With the two remaining members of the expedition sorted, I turned my focus to the spar. To say my engagements with things at the Corporeal Limit had gone pleasantly would be the biggest lie of the century, but I hoped to at least get a better scope of the power available to someone at that level. If I got thrown on my ass, then the discourse upon reaching the Zebelos territory would carry an air of inferiority. While Filomena had forced my hand out of neutrality, I would be damned if I represented our efforts as lesser than the Ocalans.

When we took spots opposite each other, I could tell the woman had been properly chastised. Her grandfather looked on, disapproving, as the members of the Zebelos Family leaned back against my hasty building. Our expedition had formed a loose circle, exchanging comments about our potential performance and how likely I was to actually lose.

Tuning all of that out, I set Fievil down next to Blobby. Being without the Mana Shard weapon left me feeling empty in a way I had a hard time describing. I could still feel our connection like an invisible stretching cord, but that just made me want to reach out and snag it more. Nevertheless, I didn't feel confident in using Fievil in what was ostensibly a spar; everything about my Soulbound weapon was just too deadly.

I rolled my shoulders and met Filomena's eyes. "How much pain are we setting the win at?"

"You think you can make me submit?" The woman asked, crossing her arms. "Then let's set it at that. Tap out or knock out. Wouldn't want to hurt you too bad big boy."

"I can handle a little rough housing," I said.

"Magic or no magic?"

I gave her an odd look. I'd clearly seen magic on her, but she wasn't Fallen. Look Fallen at the least. Then again, I didn't know as much as I should have about what Traits changed the Fallen as much as they did while growing up. Opting for the 'your preference' option she chose no magic. I wasn't sure if she wanted to show me up somehow or was worried after all my casual casting displays, but I was somewhat curious what my body could manage especially after Quake Osseum got fed.

Radolfo took a neutral position between the both of us, sighing as he did. "As your duel terms have been set, we will begin. Victory for recognition between Filomena Zebelos of the Zebelos Family and Ronan..."

"Terrigan of Earth," I provided for the old man.

"Terrigan... of Earth," he repeated. I didn't miss the odd look at my choice of title. "May the result not tarnish the potential bonds between our factions."

Oddly specific wording. I wonder if this is a common thing in Ocala, I mused.

"Begin."

I barely had time to bring my hands down to block Filomena's opening hit. My eyes narrowed as my forearms took the blow easily, but I could see she hadn't been as injured as I would have expected. Still injured, though.

"I forgot why I hated fighting the clansmen so much," I heard her mumble before her hands and legs started to change right before my eyes. She slipped out of her laceless shoes almost daintily before her feet turned into scaled and taloned weapons. Her fists ballooned to twice their original size and received a similar coating of maroon scales. Her grin widened, revealing a mouth full of fangs that hadn't been there a second ago.

So much for not looking like a Fallen...

That was all the time I had for frivolous thought as the woman launched herself at me. The difference was immediate, each punch was strong enough to set all of my Traits off and still deal damage. Hoping to get a better picture of her abilities, I set a slow dance around her while I deflected her attacks with my larger physique. Her Mobility was much higher than mine, likely in the range of what Daniela could muster, but my Perception let me leverage my own speed effectively. Whether a twitch of position giving me a direction for a lunge or a flick of the eyes towards her next attempt at a body shot, my eyes and vibro were up to the task. Unfortunately, she was just sending that many blows in my direction and one slipped through my guard.

Her large fist caught me high on the ribs. While I knew for certain the blow was going to bruise, I couldn't stop myself and giggled. Mortified, I brought my hand up to my mouth to stifle it. Filomena capitalized on my opening, laying into me with the fury of her Attunement. A slight smoky smell drifted up from my clothes and damage flashed up on my Health... but I could hardly register it between the cackles erupting from me and disrupting my breathing. When I finally managed to get a breath in, I rolled away from the woman before I could get stunned in place.

Quake Osseum (26%) > (31 [69]%)

"Oh for hydroponics sake," I ground out, suppressing the urge to chuckle. I'd never been a ticklish person and here we were in a serious bit of combat and I had to lose my marbles.

A scan of our makeshift crowd proved just how embarrassing a display I was providing. Daniela buried her face in her hands and Samuel had turned around as if that would erase his connection to me. Jolene and Billy looked utterly confused. The Fists weren't being nearly as circuitous with their feelings and two of them were rolling on the ground, laughing for themselves. Igor was the only one looking even slightly mortified.

"Do you think this is a joke!?" Filomena snarled, drawing my eye back to where she was prowling. While her attacks were decidedly human, her movement and posture felt animalistic.

"I've had some recent developments that constrained me," I responded vaguely. "Trust that I don't find you a person to mock."

