Michael returned to the arena and looked at the tournament bracket. "Interesting, looks like this year, the final match is going to be a battle royale. It will be a challenge if I have to face Cliff and Kai at the same time. This is going to be fun." Michael smiled as he went to sit down to wait for his next match.
Michael left the arena after his matches. Nobody really gave him any competition. In his off time, he had been watching Cliff and Kai fight in their matches. "Looks like I will actually have some competition this year. I'm looking foward to it." He thought to himself. Michael was tired after his matches, so he decided to go to the hot springs to relax "Man, this water feels great. Think I might stay for a while." After some time, Michael noticed it was getting dark. He got up, yawned and stretched. He decided to go to his old house. "Can't remember the last time I was here." He opened the door and started coughing. "Where did all of this dust come from?" Recovering his breath, he went inside to look around, since it might be the last time he would be here again. He picked up a sword hanging on the wall. "Father's old sword, I remember how he used to make me practice with this. I hated every minute of it. Guess I might as well take it with me and get it sharpened and tempered. Who knows how long it's been hanging here?" He strapped the sword to his back. He turned toward the fireplace and saw a picture if his father, himself when he was younger, and another boy. "Of course... my adopted brother Edrick. He hated me because I was the favored son. He ran away when I was chosen by the dragoon spirit to be the next Jade Dragoon when father was to retire. Never saw him since. Heard he went to the Kingdom of Raynar, but never found out if it was fact, or fiction." Michael went out, locked up and left.
Michael's first match was a heavy-ground match. "Good luck." He said to his opponent. The announcer gave the signal, and the winds began to bear down on the 2 combattants. Michael's opponent pulled a dagger from the sleve of his coat. "I'm going to slice off those ears of yours and keep them as a trophy." He said "Is this guy an idiot or what?" Michael thought to himself as the man struggled to even take a step in the heavy wind. He could tell this man was an outsider that did not know what he was getting into. But Michael had no problem with the wind, as he quickly disarmed the man , delivered some quick kicks and punches, and threw him out of the ring. Michael yawned from boredom. He went to sit down to watch the other matches, but there was really one person he wantet to see fight. It was Kai. He wondered, being new th this kind of tournament, how she would fare. He looked foward to his match with her.
"Looks like there won't be any time to kill. The tournament stars now. See you in the finals, Kai." With that, Michael went to change into his gi and fight his first match. OOC: It is a martial arts tournament my village holds during the festival of the winds. I added the wind themed matches due to the ability of the priests and priestesses of the village being able to manipulate wind.
"Ok, my best is hapkido. We're here, lets get registered, then I guess we can kill some time in the bazzar until the tournament starts."
"No,no,no. I meant martial arts styles, not match types. You end up fighting in every match type."
"Never planned to go easy on you. Also when you register, you must pick the style you plan on using to fight with."
"I'll take you to the registration booth. It will be fun to have some worthy competition, I will have a harder time defending my title, but I love a challange."
OOC:Ok, I'm back. Now where was I? BIC: "The tournament is bracketed like any other tournament. The catch is that alongside fighting your opponent, you also have the wind to contend with. There are 3 different match types: Heavy-ground, Cyclone, and Flight. Heavy-ground has the wind pressing you down on the ground, so it makes it hard to move. Cyclone has you fighting in the eye of a cyclone, and if you are knocked into the wind, you have 10 seconds to get back into the eye, or you lose. You also lose in cyclone if you knocked completely through the cyclone. Finally, Flight has the wind pushing you into the air, so you must spend the whole tine fighting in the air."
"I know, but it is a necessary part of my culture. It gives the family of the deceased closure by knowing that the spirits of their loved ones are at rest. But enough about that, the tournament will be easier to explain, if you would like to hear about it." OOC: Got to go eat, if you are going go be on around 9:00 central time Aerith G. we can continue, if not it will be tomorrow, bye for now!
Michael stood up from his parent's graves, wiping his eyes. "They may be gone, but my parents will always be with me. Besides, I have friends to help me along the way." "Got to go mom and dad." He left to go check out the bazzar. OOC: It's true, that's also what happened to Lavitz and emperor Doel.
OOC: Oops, forgot. Sorry :(
OOC: We are in my village, just north of where you are.
Everyone gathered in the town square for the guiding ritual. Michael chanted some magic words and his flute began to glow. The other priests and priestesses started chanting, making the wind gather in the town square. Michael began to play a somber tune on the flute, which echoed throughout the town, tears streaming down his face all the while. Lights gathered in the square, combining inth the soul of his father. after a while, Michael stopped playing, and his father's soul drifted toward the sky, returning to the ancient sky spirits. the others stopped chanting and the wind resumed it's normal course. With the ritual over, Michael left to finish releasing his emotions, after all, he couldn't let anyone see him like this.
"The ritual is kind of hard to put into words, so you will just have to wait and see, but the ritual is used to guide spirits of the deceased back to the wind spirits that bore them." A while later, the group reached the town gates. "Well, we're here. I have go go get ready for the ritual, so if you want to see it, come to the town square later." And with that, Michael went to the Elder's house to prepare for the ritual. "So you have returned, Michael." The elder said as Michael entered. "I have venerable elder, by now the wind has already conveyed what has transpired." "Yes, I already know about your father's death, and the passing of the dragoon soul to you. It is a great burden you shoulder." said the elder. "I know, but I bear it with honor and pride." Michael said as he grabbed a ceremonial robe and put it on over his armor. "We have much to discuss, but for now, we must ready the town square for the ritual. I will go set everything up. You must finish your preparations." "I understand, elder." With that, the elder left to set the square up for the guiding ritual. "
"Ok, anyway there will be a tournament unlike any other you have ever seen. You will also have to see the guiding ritual. It is a rare thing for outsiders to observe it."
"We are heading to the village where I was born to relax, and enjoy the festival of the winds. But first when we get there, I have to perform the guiding ritual for my father."
"What kept you Kai?
"That's fine, the festival of the winds lasts 4 days, so we have plenty of time. If you want, we can go to your village first. Just point it out on the map and we can head there."
"I would assume so. The Devine Dragoon spirit is very powerful, but we must keep it from falling into the wrong hands." The group exited the forest. "The village we are heading to is where I was born. It will be bustling tomorrow, for tomorrow is the festival of the wind. We can at least unwind, and possibly enjoy the festival."
