King of Fighters: The Brawler Chronicles

[Kaze Iwase] | [Forest Path, Halfway through] | [Late Afternoon]


Kaze couldn't help but notice Libra's excellent combat skill. Not wanting to let her have all the fun, Kaze charged forward to his opponents up front. They were more than ready as Kaze reached striking distance. He fired a rapid fist combination of high low and mid to his first target. The blow up high meant to be a feint to disrupt his opponent's balanced which worked perfectly, allowing the other two hits to strike home. A good vibe from the punches let Kaze know that he did some damage, but the man refused to back down. He staggered backwards a few steps before he regained his balance and stance.

After seeing Kaze's attack pattern, the other three knew that he had gotten serious. They were now facing Kaze in his strictest Dragon Fist technique. A smile played on Kae's lips as he watched the others take their stances to a different level. Although they have managed to defeat Kaze back then, just having four of them now is a different story. If Libra hadn't shown up the instant she did, they would surely have the upper hand and probably kill Kaze, but things were different now.

"Ran out of luck I assume..." Kaze mumbled and ran forward.

His steps were brisk and all of them have been mixed with feints making his movements hard to track and predict. He danced around their attacks brushing them off defensively while countering with eagle eyed precision. One of the shadows launched a crescent kick that was aimed for Kaze's face but he saw through it and swayed his upper body back, managing to avoid the blow but feel the fierce force of it cut through the air. As his opponent's foot passed through, another one successfully landed on Kaze's side causing him to buckle. He gritted his teeth and quickly spun around with a kick of his own barely grazing his attacker that had manage to land a hit. Attacks from his blind side were Kaze's weak point. Having fought him once, the Shadows knows of this and were indeed planning to use it to their advantage. The four men cautiously circled around Kaze waiting for a chance to strike. Sensing danger, Kaze closed his eyes and opened a different pair, his mind's eye.

"It's over Kaze!" One of them shouted and attacked first.

Kaze stood still as he watched them launch a synchronized attack, skillful but everything has it's flaws. Kaze opened his palms and focused all his ki into them. A forbidden technique for someone who follows the code of The Fist of Life but he was left with no choice. The Dragon's Palm was meant to kill.

As his enemies came in range, Kaze opened his eyes and executed a swift spin of his body, launching his palms rapidly in four directions, each of them hitting a vital point.

"Gawk...!"

The last of the Shadows grimaced as Kaze delivered the final blow. A face filled with pain was what all four of them had when they went down lifeless around him. He was contemplating on what he had just done when a female voice graced his ears.

"Well then... Now, we need to explain what on earth could get you into so much trouble."

Kaze didn't react to her statement. Instead, he turned and picked up his pack and stood still.

"Libra... Thank you for aiding me..." He said and began to walk away.

[Libra Tazzuro] | [Forest Path, Halfway through] | [Late Afternoon]

Libra turned to him when he was done with battle, and watched him- waiting for a reaction. But the one she got was not exactly what she was expecting. No, not at all. Instead, he thanked her, and walked off. She watched him, twisting blue eyes curious to as why he was leaving again.

"You know, it may not be so smart as to wander about after having gotten ganged up on. Especially to do so alone. Either I shall accompany you, or you should join me. Back at the Dojo." Libra said coolly. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed. Well, she wasn't going to continue fighting over it. She had had enough fighting for one day.

"Goodbye Kaze. Perhaps it is your turn to save me." She shrugged. "I shall keep that in thought in hopes of meeting you again. Farewell lone stranger." She then began to turn, and headed back towards the Dojo...


[Libra Tazzuro] | [Near the Dojo] | [Late Afternoon/Evening]


She had finally reached the opening of the forest, the trees now scarce and few. Libra took in a breath of the open air and rubbed her jaw; it still ached from the earlier fight with Luke. Man, how she wished she could've just whipped up on him with no consequence. While pain didn't necessarily affect her in the heat of battle, it definitely hit afterward. When the adrenaline died down, she was as achy as ever. And her legs throbbed from the fight and long walk to and from, and the vicious battle with Luke. Ugh.

Libra moved towards the Dojo in slow steps, her stalking motions long and weighted with torpor. She finally neared the hill she had sat on before, between the Dojo and the forest. With a soft 'thud', she hit the ground and sighed, staring up at the sky before deciding perhaps... on a nap...

Jacob “Bishop” Stormrunner] | [Beach to the east of the dojo] | [Night, around 7]

Much time had passed by with his training with the elements wind and fire. Cool night air chilled the sweat collected all over Jacob's body as he breathes heavily while staring out to the ocean. It was time to help concentrate both elements again and form his new technique that was far from perfect. There was already an audience looking down at him for the early hours of the night and it seemed like a good time to end his training the same way he started it.

