---

---

As Orometsu excused herself, a monk approached Hanani and Kyoumi, bowing low in reverence. "Honored competitors! I could not help but overhear your conversation with the White Warrior. Blades and armor are, of course, fine tools of trade, but I have found that too much reliance on them could become a crutch. I, Chung Po of the Tetori Monks, would like to challenge one of you to a friendly wrestling match. A spar, one on one, to test our strength and show all in this tavern our true potential!"

The monk stood up from his bow and hopped up on the table. His hair was tied in a long black braid that trailed to his knees, and he wore baggy pants and nothing more than a sash covering his chest. "An honorable duel! I swear upon my Order that I shall not cause you permanent harm. Should you win, you gain the awe and respect of all in this noodle house, and I shall buy the entire house a round on me. If I win, you buy the house a round of noodle soup. Either way, everyone wins, right?"

---

As Natsumi lowered himself to the balcony's floor near Risha, the woman jumped slightly as if she had not expected him to approach. "Oh, hey! Uh, Katsumi, was it? I was just talking to a sailor who claimed to have fought a kraken! Can you believe it?"

Just then Chung Po began his challenge, and Risha looked down over the railing at the spectacle. "Hmmm... free soup? Sounds like a good deal to me, but that's gonna be a tough fight. Got any tricks up your sleeve to even the score?"

Kyoumi had no idea she was being offensive or rude. She had just been thinking out loud, rationalizing what her potential future opponent had said to her. Surely it wasn't offensive to say that a weapon designed by its user specifically for their hand was better than one designed by someone who probably had never met the wielder. And it was only logical someone would be out of practice with enchantment if they only had one customer. She had even told her that she expected her skill to make up for those if she'd made it to the tournament, or was she offended because this wasn't the case? She thought. Is she the Jade Regent's kid? Oh no! I'd be so embarrassed if someone though I was only here because of my daddy! I need to make it up to her!

However, as she was standing up to find someone who would know a good place to buy apology flowers and sweet rolls, she was approached by a man with hair not unlike that of some of the monks she'd seen back home. When he introduced himself, she tried to remember if the name matched any of the visitors they'd had, but nothing came up. She knew the kind of things he could do, at least. But why would he want to challenge her one on one? What does he get out of i- oh! Ooooooh. Oh.

"That's a weird way to ask a girl out. If you want to cuddle me, just ask. I love cuddles so much. Or is it you want an audience for it? That seems like...really conceited, unless it means you think I'm really cute and want to show off to everyone here. Or..." she took some of her loose hair and started twirling it absentmindedly, "No, that would still kinda be conceited, but at least it makes me feel good. People get scared of me too much, and think the only way I'll agree to cuddles is with a show of force." Her hands stopped toying with the hair, but remained in contact with it, as she looked directly into the monk's eyes. "Will you be gentle, at least? I don't like rough cuddles as much unless it's play time, and that wouldn't be for a long time." Kyoumi's hands dropped and her eyes widened. "Oh! I'm sorry! I'll stop talking now! I know I talk too much sometimes, but not many people ask me out."

>Kyoumi Sense Motive on Kyoumi: 1+1=2 Crit Fail
>Kyoumi Knowledge (Local) on dude: 4+6=10

Partway through her gregarious trawl through the tournament goers, Ming's ear tingled. She turned away from a patron, excusing herself, and laid her red eyes on the loud man challenging her friends.

>Sense motive vs. Chung Po: (12)+8 = 20

Ming smirked. This guy probably meant what he said with his oath, so none of her friends were in danger. However, he clearly had no idea how to ask Kyoumi out on a date. If you want to impress girls, you wrestle someone else, right? Right. This monk needed some help to show off. He could wrestle Ming instead.

Ming strutted across the noodle house. As she closed the distance, she wove her fingers and pushed her hands out to make her joints crack. She stopped, her feet shoulder width apart, with a stomp on the floorboards. Her bare fists were at her hips. She looked up brightly at the monk that stood at least a head taller than her.

"I'll play!" Ming declared "I'm Ming, and I know nothing about being a monk!" She brought a hand to the nine-tailed fox pendant around her neck. "I swear I won't permanently harm you, either. And if I accidentally do, I promise to heal you."

The short, weedy young woman was not convincing anyone in the noodle house. The tall, sure-handed man looked like he could pout and blow a stiff enough breeze to force her to the floor.

Ming lifted her left hand and her folded buckler with it. The same nine-tailed fox as her pendant was emblazoned on its boss. "Do you mind if I get to use my shield as well? I won't use it as a weapon. It's uh...part of my wrestling defence!"

---

---

Chung Po looked back at Kyoumi with a bit of confusion. Evidently, that girl wasn't all there, and it would be unfair of him to fight someone with that much of a handicap. Thankfully, the armored woman stepped forward, bridging the clear understanding gap with her offer.

This fight seemed just as dishonorable until she mentioned the shield. Technically, he did not mention shields in his challenge, and if she were able to use it to block his attacks, it would simply be more challenging. "I shall allow the shield," he replied just as loudly as his initial challenge, "but the armor must be removed! You have no objections, right?"