"I'll make sure of that!" Filomena shouted, the scales crawling further up her arms to her elbows. Ridges of bone appeared there and something told me they'd put the fangs of the Haze Wolf we fought long ago to shame.

She blurred the next moment and I knew pain was incoming. Having read a bit into her direction, I covered my chest as much as I could as her fist landed. A twentieth of my health flashed away as heat permeated beyond the pain of the blow. I watched as the force rippled back along her fist as if in slow motion before she backed away.

I rolled back, flexing my hands to get Slurry Ichor pumping. The heat of the blow quickly lessened, but spread through me like a poor man's coolant. Resigning myself to the pounding and embarrassment that would follow, I knew what plan of action I needed to take. Tanking was what I did best and it was past due that I used it offensively.

Her follow up blow came and I braced, flame flickering in her eye as she feigned directions like she'd done earlier in the fight. Her speed was a frightening weapon and her fire inducing blows made up for their individual weakness. So, I opened up my flank by swinging my arm back. Her fist rattled my ribcage, my slightly augmented vibrosense nearly caused me to fumble the plan as my brain was overwhelmed by ripples of force, but thankfully my body knew what to do. The arm I'd drawn back collapsed on her own like a bear trap.

Her bone spurs drew blood on my arm, but I leaned into them for grip even as my body succumbed to a fit of giggles. Filomena wasn't idle, however, and her other fist found my stomach and face a handful of times which just added to my laughter. The gritty taste of my Ichor filled my mouth as vibrosense went wild. A slightly unintended effect of making physical contact with the scaly woman via my insides was that my reverberating sensory Trait suddenly extended into her.

There was too much information, but the static mess that was my mind was able to discern the incoming fist by yelling not-your-body-frequency in the most convoluted way. My other arm wrapped around the incoming fist and Slurry Ichor surged to my fingers. Locked in place by both of her hands, Filomena half-jumped to knee me in the chest. Bloody laughter sprayed from my mouth at the blow, but I did a little jump of my own in response.

While I would give the woman the benefit of the doubt in being able to respond to a grapple effectively, I was certain she'd never grappled with a giggling man bleeding mud all over her. Almost certain anyhow, since the world had gone weird in the anatomical realm. As it was, when I used my prodigious Strength to lift the both of us almost two feet off the ground, she could only gape as all 300+ pounds of my body pancaked her to the earth.

Quake Osseum (31%) > (39 [61]%)

Even as I giggled and watched my health dip below 70% from my own rough landing, vibrosense sent one clear note into my brain: the sound of cracked ribs. Hoping to disable, not kill, I merely hugged the woman with arms and legs. Her lungs finally filled with a modicum of air and she gasped painfully. The claws on her arms and legs pierced my Limestone Skin easily, covering her yet again in my Ichor, but I refused to let go. A surge of heat coalesced beneath me and I let go just in time to have a wave of fire pulse out of her and into my chest. The force sent my Trait tingling again, but the robbed air from my lungs thankfully left me coughing rather than laughing.

"Serious enough for you?" I rasped, voice raw from the strangest trifecta I could recall: my Ichor, fire and laughter.

"Ayyyyy," Filomena groaned as she slumped where I'd grappled her. Samuel rushed over to me, but I waved him away towards the woman. He hesitated for a moment, but he got the message when we locked eye to eyes. When did she block this one? I felt at the swollen brow on my left eye and winced as it came away gritty with blood.

A side glance at my Status showed and besides the 68% Health. It was a vivid reminder that even without magic, getting to Q6 meant something if only for the Traits. Why these seemingly more established groups didn't have more was a question I planned to have answered.

When Fowler and the Cloth Muscle healer rushed forward to help, I waved them away again. The robed man gave me a weird look, one that clearly screamed that I was trying to put on a strong front, but I ignored it. Instead I took a knee and breathed through the pain suffusing my body; it was already getting numbed as my blood coagulated and my passive regeneration kicked in.

Before long, the three healers backed away from the fiery woman. Her glare was still solidly placed on her face, but there was what could only be recognized as a smidgeon of respect in her gaze. She wasn't able to hold eye contact for too long.

"As breached by her use of magic, Filomena Zebelos has forfeited this match!" Radolfo said, clearing his throat to remind everyone present that there was someone actually officiating the duel. "Honor and recognition to... The people of Earth."

While the old Zebelos didn't stumble over his words, the phrasing of what was clearly a practiced thing seemed to give him pause. It was an interesting blunder that resulted from my choice of title and it solidified my plan to use it should a duel arise again. My efforts weren't just for me alone, or even for the people of the Allied Towns. It was a happy coincidence that my Attunement also happened to be earth.

"I suppose this one serves well enough," Filomena drawled. Her brother appeared in a blip of lightning for all but a second, but the 'twack' to her head was enough to draw silence from everyone present. For my part, I couldn't help but see myself in the boy. Sam and I were always the ones cashing the checks Daniela didn't have the means to pay. With an organic laugh, I drew the eyes of our expedition and the Zebelos.

