Raymus had only come to Magnolia but had managed to find a room just for himself to stay in. It was fairly lucky he thought. It was relatively clean and had a comfy bed. Raymus was still in bed having a dream, well nightmare. In it he was before his family, on all fours being critiqued about how much of a useless son he was. Even after being given a second chance.

Raymus stooped to pick up a towel, wiping it across his brow before releasing his grip on it and allowed it to flop back down onto his shoulder. He gritted his teeth before padding the width of the room, trying to rile himself up again. Beads of perspiration glistened on his bare chest, until of course he ran the towel across them.

He’d been training relentlessly since he’d been permitted to join the blue pegasus’s Magical knights, and though he was presently a bottom feeder in terms of rank, soon he’d make his move, and shoot through the ranks, until he was at a point he was happy with. There was no telling what rank that would be though, but if it meant becoming the head of blue pegasus, then so be it, he wasn’t going to be deterred.

To start his training, he was trying to improve his physical form, make himself stronger, which would feed his magic, at least on a subconscious level. Moreover, it would compensate for his somewhat weak magic at this point in time. His father was very physically strong which gave Raymus this idea.

Books lay open on the bench at the corner, each one displaying a number of symbols, runic markings and sections of arcane script. Tattoos that he would later incorporate around the central design. The large intricate spell circle in the centre of his back.

Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/306)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

Possessing a writable soul, he had no innate magic ability or rather his genes made using magic difficult, save for that he gave himself, tattooing spell circles and markings onto his body would not only grant him immense magical strength, but allow him to bend it to his will and make it stronger, more so than it was meant to be. He tried using the same markings that were already on his body from his past that were used to supress his werewolf transformation. But now, back to punching solid objects. Raymus only drew these on himself with non-permanent ink. In his quest to get stronger he would try anything.

Throwing the towel aside so that it landed in a neat heap by his books, Raymus lined up a punch, his hand encased in a pure magical lightning that seemed to glimmer in white energy. Centring his body and placing his left foot forward, extending his left fist with it, and keeping his right one back, like a coiled spring. With an explosive roar, he launched his right fist forward, towards the punching bag. It made contact with a bang, and the fist was quickly drawn back, and then hurled forwards again with equal force.

The strain slowly became visible on his face, his jaw clenched and his eyes burned with something beyond rage and determination. The bag rocked on the chains of steel holding it to the ceiling as the onslaught continued. Minutes passed, and the action was still occurring, over and over again, the same right fisted jab, the same weight put behind it, and the same outcome. Each time he drew his arm back though, the knuckles grew redder, more raw. The skin was borderline breaking on the knuckles. Another punch and blood appeared on the bag.
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/607)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

He paused, and looked down at his hand. There were bandages in his kit bag, but taping up could wait. He altered his stance, so that it was inverted, this time right foot and fist put forward, his left arm coiled like a spring. Even with his hands being encased in magic and his whole body being buffed too he still felt the physical and mental exhaustion from exuding both his muscle strength and magical strength


How long had he done this for already? Hours? Days? Probably the former. He had set his goal a while back along with his parents, and now it was within reach, by comparison at least. It had been fifteen years since trying to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew older, fifteen years of working with his parents in various aspects of life trying to help lead him the the correct direction. They had loved and cared for him, and he had loved and cared for them. He’d decided a long time ago that he would become a powerful mage, more powerful than anyone else, strong enough to protect the people he cared about, strong enough to be remembered. His punching faltered. How many was that now? Was there anyone. He spent most of his time alone, separated from society. No friends, no reason to have any. He didn’t count his many brothers and sisters since they everyone had to be friendly towards one another, for the most part anyway. At least until he was strong enough to keep people thinking of him and to protect people. That was his job now after all; protecting people. As a mage in training there wasn’t much expected of him, though given time there’d be a lot more responsibility, though there would be privileges to match, then he could get closure. Two reasons to climb the proverbial ladder, and the way before him was unguarded, provided he was strong enough. He mentally paused. That wasn’t what unguarded entailed, perhaps he needed a break.
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/951)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