The monk hopped down from the table, landing just in front of Ming. Although not exceptionally tall, Chung towered over Ming's tiny frame. "Do you have any other conditions? Perhaps you would like to raise our wager?" he asked with a grin.

---

As the others peeled away from the group, Maiko's attention was drawn towards the group of monks near the stairs. It had been some time since she had met up with other monks, and she would always relish the opportunity to chat with other orders and compare notes. Not wanting to have Elora feel left out, she motioned for the archer to follow her as she approached the group.

"Hey there!" Maiko greeted the group. "Is it just me, or are there an awful lot of monks here? Any of you students of the Perfect Style?"

The group of monks bowed in acknowledgment to Maiko. It seemed some of them were members of a rival team, and others were dressed in the crimson robes of the Ruby Phoenix. "I am Bokan," said one of the monks. "No, that is not the style we have chosen, but we have heard of it. I suppose you are monks as well?" Bokan looked towards Maiko and Elora and raised his eyebrow in question.

With the others having trickled away already, and with her inability to properly find footing with conversation as easily as her colleagues, she obliged Maiko’s gesture and followed the girl as she approached a group of monks. Thank Saranrae that she had a bowl of noodles in her hands to busy herself with while the monk of her team initiated conversation. Elora, seemingly absentmindedly, slurped at her noodles, though was very intent on the going-ons of her surroundings, particularly noting her other allies busy with their own talk.

Her gaze continued to peruse the scenery until one of the strangers spoke, and the elf waited until she had appropriately licked her lips clean of any residue the free meal had left and responded quite matter-of-factly: “This one is - I am not.”

"I'm Maiko, and this is Elora," Maiko said, introducing them. The monks nodded, although asides from Boram, none of them felt it necessary to share their own names. "So, you're not dressed like all the rest of the monks. Are you in the competition? What did you do to get here?"

"We're the Monks of the Enduring Spirit," Boram replied simply. "At the previous ceremony ten years ago, we helped uncover the plot that nearly unraveled the Ruby Phoenix tournament, and were given an invitation to compete in this tournament as part of our reward."

Another of the monks piped up. "If it weren't for Marthysan the Righteous, we may never have figured out the plot. I wonder if the Sisters Wu still hold a grudge... it's only been ten years."

"Ten years is a long time for many people who lack patience," Boram reminded the other monk. "In any case, I haven't seen either of the Sisters Wu yet. We should be fine."

Still quietly slurping at her noodles, Elora let her gaze wander away again as Maiko introduced them. Truth be told, she wasn't at the tournament to make friends, but even she knew to stop herself from pointing out the obvious; still, it slipped out under her breath, just lowly enough to reach her friendly monk's ears. "Taking the glory, hm?"

Then, clearing her throat a little, she spoke at her normal volume: "Why would these Sisters hold a grudge?"

"You haven't heard, then?" Boram asked with quiet surprise. "You must still be fresh off the boat. In the last Ruby Phoenix Tournament, a sorceress from Lingshen was disqualified just prior to the final round for cheating. She and her twin sister were swapping places while the other received illegal healing from the mainland. She swore vengeance upon her competitor, the de facto victor Marthysan the Righteous, who is sitting right over there."

The monk pointed towards a quiet-looking man who had been watching the room with interest, his gaze lingering on the members of the party. As Maiko met his eyes, Marthysan smiled and nodded at her. Before Maiko could comment, the other monk continued blabbing on. "I've been listening to the rumors all day today. While some people believe she may strike soon, the event happened a decade ago, and many believe the sorceress has forgotten about the perceived slight or moved on. I am in the former camp. Loxas here seems to be in the latter."

"Surely the organizers wouldn't allow cheaters to return to the next games, right?" Loxas replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "There's nothing to worry about!"

Elora raised her eyebrows slightly, unable to deny the cleverness of the plot. Her eyes followed the monk's finger to the man, and after his acknowledgement of Maiko, gave him a polite nod of her head in return for his smile. She kept her gaze lingering in his general direction as they continued to speculate on the situation, taking an idle sip from her bowl.

"There's never nothing to worry about," she said in reply to Loxas, wiping the corners of her mouth with a thumb. To Maiko, she cleared her throat a little, and wondered aloud. "Might be nice to ask him if he's concerned, at all."

Maiko nodded in response. "It certainly sounds suspicious," she replied before turning back to the monks. "Thank you all for greeting us! Good luck in the tournament!" The monks bowed their heads towards the duo before returning to their gossip.

"Let's go talk to this Marthysan guy, then!" Maiko suggested to Elora, but at that moment, Chung Po had announced his challenge. "Ooh, this looks fun! I wonder if they know what they're in for..."

Ming flashed a grin, sharp teeth and all. "No objections!"

With Chung Po's extra offer, Ming hummed in thought while unclasping her various armour plates. "Uh...You know, I do not actually know at what point one of us wins." She tossed aside her bracers onto the nearby table. "Is it first to giving up or do you have different rules on this island? People are really touchy about rules in Quain. Some people like to pin. Some to knockout. Some until they confess that they have a face like a horse..."

