Post by Saito Kito on Mar 16, 2015 12:05:44 GMT -5
(The finale of the Sonya series of trainings. Weights in effect)
“Maybe Rowan was right”
Sonya chattered. Though she lived this far north, she was unaccustomed to the blistering cold of the mountains at night. She was after all hardly covered. Her top consisted of nothing more than a bear’s pelt lined with wool, and she wore thin baggy pants as was all she could afford. Saito, who wasn’t wearing much more than her, felt fine as his aura kept him warm. He was angry, his eyes fixed on the gate only a few yards ahead. They could have jumped over the fence, or perhaps blown a hole in it. But Saito was far too diplomatic for such an end. He had to provide these men the opportunity to stand down. Not only because he felt it was right, but because it is what Buraddori had asked him to do.
“If you wish to turn back do it now before things get dangerous”
He replied, a coldness to his voice. Sonya’s face turned from concern to a quick rage as Saito’s words sank in. Tramping through the light layer of fresh snow and standing in front of the blond she defended her statement.
“I’m not scared! But could we…I don’t know…Come up with a plan before walking into their stupid base!”
Saito stood there, Sonya blocking his path. He met her comment with silence before taking a few steps and walking around her. Sonya was thinking in a way that wouldn’t suit them here. It was already made perfectly clear to Saito that this base was swarming with the enemy. If he was not going to turn away at such news, he certainly wasn’t going to stop now. A plan would be worthless. They knew nothing of what was going on within the fence, they had said so themselves. All they knew was that the enemy was strong and vast in number. Sonya sighed, her breath turning into crystals in the air before disappearing around them. Saito marched on until they reached the gate of the city.
A single man stood watching the gate. Frankly it was the most boring job given to the most incompetent of soldiers. No one every attacked the gate and so it was pointless to put anyone of worth at it. This shift sat a rather large fellow. Bundled up in a very large plush jacket, and wearing at least three undershirts over it –in addition to his mercenary armor underneath-. He looked ridiculous to say the least and failed to notice Saito and Sonya moving towards the gate until they were already there. His kiosk sat just outside the gate. A small wooden gazeebo with no walls that stood no further than four yards in any direction. It was more a booth than anything. Stumbling to his feet and stepping down from the makeshift shelter.
“Hey you two can’t be here! I should have you lashed in the streets…well…I mean you!”
He said pointing directly at Saito, his finger slowly falling to his left to point at Sonya.
“You on the other hand young lady…well we can find another way to work out your discipline. Maybe I should take you right here and remind you what a worthless slave you aooph”
He couldn’t finish, the air escaping his lungs as Saito’s fist lodged deep into the man’s chest. It had been quick, and much to Sonya’s horror Kit’s fist had literally been visible through the man’s back for a brief second. Though his clothing remained intact, the cross eyed mercenary fell to the snow, unable to catch his breath. Saito stepped over the man in agony, as did Sonya, and the two walked right through the gate. They had not bothered to lock it as no one had ever tried to break in. No human had stood up to these creatures from space until today, something that would become clear within minutes of entering the fenced off city.
There was no one in the streets. Though lights were on in the surrounding buildings there was no one outside. Saito could even feel the heat as he walked next to the larger buildings. Heat was a luxury that the humans in the village south of them could not afford. His own shoulders and cheeks became warm with disgust as the two casually walked through to the center of town. Perhaps had someone been outside they would not have made it so far, however the main headquarters was hardly difficult to find, and with no one standing in their way the two made it there in a matter of minutes. A voice from behind them would cause a momentary pause.
“You two have no idea the kind of trouble you’re in”
Sonya turned around fully, her fists balled and ready for combat. On her best day she had bested three of them, yet behind her stood no less than ten of these armored mercenaries, and a commotion had stirred in the buildings around them. Someone had obviously taken notice and alerted the rest of the heard. Saito looked forward, not giving them any satisfaction. They would enjoy a look at the back of his head and nothing more.
“Idiot look at me when I’m talking to you!”
He said, raising his hand and firing a warning shot. The bright red ball of energy hit the snow just a few inches from Saito’s feet, incinerating it and even throwing some of the gravel underneath. Saito did not flinch. He took a deep breath and finally responded to the man.
“Twenty-two Thousand”
He said calmly, his fists tightening and cracking the fingers held tightly within them. The men looked around at each other. The number made no sense to them. What was he saying to them? Sonya too was confused, but Saito knew exactly what it meant. The men standing around them were not that strong. Saito had faced far stronger before, and together they would be unable to beat him if he only powered up to twenty two thousand. After a moment of confusion Saito spun on his left heel, his right and left hands rising to shoulder level and a finger pointed out of each one. It was his spirit revolver technique. Each hand held six bullets and Saito opened fire so quickly that the ten idiots behind him had no possible chance to dodge. They had underestimated him much like the last, and each suffered the consequences. His aim was deadly, however Saito chose to hit each man in a less lethal manner. All ten would share the same burn mark, directly on their belly button. The revolver bullets struck each man in the stomach and by the time Saito had finished spinning around he was facing the main building yet again, with one bullet still primed in the chamber for each hand.