Standing straight and tall, then bending at the knees with both hands against his ribs with elbows bent back. Wind kicked up around him in the same familiar fashion as he visualized, harmonized, and molded his wind energy around his body with the sand kicking up with it. Unlike last time, he kept his concentration with the wind and focused on fire merging with the wind. A vortex of heat started to smoke up around and spark the sandy currents around him. It made it much easier to see on the beach and with the viewers watching their Sevaar teacher, they noticed the faint glow of the Sevaar markings along his arms and head begin to glow to a brightness like before. A signifying sign that the harmonizing of wind and fire, or perhaps just more than one element, have been harmonized together through a merging of the two.

Right leg stepped behind and left hand moved straight to the bottom left with the right arm extending its hand in the opposite direction. A circular motion with both arms meeting to his right side, left hand over right, collected the merged energies around him into a sphere of white energy, like before. The resonating power had started shaking the ground, causing it to thunder and roar wildly as it grew in size, stabilized, and prepared to be fired. Students in the lookout seats were amazed at the strength being displayed and of course they were clueless as to what it was.

Right foot stepped forward, hands thrusted away to the sea, a single word was yelled out, ”Ryushokin!”, before the elemental ball of wind and fire energies shot through the watery sea causing tides to fly up through it slicing its way into the vast ocean. An impressive attack, but it still took far to long to prepare.

Falling short to one knee and consumed in his own sweat, the night air rushed against his exhausted body. It was time for a meal anyways. It would take a handful of minutes to recover from the attack and it was that fact along that made the attack useless as well. Recovery and preparation time of each of his attacks was drawn down to the minimal amount as possible. Another fighter would not allow someone of Jacob's caliber to simply recover after preforming a powerful attack. Not when it meant they could take down one of the strongest fighters in all of Summerset. Jacob took the next few minutes just simply catching his breath on the beach before walking back up to the dojo. There was no point in trying to move after such a long winded attack. However, in time he would return to the comfort and warmth of the dojo's interior and its company.

(Ryukyu Taizan) (Silverwood Dojo) (Night)

Taizan approached the foreign dojo with his head held high and his heart full of confidence. The beach it was located on was bathed in pale moonlight, making it hauntingly beautiful to the soul. The sand was so fine that the small granules traveled over the tops of his sandals and got lodged in between his toes. To prevent his toes from becoming irritated, he gently placed his travel bag in the sand and removed his sandals. Taizan turned his sandals vertical, then watched as the particles plummeted back to earth and disappeared into the soft blanket beneath his feet. When all of the offending particles had been removed from the sandals, he turned to his travel bag.

The bag itself was made of silk, which was not a rarity in his homeland. China and his home country of Japan had been trading silk for centuries. However, what made this silk bag special was that it was made completely by hand. Each part was stitched together by his mother, Yumi, and the silk itself was procured from the spider farm she tended. The bag was intended as a gift for him, and it was understood that he would pass it down to the next generation of the Taizan family. Spider silk was considered to be the key to making fabrics worthy of nobles, but this hand-stitched bag was far beyond price to Taizan. The bag symbolized the special love only a mother could have for her child, and not even the wisest man could put a price on that.

The bag was tied in a knot at the top, but Taizan undid it with ease abd wrapped the string around his arm so that it would not get lost in the sand. He then gently parted the bag at the top and gazed at its contents once more. To the casual onlooker, he did not appear to be carrying much, just a sword and a gi. However, as anyone who has ever studied martial arts understands, knowledge thrives on simplicity. Just as one cannot run before they walk, one cannot truly see until they know. An uneducated mind fueling an uneducated eye is a dangerous thing.

The sword was a weapon, yes, but it symbolized far more than that. In its broades sense, the sword represented fighting prowess at its peak. The blade was made of fine steel and sharpened to perfection. With it, Taizan could cut a lock of hair in half if he so chose. Also, the handle of the blade was balanced, making for an easy drawing motion, as well as for an easy swing. This was just as important as the sharpness of the blade, especially when it had to be used at a moment's notice.

More personally, the sword represented the fighting prowess of the Taizan family. Each patriarch had at least one fighting accomplishment to his name, and it was expected that Ryukyu was to be no exception. After all, being head of the family was not something that was given. It was something that was earned. If one ascended to the head of the family without spilling blood for it, it brought only shame and dishonor to the family. This, in his culture, was considered an offense punishable by the sacrifice of a limb for the offender to earn his place.

This was why it was so important to have warrior's blood if one was born a Taizan. However, thanks to his father, Akira, the test of manhood was no longer as arduous as it had been in the past. Used to be, one had to slay either a large animal or an armed human with only his body as a weapon. However, beginning with his father, the test was changed so that the only requirement to become a man was to somehow slay an enemy in fair combat. This was why he had decided to make a sword for his son, so that he could carry it into battle with him when the time came to become a man. Akira Taizan was a man who valued tradition, but as he himself put it, "I value the success of Ryukyu more than I value how much blood he will shed."

