The Exploits Of Tal'on Kepp Tal'On Kepp sat silently on the floor of his Coasha training facility with his eyes closed, legs folded, and his forearms resting on his thighs. He was currently meditating on the principles of Coasha, the belief that a strong, vibrant, and active mindset can overcome any obstacle. He put his entire being into focusing on his principles and the results were evident. Indeed, it had been seven years prior in the year 443 AMD when Tal'On Kepp introduced the art of Coasha to the Zefarian world, and to his chagrin many martial artists (or even non-martial artists) had yet to put into motion its practices. Tal'On had used these past seven years to refine his teachings to perfection. It had pained him enormously that so few saw the advancements that he offered to all those who were willing to learn and benefit from the art of Coasha. The people of Foster Village, where Tal'On resided, had partially warmed up to his teachings. However, Tal'On Kepp did not want to stop there. He was steadfast in his resolve to see the art spread all over the face of the Zefarian world. If all went according to his plannning though, this day would mark a critical juncture in the acceptance of Coasha, as it was the day set aside to host an international martial arts tournament. Martial artists from the Yorkian Kingdom, Chisolom, the Bravada Empire, and even the few martial artists who dwelled in the wizardly precincts of Shondaloh, Shondalah, and Shondaleigh were coming from all over the world to compete in the tournament. The oppourtunity given Tal'On Kepp on this day could not be missed. Indeed, many a spectator would be able to see the enhancements Coasha gave its user firsthand. Instead of one relying on the praise heaped upon the art by others, or even the one who conceptualized it himself, participants and audience members would be able to see it with their own two eyes. All that was needed for Tal'On to accomplish this was for him to stay focused and put his principles into action. And thus he sat there, dwelling on The Principle of Tal'On Kepp, and repeating the following phrases in his mind: "I must not betray the Principle of Tal'On Kepp; I must not betray the Principle of Tal'On Kepp; I must be focused and reliant on Coasha throughout; I must not let strange teachings interfere with the progress that I have made thus far; I must win through, regardless of the cost on my physical body; And what is the physical body anyway but a mortal shell that pales in comparison to the discipline of the mental body; I must be firmly rooted in my principles; I must win through." Yes, it was true, he had made some sacrifices (such as cutting ties with grand masters of other martial arts in his efforts to fully incorporate into himself his own teachings), but these sacrifices would soon give way to utter excitement, for he sensed that the time had come. The time had come for his art to spread uncontrollably across the surface of the Zefarian world, and this tournament was key. Tal'On would continue meditating for a good hour and a half until one of his pupils, Vigidor Marksly, entered his private chamber and disturbed his concentration. Tal'On immediately opened his eyes and looked at his pupil. "They're waiting for you, Grandmaster Kepp." Tal'On stood, his face set and demeanor rigid as stone. He spoke but two sentences to his pupil: "Then let us make haste! The harbinger of martial arts reform throughout Zefaria comes at last!" Tal'On followed his pupil out of his training facility and headed toward the melee that was the tournament. The tournament was to be held in the square of Foster Village. The organizers of said tournament had constructed a square ring to hold the combatants. There were three ways to move ahead in the tournament: it had been agreed upon that knocking your foe out of the enclosed square would constitute as victory; and also a combatant could be beaten so badly that the referee could give the match to the other, and lastly one opponent could acknowledge defeat and simply concede. The shouts and cries of the crowd were a little short of defeaning. Vigidor estimated that there had to be at least three hundred people present. Foster Village itself at that time was home to some one-hundred people, and a good majority of them were present for the tournament. Men, women, and children all looked on anxiously as Tal'On Kepp made it to the square ring. Tal'On Kepp showed no emotion as his challenger entered the ring. His first opponent was a man who went by the name of The Dreaded One. He was trained in some foreign art, an art that Tal'On Kepp wasn't familiar with. That, though, didn't matter to Tal'On in the slightest. He knew �that he was going to win. It was something that had stayed with him all through his preparations for the