"Glad to meet your oh so high standards," I said, rising to my feet and grimacing as all my aches flared with the motion. Note to self, being still seemed to make my Traits more active.

"Our offer still stands, if you are willing?" Old Zebelos said, stepping forward after placing a hand on his granddaughter's shoulder. I didn't know if it was to prevent another outburst or in support of her, but I appreciated the gesture regardless.

"We agreed before. A friendly exchange of... Pointers doesn't change anything."

"I'm glad. We can head back in a few moments. Let you have some time to recover," he said, nodding slightly before tugging Filomena away with what could only be Quotient-restored Strength. The man had to be in his eighties!

"Glad to see you are a man of your word," Daniela joked as she drew closer. Her hand was poised to slap me on the back.

"Get Sam over here, please," I said, smiling politely at the backs of the Cloth Muscles. She paused, a quip on her tongue, but she seemed to notice the burns on my face and the still bleeding gash on my arm that my Ichor hadn't plugged.

Her face drew into a frown, and she snapped her fingers. A small spark of fire flashed in front of Samuel who was talking to Fowler. The blond blinked in surprise, eyes immediately darting around for a threat until he saw Danny flagging him down. I could have used the comm-plants but, as my own absentmindedness proved, if people weren't trying to be cognizant then 'traditional' communication worked faster.

Samuel didn't even finish making his way to me before vines sprouted from the ground to search out my wounds. His combined use of and once again providing relief before the man and his creepy nerve filaments could begin to examine me. As usual, I bore the experience as well as I could but when he probed my chest I couldn’t help but giggle.

Quake Osseum (39%) > (44 [56]%)

I really hope that ticklishness goes away once I finish assimilating this Trait...

Despite my internal thoughts and the shallow, but extensive, set of injuries on me, Samuel had me healed in a few minutes. He avoided some of the lighter injuries in favor of avoiding the Affliction, but I felt combat-ready and that was more than enough. It was possible that the Zebelos were luring us to a trap, but my mana was completely recovered and I knew that was the deadliest thing about me.

As I shrugged off the stiffness my Ichor left in my body when I strained it, I plucked Fievil from the ground. The motion was smooth, the weight almost immediately Ballasting to my legs as I secured the axe-hammer to my back with . My tower shield fit easily over it. Blobby poked me on the leg, forming a two pronged appendage that resembled a thumbs up. Smiling, I gave the large slime a pat and joined the rest of the expedition.

"Need a tissue?" Igor asked, mouth wide around his tusks in a grin.

"No, but now I think I need a shower," I said, returning the expression. "Are-- gug!"

A deluge blasted me across the face. It was only for a handful of seconds but my injuries and clothes were given the turbo wash cycle before I had the chance to do much. When the water eventually abated, I glared at the source. Looking much too satisfied with her actions, Jolene sauntered away in the direction the Ocalans had gone. Daniela cackled, striding up to the woman and interlocking elbows. Some of the Wild Fists chuckled until I leveled my eyes in their direction. The only one that didn't wilt was Igor, who chuckled and followed after the two women.

"You are much cleaner," Sam said, smirk clear as day. "Give your shield a few hits, I'm sure you'll dry out by the time we get to the city."

With that, I was left alone with Blobby. "I'm starting to see a pattern here." The slime twisted in confusion, producing a set of humanoid shoulders just to shrug them and follow after the group. Fievil seemed to agree.

Grumbling the whole way around the building I'd constructed, I saw that the Ocalans were gathered back on the road heading north. I swept some of the water out of my wild hair and joined the group. Radolfo was talking with Daniela, the latter likely expounding on any number of embarrassing stories if the small smile and glances my way were any indication; she could talk crap faster than she could move. I wasn't even two minutes behind.

"Glad to see you back to a better condition," the man said politely, not pointing out the water still dripping off of me.

"Not a problem. You always have to be ready for the unexpected in the wilds," I said, glancing at Jolene before focusing on the man.

"Indeed... speaking of the unexpected, I didn't know you meant to trade with us," he said, gesturing to the stack of Materials and Infusions that Billy had been lugging around after the spar was decided.

"We... uh... had a nice reel in at the river," I said, coughing to cover my embarrassment as Zebelo smiled at the young elf. He didn't seem at all bothered by his Afflicted Trait --despite his apparent misgivings about the Breakers-- and I knew there was yet another thing we might learn from the Ocalans.

"Of course. The Torrent gives much to our city and it seems we were underestimating its scope of generosity. A clear shortsight, since an entire people lived just beyond it."

"Hopefully we can remedy our... informational deficits."

"I sincerely hope so."