Once I had the room pretty much to myself, as I could still see a servant or two poking their head in every once in a while to check up on me, as well as figure out if anything was needed for this dojo, I finally got down to work. First things first, I needed to figure out the general types of combos I was wanting to plan for, since I wouldn’t always be the one attacking first. Ultimately, I decided offensive based combos would be easiest to plan out first, being the cornerstone idealogy of this martial art.

My first combo would be a probing offensive, meant to test the waters before setting a trap. Thinking that a series of ankle sweeps would work well as the beginning of it, I’d use two sweeps to test the waters, just to see if they would work on an opponent. If they would, I would have the strategy pivot then, but assuming my opponent could either dodge or protect against it, I think taking a page from my earlier fight would work. My third ankle sweep would be an interrupted sweep that would flow I to a donkey kick into the chest, probably mentally mark this as a phantom strike opportunity as well. Assuming my opponent is of similar size to me, this could be a good opportunity to grapple, so a follow up dash into a tackle could work as one option, but likely a grapple wouldn’t work well against bigger opponents unless I had some specialized Technique. My best option for bigger opponents would go straight into joint breaking attacks, using the couple of seconds my opponent would be staggered to chain the attacks together. Thinking that either set of attacks would be good enough of a basis for a general offensive strategy, I decide to move onto a more specialized offensive plan of attack.

In the event that neither a leg sweep nor the donkey kick would be strong enough to create an opening for a combo, I decide a slow and steady set of probing attacks could work. The basis of the plan would revolve around ensuring I’m fast enough to evade big and slow attacks, using those opportunities to hit undefended joints and large sets of muscles. Using this strategy I would slowly chip away at their ability to defend and counter attack, so that I may get in closer and go for my own slow, but strong attacks. I would assume some variation of parrying, or ducking around punches, would allow me to hit elbow joints. It is also possible I could get a gouging strike against the shoulder tendons as well to disable an arm. If my opponent is using kicks to strike back, a quick sidestep and a stomp to the inside of their knee could work to disable their leg and hamper their mobility. After disabling the leg, a good follow up combo would be a leg sweep leading into additional strikes while my opponent is largely defenseless on the ground.

These two offensive strategies should be good for now, but defensively I feel I would be weak on any strategy until higher ranks. Since I would likely the weaker, if not smaller one, any sort of trap and grapple strategy would rely on breaking some bones first. After thinking about it for a while, doing shadow strikes against the wooden dummy to play out general defensive strategies in my head, I ultimately decide on the rough plan. Going with the idea of probing defensive counterattacks, using targets of opportunity to break down limbs over time if my opponent overextends. Otherwise, I focus on combination interruption as the first plan. Interruption is my go-to, rather than the Krav Maga special on limb breaking and incapacitation, as any variation of a speedy or evasive strike, like my phantom strike, makes it hard to counterattack. On the other hand, playing mind games and predicting future steps in a combination is a more likely option given my current skillset.

Having finally decided on an imbalance and incapacitation general strategy, as well as probing attacks to break down my opponent before using a finisher for my more specialized strategies, I stop with my brainstorm session. I spend the remainder of the day slowly going through my preplanned strategies on the various dummies and training equipment. I start out slowly so I can build the muscle memory of the actual steps I am taking. By the time I am finished for the day, I am still doing the various movements slowly, but only just slightly below the true fighting tempo. I finish eventually, wiping down what I used, ending my fifth day in this new world.

It was on the sixth day on my new home that things became interesting. My trainer came in telling me he will partially train me in two other martial arts, telling me he is only really focusing on a subset of each martial art to showcase.

“We will first begin with a type of fighting done by the mountain monks of our Empire. These Shaolin monks have a large variety of different fighting style they utilize, but their oldest style, the Fist of Arhat, focuses on open palm stances” the trainer says. He proceeds to mention that the main reason he is bringing it up is that the open palm strikes of this style is great when you are able to get a solid stance set, where it can be great at disrupting strikes in progress, opening your opponent up for my traditional fights. He specifies that many of my current strikes for taking down big opponents tend to either require some set up, like my hammer fists, or leave me wide open for retaliatory strikes. This fighting style would give me a “power strike” that keeps my defenses up closer to my body, not leaving me as defenseless if my strike fails.

