The straw room answers with the sound of work.

Don’s straight punches land centerline. The reed core bends, creaks, and takes the shock. Straw coughs out around his knuckles and a pale scuff blooms over the painted heart circle. The stake shivers in the sand but holds. A narrow split spiders along one reed where the wrap is tired. Solid impact that moves the whole frame without toppling it.

Varius steps to a fresh post and drives a gladius thrust home. The blade parts straw in a clean wedge, bites the reed bundle, and pops two binding turns. The dummy jolts, turns a quarter on its stake, and settles with a dry crackle. A shallow puncture sits dead center, just off the painted heart. A couple of faces at the visor slit murmur at the neat placement.

[center]Neco-Arc[/center]
[center][img]https://ik.imagekit.io/maxxo/La%20Creatura%203.jpg?updatedAt=1758233464283[/img][/center]

[b]“That is how you do it, nya!”[/b] The tiny cat throws both thumbs up, all teeth and delight. [b]“Clean hits, clean hearts. Now listen up. One thing you wanna keep in mind. You will not always fire the biggest beam in your pantry, nya. Sometimes you probe first, feel their armor, count their teeth, then you drop the big guns, capisce, nya?”[/b] Tiny paws pump the air in a rapid bap-bap-bap.

[b]“Do not worry those pretty heads, jabronis. You always have your basics.”[/b] Neco-Arc pads to a third dummy, flexes comically, then scratches once. [b]“Tap.”[/b] Scratches again. [b]“Tap.”[/b] And a third time, faster. [b]“Tap-tap.”[/b] Three quick lines ruffle the straw in a tidy group. [b]“See. Basic attack. Then basic again. Then one more for the road. Same target gets grumpy when you keep knocking. Gets real grumpy when you all knock together, nya.”[/b]

[i]Combat Notation for Neco-Arc's triple attack: 
Action 1: Basic Attack - Strength B (5) + Natural Weapons C (4)
Action 2: Basic Attack - +1 (combo)
Action 3: Basic Attack - +1 (combo)
Total = 11 Base Effectiveness. In addition, different characters attacking the same target bump the Base Effectivness even further. If Don and Varius had attacked the same dummy, both of them could have granted an extra +1 (team-up) each, to the maximum of 13 Base Effectiveness. (Team-ups are limited to +1 for each character joining the assault)[/i]

The cat leans back like a tiny professor. [b]“Block is a friend. Dodge is a cousin. Sometimes you hug the friend, sometimes you dance with the cousin, sometimes you do neither and let them whiff so you style on the return. But today the clock is hungry.”[/b]

From the corridor a crier’s voice rings bright. [b]“Novice league. To the queue. First bout forms now.”[/b]

The drum picks up. The air cools as a draft draws toward the tunnel. Sand whispers underfoot. Lanterns gutter once as a gate chain clanks somewhere ahead.

Neco-Arc’s ears perk. [b]“Alright alright alright. Hands chalked. Drinks sipped. Buns in, fangs out. Follow the coach to staging, nya.”[/b]
The little silhouette hops toward the mouth of the passage and pauses, letting the light from the far end paint a thin gold edge on the stone. The arena itself waits beyond, but not yet. Only the thrum of the crowd leaks through, steady as surf.