Way of the Internal Gates

A young dragonborn man stands against an orc warlord. With his comrades overwhelmed and having no other options, he tightens his belt and begins to tense his muscles while letting out a battle cry. Soon, his body's scales go from brown to red and he feels his strength increase exponentially. As the warlord approaches with his axe at the ready, the dragonborn disappears, causing the orc to miss. He is then seen behind the orc and proceeds to deliver a flying drop-kick against the orc's back. As the orc slowly turns around, the man disappears again and proceeds to deliver a multitude of punches and kicks against the orc. As the orc finally faces him with his axe ready, he receives an uppercut from the dragonborn and is sent flying into the air. Right before the orc can comprehend what has happened to him, the dragonborn leaped up into the air, clenched his fist, and delivers an earth-shattering punch that causes the orc to crater back to the ground. The dragonborn is victorious, but as he goes to find his comrades, he falls to his knees and blacks out.  

Extraordinarily Rare

On Tynaria, there exists a very small number of monks that have the unique ability to perform a very special type of martial arts style. These monks have the ability to release the internal limits within their body for brief periods of time in order to perform some super impressive feats. These practitioners practice the martial arts known as the Way of the Internal Gates. In order to become a practitioner of this art though, one must have unbreakable determination, great control with their Ki, and also just be lucky, as very few monks can even physically release one limit.  

Limit Release

All creatures have bodily limits. When a creature begins to reach these limits, be it in strength or endurance, they begin to feel exhausted. This is of course a safety feature for creatures to make sure that they do not overexert themselves to the point of death. Monks of the Internal Gates intentionally work to try to break one or more of these limits. When these limits are released, practitioners can be seen running at incredible speeds and delivering punches and kicks that can topple trees and destroy brick walls. It's also speculated that true masters of this technique can eventually move at subsonic speeds and have the ability to singlehandedly defeat a hill giant.  

High Speeds, High Risks

Out of the many combat styles out there, the Way of the Internal Gates can be considered one of, if not the riskiest combat style to use. Because these monks are releasing certain bodily limits, the consequences of releasing these limits end up coming in later and usually affect the monk harder than normal. Results of releasing these limits can include exhaustion equivalent to 12 hours of hard physical labor, feeling as if one got the wind knocked out of them 5 consecutive times, extended periods of unconsciousness, and in rare cases, necrosis of limbs. Practitioners learn and train to be properly judge when it is and is not an appropriate time to release these limits, as they know what can happen if they get careless.  

The Eight Inner Gates

Internal Gates monks recognize eight bodily limits, dubbed as "Internal Gates." While naming variations do exist from person to person, they are usually known as:

1. Gate of Opening: The first gate usually to be opened. Increases one's speed and dexterity.
2. Gate of Healing: The second gate that usually is opened directly after the previous. Grants the body a slight readjustment to the newly broken limits.
3. Gate of Life: The third gate. Significantly increases the user's strength and speed. Body temperatures begin to increase after opening this gate.
4. Gate of Pain: The fourth gate. This is when internal bodily damage really starts to be felt as bones begin to crack, and muscles begin to tear.
5. Gate of Closing: The fifth gate. This gate increases one's strength even more. The opening of this gate is necessary to perform the iconic Omni-Strike move, a move that involves kicking a target into the air and delivering countless amounts of strikes against the helpless opponent.
6. Gate of View: The sixth gate. All abilities are increased and a visible aura of ki can be seen upon activation.
7. Gate of Shock: The seventh gate. Muscles begin to tear even more at this point and pain is exponentially greater. Body temperatures are at their highest.
8. Gate of Death: The eighth and final gate. Upon opening, the heart pumps at dangerously fast speeds and all senses and abilities are maximized. Strikes dealt while this gate is open are lethal. Death's door opens soon once the user opens this gate.