"Oooh, maybe, hm..." Ming added. "Do you like music, Chung Po? What if the loser has to play a song in the winner's honour?"

"The first to give up or be knocked out is the loser," Chung proclaimed. "Pinning would be too simple." The suggestion of music seemed to intrigue him, and he guffawed loudly. "A song it is, but you may have to excuse my singing, should you be fortunate enough to win. I shall never turn down a song in my honor, though! The stakes are set and agreed to! Is there anything else?"

Ming peeled off her cuirass. Less armour only made her look smaller. "I don't mind! Do your best if I win, okay?" She peered up, pausing before putting the next piece of armour aside. "Do you mind if Daikitsu helps me? She likes to help me when I fight."

Chung looked down at his opponent. His grasp on Daikitsu wasn't strong, but it was fairly likely from her holy symbol and the question that Ming was either a paladin or cleric of the kitsune goddess. A paladin could be dangerous to fight, but Chung couldn't recall seeing any paladins of Daikitsu.

On the other hand, it could be a ruse. Nothing else the girl had said so far seemed suspect, but he had to be sure. "If you plan to use magic, it is only fair that I be allowed to similarly prepare myself," he replied. "But I see no objection."

Ming got to work on the armour on her lower body. She let out a high grunt as she reached for the straps securing the lowest plates. "Go ahead, then. I might be..." She stepped to keep her balance. "Another minute maybe..."

With some help, Ming was eventually wrought to nothing but a sleeveless wrap shirt, a pair of tight shorts, her smaller trappings, and her well-polished bucker. She stood up straight, bouncing up and down on one foot with how light she felt. "Almost ready..."

Ming bowed her head and smiled softly. A pause elicited a quick glimmer from her holy symbol, a glimmer that made the eyes of the fox on her shield twinkle like they had a trick to play.

>Used one channel energy to activate Vindicators Shield. +6 sacred to AC until next struck in combat. (Sacred bonuses also apply to CMD). 9/10 channels remaining today.

Next, once she was sure Chung Po had finished his own preparation, Ming slid her foot forward and around behind her body, weaving a magic more conspicuous than the first. With a murmured prayer and a hand flicked like the tail of a fox, Ming's arms shone softly. They trailed an orange light with their movements.

>Cast Divine Favour. +3 luck to attack and damage rolls for 1 minute.

Ming held her buckler forward, her fist back and dropped into a fighting stance. Her eyes narrowed. "Ready."

>Quick Mafs!: AC 22, CMD 28, CMB +12. (Divine Favor: 10 rounds remaining)
>Flat Footed AC 20, CMD 26(edited)

As Ming stripped the armor off, Chung reached into a satchel he carried and withdrew a trio of potions. The first potion had the effect of hardening his skin until it took a rough texture, like tgat of bark. The second immediately made his movements serm more graceful and agile. Finally, the third potion created a shimmering, magical field around the monk. Seeing that Ming was ready, Chung nodded. "Then now we fight!"

23 - Hanani
15 - Chung
8 - Natsumi
3 - Ming

Chung immediately goes on the offensive, shifting his feet into a stance resembling a turtle before snapping his fists towards Ming. The attack hits, dealing 16 nonlethal damage, and Chung immediately grabs on with a grapple CMB roll of 47. "Your move!" he calls out.

>Ming has been struck in combat (loses Vind. Shield) and grappled (-4 Dex, -2 to hit).
>Quick Mafs!: AC 14, CMD 20. (Divine Favor: 10 rounds). Unarmed Strike Nonlethal: +10/+5 (1d3+3)

The strikes landing true snuff the light from the eyes of the fox on Ming's buckler. With a crazed look in her eyes, she pulls off her bulky cestus and flails wildly with her bare fist.

>Free action to drop Cestus. Full attack action with unarmed strike because I until now forgot that you can't make AoOs while grappled anyway :P (unless this tetori has hax).

>Rolls to hit: 17/17

Ming was unable to find purchase on the monk as she flailed away, and her attacks didn't seem to deter Chung from his next move. Using Greater Grapple, Chung expends a move action to maintain the grapple, rolling a CMB of 51. Using Rapid Grappler, Chung then attempts to Pin as a swift action, rolling a CMB of 36. Finally, Chung uses his standard action to use Stunning Fist, hitting with an attack roll of 20 for 15 nonlethal damage. Due to Pinning Knockout, this damage is doubled to 30 nonlethal.

Crashing into the scene with a boistrous call to the entire patronage was a table-straddling monk. With the conversation interrupted, Natsumi turned on the railing, leaning his light weight upon it to look on at the scene unfolding before him. "Hold that thought, dear," he said, as he watched Ming accept the man's challenge. It wasn't much longer after that the girl found herself pinned to the ground, leaving Natsumi to wince slightly at the immediacy of it. With some flowing motion of her fingers, masked by an adjustment of his hair, and the arcane vowels muffled by the cheers of other onlookers, he conjured a slick sheen around Ming's form. The woman glistened as she discarded her gauntlet, as if fully bronzed and oiled within an instant.

