The reason why Yin was hanging over the railing was simply that he was horribly seasick. You couldn’t tell for the fur, but he felt green and the whole world was rocking in a way that should never happen. To top it off it was Yin’s first time on a ship, and if he had anything to say about it, it would also be his last. Master Gan Fang had insisted upon the ship, saying that last year they’d almost arrived too late, and they’d been attacked by bandits on the way.
Not that a few bandits posed a problem, most of them had simply picked up a sharp object and fancied themselves fighters… But arriving late was strictly against the master’s character and so it could not happen again.

After feeding the fishes for a while, Yin felt certain that he could not possibly do so any more and pushed as hard as his muscles would allow in the wooden side of the boat. He’d wrapped his tail around a nearby rope for stability, but even by pulling as hard as he could manage, he could not lift himself up. His muscles were weaker than ever before and his belly, even though it was empty, felt like a big barrel about to tip over.

“What’s the matter, can’t handle the sea? Hahaha!”
The voice belonged to a crew member, a rotten kind of man that smelled strongly of sweat, dirt, alcohol and sea. You could easily tell the crew apart from the fighters on the ship. Martial artist over all took great pride in their abilities and wanted to make their school look good. By dressing up they gave the illusion that martial arts were indeed an art form, like painting or calligraphy… Not pummelling your opponent to death with blunt force or ripping joints out of their sockets by manipulating arms and legs. The men of the sea however could not care less. They dressed little better than in rags and some of them had obviously not cared enough about their appearance, or the noses of their passengers, to have a bath before they set out.
The crew man slapped Yin on the back with enough force to overpower the manbeast’s already taxed muscles and sent him straight into the railing with a thud that almost knocked the wind out of him. Saliva gathered in his mouth again, just like it had before, when he was going to throw up, and only seconds later he could feel his stomach turning itself inside out.
The crew man walked away laughing. Off to tell the tale to his buddies, it would be a long trip...

"Jeeoh-Jeeoh-Chee, Jeeoh-Jeeoh-Bah, Jeeoh-Jeeoh-Jeeoh, Shure-Shure-shure!"
Hanging off the back of the ship was a green monstrosity doing chin-ups to pass the time. He was forbidden from using a mast in fear he would break it or disrupt the ship but if he fell off the back into the sea would be no-one's loss. Slowly he clambered up over the back and looked out over everyone with a great smile, at least everyone hoped it was a smile and not just a ferocious under-bite.

He came down the stairs on the port side to see a catfolk returning its tuna to the sea. He offered a soft pat to its back and looked up when there was a commotion and there was Lee. Typical. For the moment the great lumbering beast got down low to the railingand watched what was happening like a child sneaking a peat at what he shouldn't see. Slow breathing took the fire out of his limbs as the soreness faded in minutes what should have taken hours to recover.

The woman that Lee helped turned flush red. Upon closer inspection, Lee realizes that the woman is a human nearly triple his age. She smiles affectionately, flashing discolored teeth as she bows repeatedly. "Thank you kind sir!" A look of disappointment begins to show as she stares at all of her items scattered on the floor. "I would offer you a free meal on the house but as you can see, my wares have all gone to waste. Maybe there are other ways I can repay you?" She winked.

"Who did that!?" Tsubo the dwarf clambers onto his feet. Apparently the motion of Lee's throw was so sudden that the dwarf from The Shallow Step was caught completely unaware. Duang, the young human he had been arguing with, clapped his hands with a smug expression. "Ha! What display of balance, dwarf!" Duang points a finger at Lee, eying his appearance with a grin. "Looks like the Shallow Step is no challenge for a beggar!" Some martial artists laugh, while others silently anticipate what would happen next.

---

A man in a loose garb was walking in the same direction as the crewman that had roughhoused Yin Hu. In his hands were two cups of warm tea, likely bought from one of the vendors. The crewman snickered. "Oh, that extra one for me? Thanks." Just as he attempts to swipe the cup from the man's hands, the crewman stops mid-stride, clutching at his stomach. It felt as though something had struck him right in the gut. The man with the cups of tea pauses, looking at the sailor as he begins to abruptly vomit off to the side of the boat. "Here." The man places one cup on the rail, giving two pats on the crewman's back with his free hand. "Do not be ashamed. Even the most seasoned men are folly to these ever shifting waters." And with that he left the sailor to his business.

He approached the manbeast. A large orc offered temporary comfort with a gentle pat on his back, then walked off to see what was going on at the main deck. The man placed his last cup of tea on the railing next to the manbeast. "This will help." He said, facing him. "You must be Master Gan Fang's new student? My name is Lu Fau."

