Chapter 7: "First Encounter"
3:00PM
Marcus had been going to train daily with Cross for a weeks, and had leveled up to Unarmed Combat Lv.7. He had been getting far better, and cross had taught him a few more moves.
Marcus had learned 3 new skills. Counter, Armbar, and a Roundhouse kick. He was proficient in these skills, but especially so with Counter, as he had learned it first.
As Marcus ran through the city he heard a shout coming from a construction site he often passed by on his way to the gym Cross had set up. It was a female voice, and it sounded like she was in danger, so Marcus stopped running his route and sprinted to the construction site.
Upon arrival Marcus saw 5 grown men beginning to surround a girl. She was clearly afraid, and she tried to persuade them to leave her alone to no avail. They began closing in and one of them reached out to grab her, but he was quickly stopped by Marcus who had grabbed his arm and used his weight against him.
Marcus pulled the man towards him instead of the girl, and jumped in the air wrapping his leg around the man's neck, still holding the arm. The man toppled over, and Marcus took this opportunity to flip himself, landing on the man's arm in an unsteady position, which produced a loud CRACK. Marcus jumped to his feet while the man groaned in pain on the floor.
Suddenly, one of the other men tried to attack Marcus with a right hook, but Marcus was used to Cross' punches which were much faster and he easily dodged the oncoming punch.
The girl began to sneak away, but stayed close enough to return and thank her savior if he won the battle. She began to look for anything like a weapon that he could use, and was no longer the main focus of the remaining thugs.
Marcus countered a punch from one of the thugs knocking him out, and roundhouse kicking another one to finish him off as well. With 2 enemies left, Marcus decided he should try to fight without his new skills and ended up in a punching match. He was happy when he was getting hit because it was training for his endurance, and these normal people couldn't really hurt Marcus in the first place. He eventually knocked one more thug out, and the last one tried to run.
Marcus sprinted at him and tried another grapple, this time a simple choke out from behind. As the last thug passed out, Marcus turned to the girl who had begun walking towards him. He asked her how she was feeling, and she responded that she was okay.
"Thank you for saving me, I was afraid of what would have happened if you hadn't shown up." she voiced her concerns. "My name is Phoenix, I'm 19 and I've been living in San Francisco for a year so far, but this is the first time I've ever been in trouble."
"It's fine, you're safe now. Do you have a place to return to, where you'll be safe?" Marcus asked her.
"No, I was evicted 2 days ago, and I've been struggling to get by." she informed Marcus.
"Alright that's fine, I know some place where you can stay, my mentor Cross, who taught me all the crazy moves you saw me use, he owns a building downtown, and he'll probably be willing to let you take refuge there." he told her.
"Oh thank you so much, I really can't thank you enough!" she exclaimed.
The two began to walk towards the Gym where Marcus trained. Marcus wondered how he would explain bringing a girl to the gym, but one glance at her joyful expression, and Marcus was willing to give an arm and a leg to get her somewhere safe. Cross would just have to take her in, or Marcus would end up having to contact Joey who had a nearly empty house. He was going to protect this girl, and not let the streets have someone as innocent as her.
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