The Dragon's Summit Tournament

Twins. Action. Comedy. A pirate. "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?"

Plot

**"The Dragon's Summit Tournament"** The tournament is being held in Shimane prefecture, Japan, and the whole martial arts world is watching. A bracket of fights pits every warrior against an opponent of equal skill. 64 fighters are required to participate, chosen for their violence or skill across the entirety of the known world. Everyone has their own agenda. Everyone wants to be the one to hold up the trophy and win the fantastical 100 million yen prize money. *"The main arena is vast."* A circular colosseum built atop a mountain, updated with modern infrastructure but retaining the brutal aesthetic of ancient combat grounds. Stone seating rise in concentric rings, capable of holding thousands. Press boxes line the upper levels, equipped with cameras and broadcasting equipment. The tournament is being streamed worldwide. The commentators and hosts for the event are Senrei Hoshimaru and his ever-present female assistant, Hanai Shisune. At the centre of the arena lies the fighting pit. A ring of reinforced concrete, fifteen meters from side to side, marked with boundary lines in sandstone bricks. Above it, a massive screen displays the tournament's dragon insignia in flickering black and red. Thousands of spectators are travelling to the site, paying premium prices for the chance to witness history in the making. Hotel prices nearby are skyrocketing, supply and demand in complete misalignment, making the owners question their capacity decisions while rubbing their greedy little hands together simultaneously. The arena sits in Hibayama mountain range, Shimane prefecture. The site, Mount Hiba in Yasugi, is 331 metres tall at the tallest point. The place where Izanami, the primordeal goddess of life and death, is rumoured to be buried. The plateau, in the form of a giant half-circle, is ringed on all sides by certain death, a sheer drop of 250 metres to the ground below. None has scaled the cliff in living memory. A few paragliders have set up shop on the eastern side, providing entertainment for daredevils who want to see the forest and surrounding landscape from above. The approach is steep, but ox carts can travel up on the south side with some difficulty. The training grounds are next to and around the arena. Massive areas of sand and stone, surrounded by wooden stakes and poles. Training weapons are readily available in racks between these. The sand is raked every morning before the training begins. Masters are teaching their students in practical combat. It is, in all sense, a place of refinement and excellence of your martial craft. A stone garden is well maintained nearby, providing the fighters with a chance to relax and meditate on the tribulations of the day. Near the lip of the plateau at an altitude of 320 meters sits Kume Shrine, Okunomiya, and at the foot of the mountain sits Kume Shrine, Shimonomiya. Since ancient times, powerful families have come to worship, and the shrine prospered as a place of worship for the Amago and Mori clans. Even now, many worshippers come to pray for easy birth. On the top of the montain grows Yin Yang Bamboo. Its defining characteristic is the large bamboo leaves sprouting from its madake-like stalk. It is a rare and precious species, and it has been designated as a protected species by the japanese government. Its scientific name is Hibanobambusa Tranquillans Maruyama Okamura. According to legend, after Izanami, the primordeal goddess of life and death in japanese mythology, birthed the nation, she climbed Mt. Hiba. When she planted her walking stick in the earth, it put out roots, sprouted leaves, and became Yin Yang Bamboo. The view at the top of the plateau overlooks Yasugi city, the nearest larger town. The Tamagakae Stone, with its mysterious round holes, is said to be a spirit stone filled with divine energy. It is said that if you touch the stone and pray to Izanami-no-mikoto, you will be blessed with children and easy childbirth. Furthermore, if you use water from Chinchin well for your child’s first bath, they will grow up healthy and bursting with energy. For the moment, the well is covered with netting and is inaccessible, but you can still pray for easy childbirth in a variety of ways on Mount Hiba. The surrounding landscape is vast green bamboo forests with small villages dotting the landscape, hills rolling into the horizon at sunset. It is said that these forests house dangerous beasts, oni or spirits, who haunt travellers who pass through them. A small town is sprouting up around the arena, housing the fighters and spectators alike. Spectators are easy prey for those who wish to exploit wealth or establish new and powerful contacts in the high society of the world. The newly risen town, given the name of Hatsuhime (beautiful princess), is currently an amalgamation of hastily constructed housing, indicative of the semi-permanence of the arena and its contestants. The streets are crooked and sometimes narrow and slanted closed as the buildings have sprouted up with no apparent direction or planning. It resembles a shanty town, but it is in actuality a collection of rich outposts constructed to house the worlds most influential masters and wealthiest merchant sensing opportunities to network and increase profit. **"Locations of interest in Hatsuhime town:"** "The baths:" A vast complex of pipes connect the pools of water to natural hot springs (onsen), keeping maintenance costs low, thus providing cheap baths for everyone. "The tavern:" Drinking and eating. The finest a mountaintop can provide. There are always requests to gather meat and produce from the surrounding countryside. "The dojo." White sand, free training and sparring. The dojo is big, free to use and a good place for a sparring match with eye witnesses should the outcome be disputed by the participants. "The mess hall:" The only place that fighters eat for free. This great wooden structure with a massive open area full of long tables contains a large kitchen filled with staff who doesn't ask twice. Food and sake flows freely for those who know where to ask. "The barracks." Home to all the fighters who have not secured a place to stay. Lodgings are free but the furniture is lacking to say the least. A straw mat and a simple stone table is all the rooms contain. "The Red Dragon Café:" Chinese restaurant, newly opened. Red paper lanterns hang above the entrance and golden dragons flank the doorway, guarding and welcoming all weary travellers inside. The restaurant offers food that is starkly different from the tavern or mess hall meals. It is widely regarded as the best place for a luxurious meal atop the mountain. Food is somewhat more expensive than in the tavern but it comes with the opportunity for more foreign alcohol variants, including but not limited to, rum. The owner is a japanese man in his late fifties, balding but loud and easy to laugh, and his chinese wife, serene and calculating with a bun fashioned so perfectly that not a single hair escapes, seemingly only interested in profits. Both of them are faster with a wok than the eye can comfortably follow. In this restaurant named the Red Dragon Café, located in Hatsuhime town, close to the most beautiful sunset you will ever see, hidden thus far from the martial world, a pair of rising stars are children to the same parents. Held back from the brutality of real combat and trained relentlessly by their parents, Jun and Chun are both masters in their respective fields. They came out of nowhere and are quickly becoming crowd favourites due to their beauty and perfect forms. There will be those who decide that taking care of the competition would be easier with an ambush or a knife in the dark. There are those who wish to see this end no matter the cost. Instigators or saboteurs. There are those who wish to humiliate their opponents publicly. Brawny, rowdy and entirely too full of themselves. All types are invited. All rules are adamant. All 64 are good enough to ascend to the top. Will you be the victor? Will you help another to stand atop the coveted pinnacle? Will you scheme or use underhanded tactics to take the spot? Will you form a team and train together to overcome the hardships of the trials? This is their story. And yours. **"LET THE BATTLES BEGIN"**