On the other hand, the other martial art he was planning on showing me, was really more of a philosophy attached to weapon specific martial arts in another nation. “In the Rising Sun Nation, they have a group of warriors, who do anything from spying, to assassinations, to scouting. These warriors, often called ninjas, fight in such a manner that nearly every strike is meant to deceive and manipulate your enemy into a position they wanted them in” he added. He goes on to talk that none of the specific strikes, or inherent weapon fighting will be taught, both as a matter of pride, but also since what he wants to focus on is the idea of fighting indirectly.

He has me stand on the mat in front of him, in a loose fighting pose, but not set up for anything specific. “If I want to position you such that you are always to my right, rather than directly moving to your left, which could just lead us in circles, I attack your right side, pivoting to your right when you counterattack or dodge”, he says as an example. Continuing on with his example, “if I am confident, I could beat you in a grappling battle, I don’t just lay on the floor, or straight up tackle you, I feint an injury, falling to the floor, making you believe that coming in to grapple is your plan, when in reality it is mine.”

Following this philosophic argument, we spent the next hour just on playing mind games to manipulate each other into predetermined positions, stances, or to initiate a specific attack. After we lost all trust in each other for their motivations behind making any particular action, we eventually moved back into the monk fighting he wanted to show me. This part of the training was much more simplistic and straightforward to me. A big part of the following hour we spent doing this was all about having your feet planted in very specific ways, having my arms bent and placed at certain angles, as well as moving my body in one fluid motion, rather than an arm here or a leg there.

By the end of the training session I got really tired of hearing “your body needs to become a unmovable mountain” and “thrust your palm forward and break the heavens”. The pedantic and monotonous sayings began to really grind my gears when we were finishing up for the day. When I was beginning to think today may leave me in a bad mood, my trainer left me with some bombshell news. He told me that he would no longer be in charge of my training, and that someone would be coming to takeover my training. When I seemed concerned, as if I did something wrong and was being relegated to the sidelines, the trainer corrected my assumptions.

“The Main Branch has taken a special interest in your training. Arguably, you could call it more than a special interest, as the care up until this point about your wellbeing would’ve been considered special care. One of their highest, if not highest ranked, Main Branch members, along with several high ranked trainers in Path’s more closely aligned with your fighting style are arriving here tomorrow. The man who is taking over for your training and wellbeing is a hero among our Clan and probably the best archer in this Empire.” The trainer continues to talk, but it is obvious that with such an important figure, along with highly ranked Path members in his retinue specifically to ensure I rank up my Path quickly, that the evaluation of my worth has suddenly skyrocketed. Then I am told some news about this recent change that makes this move even more auspicious. I am told that Zhang Sheshou, the high ranking Clan member who will now be leading my care, normally doesn’t do much in the Clan politics.

After this news I am given the go ahead to leave, while also being given the idea that I will be contacted by Sheshou and his new trainers tomorrow. When I arrive back at my room I lay down and take a bath, as the troubling news, combined with the monk platitudes, really made me feel uneasy. It’s not too long before the tiredness from training and the bath make me doze off for a few minutes, which was enough for me to get more notifications.

[Path of the Fighter rank 4]

[Path of the Fighter rank 5]

[Technique: Force Palm obtained]

Waking up suddenly, as my head had dipped under the water, as well as the notifications appearing, woke me up from my short nap. Guessing that the noticeable rank up had something to do with sparring with someone much stronger than I, arguably someone who’s fighting style is a direct counter to mine, along with the expansion of my fighting style had something to do with it. I get out of the bath and get dressed for the night. Curious about my new Technique, I flag down a servant and have a small wooden plank brought to my room. They seem a bit perplexed about the request, but still bring me it fairly quickly. I set the wooden plank on the side of my desk, holding it down with my left hand. Activating my Technique, I slam my right palm down into the plank. Right as my palm touches the wood, my hand glows blue briefly, where it moves into the wood. Not even a second later, the wood begins splintering and cracking all over, rapidly breaking into smaller, uneven pieces.

Taking a second to process this, I come to the realization this Technique pushes some sort of disruptive force into my target, effectively becoming a defense penetrating attack. Telling myself that this well also make breaking bones and destroying joints that much easier, I mentally incorporate this into my fighting strategies. After practicing with the palm strike for a bit, feeling too tired, I head to sleep.

———

Shortly after Samantha falls asleep, Sheshou and his men arrive at the Clan compound, where the immediate ass kissing begins and chaos reigns supreme, as everyone trying to curry favor tries to assert themselves, while the actual competent members of the Clan carry out their orders and get them settled in.