Near the bow of the ship sat an imposing figure wreathed in mystery. Most people hadn't seen an Oni before, in fact even the name was becoming little more than myth. However there one sat, the smell of kizami almost as thick as the clouds that surrounded his figure. As it stood, the Oni did not know much about this invitation, only that it asked for his presence. Having fulfilled a couple weeks stay in a mountain cave the lap of water and the lull of the rocking ship was a welcome change of pace. It didn't help the stares though, people always gave him the most peculiar ones when they walked by. In the end it was of little relevance and with a new pinch of kizami in his Kiseru before igniting it with a spark of Chi, taking a deep drag before exhaling slowly as Hokori sat in contemplative silence.

The ashen haired half elf sat on the deck of the boat. His eyes open, the piercing green of his iris' flicking between all of the faces of the individuals that contorted into visages of happiness, anger and smug assuredness; and bodies that warmed the air around him. His pointed ears twitched ever so slightly as he listened to the lapping waves that caressed the wooden boat. He was very calm, despite the flicking eyes. This commotion was nothing compared the crying, wailing and moaning he was exposed to in the orphanage he had grown up in. The Valley was always so loud, a room full of children without parents in The Valley was even louder. His eyes flicked up to watch a dwarf and a human come to argue over which school was better. Tsubo, the dwarf and a familiar face to Seikatsu, traded barbs with the human before being tossed around by someone else after threatening a peddler. Seikatsu stood. This did not reflect well on Master Iyo...and the insult that followed didn't either. The half elf sighed, gave his shoulders a roll and blurred toward the human Spider student. A flash of crimson streaked across the main deck, Seikatsu burning a small amount of chi to speed himself up, he struck the Grieving Spider student three times. Once in the back, twice on either side of the body before blurring in front of him. Seikatsu gave an easy crooked grin to the student "such insults will not go unpunished my friend" he pressed his hand flat against the student's chest and gave a slight push with his chi, sending the Spider student crumpling to his knees "I suggest you do not do that again."

Seikatsu turned on his heel and walked to Tsubo. He clamped his hand on the dwarves shoulder and leant down "the same will happen to you...should you act so ignoble once more Tsubo." Seikatsu squeezed the dwarfs shoulder before striding over to Lee. His eyes appraised the man "I apologize for Tsubo...his attitude still needs tempering...but that throw" he smiled and held his hand out "you were that violent champion from the other blood pit in the valley right? Lee isn't it?" Seikatsu smiled.

Yin Hu, bound to the railing as he had been for some time now, hadn’t even noticed the commotion further along the ship’s side. He was in fact trying his best to block out any kind of sound and concentrate on keeping whatever was left inside him in place. the stroke of a humongous hand on his back had been too much to ignore though. It wasn’t particularly hard, but the sheer size of it left an imprint in Yin’s fur that wouldn’t go away without some serious grooming. With heavy thumps whoever had touched him walked away and Yin risked a glance. He’d recognize that backside anywhere. Boar, the brutal orc of the Smiling Fist. Yin was shocked to the core. He’d seen the orc break tree trunks in two as easily as any man would split a pair of chop sticks.

Many didn’t know, but the martial arts community wasn’t as large as one could imagine. The masters of the schools could be considered friends and along with their best pupils and perhaps a handful others they were the inner circle of the martial world. Everyone knew each other up there, at least they had seen the others and heard their name. Yin had accompanied his master Gan Fang on numerous visits to the other temples and had then seen their techniques and training methods. It was during one of these trips that Yin had had the great misfortune of walking in to the Smiling Fist training hall just as Boar unleashed his skills on a couple of unsuspecting pieces of training equipment.
He’d wandered in there looking for a conversation and perhaps a friendly exchange of techniques, but the orc’s performance had created a big lump in his chest that prevented the manbeast from entering the hall. Quickly, he’d thrown himself against the wall and then, trusting his natural camouflage he’d sneaked out as fast as he’d dared.
Some hours later he’d calmed down and was enjoying a meal with his master and the master of the Smiling Fist, Weretrigo Nightoak. He’d thought himself rid of the ordeal, but as soon as Boar entered the room to sit down with his master Yin got to experience that same feeling again and had to excuse himself, blaming a head injury from a few days prior.