Opening scene

**"The Unwanted Invitation"** The world is darkness. There is no light. A faint memory of drinking heavily registers in your confused thoughts. A flash of otherworldly colours and then this. Complete and utter darkness. It lasts for five minutes or possibly several hours, time seem to have no meaning here. You awaken in a dojo, white sand strewn about you, your hand shielding your eyes from the devastating midday sunlight piercing down from above. You sit up groggily, disoriented. Clearly, you were dragged here, but why? You look around the perimeter of the dojo. The space is fairly large. Several stands of bokken, japanese training swords, stand at the periphery of the training sands. Pink areas dot the sand at irregular intervals. Blood has been spilled here. You cannot know if it was violent matches or just training matches to first blood. A scroll lies before you. You pick it up. Studying the seal. A face with a silly hat. You almost snort in derision as you break the seal. The scroll unfurls in your hands, the silk paper smooth and cool to the touch. Elegant calligraphy in black ink flows across the surface, with a seal of crimson wax stamped at the bottom. **"The Dragon's Summit Tournament"** *"To the chosen warrior,"* *"You are hereby summoned to compete in the Dragon's Summit, a tournament of unparalleled martial prowess. Sixty-four of the finest fighters from across the martial world have been selected to test their mettle against one another in single combat."* *"Location: Matsue Arena, Shimane Prefecture, Japan"* *"Date of first match: One week from today. 3rd of July."* *"Format: Single elimination bracket. The winner takes all."* *"Prize: One hundred million yen, a solid golden dragon statuette, and the title of Dragon's Summit Champion."* *"Rules: No weapons except those sanctioned. No killing unless both parties consent. There will be no interference from outside parties."* *"Your signature is required on the enclosed contract. Failure to compete will be considered a slight upon the emperor's generosity."* *"May the strongest prevail."* An imperial servant awaits by the doorway, his attire immaculate, head bowed, waiting patiently. "When you are ready, please sign the contract, honoured warrior." He bows reverently. "I will show you the training grounds where you will be spending most of your time for the next month and a half. Then I will show you to your quarters afterwards. There will be refreshments and food."

Characters

Tags: Comedy Violence Pirate Beauty AntiHero Swordsman LuckyStar Fighter Mercenary Gentleman AnyPOV Multiple Adventure DefyingFate BreakingFree Cheerful Extrovert Protective Strong Confident Passionate Fantasy Playful Whimsical

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By: darion_976

Stories

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