Shaking his head, Jiro wiped vampire bits from his fist - again- as he emerged blinking into the light. "Sorry I took so long. I'll take the fire pits for round two."

Standing next to Alex, he looked into said pits, mind working to guess what he'd find there. "I got another blasted vampire. What'd they throw at you?"

Alex looks at Jiro and smiles. "Glad to see you made it out okay! A Vampire huh? A lot of those wandering around this town are there?" She says with a roll of her eyes.

"I fought a massive frog with poison skin. I was tripping out for a bit there, but I managed to shake it off and flush it. Broke my purse, but they were kind enough to fish my bowling ball out of there and give it back to me. I think I'm going to get another one, I was throwing frogs at the Frog after I tossed it. Watcha think?"

She lightly tosses the ball to Jiro.

The ball has been dried off, but when Jiro catches it, he discovers that it was not perfectly water tight and leaks all over his hand.

It is very, very cold.

Jiro sighed, and tossed the ball back to Alex. "Ah well. I suppose something like this was inevitable." She turns to the Guide. "Any chance I could get some tea or hot water or something before the next challenge?"

Like he's gonna agree to that. Unless you give him a good reason... GAH! NO! BAD BRAIN, don't put those kind of ideas in my head... Jiro shuddered. I am not about to use myself as a sex object to try and get an advantage here. I'll just gut this out, if he won't provide some hot water.

...Even if he is handsome. Not worth it.

Alex slaps both hands over her mouth and her eyes go wide. "Sorry... Sorry... I I wasn't thinking. Oh no. uhh..."

The guide seems nonplussed by the sudden change. "Regrettably, I may offer you nothing during the Second Test."

He turns to face Alex. "You have completed two of the challenges. The fire challenge has been selected by your comrade. What challenge will you face next?"

"Uhhh... I was thinking about the fire myself but... I guess the one with all the bridges should be fine." She says, still distressed by her accident. She keeps looking at, then away from the girl standing where Jiro had been.

Then an idea strikes her. "Wait... fire. Hot. Fire is hot!"

She turns to face Jiro. "Fire is hot!" she says excitedly, as though this is a major revelation. "Here, take my towel! Never leave home without a towel!"

She hands the dripping mass to Jiro.

Jiro's smile is toothy. That might just work. "Thanks, this ought to come in handy."

She turns to the guide. "If you can't give me anything, you can't give me anything. I understand." She drapes the towel across her shoulders. "I'm ready to face this challenge." She glanced towards Alex. "As for the fire... playing to our strengths. I think I'm more agile than you, so I shouldn't fall into the magma-" I hope "-so I figure I'm our best bet for that one."

Taking a moment, she concentrated her ki into healing her injuries. "Merciful Spirit's Grasp."

As the doors open, She gives her companion one more glance. "See you on the other side."

[OOC: Even with the -2 rank penalty from being transformed, I get +12 to my recovery check with the healing array. Recovering my bruises.]
This message was last edited by the player at 03:02, Sat 12 Feb 2011.

Once again the pair are lead to their respective challenges.

The wood arena is a series of broken bridges over what looks to be a very, very long drop. Far longer then it looked from the outside. Where Alex is standing looks solid, but the rest of the bridges are... unreliable looking. There are growths of wood through the area, blocking some of the easier jumps.

The first thing to occur to Jiro is that it's hot in here. Sweat starts pouring down his face the moment he steps into the room, and the towel heats up enough to change him back very swiftly. The Fire Arena is 30 ft in diameter. The walls are smooth mostly and there are a couple large islands that can hold two people and several others smaller islands that can only fit one person.

Both arenas appear to be otherwise unoccupied at the moment.

[OOC: Every minute (10 rounds) you are going to need to make Fort saves to resist the heat. I will list the DC at the time.

http://i314.photobucket.com/al...cts/WoodArenaMap.jpg
DC 15 acrobatics check to leap from one to another, thanks to the poor footing and needing to avoid doing a George of the Jungle.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:24, Sat 12 Feb 2011.

Smirking, Jiro wipes the first beads of sweat from his brow. "That worked better than it had a right to," he says, giving the towel a tug. "Now, what's my challenge here..."

He bounds easily from the door to one of the platforms large enough for two, eyes pealed as he watches for any danger.

[OOC: Skill Mastery is a wonderful thing. Taking 10 on notice to watch for company, too.]

Alex walks out and looks around. "Alright, we have trees. Lots and lots of trees. All we need a bunch of rocks and this will feel like home. Hmmm... maybe a lake to, but that would just be a bonus."

"Now what?"

Jiro lands at the same moment that three heavy looking metal crates fall from the ceiling. Two of them land on the small islands, while the third misses and splashes down into the lava. It starts to slowly sink, and Jiro can hear screaming coming from inside.

The crate is just about within reach of an island.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:41, Sat 12 Feb 2011.

This is a very bad idea, Jiro thought as he bounded between islands, heading for the sinking crate. As he reached the closest island, he pulls the towel from where it sits across his neck and shoulders and grabs one end of it, spinning it over head, and whips it at the crate, trying to get it caught on one of the corners or edges.

[OOC: trying to snag the box. 19:49, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 29 using 1d20+10.   If this snags it, I'll try to pull it into reach, and from there onto the island.]

