The Hand-to-Hand Fighter continues what the Warrior began, but crosses an important boundary: his body ceases to be merely strong and becomes an obstacle to mysticism itself.
The main acquisition of this step is resistance to the otherworldly. The Fighter's physical might is such that it weakens the effect of a part of the otherworldly forces directed at him: what would fell an ordinary man works at half strength on him, or not at all. This is not a mystic's defense and not an amulet, but precisely a property of a body brought to its limit.
In his second ability, the Hand-to-Hand Fighter has no equal at his step: in close combat he surpasses any other Sequence 8, no matter which path it belongs to. Where the distance of an outstretched arm decides, the advantage remains his.
The step remains craft-like and open: the Fighter is exactly as strong as he is trained, and his skills grow not from revelations, but from battles.