>Cast Grease on Ming with a 21 Sleight of Hand to mask it.

The force at which Ming was slammed onto the wooden floor made her wheeze in her next breath. She reflexively pushed at Chung Po's arms and found them sliding freely. "Huh?"

She had little idea why she was suddenly covered in oil but she was not done fighting yet.

>Ming is Pinned (-4 to AC, loses Dex bonus, can't do much)
>Quick Mafs!: AC 10, CMB to escape grapple +20
>Roll to escape the grapple: (10)+22 = 32

Hanani, seeing what was going on and a bit sad that she seemed to be having less than an easy time with the monk, which made him want to have a small bit of fun all his own. Of course, he would not hit the Monk, nor would he use any spells on him as that would be cheatting, so he opted for something a little more fun. Moving around the wrestling pair silently, he slowly inched up to the monk and the moment his arms slipped free of Ming, the Magus poked the Monk on both his sides, right where most people were ticklish, and whispered 'boo' right in his ear before rolling back as if he had never really been there to begin with.

>stealth roll for the sneaky sneak - 33
>Acrobatics roll for the... well... Roll - 38

Distracted only a moment by the odd tickling, Chung returned his attention to his pinned quarry. "You may give up at any time," Chung chuckled. "This... oil will not help you." His grip seemed to tighten as he spent a ki and his swift action to use Inescapable Grasp to remove the bonus to CMD/Escape Artist. With his move action and Greater Grapple, Chung then rolls a CMB of 56 to maintain his Grapple, and an attack with Stunning Fist and Pinning Knockout for 13 nonlethal damage, doubled to 26. Ming must make another Fort Save vs DC 17 or be stunned.

>Ming fails fortitude, is stunned: (4)+10 = 14

As hard as Ming tried, she had no chance against Chung Po's rock solid arm-lock. The last pull on her joints made lights flash in the corners of her vision. She yelled out in pain.

"AAAAH! Ahtatatata! Let go! You win! You win! Ow..."

Immediately, Chung Po released his grasp and raised his arms victoriously as cheers erupted throughout the Noodle House. "A valiant effort, friend! But Chung Po has bested you this day. Your arms and armor have become a crutch to rely on, and even your trusty shield did not save you!" The monk seemed to be addressing the whole room with his proclamation, but now he bent over to help Ming to her feet, handing her a potion of Cure Serious Wounds (worth 750 gp, heals 3d8+5 hp). His voice lowered so that only the cleric could hear amongst the cheering. "You have promise, follower of Daikitsu. If you wish to be trained as a monk one day, seek out Chung Po of the tetori monks. I will gladly train you."

Ming accepted Chung Po's hand. She nursed her nearly-broken arm all through his tirade. Despite her serious pain, she gave Chung Po a smile. She was never great with arms and armour anyway.

As for the potion, Ming took one sniff of the contents of the flask and her face dropped in regret. The promise he made, however, took her by surprise. She looked up at him with big eyes. "Oh, uh...thank you, Chung Po. Thank you so much. I, um..." She held out the potion. "I'm allergic, though. Don't worry, I can help myself." She tried a grin. "If you give me just a minute or two, I can play you your song."

"Also, sorry Hanani tried to poke you," Ming added. She stuck out her tongue at Hanani accusingly.

Chung Po evidently did not expect that kind of reaction to his gift, but he left the potion with a shrug. "It is a gift already given. Perhaps an ally would find it useful. I assure you it is not poison, but I understand if you do not trust someone who just beat you in a challenge."

He then stood up on the table once more, shouting over the din. "Per our agreement, the loser shall buy everyone a free serving of noodles, then grace us with a song!" He chuckled as the house erupted into cheers again, punctuated only by Yon Loi shouting, "Git off the damned table!"

Among the eruption of cheers was the voice of probably the cutest person in the room (other than Natsumi and Hanani; Kyoumi), "Noodles!" The victory of the cuddlemonk distracted her sufficiently from the fact said cuddlemonk was either into really rough cuddles, or he was seriously actually interested in hand-to-hand combat. Both were disappointments. She judged quite wrongly.

However, to her, the fight was rigged anyway, and also made their group look quite pathetic. Even after the noodle distraction, she was contemplating ways to take Chung Po down if she had to, if for no other reason than humiliation of the group, or more importantly that he didn't give her a good answer before moving on to the next challenger, like she was back home or something. She was pretty sure it didn't look as bad to turn down a challenge here, though.

Ming raised a finger to correct Chung Po. She was interrupted by his shout and exhaled. Shouldn't leave the good people hungry, she supposed. Pulling out a darkwood wand from her haversack, she zapped her stomach over and again with streaks of dark purple magic, each one turning her limp towards the noodle chef slowly back into a healthy walk. She still let out an "ow" with every step along the way.

