The New Winds

Please conduct your match here

Yotsuo selects a bokken for his demonstration and match, and moves to perform an intermediate kata with the wooden sword. It was well performed and when he was done, he waited for his opponent to do the same.

When Kenji is ready to begin, he bows to him. "It is an honor to face you Kakita-san. I look forward to our match."

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Ring: Water

D4 LM, Weaponry Demonstration, Kenjutsu / Perception, 1 CR, TN 20: 7d10o10k3 52 +2 points

D4 LM, Weaponry Initiative: 4d10o10k3 18

Kenji also took a Bokken and performed a Kata. Similar to Yotsuo's kata, this was well executed and precise.

He then got ready for the fight. Kenji bowed to Yotsuo and said, "The honor is mine, I hope for a good fight, may the Fortunes be with you."

After the greeting Kenji jumped into the fight, he tried to start the fight with a simple Kata,...
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Ring Water

D4 LM Weapon Demonstration Kenjutsu (Katana)/Perception 1CR TN20 +VP: 8d10ro1o10k3 31 +3 Points

D4 LM Weapon Demonstration Initiative: 6d10o10k5+14 35

D4 LM Weapon Demonstration Kenjutsu (Katana)/Strength Round#1 1CR: 8d10ro1o10k3-5 25

They had been matched up with folks that were supposed to be at the same skill level, but something told Yotsuo that Kenji was actually superior with a blade. Perhaps it was the fact that he was a student of this prestigious school, or perhaps it was the monk's own lack of focus on traditional combat and greater focus on fighting tainted enemies. Either way, he committed himself more fully and tried to match his opponent's own effort to make for a more challenging match-up.

Their first round crossing swords, Yotsuo saw an opening that the exploited, striking Kenji's thigh with a clear held back hit.

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D4 LM, Weaponry Round 1, Kenjutsu / Strength, VP +1k1, 1 CR, Opposed vs 25: 8d10o10k4-5 36 +5 points

D4 LM, Weaponry Round 1 Damage, Keeping Lowest: 3d10o10l1 2

Yotsuo seemed to try harder, so it was time for Kenji to stop playing. After he was hit on the thigh, Kenji made a lunge and attacked Yotsuo again.

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D4 LM Weapon Demonstration Kenjutsu (Katana)/Strength Round#2 +vp: 9d10ro1o10k4 35

D4 LM Damage: 4d10o10l1 5 <-Damage if i hit

Yotsuo continued to put in his peak effort, seeing that Kenji was doing so as well. This time the opportunity for his strike had a much slimmer margin. His blade barely batting away a strike before bringing his bokken against Kenji's upper arm.

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D4 LM, Weaponry Round 2, Kenjutsu / Strength, VP +1k1, 1 CR, Opposed vs 35: 8d10o10k4-5 37 +4 points

D4 LM, Weaponry Round 2 Damage, Keeping Lowest: 3d10o10l1 3

Kenji went deep inside himself. The last time he became angry and careless in battle. But this time he became calm, very calm. Almost in a trance he artfully swung his bokken again and again against Yotsuo in an attempt to hit him.

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D4 LM Weapon Demonstration Kenjutsu (Katana)/Strength Round#3 +vp: 9d10ro1o10k4 63 +5 Points

D4 LM Damage: 4d10o10l1 1 <-- Damgage if Kenji hits

The calm that entered Kenji brought a slight sense of worry to Yotsuo. He looked for an opening, any opening, and could not see one so he attempted to create one. And in doing so fell into the trap of Kenji's perfect stance in that moment. When the strike landed on him, Yotsuo turned and prepared himself for the next exchange. But there was a playful smirk present on his face. He was no warrior, but he seemed to be enjoying this exchange with the Crane.

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D4 LM, Weaponry Round 3, Kenjutsu / Strength, VP +1k1, 1 CR, Opposed vs 63: 8d10o10k4-5 32

Wounds: 1

As fast as he was in his trance, as fast it ended. He continued the fight, he did not care about the end result, in his eyes he had shown what he could do.
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D4 LM Weapon Demonstration Kenjutsu (Katana)/Strength Round#4: 8d10ro1o10k3 24
D4 LM Damage: 4d10o10l1 1

Wounds: 5

While Kenji's intense focus ended, Yotsuo maintained his for a bit longer. Unfortunately, where he thought he saw an opening, Kenji had a sturdy defense. The two bokken struck against each other to no effect. It was turning into a very interesting match for those judging and observing.

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D4 LM, Weaponry Round 4, Kenjutsu / Strength, VP +1k1, 1 CR, Opposed vs 24: 8d10o10k4-5 24

Wounds: 1

"This is a wonderful fight!" Kenji said between one attack and looked for another gap.
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D4 LM Weapon Demonstration Kenjutsu (Katana)/Strength Round#5: 8d10ro1o10k3 26
D4 LM Damage: 4d10o10l1 2

"It is," Yotsuo replies with a smile. As Kenji looked for a spot to strike, he found an opening that pushed Yotsuo back a step. But the judges that were watching their feet saw something strange. Unintentionally, and almost incomprehensibly, the Kuni's feet slid in a way that made it look like the one that was moving should be standing still and the one that ought to be supporting his weight lacked the proper foundation. It was a relatively complex and counter-intuitive motion that surprised a great number of onlookers. Kenji likely had never seen anything like it before. Yotsuo... just felt off balance and was trying to catch himself, reacting in an odd way. And in that moment of dumbfounded confusion for almost everyone except the Kuni that couldn't see what he did... he struck. It was heavier than he had expected because he was still recovering his balance.

With that the match came to an end.

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D4 LM, Weaponry Round 5, Kenjutsu / Strength, Opposed vs 26: 7d10o10k3 60 +5 points

D4 LM, Weaponry Round 5 Damage, Keeping Lowest: 3d10o10l1 8

Topaz Points: 26 points before ring reveal

The fight ended earlier than Kenji had hoped, but it was over. He bowed to the Kuni and said, "And again a struggle against the endless flow of fate ends. An excellent performance, Yotsuo-san, I am impressed, your ancestors can be proud of you."

Kenji was honest about that.
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Wounds: 13

The strike had ended things, but it took him a moment to fully realize that the match was done. He had been enjoying it a great deal and didn't particularly want it to end quite yet. "Thank you for your kind words. Even if this match ended with my victory, I will admit that I still have more to learn before I am at your level of understanding of the blade. After all, I did learn some of it from you," he says with a returned bow of his own.

"I look forward to having another bout with you someday," he says with a warm smile. "For now, would you like to join me in meditation to catch our breaths?"

"With pleasure we can repeat that," Kenji replied and pointed to the place outside the ring. "With pleasure"

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Already meditated in the RP thread here: viewtopic.php?p=19818#p19818