Chapter 4-100: Falling Down, Down, Down... (1/2)

OI, Everyone! It’s Chapter 100! Given you’ve followed this random collection of mumblings so far, can you spend a few minutes to post a Review and Ratings, if you haven’t done so? ???? Thanks! – Da Author Guy.

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“So, you boys get your notices yet? You got a nervous look about you.”

Their expressions of concentration wavered, and Sama promptly smacked Grik in the knee hard enough to sweep his leg out from under him, slid over a meter backwards without her feet moving, was inside Mohono’s reach before he could get his long blade around in time, and palmed him right in the belly button.

The big purple guy whoofed, stumbled, and fell down backwards before he could plant feet that had been caught in midstep.

They both looked at her, chagrinned, from down on the ground. Sama lifted an eyebrow at them. “Nice hits, Senpai!” they called out ruefully together.

“Kip up.” Big feet slammed down, heavyfoot gripped the ground, hands slapped down and palm strikes rebounded, shooting the two of them right back to their feet.

She shook her head. “Neither of you should have hit the ground. It looks like I need to beat stance recovery into you properly. Mord, quit gloating and get over here in line.”

“Wha-? Me?” the black-bearded older brother protested.

“Can you do a fall rebound after I hit you?” she asked, cracking her knuckles. It sounded like pebbles popping to dust. “I know your dad can. You want him to show you how it’s done? I’m sure he can dust off his Hammer to give you a few pointers.”

He hopped up and got in line without another word.

While both Mohono and Grik could wield an axe or hammer, they both preferred big honking swords. Grik liked him some big scimitar action, and Mohono could swing a greatsword around as easily as a normal human could a bastard sword.

Both were acceptable, if not preferred, weapons for use in the Crystal Splitting style of the Crystal Dragon school. However, Flowing Waters was a true sword style, and perfectly fine for that style of combat. Neither of them much cared for shields, as in a real fight they’d opt to be wearing armor, but they had the option if need be... and if they got in a real fight on a real battlefield, they’d likely be scrambling for them.

“Two ways to take a hit... you fall and bounce, or you roll and break. Grik, Ocean Palm to the chest.”

He didn’t pause, as if she had to repeat herself, she would first send him flying so he paid better attention to her orders.

A fluid stream of energy gathered around his palm as his shoulders worked, snapping it out right into the center of her flat chest. He could break a 4x4 with that hit, and shatter a normal man’s breastbone, maybe even stopping his heart, but all it did is slam her backwards. She went right over, bending back over, hand hitting the ground, pivoting, her feet flying overhead to absorb more of the momentum.

Suddenly her feet came down, hit the ground, and she just stopped dead. There was an impression like a steel spring was being torqued down tight. Grik’s reddened eyes started to go wide, and then abruptly she was right up in his face with both hands.

There was no visible effect like there was with chi, but his heavyfoot stance was ripped right out the ground, dirt flying, and he went soaring backwards. His head hit the ground first, his legs went flying past, and he bounced and completed another somersault and a half before he came to a stop.

“Or you can do the wet noodle approach,” Sama noted rather critically. Grik sort of groaned on the ground. “What was that?!”

“Good hit, Senpai!” Grik called out quickly, his face still in the dirt, and even managed to get a thumb up.

Nodding in satisfaction, Sama walked over to Mord, and Mohono definitely didn’t heave a sigh of relief, nopers.

Then his feet somehow were in the air as Sama swept through a full circle, hit the tree trunks called his lower limbs and broke his stance, continuing the circle with a full pirouette and in midair her palm came down on his gut.

He hit the ground with all the fun force of about two hundred kilos, plus a full palm strike hammering on his Crystal Shield of chi and letting him know it wasn’t all that.

There was a crunching, and dirt went flying.

“Mohono,” Sama noted for him, “you didn’t bounce or roll.”

“Uh, good hit, Senpai!” the ogryn managed by weak way of reply, also holding up his thumb.

Sama shook her head, and stepped over in front of the eldest of the trio, who swallowed despite himself as he looked up at her. “Gimme a nice straight Pillar Fist to the jaw, Mord.”

He almost said something about her being able to take the hit, then realized those words would be really painful, and slammed an iron-hard overhand punch right at her jaw, the rigid ripple of his chi around his hand.

He could powder a man’s jaw with this blow, or break their neck. It struck Sama’s chin solidly, smashing her head back and down, taking her down like a tower of cards.

Except her feet didn’t move at all, remaining in place as if planted. Her palms hit the ground, there was a puff of dirt exploding in all directions, and she was suddenly bouncing up like a rubber ball, snapping forward and down into him as she pushed his arm out of the way.

Their foreheads met, and to his utter astonishment despite himself, Mord and his very thick skull got slammed down and back with a loud crunching of internal powers meeting. He slammed back down onto the ground, seeing stars. He wondered how that was possible with the Haze up there, blocking away the things he’d only seen in old films...

“Mord, you didn’t bounce back up.”

Trying to get his eyes to straighten out, and groaning at the pain in his forehead, Mord held up a big fist thumbs-up. “Good hit, Senpai!” he replied a bit shakily.

Sama clucked as she looked at the three of them, not a shred of amusement on her face. “You three are going in together, aren’t you?”

“Uh, how’d you know?” Grik muttered sheepishly, crawling back to his feet.