>Used 13 charges from Wand of Inflict Light Wounds to heal the nonlethal damage fully
>Spent 5 pp to buy 100 serves of noodles

With the transaction done, Ming replaced her wand and turned around. She scanned up and about until smiling at an empty section of balustrade above. She was already humming a tune under the din of conversation on her way up the stairs.

A moment later, Ming swung her legs over the balcony to sit in view of the entire noodle house. In one hand were two oddly-shaped straight bows, one with a tiny drum at one end. In her other hand was the flask Chung Po had gifted her. She cupped the flask hand around her mouth. "Hey! Hey Kyoumi! Catch!"

She lobbed the flask down to her draconic friend.

With the potion secured, Ming set about quickly tuning her erhu. A swish of bright silk alerted her to Natsumi taking a seat on the balcony as well. Ming eyed the guzheng on his lap and grinned. This'll be a good one, she could feel it.

A small prayer under Ming's breath was whispered. She closed her eyes. "Let's capture him, Natsumi," Ming said.

And then she drew the first note. Her instrument favoured long, far-reaching notes, but the first pluck from Natsumi's guzheng caught them in a way that made the noodle house fade to quiet. They played a mostly improvised tune, it was clear. Although, they harmonised as if finishing each other's sentences. The song started slow, beautiful, and balanced. It grew into something anticipatory, going just a little faster and gaining just a little more energy.

Whether or not the crowd envisioned it the same way, Ming let the top of the crescendo stop at a dead silence, just as abruptly as she was grabbed by the arm by Chung Po. Half a bar later, she let all the built-up energy in her and Natsumi's performance be released into a melody that grabbed the listener by the heart and twisted ten degrees. The guzheng lent the final bars a power otherwise lost in the subtlety of the erhu.

Ming played until she had counted to the highest power of two she felt necessary. At the last note, she held out her bow, slowly brought it back, and played a quiet bar heard from the start, lingering at the last note.

She opened her eyes to the noodle house.

>Perform (String) check, aided with channel focus and Natsumi: (7)+18+6+2 = 33

---

The bar fell to silence as the song played. Marthysan had watched this group ever since they had entered, chuckling to himself as one of their members interviewed the oni, and watching as the rest of the party interviewed others in the noodle house. He had heard his own name mentioned once or twice in the archer's interview with the group of monks. That would make introductions easier.

The promised song was beautiful, almost as appreciated by the bar as the free meal. Chung Po approached Ming at the end of the song and bowed. "I was expecting a bawdy tavern tune. Your music is a greater gift than I could have imagined. I thank you," he said quietly over the silence that hung on the air like a blanket.

That is, at least, until a stack of pans clattered to the floor in the kitchen, followed by loud cursing from Yon-Loi. Soon the conversations resumed, the music apparently forgotten by some. Marthysan approached the now-gathered group as the attention was drawn away from them. "You fought valiantly, Ming Shufen of the dhampir. I applaud your efforts and perseverance, even when you realized that the challenge was little more than an unfair flexing of muscles. Your song, I hope, humbled him."

Marthysan turned to the rest of the group and introduced himself. "I am Marthysan, a paladin of Iomedae, victor in the previous Ruby Phoenix Tournament. I have heard rumors of items that I would wish to discuss with you in private. Would this be acceptable? The suite they have offered me is far too large for just one man, and I would be willing to share my lodgings with you as well, in exchange for a promise: that you perform at your highest level and win this tournament. I believe you have the best shot of any in this house, and I aim to provide you with the advice you may need to do so."

"You're welcome, Chung Po!" Ming grinned wide enough to force her eyes closed. She tilted her head back and towards Natsumi with her own appreciation. "Thank you, Natsumi." She lightly tapped the end of her bow on his head. "You always make songs extra fun."

The certain paladin showing his interest approached just as Ming was putting her instrument away. She didn't recognised the oddness of him knowing Ming's surname, instead pondering how playing an instrument was any less of an exercise in flexing muscles. Ming frowned and lifted an eyebrow, before shrugging and accepting the sentiment.

"Um..." Ming turned her eyes up and licked her back teeth when Marthysan gave his offer. She should probably let someone smarter make a decision like this. "Okay. If everyone else wants to come, Marthysan of the..." Ming squinted and sniffed at the air. "...Elf?"

>Sense Motive on Marthysan, Ming's trying to work out if he's being honest right now: 18

---

---

Hanani stared at the individual that had started to talk to them, his eyes narrowing as he listened intently to words spoken and did his best to read between any lines that may be there. By the time the man, Marthysan was it? By the time he finished talking, the Magus determined that he wasn't trying to trick them into anything, but that did not mean that he trusted him indefinitely. No, he would be ready to fight the man if he had to, even if he had won the tournament the year before, Paladins didn't always have to be Good, there were oath breakers for a reason. "I will accompany you Ming," Hanani informed his companion, his arms crossed over his chest as he spoke, stepping up beside the woman, "Can't have you going to a man's quarters alone now can we?" The last bit was meant as a joke, or as close to one as Hanani ever got considering he was rather bad at making them. So much so in fact that he had been known to start fights simply because someone could not tell that he wasn't serious about the words he had said and simply thought him to be rude and inconsiderate, sometimes just down right vulgar. Ok, maybe he was those three things at times, but even he knew there was a time and place for that and clearly right now just wasn't it. Who would pass up the potential opportunity to learn about the Tournament from someone who had already beaten it? If Marthysan wanted to offer up some information, he wasn't one to turn it down, Knowledge is Power they say, he would be stupid for turning his back on such a gold mine.