Sighing he steadied the bag and walked over to his things, pulling some tape out of a side pocket and beginning to wrap it around his bleeding knuckles. He could hear some of the other Blue Pegasus mages training in the adjoining rooms, he’d gone for a small one so that he could be alone, there was no guarantee that anyone else could maintain his pace or endurance. Willpower overwhelmed fatigue. He looped the tape around his right hand a third time. Once he was satisfied it was a secure fit, he lifted it up and bit through the tape, punching his left palm once he was finished. The pain was dulled but still there, a reminder that he wasn’t at his peak yet. He’d only just started. Step one was to break the damn punching bag, then he’d have to figure out how best to carry on. His magic strength would need working on, but he had to do most of the legroom on the spells first. At least starting with his physical strength he knew what he was doing. Hitting things and being hit repeatedly himself, which seemed the best way forwards. At least from a growth perspective, not many people enjoyed being punched after all. He didn’t think too much into it. There were plenty of dark places that train of thought could likely go.

He shook off the thoughts and focussed on taping up his other hand. The skin wasn’t broken yet, so he only went around once, if the skin broke, then when it healed it would be stronger, so he had to make sure he toughened the skin enough to survive being slammed repeatedly into rock, bone or metal. There was an idea at the back of his mind that if he could punch through a spell unaided by magic, then he’d have a much easier time of fighting, as he could then use his mana reserves to really throw out some devastating volleys.
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/88)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

Conservation in order to put the power where it really counted. Raymus smirked a little, as he imagined the look on an evil doers or terrorist’s face, as his defences crumbled under a right hook filled with pure magical wind. He could bypass magic entirely until he knew he had it strong enough to really do some damage. But he wouldn’t be leaving it that long until it happened. What was the list now? Hit, get hit, magically hit things, get hit by magical things. He sighed, there was a lot he needed to work on, and it would be no easy feat.

The Mage got up and rolled his shoulders, flicking his hair out of his eye. No-one at the blue pegasus HQ had passed comment on Ray’s appearance to him yet, at least to his face, or the fact that he was barely noble, though they may have put all that for gossip behind his back, when he was not around or when they needed a good laugh. There were several of the higher ranking knights from other guilds with similar backgrounds to Ray, perhaps they had just assumed his was the same, although Raymus doubted that very much. It was nice to blend in for a change, even if he was just telling himself that. Lining up for a continuation of the last batch of training, preparing his left fist again. Then the rhythmic bang of his hand striking the bag began again. Every so often another knight shouting the name of a spell or yelling would punctuate, helping him to stay focussed and push through the metaphorical ‘wall’ he had no intention of slowing down, even though his body was already telling him to take a break. He’d been doing these sort of exercises solidly for the last few days, breaking only to eat, sleep or work on his spells. With the occasional errand thrown in for good measure. He could almost feel the skin on his knuckles split as he pushed on.
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/430)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

He stifled a wince of pain and carried on, his left wasn’t as strong as his right, and though he had no intention to fully balance, it made sense to at least get them both to a similar level. Otherwise he’d be putting all his eggs in one basket, one wrong move, one sloppy punch, or a well-placed attack from his opponent, and then he’d be on the back foot, and possibly an arm down.



There was blood starting to appear on the tape now, meaning he either needed to wrap it up more or stop punching with that hand. His right was still stinging too so perhaps he needed to improve his strength by other means. He decided to go for an alternative exercise, he wasn’t a one trick pony after all. Or any form of one trick animal for that matter. He’d gathered a few items for use as exercise equipment, most of it was stored in his quarters, stuffed under his bed. Though it was true the blue pegasus training facility was more than well equipped, he didn’t want to risk damaging anything that wasn’t his with the next exercise. Besides very few tried physical activities which would only make things seem worse if he broke their only equipement. Besides, Raymus definitely did not want to go up against some of the other higher tiered Knights that usually occupied the place.

Raymus peered off the edge of one of the towers. He’d managed to climb through an open window and was now on the roof. No harness, no safety measures. This was not one of his more well thought out plans. He looked across the horizon, his expression bearing little in the way of anticipation. The climb hadn’t been too easy, as he’d not only been carrying his own weight, but several, in the form of metal disks, which were now tied together at the end of a long rope
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/764)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

This was going to be slightly tricky. He lifted the weights by the rope and shifted them to the edge of the drop. He checked that there weren’t any people below, before pushing them off the edge. The coiled rope beside him began to unravel as the disks plummeted towards the ground, he’d measured out the rope a few days previously, and there was more than enough for them to reach the bottom without him losing the other end. He may have been a little optimistic with the weight though. The thud was audible even at this height. Now he just had to pull them back up.