A man suddenly placed a cup of tea next to him on the railing and claimed it would help. Yin instantly became very suspicious, he’d heard rumors about lesser fighters who’d stop at nothing to get ahead in the tournament, even poisoning food wasn’t below them. Last year a fighter had been killed, and the assassin thrown out, banned both from the competition and the martial arts schools. Even the deceptive Grieving Spider school wanted nothing to do with the lowlife.
A question formed in his mind ”what is it?” but his mouth never uttered the words. His nose told him immediately. A collection of herbs of various kinds, Herbology wasn’t Yin’s field of expertise, but he couldn’t smell anything that he hadn’t sensed before in good company. If there was a poison in there it was subtle enough to fool his strong sense of smell.

"You must be Master Gan Fang's new student? My name is Lu Fau." The man said as Yin clumsily grabbed the cup and brought it closer to his face for a better sniff, you could never be too sure after all. The warmth spread through his hands almost immediately and worked its way up his arms slowly.
“I am” Yin managed after collecting himself for a short while. “But I wouldn’t call myself new, I’ve been with master Gan Fang for many years… ” Then, like a flash of lightning from a clear blue sky the name of the man pierced the thick fog in Yin Hu’s mind. It was more than a name, it had meaning, it was almost magic in itself.
“Lu Fau?”
Forgetting about his sickness and the cup of tea for a second, he pulled his head up and gave the human a good look. It had to be true. Last time they’d seen each other had been shortly after Master Gan Fang had offered Yin the apprenticeship, which had been only a few months before Lu Fau left to find the Forest of Spears. Yin wasn’t even sure exactly how many years had passed since then, but he knew they were many. The human had changed a lot, but not enough to fool the keen eyes of manbeasts.

“Lu Fau? What are you doing here? Is your quest of revenge finally at an end? Master will be so pleased to see you.”

The blurring assault from Tsubo's classmate momentarily caught Duang off guard. Some of the lesser seasoned martial artists were in awe of the half-elf's speed. They began chatting amongst themselves, sizing up Lee and Seikatsu with strategies for the approaching tournament. Duang clenched his teeth and pridefully refused to show any sign of pain. He jumped back onto his feet. "How dare you, half-breed!" Duang spat on the floor, brandishing the broadsword fastened on his back. "I'll skin you alive!" The disciple of the Grieving Spider charged toward Seikatsu, whose attention was more focused on Lee.

Tsubo's anger never settled since the throw, and his brother of the Shallow Step's intervention aggravated him even more. "Get your hand off me!" The dwarf swatted Seikatsu's hold from his shoulder. "You've got your own battles to deal with now." Tsubo said, hinting at Duang, who was within striking distance of Seikatsu. The dwarf lowered his center of gravity then immediately sprung for Lee's ankles like a wild cat. The sudden attack nearly matched Seikatsu's twitch speed. If he succeeded on getting close, Tsubo was ready to grapple Lee onto the floor and go for an ankle lock. This technique was not of Master Iyo's teaching. Wrestling is a standard for northern dwarves who grew up in the Grand Tortoise mines. Tsubo's pride was clearly at stake here.

While a fight was starting to break out on the ship, the wall of fog surrounding the vessel grew more dense, blocking out the sun and everything else in sight. Navigation through such conditions was a testament to the skills of the Captain and his crew. It won't be long until they reach their destination...

---

“Lu Fau? What are you doing here? Is your quest of revenge finally at an end? Master will be so pleased to see you.”

Lu Fau looked at the manbeast with a stern expression. He recognized Yin more clearly now, but the memories of his past prior to entering the Catacombs of Khijo were hazy. It was like recalling a vivid dream, and after years of living in solitude, it was refreshing to come across a familiar face from his old life. But the manbeast seemed more different now. He was no longer a cub. Not just in a physical sense, but with his fighting spirit as well. This was likely forged from the baptism of Master Gan Fang's rigorous teachings, a feat not easily obtained.

"Forgive me...Yin, was it?" He seemed momentarily lost in thought before returning his attention. Lu Fau refrained from answering Yin's question about his quest and focused on a more lighter topic. "Much time has passed. How is the old war dog? Still bruising his disciples with that wooden practice sword of his?"

Lee really had to stop thinking with his crotch. This lady was old enough to be his grandmother. Course he was always polite and didn't want beat on the poor old woman.

"Honestly I am seeing someone right now and it's wrong for me to cheat." He said before running for his lfe basically. Before he could dive for the ocean and swim for it he was stopped by someone talking to him. The other person seemed to know who Lee was.