Of course, Mercy wasn't too happy about this, but Hanani didn't much care at the moment. The Sword would have to deal with the fact that they were going to be spending some time with a former Champion, picking his brain for information that he seemed more than willing to give them at the moment. If he wanted to see them win, then that was just what they had to do considering it was clear that they may be the only ones who didn't know very much about this tournament. Even Hanani and all his reading hadn't come across it, which means he had to just take Marthysan at his word and believe that he was the last Champion, not that he wouldn't remain skeptical the whole time. It was just who he was and if anyone expected any less of him then he was sorely disappointed in them. 'You're really going to agree to let Ming and everyone else go with this guy? Come on, let's just ignore him and go stab at a few people... I'm bored,' Mercy whined, causing Hanani to roll his eyes. "For a sword you are awefully whiny you know," he muttered to his blade, if he hadn't looked crazy before he probably did now, problem with sentient weapons? No one else could understand them and you talking to them looked like you were a few marbles too short upstairs.

>> Rolled 29 on Sense Motive

---

"I believe the information I have will be useful to all of you," Marthysan replied, "and so the invitation is extended to each of your company. And half-elf, actually. Iomedae gifted me with the best of two different cultures." It seemed almost curious how unfazed he was by the mutterings of the magus to his blade, at least until Marthysan continued. "Even your black blade friend may find this information useful," he added.

By now, Maiko and Elora had rejoined with the party from their conversation with the monks. "We were just talking to some friends of your, Marthysan," Maiko announced. "From what I've heard, they call him 'Marthysan the Righteous,' and if he's planning to elaborate on what we just found out, sounds pretty important. About the sisters, right Sir Paladin?"

Marthysan nodded and motioned for the party to follow him. "There should be plenty of beds for all of us, and then some. The champion's suite is far more extravagant than I am used to. I requested a smaller room, but the Emissary wouldn't have it. Plus, as I am required for the opening and closing ceremonies as the winner of the previous tournament, I cannot exactly leave." The paladin led those who chose to follow from the noodle house through the night air to a tall building that looked large enough to hold dozens of teams. They entered the building and Marthysan led the group to a dwarf standing on a metallic platform. Once everyone was standing on the platform, the dwarf began to turn a crank, which in turn lifted the party into the air through a pulley system.

"And of course, they put the room on the top floor," Marthysan continued. "If it were not for this fine gentleman, I would have to climb the stairs. An ingenious invention." The lift soon stopped and Marthysan produced a small key with which he unlocked the door to the suite. True to his word, this room was the lap of luxury, with breathtaking views of the lagoon on one side and the city of Goka across the water on the other side, barely visible on the horizon. There were four rooms attached to a common living room by wide sliding doors made from a thin material, almost like paper. Each side room contained a pair of beds and a privacy screen, as well as a small area for bathing. To say it was too much for one man would be an understatement.

"Right. Here we are," Marthysan said, almost sheepishly. "Please make yourselves comfortable. I am free to answer whatever questions you may have."

Hanani's attempt at a joke took a moment for Ming to process. She breathed in and paused. "...Oh no, I don't smell bad, do I? It's not my fault! The armour isn't very breathable, okay?"

It was wishful thinking to assume Ming would take Hanani anything less than sincerely. For all his very occasional humour, his mood tended to worsen when one mistook a serious comment as a joke.

The conversation moved on without Ming, though thoughts of her armour did remind her to put it back on.

"Uh...Kyoumi!" Ming called out before everyone decided to get moving. "Little help? Sorry..." Ming held up two pieces of her half-plate.

---

The normally talkative Ming was less chatty upon seeing the great house Marthysan took them to. After speaking a quick greeting to the dwarf, her amazement only grew at the view from the top.

The landscape all around was impressive enough to make Ming forget why they were invited for the first place. Her wandering afterwards took her light steps around the main room, peeking into the unoccupied suites, one-by-one.

"No wonder you thought this place was silly," Ming commented. "How do they expect you to sleep in eight beds at once? Unless they want you to sleep in a fresh one every day."

She then proceeded to a cushion in the living area and poked it. Very soft. She hummed.

"So how did you know about my name, my race, and Hanani's sword?" Ming asked abruptly and cheerfully.

---

---

Hanani looked at Ming with a raised brow, it wasn't like she hid what she was, or that it wasn't mildly obvious to anyone who had to study about such beings as they worked on becoming a Paladin, though it was interesting to know how it was the man knew what Mercy was. Sure, she was entirely black, but there were black blades out there that were not sentient and out of those that were, they weren't nearly as mouthy as his was. "I think it would also be good to know what exactly we will be dealing with within this tournament," he stated calmly, "And no Ming, you do not stink, I don't think you ever have with how religiously you seem to try and bathe." He cracked the smallest of smiles, which quickly dropped when he looked back at Marthysan.

