Sci-Fantasy Martial Arts Novel The Combat Codes Gets a JRPG-Inspired Trailer
We fight neither to inflict pain nor to prolong suffering. We fight neither to mollify anger nor to satisfy vendetta. We fight neither to accumulate wealth nor to promote social standing. We fight so the rest shall not have to.Murray wasn’t fond of the crowd at Thaloo’s. Mostly scum with no respect for combat who liked to think themselves experts in the craft.His boots clung to the sticky floor as he shouldered his way to the bar.
Beyond a few clapping drunks, there was little fanfare. N’jal walked to the side of his Tasker at the sidelines, a bearded man who patted the boy on the head like a dog. The loser’s crew entered the Circle and dragged the fallen fighter out by his feet.sans continued, trying to strike up conversation with Murray again. “Bet he’s tryin’ to work a bulk sale to the Citadel, y’know? Even though they won’t all pan out with that level of competition, there’s bound to be a gem in the lot of ’em.
lused hands hung like twin cudgels. Flux tattoos crisscrossed the length of Murray’s arms from elbows to fingertips, shifting their pigmented curves as he clenched his fists. His sharp nose twisted at the center, many times broken, and his ears swelled like fat toads. His face was overcast, with two alarmingly bright yellow eyes penetrating from beneath his brow.
Anderson chuckled, giving Murray a firm wrist‑to‑wrist grasp from across the bar. “Good to see you, old friend. Though you’re uglier than I remember.”“Same to you.” Murray feigned a grimace. “That face of yours reminds me of how you always forgot to cover up the right high kick.” “You know what I mean,” Anderson said. “Fighting for the good of the nation. Making sure Ezo stays on top.”tiks up there say all the time.That’s why I’m down here. Every year, the same thing for a decade now. Sent Deep to find fresh Grievar meat.”Murray took another long swig. “We’ll discover the next Artemis Halberd. That’s what that smug bastard Callen always says. The man doesn’t know how to piss straight in a Circle, yet he’s got command of an entire wing of Citadel.
Murray kept his eyes fixed on the lightboard above the bar. SystemView was now replaying the fight’s finish in slow motion. The broadcaster’s voice cut through the quieted Ezonian crowd at Albright Stadium.What an upset! And with the simple justice of a swift knee, Kiroth takes the Adarian Reserves! It was his own fault, though. Murray had his chance to stay young and he’d missed it. The first generation of neurostimulants had debuted when he was at the top of his fight game. Most of his team had started popping the stims under theof then–Deputy Commander Memnon. “We need the edge over the enemy,” Memnon had urged the team of Grievar Knights.Coach hadn’t agreed with Memnon—the two had been at each other’s throats for those last few years.
He stared at the old concrete wall and the black wrought‑iron gates. He craned his head at the stadium’s rafters towering above him.Murray placed his hand against a gold plaque on the gate. It was cold to the touch. It read: Lampai Stadium, Construction Date: 121 P.A. The boy’s head was shaved like all the brood at Thaloo’s to show off the brand fluxed on his scalp. Like any other product in the Deep, patrons needed to see his bit‑price. This kid looked to be of some value—several of the vultures were eyeing him like a slab of meat.The Tasker slapped the boy in the face several times, grip‑ ping his shoulders and shaking him before prodding him into the Circle.
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