Since Akira had been a soldier in his youth and a warrior after he left the army, it was very important to him to always be able to get his hands on a fighting blade. This was why he built a small shack with a forge inside, and stocked it with materials so that he could repair or create a sword when necessary. In this cae, it had been very necessary. His wife was expecting in just a few weeks, and it would take at least two to finish the sword. It was important to him that the gift be ready by the time his child was born, so that he could store it away and present it to him/her at a later time. Akira knew that when he passed this sword on, it would end childhood and set his child on the path to becoming an adult.

However, even after Akira finished the prized sword, which he christened the "Daishin-Ryu", he was not quite done with it. Upon the hilt, he emblazoned the symbol of the family's chosen martial arts discipline, the Dragon Fist Style. Each Taizan male since the establishment of the style had studied and practiced it, honing their minds, spirits, and bodies for the day they would have to defend their family, their country, and especially, themselves. The Dragon Fist was a traditional martial art with variations depending on the family. Such variations could include more emphasis on striking or grappling techniques. However, in the Taizan family, only the complete version would be taught.

Akira did finish the sword before Ryukyu was born, and on that day, he could not have been more proud. His son was healthy, and screamed with a full set of lungs. However, Akira's pride shot through the stratosphere when he looked into his son's eyes and saw roiling flames behind them. This was a sign that Ryukyu would live up to the warrior tradition. Ryukyu could still remember when his mother would comment on how his eyes would 'catch fire' when he got angry. This not only showed his Taizan lineage, but showed just how in tune the family had become with the Dragon Fist Style of martial arts.

Taizan had begun his martial arts training at age six and took to the lessons with ease, much to his father's delight. However, teaching his son how to use the power of fire to his advantage would take a great deal more time. He gave his son a scroll tha detailed how to execute a move called the "Mouth Blast". However, in order to actually use it, he would have to become very knowledgeable in the use of fire. Also, even if he did get good enough at the technque to sue it, it would take much conditioning of his throat before he could execute it without pain. The pain the techniques of fire caused to the body was why many aspiring elementalists had shied away from fire.

Ryukyu had been confident that under his father's tutelage, he could master not only the Dragon Fist Style, but the element of fire, as well. However, his ambitions were delayed when he turned ten. For reasons the young warrior could not see coming, his tenth birthday would prove to be the best and worst day of his life. On that day, he was given the Daishin-Ryu, the sword his father had crafted for him a decade ago. This meant that his childhood had come to an end, but not just because he had been given the sword. On this day, Japan would experience a tragic day none of them would ever forget.

At this time in Japan, a barbarian tribe was razing the land, killing and plundering wherever they went. This tribe was called the Saigadoku, and they were known to be even more vicious and bloodthirsty than the Mongols before them. The commoners were terrified of them, and the Imperial Guard was no match for them. Akira had feared their rapid expansion, and for good reason. The peaceful village of Manzu, where the family had settled down, ahd remained mostly unaffected. However, on this day, the terrible warriors came to the village and blood began to run in the streets. Akira knew something had to be done, so he took up his sword to do what any Taizan would do; he fought for his family, his country, and himself.

Ryukyu wanted to fight alongside his father, but Akira refused. He asked Yumi to take their son and run as far and as fast as they could. She did so without question, and Ryukyu watched as his father cut down the vicious warriors one-by-one with blinding speed. However, just before they disappeared into the forest, Akira was overwhelmed and one of the Saigadoku killed him by running his sword through his heart. Seeing this horrific sight, Ryukyu screamed a primordial sound, full of pure anger and pain. However, there was nothing he could do except cry as his eyes lit with white fire.

The rest of that time seemed to pass in a blur for him. All he remembered was a series of days and nights and not much else. His mother tried to soothe him, but no amount of motherly love could make the nightmares go away. No, that would take the strength he had built up but could not access at the moment. Soon, things were going to get worse, however. Though he had no inkling of it, his mother was dying.

When she was young, Yumi had been diagnosed with a form of tuberculosis by a doctor who was new in Mansu. As such, his diagnosis was ignored by the senior doctors, and she was never given any treatment for it. Also, she was not allowed to change jobs, for her family could not afford to go without food for the time it would take her to find a new job. Yumi's mother, Ayame Shiratori, was bedridden, her father had been killed in a war, and her younger siblings were not even old enough to farm the land for food. Yumi's lowly job as a soybean picker was the only way the family made any money. So, she continued to work that soybean patch every day until she was twenty years old.