In a masterful display of skill, Jiro pulls the box right up to the edge of the island. From the screaming and the way it is rocking, there is somebody quite distressed in there. He will need to do something to get it out of the lava, the bottom of the box is starting to glow.

Jiro can also hear the sounds of beginning panic coming from the other two boxes.

Jiro tries to get a grip on the box and pull it up, but cannot do so - it's heavier than he first guessed.

Swearing, he starts to look the crate over for anything like a catch or handle.

[OOC: 19:57, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 15 using 1d20+3. Strength Check to pull the box up here.

Looking over the box as well.
20:00, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 27 using 1d20+12. notice check.]

The answer to Alex's question comes swiftly. Lifted by swiftly growing tree limbs, two wood cages rise from the depths. Inside are a pair of panicked looking people, one a man, the other a woman. They are wrapped tight by vines and are unable to open their mouths. The make muffled noises of distress.

The cages come to rest on two small platforms. There would only barely be enough room to stand on there with them.

[OOC: Alex is on F4. The two cages are on A7 and I11.]

Jiro can tell that the box has been sealed. He can see faint welds around the edges of the box that have been polished out. The metal box is rocking back and forth harder now, as though the person inside is throwing itself against the walls.

[OOC: That was round 3]
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:05, Sat 12 Feb 2011.

"Kuso!" he swears, seeing the welds. I'm running out of time to do this fancy. Hell with it.

Shifting his ki, he took aim at one of the welds on the top edge and lashed out with a knife-hand strike. "Fist of the Oni!"

[OOC: Fist of teh Oni aimed at the weld sealing the top of the box, not using the knockback. 20:08, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 30 using 1d20+10. trying to crack the boxtop off.]
This message was last edited by the player at 04:10, Sat 12 Feb 2011.

Ki. The vital force of the universe. With it, one could do amazing things. Leap vast distances, heal deadly wounds, inflict terrible harm.

Open boxes.

The side of the box just shatters under the force of the blow. Inside is a older, slightly overweight woman in tattered business casual clothing. Her shoes are smoking, and it looks like they will burn through in moments.

She doesn't wait for this to happen, throwing herself at her rescuer, not taking into the account he is standing on a very, very small island in a lava flow.

[OOC: Round 4. Make a DC 20 acrobatics check to catch her and avoid falling in the Lava. Yes, I know you can't fail. Roleplay it.]

Jiro grabs the woman even as she leaps, and gets a good hold on her. Doing his best to steady her, he steps back as much as he can, taking a steady stance, and helps her stand. "Steady there, ma'am. I have you. How'd you wind up in there?"

The words were more to calm her than anything else. He had a fairly good idea, and his blood boiled because of it. Damned Triad scum, endangering an innocent bystander just to 'test' me. They'll pay for this.

The need to get her to a larger island was obvious - this one was just plain too small. "Ma'am, I have to move us to one of the larger islands. Forgive my hands." So saying, he scoops her up, and starts back to one of the big spots. "My name is Jiro Koji," he began, trying to distract her once more, "What's yours?"

[OOC: 20:40, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 27 using 1d20+13. grappling the woman to carry her to relative safety]

"I'm Janet. The last thing I remember I was eating a late dinner at a little place in Chinatown, then I woke up in a metal box that was burning up. Thank you for getting me out of there." The woman appears to be wilting in the heat. "Where the hell are we?"

She pauses, looks around again, and starts gibbering. "I'm in hell, aren't I? This is hell! It has to be. I ate some bad fish and now my soul has been damned to eternity... OH GOD! WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME!" She falls to her knees as she yells the last.

Jiro spots some movement under the surface of the lava. There is something down there.
[OOC: Round 5]

"Please, Janet-san, calm yourself." Lava creatures. Goodie. Okay, I need to move fast. "I am not leaving you, but there are others who need my aid in here. One moment."

So saying, he bounds across the islands to another box, raises a ki-charged hand, and brings it down in a knife-hand strike to break the top off it.

[OOC: Array is in ki focus. 09:20, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 18 using 1d20+12. ki strike to open box. Just want to crack it open.

Janet doesn't acknowledge Jiro, she just keeps going in the same manner.

Landing on top of the box, Jiro smashes the lid open. Inside is a kid, about six or seven years old. "Help me Mister! I need to find my mommy!"

Any response Jiro has to this is interrupted by a snakelike humanoid rising out of the lava and throwing a bronze trident at him.

[OOC: 16:27, Today: Gamemaster rolled 29 using 1d20+10. Attacking Jiro.
DC 21 toughness save.]

The thing's trident struck him, but glanced off his skin. Jiro swore, lept to another island - one AWAY from the small, vulnerable child. "Stay down!"

Planting his feet, he took aim at the creature. The last box will have to wait a moment. His hands glowing with blue energy, he lashed out. "Wrathful Kami's Shout!"

[OOC: toughness check first. 17:21, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 14 using 1d20+10. toughness save.

17:21, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 23 using 1d20+10. toughness save HERO POINT REROLL.


17:24, Today: Jiro Koji rolled 26 using 1d20+8. blasting the salamander. DC 25 toughness check if that hits.

The blue bolt strikes the monster dead center and forces it under the lave. Jiro doesn't know if it is hurt or dead, but it isn't acting at the moment.

Wiping his brow, Jiro takes a deep breath. They heat was really oppressive here.

[OOC: Round 7
21:04, Today: Gamemaster rolled 19 using 1d20+6. Toughness Save. ]