tournament. The Dreaded One entered his stance and Tal'On entered his. The two then began to pace about one another. After a time, The Dreaded One rushed Tal'On and attempted to take him out with an array of punches and kicks, all of which Tal'On blocked or evaded against. Both moved at incredibly fast speeds, though it seemed to some that Tal'On was a step ahead of The Dreaded One. Tal'On's blocking and evasion continued for a time, until Tal'On expertly punched The Dreaded One in his stomach and followed up quickly with a spin kick in the face, The Dreaded One doing an array of spins as a result of the impact. The referee bent over The Dreaded One and discovered that he was unconscious. The match was Tal'On Kepp's. The audience erupted. It was satisfying for Tal'On, though he had yet to express anything other than his stoic, set ways. He knew that he still had two other matches to go, though he could sense victory incredibly close. Tal'On's star pupil, Vigidor Marksly, returned to the side of his master as they watched the fights of the other combatants. There were some that impressed Tal'On, if only slightly. One in particular whom was in the fourth and final first round matchup and whom had taken upon him the name of the one who conceptualized the Toran martial art, Kahn, had garnered Tal'On's attention. Kahn was incredibly fast and proved to be a great showcase for the Toran. That is who I'll have to beat, thought Tal'On Kepp. Only Kahn stands between me and complete victory. Tal'On was trained in many arts, though the Toran wasn't one of them. This, too, did not concern him overly. He knew well of the deficiencies in the other arts, though he could not speak for the Toran. Kahn glanced at Tal'On when he finished off his opponent and bowed low, Tal'On did the same. Tal'On's next opponent was from the country of Chisolom and was nicknamed Igor Neckbreaker, because of his incredible frame. Igor had made it through the first round just as easily as Tal'On did. Again, Tal'On wasn't familiar with the art he was trained in, which went by the name of Ulkar, named after the one who conceptualized it. Again--too--Tal'On wasn't concerned about his lack of knowledge of the martial art Ulkar, but he did �have some reservations about the sheer size of Igor Neckbreaker. Igor was easily seven feet and then some. His arms and legs were massive additions to that hulking mass that was his body. His body was also rife with scars, something that Tal'On took into consideration. He's been in a lot of fights, thought Tal'On to himself. But I must win through. Whoever wins this match will go on to the finals. I must win through. Igor was laughing heavily as Tal'On paced about him. He then looked around at the crowd while pointing at his opponent. "A-he, he, he! Watch me break this here Tal'On Kepp in half!" With those words spoken he rushed after Tal'On, but Tal'On was adept at getting out of hot spots and managed to cartwheel out of the way of Igor. Igor looked at his prey. He was never known for his speed, though his thought process was set: All I have to do is grab ahold of him, and then he's mine, he thought. This time, Igor thought it best to pace about him and go in slowly, and he did just that. After that the two entered into a martial arts display that many thought was some of the best fighting they'd ever seen. Tal'On was fast indeed, but Igor Neckbreaker's brute force was an incredible ally in battle. He wasn't as fast as Tal'On, not by a longshot, but he managed to block some of Tal'On's attacks. Tal'On was getting a little frustrated as to how to dispose of Igor. Igor noticed this and started laughing again. "A-he, he, he! Watch this!" Suddenly, Igor grabbed Tal'On by his sides and placed him in a bear hug. Tal'On was in incredible pain. He cried out as Igor Neckbreaker applied even more pressure to the maneuver. The referee asked Tal'On if he wanted to quit the match. Tal'On immediately said no, though he knew he couldn't stand this much longer. It at first seemed as if his dreams were crushed in an instant, then he gave Igor a headbutt, and another, and another. Igor let go of his opponent, clearly shaken up by Tal'On's antics and Tal'On went on the offensive. He attacked Igor's body with a barrage of punches and kicks to the mid section. Igor continued to stumble and falter. Finally, Tal'On gave Igor a roundhouse kick that sent him out of the enclosed square. He had defeated him. The celebration of the crowd could not be halted. Tal'On was breathing heavily, and he knew that he had faced an incredible challenge in Igor Neckbreaker. Vigidor Marksly came to the aid of his master with water to drink and a wet towel that he used to wipe off the sweat from his face. Tal'On immediately confided in him. "He was a tough one," he said, huffing and puffing. "If it