Lee looked at the man and nodded. "Yes I am. Wouldn't call myself violent but... Yah I'm Lee." Sory but I don't really know your name. Also thanks for stopping that dwarf. I hate fighting people I don't really know." He said smiling.

((Sorry on my phone atm))

Boar had gotten a good look at what was happening and saw the dwarf had been paused twice but was still continuing on for his smiling fist sibling. He got up from his 'hidden' position with a coil of rope and threw it down on the deck below behind lee's feet. It wasn't an expert attack to entangle the dwarf just as he sped through the open coils, it was a block in the way to make the dwarf ram into it or come to a stop as the lumbering brute came down the stairs.

As dumb as he projected himself to be to others, he was at least of average intelligence, but stereotypes were easier to pull off most of the time in crowds. Hopefully his rope was enough to make the rock-biter slow or shift for him to close the distance. Otherwise he was going to have to grab the human and dwarf each by a leg and pull them apart like a pair of dogs.

"Stop dwarf, or I'll stop you... Hi Lee."

"Much time has passed. How is the old war dog? Still bruising his disciples with that wooden practice sword of his?"

That settled it, it was Lu Fau. No one who hadn’t been one of Gan Fang’s students would mention the wooden sword so casually. Yin gave his comrade a smile full of the razor-sharp teeth of a predator. Yin had spent hours practising to smile like a human, but the teeth always broke the illusion of friendliness.
“Master is very well. He is below decks right now, meditating” Yin leaned closer and lowered his voice “Sleeping.”
He straightened his back again and became aware of an almost uncomfortable heat. He looked down and saw the cup of tea and remembered. He’d been so caught up in meeting Lu Fau that he’d actually forgotten the tea. Well, he could be certain now that it wasn’t poisoned or tampered with in any way. Master Gan Fang would’ve beaten any such inclination out of his students at a very young age. He tasted it, and drew in lots of air at the same time to give the taste more depth. There was a definite taste of chamomile, which was used as a medicine for settling upset stomachs. Something else as well… Yin couldn’t identify it, but he was sure that if a fellow student of Gan Fang thought it would help then it surely would. He made a mental note of asking Lu Fau about the ingredients, for the return journey. He swallowed and let out a satisfied “aah”.
Yes, a tea so good must help with his seasickness… Seasickness?

Once again Yin became aware of something he’d forgotten. That the world was rocking and nothing stood still. He panicked and turned to the only aid he could find, the tea. In three big gulps he emptied the whole thing and then gasped for air. Tiny black spots danced in front of his eyes for a second and disappeared again. The fluid in his stomach actually helped, it felt warm, reassuring and strangely fitting, because it sloshed around just like the ship, it stayed still while the rest of the world was mad.
He would’ve been alright if a wave from a passing ship hadn't struck the side of the ship at that exact moment. The calm zen-like nature of the tea inside Yin turned into a stormy nightmare, and the boat rocked more violently than before. While not a problem to most passengers, to Yin it felt like he was being turned upside down. His body reacted on instinct and let his legs give way. Yin found himself sitting on his ass with his back against the railing. Slowly he breathed in and out through his nose. It took all his concentration.
“I’m not very good with ships and things…” He managed after a few seconds.
“Some martial artist, huh? My greatest foe is floating wood.”

Lee was a bit shocked that there was no fights breaking out. Yet. Usually when he was around Boar they were fighting each other. There was that time they fought in that old abandoned clock tower. Boar had technically won that one because Lee had nearly fallen to his own death. Then there was that time that they had fought in that market near the Valley. Lee had challenged him and the fight had broken out into the market. Food, chickens, and other object went flying in every directions There had been that insane cabbage salesmen who had been screaming at the two of them. Lee had won that fight by nearly breaking Boar's arm in a nasty hold.

Lee smiled over at Boar. "Hi Boar. How are you doing brute?" He asked before he noticed that Boar was focusing on the dwarf. Lee would have liked to beat some manners into the dwarf but there would be no sport in that. He also wanted to kick the ass of the guy who called him a beggar. Then he remembered that in this land, he was a beggar. He walked off to the railing. He saw a beastman sitting against the railing. Lee was use to different kinds of ships. He loved ships. The tiger man did not seem to like it though.

lee sat down next to him. "It could be worse I imagine. My master trained me to fight using a raft. I'm Lee by the way." He offered looking at the man. "Well I must admit I am hopeless bored and I want to size up the competition. I already know Boar but I don't know you." he said looking over. he was use to beast men since there were a lot of them in the fighting pits. It was never boring to fight one.

@Halvtand