Training to the next level [Solo;Mission]

Alek was always the kind of person who had to improve his abilities far beyond his current level. There was no point where he was going to be happy with himself. He had to continue working for an impossible goal, and that was what drove him day to day to be the strongest person. 

It was why he had quickly become the strongest person in the Fanalis corps apart from possibly the leader himself. He was only a Captain rather than a Commander like his father because he wanted to remain on the battlefield to be able to protect the lives of good people. 

Considering this, he had listened to a few rumors about this country and had found something that was very pertinent to their journey through the Jade Mountains. There was something that he had to do whilst he was in this area, and he didn't want anyone to get between him and the job at hand. 

So, he had sneaked away from the group during the cover of night again and had headed up to the monastery where they were looking for new people to be able to fight the monks that trained there. The thing about this place that had attracted him so much was that this was a sanctuary for those who wanted to be able to learn the true ways of fighting.

There were people in the Fanalis corps who could just punch and kick their way out of most problems, and that wasn't an issue - it worked well for them and they were happy doing it, so he didn't entirely mind. However, there was a certain level beyond that he hoped to reach. 

The more your fighting was able to follow the motions of a dance, the better it was. That might sound bizarre, but it was kinda true. People assumed that all they had to do was punch and kick and they would win every single fight that they ever entered, but it couldn't be further from the truth. Fact was, the way to be able to win a fight was to be able to be hit less than the other person. 

Punching more did, of course, help to balance the scales, especially to those like the average fanalis warrior who was able to knock someone over onto their ass with a single flick, but he needed to be able to learn a more adept style. The monks here used a special martial arts based fighting style, just like Zander. 

As he moved through the city's gates, he pulled his bo staff of its usual fastening and moved it into his right hand, pressing the central button to get it to extend to its full height again. He looked truly in his rightful place as he walked through the monastery, looking for the area where they had summoned him to. 

The city itself was undeniably beautiful, with white marble walls and an entire aesthetic that seemed to radiate inner peace. If he had had time, he would have loved to be able to come back here for a longer period of time and come to terms with a lot of the issues that had been screwing around with him over the last few years, but for now all he could do was his job.

552 / 1500

As he entered the arena where they were going to be fighting, he gave his staff a little twirl, moving it fast enough that it let out a little humming noise. They noted his approach with clear interest, since he was something that was other than the human that they were used to. 

After all, with Zou's racist culture of wanting to be the purest and strongest country on the earth, it wasn't somewhere where Fanalis or Imuchakk tribesmen would want to find themselves by choice. Or, at least, the majority of them. It seemed more and more every day that Yaku was going out of his way to go places where they weren't supposed to be. 

Maybe that was who he was, and there was something nice about it. Someone who didn't give a fuck about what society expected of them... it was refreshing if nothing else. 

Moving into the ring as a whole, the first monk bowed to him, something that he reciprocated quickly. He might not have known very much about the country other than its desires towards world conquest and their racism, but he did understand martial arts sensibilities. 

However, before he had finished bowing, the bell rang and he felt a foot slam him upside the head, sending him flying over the area, landing with a roll somehow managing to keep a hold on his Staff. He had landed side-ways, so his bow wasn't damaged either, but his arm was sore and his head was still ringing like he'd just been caught in an explosion. 

These guys... were strong. No, saying they were strong was a horrible understatement, their strength was on par with that of an Imuchak tribesman, and that was even more powerful considering that this was just a normal human. He couldn't take this fight lightly, but then again that was the entire reason he was here - to train. If they weren't strong, he would have been travelling all the way out here for nothing. 

Throwing up his stone shield, his skin began to turn to a stone-like color, the hardness something that the monks seemed to silently comment on. This was a form of combat magic that they weren't used to, known simply as Magoi manipulation. Most likely, they had heard of it but never seen it in action, and that was going to be a new experience for them today. However, that did not mean that he was invincible. 

Using the staff to aid him back to his feet until he got his mind back into its usual state. The second blow was something that he could deal with, his staff twirling and trapping the hand in the arc, yanking it up suddenly and breaking it away from the elbow's desired position for it, causing it to slip out of the socket and dangle rather horrifically. 

The next second, the staff was hitting him upside the face, forcing him onto his ass but not enough to knock him out. He was training, not actively trying to kill them after all. 

1062 / 1500

The rest of the fight seemed to go rather swimmingly. As the next guy punched, it only left a grazing hit on his body, something that his natural armor could deflect with ease. If he was wearing full armor, that wouldn't have even put a dent in it. 

The second one shot forwards and kicked him in the chest. It was a full frontal hit, and although his armor stopped there being any damage, it sent him flying backwards. However, rather improvised, he stabbed at the ground with the pole and used it to vault the right way up again. 

Now back on his feet, he waited for the first hit to come in... and struck down with the end of the pole, shattering the arm. If they weren't going to hold back, there was no point in him doing so either. 

With his broken arm, Alek sent the man on his way with a kick under his chin, sending him flying back a good ten meters across the ring before landing on his back. Given the crack, he would have had to guess that the impact had broken some of his ribs, although he didn't really care. He still had to focus on the last one, and that was harder than he honestly liked to admit. 

This was the same one that had managed to get a full frontal blow to the center of his chest, sending him flying backwards in the first place. He had proven that he had a lot of prowess in this field, so he was going to need to be careful. 

Holding down the button so that it would retract, before thrusting downwards with it, the now-bottom side of the staff remained fully extended, whereas the other half folded back into the handle, making it into a blunt sword more than an actual staff. Thrusting it down, it hit the fist that was coming in for a second attack, each bouncing off the other.

However, the other man hadn't expected a counter attack, Alek's foot shooting up into the air before his heel slammed down on his most fragile area - his nose. It shattered with a spray of blood, causing the man to back off slightly and go on the defensive.

Each thrust that he made with his new weapon was blocked, the man's speed was still far beyond his own, so... now it was time to stop joking around. Clearing his throat as he forced him to defend another blow, he caught him square in the face before yelling. 

"FAAAAA!!!!" the note was high-pitched, and the strength of it was unmistakable. Flying backwards after being caught front on with that blast, the poor monk went ass over head repeatedly, over and over and over again, before he finally came back down, landing on his butt on the other side of the ring. It was clearly an embarrassing situation for him, but Alek couldn't help but smile. "I believe that means I won, right?"

1500/1500