doesn't get much harder than that I'll be one blessed Coasha monk indeed." Tal'On and Vigidor watched the next match as Kahn skillfully dealt with his opponent. It took Kahn less than four minutes to dispose of him with a quick punch in the face followed by a knee in the stomach. The referee had decided that Kahn's opponent could take no more and ruled in favor of Kahn. Everyone erupted from their spots in support of the master of Toran. The final match was set, just as Tal'On had predicted: Tal'On Kepp of Coasha vs. Kahn of the Toran. The participants took their spots in the ring, pacing about each other, each measuring the other up. The audience was eerily quiet. Everyone was on edge, waiting for the first strike to be dealt. Then something happened. The cries of a women reverberated throughout the ears of the combatants and audience members. The combatants and everyone else turned their heads to behold a horde of orcs converging on the people of Foster Village and its guests. The audience scattered like birds disturbed from a meal. The orcs, or warped orcas, converged on the good natured people of the tournament and immediately the martial arts masters went to the aid of the people. Orcs, as a rule, had not warmed up to martial arts like men had, but they were still brutish and intimidating, easily rivaling if not surpassing the size of Igor Neckbreaker. And because of this the orcs even posed some problems for some of the other martial artists, but not Tal'On Kepp, his star pupil Vigidor Marksly, or even Kahn to a certain degree. In fact, Tal'On was going easy on the orcs. He could have easily sent them to their demise, but he had compassion on them, something that his pupil Vigidor Marksly observed and patterned in his own confrontations. After a short while, the martial artists sent the orcs shrieking every-which-way. The people celebrated and returned to their positions to watch the final fight between Tal'On and Kahn. The other martial artists were in awe at how adept Tal'On was at getting rid of the orcs, but none of them would ever admit it openly, with the exception of Kahn. Indeed, they were too set in their own ways to acknowledge a superior fighter when they saw one. But Tal'On was now wholly set on defeating Kahn and entrenching Coasha as the superior martial art in the world. The two paced about one another. Again, an eerie silence had crept over the crowd, as all were in eager anticipation. Finally, after a protracted wait, Kahn rushed his opponent and the two entered into an incredibly fast display of kicks, punches, sidesteps, and blocking maneuvers. Tal'On sidestepped one of Kahn's punches and, with his back facing his opponent, raised his foot up near his shoulder, kicking Kahn in his face. Kahn stumbled backward. Tal'On entered into his stance. Kahn rushed him again and Tal'On went into evasive mode. Nothing Kahn could do seemed to connect. The audience was awe-stricken. Finally, Tal'On uppercutted Kahn into oblivion and just like that Kahn was on his back and bleeding from his lip. Kahn looked at Tal'On from the ground. He then stood up and sized Tal'On up in his mind. I have to be slow and deliberate with him, he thought. Perhaps that will work. Kahn then purposed to move in slowly for the kill. He encircled Tal'On while Tal'On stayed in the same spot. Kahn then proceeded to fake Tal'On out. He acted as if he was going to strike but retracted his attack. He did this several times but Tal'On wasn't fooled by it. Finally, Kahn rushed him again and--like before--Tal'On managed to evade all of his attacks. Finally, Tal'On gave Kahn a swift kick in the stomach that sent him very nearly out of the enclosed structure of the ring. Kahn stood up, and Tal'On could see defeat in his face. "I give up," said Kahn. "I can't defeat him." The audience erupted into handclaps and riotous celebration. The referee raised Tal'On's hand in victory. His star pupil came to his side and raised Tal'On's other hand. Tal'On, though, remained characteristically stoic throughout all of this. He then bowed low to Kahn and Kahn did the same. After a lengthy celebration people began to disperse. Some were going back to their homes in Foster Village and others were going to farer places. But a good twenty people stayed to talk with Tal'On about Coasha. Kahn and many of the other marial arts masters did not stick around to receive instruction, but Tal'On was satisfied. Tal'On smiled at those who wanted to seek instruction and said simply the following: "Come then, and I will teach you the secrets of the Coasha martial art." Everyone gathered around him, all eager to hear the great master's teachings. And that was the beginning of the fostering of that great martial art we call Coasha throughout the land of Zefaria. ������ ������
Copyright © 2004 Michael Harris |