Yumi, of course, had no idea that she really did have tuberculosis, and she certainly did not know what caused it. Unbenownst to the owners of the soybean plantation, their crops had been infected by the bacterium bacillus, which had traveled with an insect population into Japan. The workers breathed in the bacteria and began to have allergic reactions to the infected soybeans. However, none had them worse than Yumi, who nearly died when her throat closed up because of a severe reaction. Despite the growing danger, the owners of the plantation showed no compassion, even going so far as to dock pay every time the workers were unable to do their jobs. After all, the loss of workers only meant that more had to be hired; more workers were always available because of the loss of land caused by water shortages and the Saigadoku.

Yumi's medical problems worsened, but she refused to stop working. She was a strong young woman who did not bow easily to pain, and who would rather suffer herself than let her family suffer. She might very well have died soon had Akira not met and rescued her from this life. He was a very handsome and bold man, just like her father had been. This was part of the reason Yumi had fallen so deeply in love with him. Akira took her place at the soybean plantation, allowing her to tend to her family.

Akira brought in a decent wage, as he worked twice as hard as everyone else. Thanks to his hearty constitution, he was able to keep the tubercle baccilus from infecting him. Within a few years time, Akira had saved up enough to purchase his own place, and after he married Yumi, the two settled down there together. Unfortunately, due to years of having untreated tuberculosis, Yumi's lungs were now mostly dead, and she was chronically short of breath. This embarrassed and dishonored her, in her own opinion, and she fell into a depression. However, Akira faithfully encouraged and stuck by her, thereby lifting her depression by making her feel loved.

It was a few years after that that Yumi got her idea to run a spider farm. She was walking the grounds when she ran into a spider web. Caught by surprise, she thrashed and broke away, tearing apart half of the web. Losing her balance, she fell on her butt and could not get up right away, due to shortness of breath. It was then that she saw a wondrous sight. The black spider that had spun the web went down and, in a matter of minutes, completely repaired it.

Yumi was transfixed, awed by the talent of the spider to spin such a complex pattern on the fly. She thought about how much silk clothing was valued, and got an idea about how she could work again. Plucking the spider from the web and depositing it in a jar, she carefully cut the web down. Yumi continued to do this to any spider she could find for a week. Then, she fenced in a part of the property and released the spiders into it. Her spider farm was complete.

The best part of Yumi's new profession as a weaver was that it did not require her to be outdoors. She did all of her sewing indoors, and for several years, her tuberculosis did not worsen. Now, however, she and her son were forced to run through a vast wilderness, and Yumi's tuberculosis and shortness of breath was worsening by the minute. Sometimes, Ryukyu would have to semi-carry her to their destination. When they settled camp one last time together, Yumi made him promise to never stray from the path of the virtuous warrior. With tears pouring down his young face, Ryukyu made the promise and held his mother close as she died in his arms.

This time, there was no anger, only a profound sense of loneliness. His tears would not stop, and the pain in his heart would not ebb. Ryukyu ate little and slept even less after burying his mother. It took a week before his inner strength healed his heart, aided by the sense of purpose his promise brought him. Taking up his bag of precious belongings, he shouldered the weight of his own destiny and moved forward. Ryukyu Taizan had now taken his first steps into manhood.

Japan, however, was not the place to begin walking down the path of the virtuous warrior. The Saigadoku had destroyed a great deal of it, and native warriors were either leaving the country or joining the army to defend it. No, a better place would be the land called Silverwood, where a great warrior called the Sevaar was honored. His father had told him stories of the Sevaar and his great accomplishments. Akira had urged his own son to become like the Sevaar and bring glory and honor not just to the Taizan name, but to all of Japan. Ryukyu told his father that he would become such a warrior, or die trying to accomplish it.

So it came to pass that Ryukyu Taizan made the journey to Silverwood, braving the elements and human opposition in the form of highwaymen. Taizan smiledas he placed his sandals next to the Daishin-Ryu and then promptly closed the bag again. He teid the bag shut and slung it over his shoulder. His smile did not drop as he drew closer to his true destination. He could hear somebody behind the dojo, so he went around back. Apparently, the back area was used as an exercise yard, despite the obvious lack of training equipment.

The person he had heard was a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He was not that much taller than him, but judging by his physique, he was definitely a martial artist. His eyes were a piercing blue, and his hair was brown, at least, what there was of it was. Strange tattoos trailed down his arms and up the back of his head. Taizan was pleased. for he had found a potential opponent. Walking up to him, but keeping a respectful distance of three feet, he met his eyes.

"Hello, my name is Ryukyu Taizan," he said politely before bowing to him. While he bowed, he kept his head up and his eyes on him. This was his way of saying that he would give him due respect, but that he did not trust him. When he was back up, his face hardened into a mask of solemnity.
"I request a place to stay in your dojo. Afterwards, I also request a match with you."
After saying the word 'match', orange fire lit behind his eyes.