The strain was incredible, it felt as though his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. Possibly even his innards which were feeling as if they were being pushed out now that he thought about it. The lapse in concentration caused the rope to slide through his hands a little, and he lowered his weight to keep himself from being tugged off the edge. Slowly, he regained the lost height, putting hand in front of hand and slowly pulling. The concept was simpler than the execution. His muscles were burning, and his teeth were gritted as he strained that little bit harder, yanking the weights up a little over halfway up the tower. He visualised the goal, getting the weights up to the top, over and over again as he pulled. The sounds of chattering echoed from below, it took him a moment before he realised that he had an audience. He couldn’t let that distract him, he had to keep going. If anything the fact that he was being watched lit a fire beneath him and his pulling increased in speed. It took him a few moments before he realised that he was growling, like an angered wolf, his face was also contorted into a snarl.
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/1038)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

He could feel the weight intensifying beneath him, it must have been getting closer, gravity was pulling harder, or was it the same amount, and it was just his muscles being close to giving up. They wouldn’t though, as at the end of the day, they were controlled by his brain, an organ that had no intention of giving in. No rest, no respite, no forgiveness. Nothing worth having was ever easy.

“The payoff had better be worth it” Raymus snarled through a barricade of his own teeth. The clank of the disks hitting the walls could be heard now, so close.

He dropped down to his knees once he had finished, his arms were numb, and heavy. How he was going to get down was anyone’s guess. Including his. He was still having trouble creating any transport construct with his lightning magic.

Raymus flopped down face first into his bunk. Another day of training and once again everything hurt. He’d managed to get off of the roof without anyone identifying him with the help of his lightningmagic, so he’d likely get away with doing it, as they’d never find out it was him, hopefully. He rolled over onto his back, adjusting his hair which had grown so long it was covering his eyes nearly. Granted he was alone, and there was no-one to even see his messy hair covering his eyes. He was feeling slightly better now that he had a chance to rest, even if it was just a few minutes. He was done for the day now, there was no mistaking that. He hadn’t eaten yet, and now he was too tired to get up, there was still an amount he wanted to get done, he had really underestimated that last exercise. He’d have to try that again at another point, once his muscles had a chance to recover, chances were he would fare a lot better. That was how muscles worked after all.
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/72)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

His quarters were cluttered with stacks of books, each with a long and explanative title at the top of which was his grimoire. The other facet of his strengthening process, improving his magic. Over time he would refine his spells, and draw up more spell circles for incorporation into his tattoo arsenal as the ones he had written before were beginning to fade. lightning magic was an incredibly demanding school of sorcery, slight changes in mood and concentration could turn the whole place into a winter wonderland. Not that he was strong enough for that level of attack yet, he’d only got as far as creating basic things and causing damage to a small area of effect. Though once he began adding more tattoos to his body, the very nature of his magic would change, the strength of his spells and his control over them. Whether they actually worked at enhancing his magical prowess or simply acting as a placebo was to be seen. Though the majority of the spell use would come off of his own body his skill would lay in the modification of his writable soul, and how that would fuel his magic. He had a few planned out already, which were already copied out onto large sheets of parchment and pinned to the walls. Luckily for Raymus lightning magic wasn't all too rare and there was many spell ideas to be found. Intricate looping patterns with swirling runic script laid within it formed the base. Raymus had been required to learn a variety of script languages in order to refine the tattoo designs. These were all strength boosters, and would branch out from the main circle on his back. Magnifying the impact damage of his damaging spells, meaning that even his weaker spells would still deal a significant amount of damage, even though the range and speed of the spells wouldn’t change, or so he hoped
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/395)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

He still had to try and figure out defensive modifiers, there were a few drafts drawn up, but nothing concrete yet. The crumpled sheets from previous attempts littered the floor. Many of them were too basic and cliche. He needed something to stand out in terms of style and usefulness. He’d forgotten the sheets that littered the floor were still there, something he’d fix when he woke up, rolling over though, he turned his back on his research and slowly allowed himself to drift off.