While the room was extravagant, it wasn't anything Hanani had not expected as he had gathered that being a winner allotted you certain... comforts. Then there was the case of the individual who had gotten kicked from the last one, which he had heard someone mention at some point. He couldn't really remember who, nor did he really care who as that wasn't the important part, just that it was possible. As he stood there and looked around, his rather large cat decided now was a good time to rub up against everyone's legs, including the Paladin that stood before them. "Traitor," he muttered to the cat as the dog sized Siamese did as it pleased before gracefully jumping onto the couch and curling up, content it seemed to just sleep. As for the other's, he simply scanned the room and looked at them all, it would be nice to have an actual bed that was comfortable to sleep in. "Who do we have to look out for? Are there things we need to stay away from? People to stay away from?"

---

Elora finished her bowl and watched the on going fight with interest. Though, it was a clear winner in the end; and she was able to enjoy a wonderful music performance after. She hovered behind the cat girl; joining up with the rest of the group and paying close attention to what the champion had to say.

Up the lift they went; an ingenious invention indeed. Arriving at the top, Elora was treated with a view of a room grand enough and fitting for a champion. Elora wandered just opposite of Marthysan; watching the others explore the place and make their comments. She supposed the least she could do was agree to win the tournament. A free place to stay for such a simple request; and one so heavily weighted in our favor if he really was to help us at our request.

With more dramatic flourishes than she needed (by far) throughout the ehole process of helping Ming don her armor, Kyoumi couldn't help but admire her. Fighting in her place in what she had to kniw was an unfair fight...was there anyway that Ming was...interested in her? In the way she thought the monk was? It was certainly more romantic to act as one's champion than it was to challenge one to a duel, so if ahe had to pick, Ming would be first choice every time. After the last piece was secure, she snuck in a little hug she didn't think would be too obvious through the armor, almost as payment. For the noodles. And the song. Definitely not for the romance. Because there was no way that's what it was.

---

And then there was the guy who had to interrupt the moment (that had in fact interrupted before the "moment," which had to be an extra special kind of rudeness). He seemed nice enough, at least, and did invite them to share his room. Whatever information he gave ptobably wasn't his main reason for inviting them. Either he was going to kill them in their sleep, or he was using them as bodyguards in case the competition broke in by...whatever means they'd have to do so. But she had nothing better to do, and they were a group and had to stay together, after all, so she followed quietly onto the elevator and into the suite. It was indeed impressive, even more so because she didn't expect much at all for some reason. She remained nearby, not apeaking a word.

---

At Ming's question, Marthysan smiled warmly. "As the previous winner, I was given the opportunity to help pick this year's competitors. I heard about your valiant efforts against the oni, and researched some information about all of you. Although I do not often work with those with an affinity to negative energy, I have faith that you have good in your heart. Some of your companions were a little harder to get information from, but I believe you have the best chance to win this tournament."

Marthysan took a seat on one of the comfortable chairs in the sitting room, motioning for the others to join him. "Although I cannot give you information on the other contestants, I can provide crucial information about the previous games. If you were not aware, there were a handful of cheaters that nearly destroyed the reputation of the games, and I worry that they may be trying to weasel their way back into this competition, even after a decade."

As the group settled in, Marthysan began to share the tale of the Ruby Phoenix Tournament. The sorceress Hao Jin left an indelible mark upon the land of Tian Xia. Throughout her centuries-long life, Hao Jin—a devout follower of Abadar, god of contracts, wealth, and order—set out to amass her own First Vault, a collection of those items she deemed most perfect or wondrous in all the world.

Among the many Abadaran pacts and contracts that dictated Hao Jin’s life was her carefully contracted agreement with the temple of Abadar in Goka regarding the fate of her collection in the event of her eventual death. Fearful that her treasures would fall into the wrong hands or simply be lost to history, Hao Jin left strict instructions that were she not to set foot within the temple for 10 years and a day, on the 10 year anniversary of that occasion, an epic competition of martial arts was to be held, overseen by the city’s Abadaran clergy; the winning team would be allowed to choose a single item as a prize for their victory. Not only would this prevent the collection from immediately being broken up, but it also ensured her life’s work would attain its own legendary immortality through the prestige the contest would bring.

During her lifetime, many who knew of her will attempted to end her life prematurely, and many succeeded. But Hao Jin had contingencies in place to such a degree that even her most cunning and careful would-be assassins underestimated her ability to return from the dead. Each time an enemy killed her, she miraculously emerged unscathed days later, her red hair a shade more vibrant than before her death. Her ability to overcome death and the resemblance her hair soon had to an animated, flickering flame earned Hao Jin the nickname Ruby Phoenix, and over the centuries of her life, many believed her to be truly immortal.

