I come back for the matches at noon wearing casual clothes. A purple t-shirt, black sweatpants, and wooden sandals with socks. The crowd is larger, but all inside. The dojo itself is a typical wooden building that is painted white and red. It takes up the length of what Hemlock would call a football field, and two stories tall.
I enter the building, and its first room is the real training room. A typical intro for a dojo. Its half the length of the football field, with equipment by the walls. Typical stuff, like that wooden shaft with the sticks poking out the sides, training dummies, and weight equipment. Some kendo sticks as well, which intrigues me.
There are also plenty of wooden chairs in the front of the room where I enter where guests are sitting. They all look at me expectedly. I smile and wave lightly. The room is silent, staring at me, so I speak first.
"Hello, I've been told people were wanting point matches against me. I am Kobra Withers." I say warmly.
"Ah yes, we have been expecting you. Please take a seat, we have a few matches before yours is to start. I am Liu Cheng, the Master of this dojo." Liu Cheng, the Grumpy Martial Artist, says warmly.
I take a seat, and begin observing the matches. It seems fairly simple and restrained, which I like. I was worried it would be a bit vicious, I didn't want to kill anyone today.
The matches I watch are simple and quick. The point system is basic enough to pick up on. Land a hit, get points. Reset. That's pretty much it. However, with Cultivators involved, it takes me spending some Chi to just see the match sometimes. Which is intriguing, they truly are powerful. It almost makes me scared. But I am excited.
Within twenty minutes, it's my turn.
"Kobra Withers, come up here. We will have three challengers for you today." Liu Cheng declares warmly.
I nod and move to stand in the ring. It's a simple circle with lines marked for where combatants are to stand, with a circle surrounding that spot and an outer ring marking the disqualification ring. Across from me is a beautiful woman that seems to be my age in a black dogi with a black belt studded with a fire, water, and metal button. If I had to guess, it's the elements she's mastered Cultivating. She has short black hair, and brown eyes.
"I am Kong Chen, I have been a Master of Karate for three years now. And a Cultivator all my life." she says warmly.
"I am Kobra Withers. I am self-taught in martial arts, and a Cultivator all my life as well. I have only truly mastered poison and steel." I say warmly.
"I have mastered water, fire, and metal." Chen says warmly. "Are you ready?"
"I am." I say warmly.
We take our stances. I take a jeet kun do stance as Jacob would call it. And she takes a typical karate punch stance, with a reverse punch cocked back.
"You may begin." Liu Cheng declares warmly.
We both surge with Chi as we fight. I block her reverse punch with my left forearm, and swing a right into her jaw. She blocks with her right forearm, and headbutts me.
"Point!" Liu Cheng declares calmly.
We reset, and begin again. I unleash a storm of jabs, and she weaves through it. Blocking and dodging, but I keep the pace intense. Eventually I land one on her left boob which annoys us both. We chuckle about it to ease the tension as Liu Cheng declares "Point!"
"It feels oddly forbidden to do that." I joke warmly.
"It should be, it feels weird to be hit there." Chen says with good humor.
We begin the tiebreaker, and this time she wins by sweeping me off my feet. I curse loudly as I hit the ground, and the room chuckles a bit. Chen pulls me up and we hug it out. As we separate, we compliment each other.
"You were a good match." I say warmly.
"You as well. You're definitely a black belt of something, your stance is very unique." Chen says warmly.
"I do it to block my kidneys with the sideways stance and the arm hanging down." I say warmly.
"Oooo! Smart!" Chen says happily.
My next match is a buff woman that stands six inches taller than me, at 6'3. She wears a red and gold gi with a black belt studded with a rock, fire, and lightning badges. She has a pretty, but rough face. Her smile is a bit jagged due to abuse from people's fists, I assume. And she has a scar on her right cheek that looks like she got stabbed through that cheek before. She has long black hair tied up in a ponytail that trails down to her hips.
"I am Kobra Withers. But you've already seen my introduction." I say warmly.
"Indeed. I am Wan Meili. Daughter of the dojo's owner and Master." Meili says warmly.
We assume our stances, repeat of the stances from before. They are all orthodox here, it seems.
I can't even deny it, she dominates me. I don't want to talk about it. She's faster and stronger than me, it's a real fact that I need to train more. I've been focused too much on magic and business.
We hug it out again, her picking me up for some reason. She smells nice, like roses and sandalwood...
After this, an older woman speaks to Liu Cheng and he approaches me with a apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, but the third combatant has cancelled her challenge. I hope you don't mind." he says with warm, and apologetic.
"It's fine. I am a bit tired after that second match. Thank you for your time, everyone. This was fun. I clearly need to train more physically after that last match." I say warmly.
"Maybe, but don't forget that you can only do so much. She's taller than you." Liu Cheng says, warm and blunt.
"Yes, if we stay purely physical anyway." I say warmly.
"Would you like to try again using magic?" Meili asks, warm and excited.
"Perhaps so, but it is difficult to do a point match even without potential major injury." I say nervously.
"Yes, please skip that. Instead, how about you two just compare some general magic feats outside?" Liu Cheng says nervously.
"I agree to that. Want to at least show off our ultimate attacks?" I ask warmly.
"Yes, at least that." Meili says excitedly.
We head outside, and Meili jumps ahead to going first. She spreads her legs wide, raises her hands to the heavens. And slams down one palm into the dirt while holding one up and her torso pointed sideways. Within seconds, a foot thick lighting bolt strikes the earth in front of us, leaving behind a 10 foot wide, 20 foot deep crater. I whistle, very impressed.
"Well done Meili, my turn." I say happily.
"Thank you." Meili says warmly.
I assume my cocky magic stance. One foot in front of the other, a foot and a half separating them. Hands held up by the halfway point of my torso, like I'm holding a wine glass in each hand. And I channel my poison magic to bring up the oil from the depths of the earth. Within seconds, I have a oil geyser shooting out the crater. And then I shoot a firebolt at the geyser. It explodes into a epic explosion, which Liu Cheng has to cast a ice barrier to block the effects of.
We walk around it a few seconds later to find I nearly doubled the explosion. Meili and I look at each other with loving looks.
"You are a powerful rival for sure. With looks to match." Meili flirts.
"You as well. But I'd prefer friend over rival." I say warmly.
"No, you are clearly more unique and powerful than me as a Cultivator. While I am your better as a Martial Artist. I am already comparing myself to you in many ways." Meili says seriously.
I chuckle a bit cockily at that, and smile at her.
"Well, my shop is on 8th street. Let me know when you'd like to train together or buy some gear." I say warmly.
"I will find you eventually for that. Definitely." Meili says happily.