Raymus flipped open another of the weighty tome and rifled through the pages, strength modifiers were what he was after. The book in question focussed on strength based spells, granted the spell book was focussed on modifying physical traits, but with alterations he could certainly adapt it to suit his own school of magic. He twirled the calligraphy brush around his right index finger, parchment waiting beneath. With his eye flitting about the page, his hand readied to start the first draft of a strengthening circle. Numerous details seemed to repeat themselves on the four circles across the double page spread; similar curves, a small inflection at each ninety degree interval. Smirking slightly, he put brush to paper. His hand moved with deft decisive strokes, which occasionally dragged out for more than a split second as he etched out a portion of the circle. Several near slashing motions later, and the basic framework was finished, meaning he had to change brush and work on the intricacies of the circle. This sort of job could take him days, even weeks depending on the amount he wanted to bolster his magical strength, he still hadn’t applied the first batch yet either, primarily because he hadn’t created the ink recipe yet, or found a someone he trusted with doing the job since he could only write so much on himself. Perhaps he’d roll up the designs and take them into the city to apply later, and of course observe a few ‘specialists’ at work to see if they could do the job. Raymus still had no clue if these were even working but telling himself that they did seemed to help with his training and indeed with his progress.

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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/771)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

His muscles were still aching from his work the previous day, so he’d decided to focus on strengthening spells as opposed to his body, though depending on how he felt later he was tempted to go for a second stint, maybe in the sparring cages. Finding a suitable ‘dance partner’ was always a chore though, as most of the pages had more in the way of ego than they did in skill, as a lot of members in blue pegasus did. As far as Raymus could see most were all talk, primarily about their heritage come to think of it. So there would likely be at least half a dozen throwing around threats, who had jaws made from glass and a silver spoon in their mouths.

The runic spirals and arcane symbols slowly began to blend together, the concept was to perfect the shapes and arrange them so that they would make his body more mana efficient. Training using the magic could also improve its strength, though at this point in time, he just wanted to make sure his body was not only capable of surviving his own incredibly volatile magic so he didn’t hurt himself but make sure it would drop whoever he fired it at. lightning magic also had the innate ability to freeze almost anything aimed at the user, so improving his magical strength, would lend to his defensive capabilities. That was more of an afterthought though. Ideally, he wanted to allow his power to grow incognito, waiting until his magical arsenal had a wide range and notable punch before using it. Until then he could make do with fists and raw brutality. He put down his quill and sighed. There was a lot he had to do, and it was only now becoming apparent how tough it was going to be to achieve it all.
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/1082)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/)

A while back he’d also found a book containing a powerful combination of spells, that culminated in an exceedingly powerful attack. It wasn’t exclusive to his school of magic, but with other spell circles he found, he could easily alter it to suit his new style. It was strange that after such a long time, he had shunned his original form of magic, in lieu of a more powerful alternative. Ink magic had been his main source of power for over twenty years, now it was all different.

He’d picked up his quill again and was scratching in some more runes when he heard the crash. There was a momentary pause as he wondered if it was him who had caused it. He cast a cursory glance over his shoulder, and did a quick sweep of the room. Nothing out of place. A bellowed curse-word. He put it out of his mind and continued to work. The page of the book he was reading was turned and he slowly took in all the major details of the next spell circle, and then delved deeper into its intricacies. Whatever the commotion was outside it could wait. There were more important things that needed seeing to. Slowly though the sounds grew louder and more frequent. Footsteps echoed into his room from outside. His ire rose, and soon so did he, pushing his chair back and getting to his feet. He stalked across the room and threw the door open. There were a number of other blue pegasus mages sprinting past him, all heading in the same direction. Most were the younger Knights, early to late teens. He too was one of the younger Knight, but he knew what he wanted to do and he wasn’t going to follow the crowd like them. Raymus had no intention of hanging onto his meagre rank for much longer. He reached out and grabbed one of the young mages by the scruff of the neck. The kid halted as if he’d received an electric shock. The advantage of being the older mage, was that the younger ones were scared of him.
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/223)

“What’s going on?” Raymus rumbled. The young magegulped

“Fight… in the sparring cages… there’s a Higher ranked mage, he’s taken down every challenger… we were heading down to… watch.” Raymus released the kid’s collar and he darted off. The lightning mage however remained still. He had some energy left in him, provided of course this wouldn’t be another case of exaggeration, or ego boosting.

