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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 1423866" data-attributes="member: 2323">The tournament was a simple elimination affair, and after five successive rounds of brawling, it came down - not unexpectedly - to four stalwarts: Feln, Black Dougal, Drogo Ravenot, and the newcomer, Karak. Both Feln and Ravenot had remained largely uninjured during their earlier bouts, and Karak seemed all but impervious to injury despite the fact that he was hit by most of the blows thrown at him during the contest. Black Dougal was not nearly so lucky, and his slow and ponderous fighting style had left him on the receiving end of a good many haymakers. By the final round of competition, he was bruised and bloodied and barely on his feet.Feln made quick work of the warrior. The bout lasted less than twenty seconds and earned the half-orc a few jeers from the spectators who were eager to see a more lengthy exhibition. For a moment, Feln wondered if his idea to hold this competition had been a poor one. His time as a celebrated hero had been a short one, it seemed.Karak faced-off with Ravenot in what was a longer match only because both fighter spent the first twenty seconds circling one another in the ring. It was Ravenot who acted first by throwing a handful of grit in the dwarf's face then darting in while Karak was blinded to deliver a fist to his face. The crowd roared disapprovingly at the display of poor sportsmanship, but it was nothing compared to the silence that followed.Karak wiped the filth from his eyes and spit out a mouthful of blood as he glared at Ravenot. "So, humie. That's the way it's ta be, eh?" he growled, his voice dripping with malevolence. He beckoned the man closer and bared his blood-slicked teeth. "Come on over 'ere an' let ol' Karak show ye what we dwarves think o' cheaters!"Ravenot ended the bout prematurely by stepping voluntarily out of the fighting circle. He double-timed it away from the village green as fast as his shaking knees would carry him. The crowd's laughter chased him the whole way.Seeing the display, Vade decided that it just might have been a good thing that Gellir had refused to fight him in the contest. The halfling was content to sit on the sidelines and eat the delectables being offered by the townsfolk. And cheer Feln, of course! Ledare had joined him - wearing a gown, of all things - and sat in the stands cheering the half orc and hurling insults at his competitors. She seemed to be having a grand time watching the fighting, but Vade suspected from the way she kept looking around that she might just be trying to keep an eye on the halfling's nimble fingers.So Feln and Karak faced off against one another. The wiry half orc was naked to the waist, his well-muscled torso slick with sweat, new piercings twinkling in the noonday sun. In contrast, the dwarf's body was as wide and as hairy as a bear and so thickly-muscled that his skin looked stuffed with boulders. Both fighters were barefoot since ap-Llewellyn's keen scrutiny had revealed before the first bout that each wore magical footwear and magical augmentation was strictly forbidden in such contests.Unlike both of their previous bouts, this one wasn't over quickly.Both combatants sized each other up for a moment and it seemed as if neither wanted to be the first to act, but Karak dispelled this thought by throwing a roundhouse punch at Feln. The half-orc had a considerable advantage in unarmed combat and was able to not only dodge the incoming blow, but also deliver an opportunistic punch to Karak's ribs in the process. He tried to follow it up with a kick to the dwarf's jaw, but Karak was too savvy for that and he ducked beneath the martial artist's foot, driving his fist up toward Feln's groin. The half orc blocked the blow, however, absorbing the impact with his forearm; just the same, it was like being hit with a steel hammer.The dwarf had over-extended himself again, and Feln slammed his elbow into the back of Karak's head at the same time his knee thudded into his right thigh. The maneuver was intended to trip his opponent, but Karak was far too sturdy to go down so easily. He spun around, but his fist found only empty air. Feln seized the opportunity to send a heron kick at the dwarf's head, but Karak dodged the foot on the way up. He didn't expect it to come down on him again, however, and was only able to avoid taking the blow on top of his skull by the narrowest of margins. Feln's heel sank into the meat of Karak's left thigh eliciting a grunt of pain from the dwarf."Aye, lad, ye be a mighty one," Karak grunted, his lip quivering with restrained fury. "But I ain't losin' to an orcblood!"What happened next took the martial artist completely by surprise. Karak exploded at him like a jack-in-the-box made entirely of fists. Feln saw the dwarf's eyes grow huge and wide, lit by a baleful rage that could no longer be contained and then the first blow landed against his right knee. He felt the joint give out momentarily from the force of the blow and he started to pitch forward. Then the dwarf's other fist was slamming into the half orc's sternum driving him back to a standing position.Feln tried to bring his not-inconsiderable skill at unarmed combat to bear, but Karak was unrelenting. No sooner had the martial artist raised his right fist to deliver a viper strike then his opponent's fist slammed into his elbow, driving his blow out of alignment. Karak dodged the knee aimed for his throat and backhanded Feln across the kidneys. The half orc staggered forward half a step before sprawling face-first into the dirt.He didn't get up and for a few moments, Karak turned in a circle as if looking for more opponents to pummel. But after the thudding roar of blood in his ears died away, he heard the awed roar of the spectators. They were on their feet, clapping and cheering. As the adrenalin wore off at last, Karak fell backward on his rump and sat, panting beside his fallen adversary."Dinna take it so bad, orcblood!" Karak boasted, his moustache foamy with ale. "I be a dwarf, afteralls! Ye were bound ta lose!"Feln endured the dwarf's laughter in silence, staring at his own untouched mug and stewing. The contest hadn't gone at all the way he'd thought it would. He'd imagined it a foregone conclusion that at the end of the day it would be him being slapped on the back and lauded with free ale and well-earned praise. The joy he had felt at being honored with a hero's feast had turned bitter and poisonous. So he said nothing and went over the battle again and again in his mind, intent on figuring out what had gone wrong.Ledare came over and laid a comforting hand on Feln's shoulder. "Well fought," she said and the half orc only grunted in reply. When she looked over at Karak, his gray eyes were studying her face with interest. She approached and offered her hand to Karak."You," the dwarf said as he examined her features. Ledare looked nonplussed."Do I know you?" she asked, withdrawing her hand."Oi, lassy! I do believe we met before," Karak told her. "Were ye not travelin' with a fat human, a couple o' half elves like yerself, an' a faarie wizard? Where be they now?"Ledare looked as if she'd been burned for a moment and then her eyes narrowed. "There have been some troubles of late," she told him and Karak snorted laughter."Ya think ye got troubles, lassie?" he growled. "I take it ye have nae been to Barnacus lately?"</blockquote>

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