“Yet I powered up to twenty four. Better release the excess”
He said lowly over the sound of agonizing moans from the men he had incapacitated. Each finger fired one last bullet, this time at the large door to the building. The wall facing them erupted as the bullets exploded leaving a gapping entry way for them. Sonya shook slightly. Saito truly had been strong enough to end her life during their first combat. If he had wanted to he could have killed her, and eleven other men today. Yet he hadn’t ended the life of a single one. Who was this man? Before she could question it Saito was already walking up the steps towards the smoldering doorway he had created. She followed quickly and was met with a mixture of pleasure and disdain. The smell of burning building was certainly unpleasant, but the warmth of the building was heavenly. She would have enjoyed it more if it weren’t for a voice on the intercom.
“Sonya dear, I know that must be you. I am on the top floor, just take the elevator up. We can settle this”
She grit her teeth. It was the one. The one whom had been there when the children were taken. She had met his gaze and watched as he abducted the children of their village. Her nose crinkled as she began to walk forward. Saito’s hand however blocked her path.
“One hundred thousand. You cannot beat him”
He said calmly, keeping his arm in her way. Wrapping both hands around the bulk of his arm Sonya argued.
“I don’t know what these numbers mean ass hole, but he is their leader. This is the guy who took them. He knows where they are and how to get them back!”
Saito looked at her. Sonya was so young it reminded him of his sisters from back home. Each one with a supple cheek and sweet scent. Their innocence was brilliant like the light of the sun and yet the idea that one of them could have such a passion within was new. Saito knew few human woman capable of defending themselves. Carla had been a special case but even she seemed a little less than human. Della was a genie and Azazel had been a demon. In short, none of the female humans he had met possessed even half the zeal that Sonya did. But he couldn’t let her leave.
“There are more men coming up from behind. Keep them off of me. I will find your children, you have my word Sonya”
Her eyes watered for a moment. She was sick of his damn chivalry, but after what she had witnessed it made sense that he would want to face the leader alone. Sonya wasn’t ready for it no matter how much she wanted to be, and the men coming up from behind were a legitimate concern. She nodded, letting go of his arm and facing the doorway.
“I’ll kill you if you don’t”
She said sharply, and Kit knew she meant it. Putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder Saito waited only long enough for the door to the elevator to open. Stepping inside the two parted ways. Sonya prepared for the onslaught of idiotic henchmen that were to come, and Saito rose up through the building to meet the man in charge. Or at least he was. When his elevator reached the top the doors did not open, and he heard the intercom once more.
“Poor Sonya, all this way to be killed by some bad gas”
Obviously this man had no clue what he was talking about, but sure enough the elevator began to fill with the noxious fumes. Pointing his finger at the elevator door Saito roared his command. He wanted to be sure the man inside understood that Sonya was the least of his concerns. The bullet formed on the tip of his finger and with all of his anger Saito bellowed out.
“Spirit Gun!”
The basketball sized ball of energy hit the door, busting it in two instantly, and following through towards the man on the other side. Saito had intentionally fired the attack so that once it hit the door it would keep going until it struck the man inside. His aim had been true, but the mercenary dove out of the way just in time. Saito’s Spirit gun flew from his index finger, into the elevator door, and then crashed into a window on the opposite side of the room. It would not explode until it reached the outside where the blast would light up the night sky for the nearby area, and the sound would wake all those who slept. Saito stepped through the smoking doorway and looked around him. It was an office in which the walls were made entirely of glass, including the ceiling. This was the top floor of the building. Saito distinctly remembered only seeing brick and mortar from the outside, so it was clear the windows held a dark tint.
“You are…Not Sonya”
The other man said, rising from the ground and dusting off his suit jacket. It was a rather strange get up. Though he was in a suit, his undershirt was clearly covering his mercenary armor making his outfit appear bulky. Taking a stroll over to his desk the man took off his jacket, folding it neatly over the side of his chair and then proceeding to remove his tie. Saito was an honest fighter and would not attack the man while he removed his excess clothing. He had no fear of his opponent, no matter how much clothing he removed. Though as he took off the unnecessary business attire, he continued to speak.
“I don’t know who you are friend, but you have made a pretty big mistake today. I know I saw Sonya nearby, so I can only guess that you are the Master Rowan my informants keep prattling on about. Well Mr. Rowan I am Broc Talon and this is my city. These are my slaves, and you are an intruder.”