Another challenger’s face hit the mat with jarring force. The guy bounced a few times before eventually coming to a stop, by which time the brute was on him. Both arms were grabbed and a foot pressed between his shoulder blades before a blast of magic rendered him immobile. Raymus watched with silent curiosity as the loser’s arms were yanked back, before being used to slingshot his head into the ground again. It was barbaric. How anyone could show such ferocity towards their allies, was beyond Ray. The bruiser’s name was Garret, at least from what Raymus had gathered. He was a junior knight but boasted that he was as strong as an intermediate. Garret was built like a gorilla and with a face that resembled a cinder block. He lifted his arms into the air and whooped as the Knight he had been sparring with was dragged out of the ring, a streak of blood trailing from him. The ‘ring’ was pretty much just a circle of various ranking Knights, there seemed to be money changing hand too, some casual betting. The odds were probably not good on anyone who volunteered to have their head get kicked in both with magic and with his comically large feet.

“Who’s next?” Garret opened his arms and addressed the crowd. Silence. His casual, cocky expression took a more annoyed tinge “C’mon, I’m not done training, got to head on some jobs, and need a few practice dummies that’ll punch back, or are none of you willing to defend your heritage, those who have a respectable one anyway.”
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/564)

Raymus felt a twinge of rage. The comment wasn’t even aimed at him directly, but the terminology and way the words were conveyed was poking his last nerve. The fight had taken out the first few.

“You” the finger was jabbed towards Ray, the crowd parted slightly. Raymus lifted an unimpressed eyebrow, his face seemingly bored.

“Me?” he confirmed sounding as bored as he looked

“Care to test your luck” whilst issuing the challenge Garret had begun to Flick through the pages of his grimoire, while his arms were bent, as if trying to show off his hulking Figure.

“Depends” Raymus replied, folding his arms across his chest. Garret frowned

“On what exactly?” Garret questioned, raising an eyebrow of his own.

“How attached you are to your teeth.” Silence. Garret smirked

“Tough guy. Come on then, let’s see what you’re worth” he gestured for Raymus to step forwards. The Navy haired mage unbuttoned his shirt and handed it to one of the pages, grunting an instruction not to drop it. Beneath, Raymus was wearing a Blue tank top, allowing his arms to become visible. They were similar to Garret’s in all respects but scale, though Raymus was of a much smaller build. Not that he was small by any stretch compared to the knight’s his name, but most of the Knights now that he looked in the room looked like a child when they stood next to Garret, he was a monster. Raymus lifted his fists in a boxer’s style guard.

“Come on then” he snarled. Garret lifted one of his bare fists as if to punch. A metallic sheen spread from his knuckles and down the length of his arm.

“With pleasure.” Raymus had noticed the sheen, as well as figuring out multiple things from Garret.
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Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/867)

Although He’d allowed himself to be taken aback, that had been his first mistake, the second was lowering his block. The Iron-like fist slammed into Ren’s face and took him clean off his feet. He spun three times in the air before crashing down onto the ground. That was going to bruise. His head was swimming. The braggart was using magic, physical from the looks of things. Too bad he hadn’t seen enough of the previous fights to figure out that this wasn’t vanilla sparring. Garret was playing the crowd a little, Raymus used the time to get to his feet. Both of his opponent’s arms were covered in the metallic sheen now. Going from what he’d already seen, Raymus wagered that the guy’s feet were probably covered in the same layer. He needed to get his guard up before the next hit came in. But something in his brain wasn’t working correctly, wasn’t helping him lift his arms. The second hit got him beneath the chin, sending him into the air and crashing down once more. Two hits now and he felt like he’d just been hit by a Rhinox stampede. Hands grabbed him and hoisted him up onto his feet again.

“Hit him back, I’ve got ten gold on you!” Raymus shook himself awake, activating all of his magical buffs at once and in time to see his opponent charging towards him, midway through throwing a punch. He sidestepped, and the metal fist slammed into the enthusiastic gambler who’d pulled Raymus to his feet. His senses returned, Raymus picked his target and threw a hard right hook. The blow caught Garret in the side of the throat and he gasped for air, the second punch caught him across the jaw. The attack sent him spinning and Raymus jumped into the air, planting both heels into his chest. They both hit the deck, though one in a much better state than the other. Raymus was on his feet in an instant, and he waited for Garret to get up. But he didn't. Raymus had won and all the while honing his magic to buff his phyiscal prowess even under pressure.
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exit
Raiju's Brutal Claws (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Azure Hyde (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Shining Eyes (2000 x 40% = 1200/1200)
Raiju's Severing Fang (2000 x 40% = 1200/1207)