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The wind's howl, the sun shines, the koala munches, the kangaroo hops, the didgeridoo plays. These are the sounds of the Outback.
Then silence overtook the old red tinted land. An unnatural silence, as if something either extremely good or bad was about to happen, the calm before the storm.
A simple Circus rolled into the Platypus Dreaming, the caravan of lions, clowns, strongmen, all led by a single horseback carriage, a slightly plump mustached man rode atop it, barking out a mantra of repeated words to the nearby Aboriginal people.
"Come one, Come all! See the Fire Breathing man, the Elongated Lad, the Strongest Man in all of Australia, the Bearded Lady, the Man of a 100 Disguises, the Platypus Brawler, and animals from the recesses of Africa! All you have to do is come to Magnifico's Circus of Mystery, and all your wildest dreams will be fulfilled"
The circus then assembled itself, as if some self erecting tent, unnatural, but quick. The natives simply stood in awe, mainly because many of them knew very few English.
Meanwhile, in a much too small cage, in the back of a pick-up truck, a small Platypus began to growl.
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The show began without a hitch, except for the fact that the audience mainly consisted of the few children who were there out of sheer curiosity, although these select brave few were in for the show of their lives. This was no ordinary circus; it was more a lucid dream. The stage magician managed to make flowers sprout from the noses of unwilling volunteers, the acrobats almost seeming to float. This would be a night to remember for all those in attendance, but it wasn't quite over. A platypus entered the center of the tent, seemingly normal, except for a few strange markings all over his body, his black beady eyes burning into the very souls of all. This is who they had truly come for; this was the cornerstone to a night of mystery, magic, and mayhem. As everyone watched in awe, the small semi-aquatic mammal rose on its hind legs, and a bearded man entered the main ring. The fight was on.
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The River Dance
 Martial Arts: superior (rank 2)
The platypus moved first, a kick here, a punch there, seemingly without a single thought, although the tall strong man had loads of trouble connecting a single hit. The audience was entirely entranced by this dance of sorts between animal and man, neither one gaining the advantage, each fighter in perfect equilibrium with the other. The fight seemed to go on for hours, or minutes, or days. No one really knew.
Suddenly, the tides turned, the platypus began to try.
The kicks were harder, the punches quicker, the tail slaps more stinging, within minutes, what was one of the most beautiful fights any of the natives had ever seemed, came to an abrupt end, the man on his back, the platypus atop him.
That Tingling Feeling
 Poison: superior (rank 2)
One battle won another on its way, the Platypus readied himself once more and another man entered the blood red middle ring of the tent. The Circus strongman flexed his oversized muscles at the crowd, before immediately charging at the skilled creature. The platypus would do a quick flip, creating a small pinprick on the strongman's hand. A tingling sensation began to spread throughout the man's body and then another pinprick was felt, and another, and another, and another. The behemoth of a man soon fell, not dead, but as close as humanly possible.
By now, the group of people watching had grown from those few brave ones, to almost the entire village. A single one of these entered the ring, clothed in only rags, wielding an old gnarled walking stick. He made a signal to the animal that screamed, "Come at me."
The Streams of the Mind
 Tactician: superior (rank 2)
The platypus made something that looked like a devilish grin and jumped on the man, but was blocked by the man's walking stick. This Aboriginal was not like the other two men the platypus had beaten before. This man fought with courage, integrity, and skill. He was truly a master, this fight was a test.
There would be no quickly flurry of kicks, or pinpricks of venom.
This battle would be one of wits.
And thus the fight began to look much like the first, a dance between the two, but this time, both parties were making their best effort. Every punch was met with a block, every hold, with a quick movement away, every trip met by a foot or webbed claw. These two fighters were locked within the dances of the mind and body. There seemed to be no escape, but the platypus began switching his style, looking for weakness, using his personal strengths, becoming the river, entering a place where a strong mind was as important as strength.
Swiftly Flowing
 Reaction Speed: standard (rank 1)
The clothed man laid dormant, his staff broken in two, how the little beast managed to win, only the platypus knew, either way Magnifico was very happy. The crowd had cleared. The show was long over and the circus was methodically repacking itself up. The animal trainer attempted to put him back in his cage, but Dorak seemed to always be a step ahead, weaving in and out of the few unpacked circus supplies. Soon enough, the platypus experienced something he had never been through before, Freedom.
The duck-billed egg-laying mammal began waddling away, in search of bluer rivers, in search of a place which he could truly call home.
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