Saito would stop him there. Watching as the man went so far as to remove his slacks. These too were only covering another set of pants that appeared more prepared for battle.
“My name is Saito Kito. I come from Central City and have been given orders to end the insurgency here. Obviously you do not follow the laws our Fuhrer has put forward, and I will only give you one opportunity to comply. Leave this place, and leave the children and all other people you have enslaved. Do this now or find that my next request is less civil”
Frankly Saito had little patience for the man. Obviously he wasn’t going to surrender, but what kind of person would Saito be if he opened fire before asking questions. His prediction would prove accurate however as Broc unclipped his shiny watch and placed it on top of the neatly folded clothing on the desk. It was the last business looking thing he had on and he was now ready for combat. He smirked, rolling his eyes and exhaling into laughter.
“I have no interest in your laws. I am the Fuhrer around here and you are the insurgency!”
With that Broc pulled his arm back and extended it once more, throwing several small balls at Saito. The warrior attempted his Ki redirection but found the moment the ball touched his hand it stuck on tight. Usually the redirection would send the Ki conglomeration in a different direction. Broc had thrown a sticky Ki bomb, something Saito had not expected. The other two balls of Ki hit saito, one on his right leg, the other on his chest, and simultaneously all three exploded leaving a plume of smoke over them. Saito let out a gasp of air as each explosion tore into him. His own ki fought to keep the damage at a minimum, however as the smoke cleared the blood that dripped from his sleeve made it obvious that Broc had done well.
“Neat trick”
He said, his right arm (which was currently dripping with the most blood) began to glow a thin teal color. It was Saito’s Ki armor coming into play. Had he simply activated it at first he surely wouldn’t be bleeding as heavily, but the armor would now allow his wounds to scab and prevent future injury. In a battle of Ki this fighter had the advantage, and so Saito would leap forward, his right knee rising and clocking Broc on the chin. His combination was hardly over however as upon landing Kit latched his hand onto the collar of Broc’s combat armor and pulled him forward, throwing a stiff left hook into his cheek. Broc finally broke himself free of their hand to hand combat and stumbled backwards against the glass of his eastern wall.
“Fucker I’m done with this!”
The impatient mercenary held open his palm, allowing a deep pink energy to form in it. Saito could feel the power coming from the solidifying Ki mass. He would need an equally powerful attack to counter it. His initial thought fell to his spirit gun, but this man had done terrible things. He deserved the most powerful attack Saito could muster. The human rose his hands to the front of his body, a green energy beginning to form around his palms, mixing with the teal ki. His middle and index fingers on both hands touched at the tip, and his thumbs connected at the base. To Broc it would appear Saito was pointing a triangle at him. It was time that Saito fired an attack that would forever mark him as a master of the crane school. Both men charged their attack for a moment before Brock launched his forward. Saito with bravado and confidence released his as well.
“Kikoho! Tri-Beaauh”
The energy that had harvested in between his palms fired, but not as a solid mass. This had been Saito’s failure in training as well. He was able to gather the energy, but when he fired it, the attack would not solidify and instead would expel his energy into the air. His heart skipped a beat and his entire body chilled. It was as though he had the flu and his body was responding. His temperature almost instantly rose to over one hundred degree’s and a cold sweat broke over his body. If his failure hadn’t been bad enough, the opposing energy was still active. It struck his palms first, pushing them off to the side, and then making firm contact with Saito’s mid-section weights. The explosion was massive, breaking all of the remaining glass in the room, thus making the entire top floor open to the breezy cold night air. Saito flew backwards, his left hand reaching on his belt for the blade that Kemuri had used to slice him with. The blade would now be sunk into the floor and drug the distance to the edge where Saito would hold himself up. His body stayed on the top floor, thanks to his sword creating the friction needed to quell his fall. His body however was in no condition to fight. Not only was he feeling ill, but now his wounds that had been healing within the Ki armor were open once again and actively bleeding onto the glassy floor.
“I guess that didn’t go as you planned eh Saito Kito. Now you’ve caused me to ruin my favorite office.”
He said taking a step forward, his boots crunching over the shards of glass under his feet. Just a few steps forward and he would be close enough to finish Saito, who was in no condition to defend himself. He couldn’t feel the difference between his Ki and his life force. He had made a huge mistake firing the attack before he was ready, and now he would pay the price. Yet as broc approached the side of the building he would be greeted with something else, a foot. Sonya had scaled the windows and was now on the top, he heel lodged in Broc’s nose. Stumbling back, Broc provided Sonya the time she needed to kneel down and check on Saito. Though he was lying face down, he had propped himself up on his left forearm.
“I’m sorry Sonya. This was my error…Can you…buy me some time.”