Yet in 6891 IC (Imperial Calendar; 4391 AR), a recordkeeper at Goka’s Grand Bank of Abadar informed the archbanker that a decade and a day had passed since the Ruby Phoenix last visited the temple. The conditions of her will had been met. As no one had seen nor heard from the sorceress for several years, she was assumed to have finally met her end, and the preparations were made to conduct the first Ruby Phoenix Tournament 10 years later. That tournament also established the office of the Emissary, an Abadaran official appointed for life to run the proceedings.

Each decennial since, the greatest champions from across Golarion have vied for the victors’ spot, and most contestants have competed honorably and passionately. A decade ago, however, the Ruby Phoenix Tournament was the subject of a terrible scandal that resulted in the first disqualification of a contestant in over a century.

In the last Ruby Phoenix Tournament, a sorceress from Lingshen was disqualified just prior to the final round for cheating. She swore vengeance upon her competitor, the de facto victor Marthysan the Righteous. While some believe she may strike soon, the event happened a decade ago, and many believe the sorceress has forgotten about the perceived slight or moved on.

More than 30 of the 128 entrants in the thirtieth tournament perished in unrelated accidents, or exhibition combats not covered by the tournament’s strictures on ethics, honor, and safety. More than half of these deaths were attributed to the dragon Huyanwo, whose defeat has long been the ambition of Ruby Phoenix contestants hoping to make a name for themselves outside the arena.

The 7201 tournament’s legacy was further clouded by a surprising number of gambling-related murders in Goka, attributed to a spike in organized criminal activities surrounding the games. Some believe the Golden League, one of the most influential criminal organizations in Tian Xia, has its sights set on ensuring this year’s tournament provides it even higher returns on its gambling books.

The shamed competitor was the earth sorceress Wu Dizhen, who was caught callously and repeatedly cheating and had to be ejected from the contest. Among the most egregious of her crimes were employing her identical twin, Wu Jufeng, as a body double (which allowed her to leave the island for healing and aid), using Wu Jufeng as outside aid during contests, and not sparing foes who forfeited bouts. Wu Dizhen’s crimes were discovered only moments prior to her entry into the final round of the contest, and her disqualification resulted in the automatic victory of her competitor, the Iomedaean paladin Marthysan the Righteous.

Now the twins—conjoined at birth and now distinguishable from one another only by which side of their body bears the scar of their separation—have set their sights on disrupting this year’s Ruby Phoenix Tournament and attaining victory over the contest by destroying the centuries-old institution entirely. To aid them in this endeavor, they have allegedly allied with the sinister Golden League, an organized crime syndicate based in mainland Goka. For their part, the masters of the Golden League likely hope that they can use the twins’ meddling to ensure their champion wins the contest, guaranteeing that their gambling racket brings in the highest profits possible.

Marthysan leaned back in his chair, his tale seemingly come to an end. "As you can see, not only do I not truly deserve this suite, as I only won due to technicalities, I would also like to employ your aid in helping keep me safe. I believe the Sisters Wu and their cohorts the Golden League will do everything they can to not only win this Tournament, but also to kill me. In return for your aid, I will allow you to stay here and provide what information I can, as well as an extra body outside the arena. What say you?"

There was little else to do but sit down and listen. Ming did so, keeping her back straight and her hands in her lap like she did when the priests gave her lessons. She listened attentively.

When asked to answer, Ming twisted her mouth as she peered up in thought. "Well...umm..." She pushed her hair out from in front of her eye. "I was hoping to have fun in the tournament, but if someone is going to try and ruin it, I'll help stop them. You seem nice, too, so you getting killed would be mean." She looked at her friends. "Should we help?"

---

"You are welcome to try," Marthysan replied with a chuckle. "I certainly would not mind a reprieve from looking over my shoulder. But I doubt that we would see any long-term changes, even in the best of scenarios." The paladin gave a yawn and stood to his feet, adjusting his tunic. "The night has been long, and there is much to do tomorrow for all of us. You will have to sign into the tournament, and will likely have your first match. Plus, there are the other challenges that you are welcome to attempt."

Marthysan looked around at the group that had gathered before him and offered a warm smile. "So, do you accept my offer? If yes, we should retire, but you aren't forced to. If not, I suppose you would like to take this time to find your room from the front desk. Just know that I offer this information freely with no other agenda than I have stated. I swear upon the honor of the Light of the Sword, the Inheritor: Iomedae."

---

---

The silence that stretched over the group caused Hanani to frown, he was mildly surprised that none of the usually bubbly ones jumped on the chance of a free room and more 'glory'. Letting out a sigh, the Magus brought his hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache, maybe he did, who knew but him? "I think it's a rather easy choice," he finally said, his tone bored, "We get to pick your brain about the tournaments and get access to a really nice room and all we have to do is keep you alive and fight a bunch of crazies to prove we are better than everyone else here..." He shrugged his shoulders as if the choice was obvious, which it was to him. Who would possibly pass up the opportunity to sleep in such a nice room and get all the information possible about past tournaments that he may know about. Plus, if they had an enemy in plain sight, it would be good to get as much information about them as possible so they could dispatch them quickly.