His eyes were fixed on his right hand, which with great effort had formed the spirit gun sign and was charging the attack. To fire a normal one he would need to focus, but this man needed more than that, he needed the largest Spirit Gun Saito had ever fired. Sonya nodded, raising off of her knee and facing Broc. She had very little in the way of battle scars as the men Broc had sent were of no consequence. Her fists clenched tightly and as though someone had rang the bell, the two ran at each other. Sonya desperately had wanted this fight, and now as her fists collided with his a certain level of satisfaction came to her. He wasn’t every good hand to hand, and that last attack had drained him of Ki for the moment. Though he was stronger, she was much more talented physically and it was beginning to show. After a few minutes of such tight combat, Broc slid backwards to once again gain some space between himself and his opponent.
“Sonya, you are just as my men have said. But my men can’t do this…”
He said, his palm outstretching again. He would fire the explosive ball again, this time at Sonya. She had not been expecting such an attack, but had one of her own. He hands layered over one another and placed firmly against her forehead. With all of her rage the yellow Ki began to form. It was the Masenko she had used against Kit. Saito however knew it would not be enough. At her best Sonya was still half of Broc’s strength, and even weakened as he was his attack would be superior. His spirit gun blinked furiously as it charged. It was not ready to be fired, and yet before his eyes the yellow Masenko and the pink explosive Ki of Broc’s collided. The remaining glass that had been on the ground lifted and flew into the city around them, as did any remaining furniture and the clothing Broc had removed. This pink energy was even stronger than before, Broc had clearly put all of his remaining energy into the attack. Sonya slid on her heels, trying to push against his obviously superior attack, yet her yellow energy was unable to suppress his. Inch by inch her Masenko began to fade as it was consumed by the pink. It was in that moment that Saito fired it, a spirit gun whose bullet resembled a cannon ball rather than a bullet.
The massive ball of teal energy struck the pink energy from a different angle. The light alone from this collision caused Saito to close his remaining good eye. Broc flew from atop the building, his body resembling a rag doll as it flew through the icy air and landed on the building next to them, his arm hanging limply across the curve of the roof to keep himself from sliding several stories down. Saito fought to stand, but found his energy had been all but used up. Sonya however, whom was still physically capable made a running start and leapt from the one building to the next, landing right next to Broc, who was clearly struggling just to hold himself up. Saito couldn’t see what was happening, but he urged her to be careful. He couldn’t speak to her, yet his energy surged into the form of words and brought his thoughts to her. He saw Broc’s mouth begin to move, unsure of what he was saying. He then saw Sonya raise her right arm, her fist ready to end the mercenary’s miserable life, yet after a moment of stalling did not.
The fight was over, and Sonya had done something incredible. She traded Broc’s life for the lives of all the humans taken and still on the planet. She told him that coming back would mean no mercy and with that she had ended the suffrage of her people. Saito however was more impressed with her self-control. She could have killed him and gone a different route for freedom, but such a price was high and she was unwilling to pay it. The two would return to master Rowan and celebrate, or rather heal. After a few days Saito felt ready for travel once again. Already the people of the village were happier. The parents whom had lost their children were reunited and the village itself had been abandoned so that they could inhabit the powered city the Mercenaries had lived in. They had heat, food, running water, and an actual training studio for the Hermit to teach his students.
“Master Rowan, thank you for your hospitality. I will be heading back to Central City today”
His gear was already packed and as he began to leave he felt not only the eyes of the students gaze, but also a hand on his shoulder. Master Rowan’s hand.
“Saito…What you have done here…It is something I could never repay…I would ask you to do one final task for an old man”
Saito nodded, turning to face Rowan. He respected the man, though he was not Saito’s teacher, he had risked it all to continue teaching the ways of martial arts. In that they shared their enthusiasm.
“Saito, take my students. Take them back to Central City and teach them in the way Masamune and Kaladar taught you. Teach them the true meaning behind what we do. You can do this far better than I ever could.”
Saito’s eyes began to water. He had wanted to begin training other students but had yet to feel like a true master of the crane school. Rowan’s approval swelled his heart, and the cheering of the students around him made it clear that Rowan had already discussed the plan with his other students. They were all prepared to leave with him. One student in particular was already packed and standing in the doorway, a shy grin plastered on her face. Sonya too wanted to follow Saito. He nodded, taking Master Rowan’s hand and shaking it calmly before taking his leave, a mass of students following behind him.
“Your first task, disciples of the crane, it to find your way to Central City. I did the very same before my adventure could begin, and you will do the same. I hope to see you all make it to our Dojo”
And with that Saito disappeared, his Ki Dash taking him several miles before ending much closer to the actual city. He was ready to train these students with all of his wisdom and ability. Especially Sonya, she had the most potential of all.