Above All Else {FINISHED!}

Ultimate Kai entered the small diner, greeted immediately by the cool breeze of the Air Conditioning and the smell of fried chicken and garlic mashed potatoes. As he made his way to one of the booths, he grabbed one of the menus and sat down, looking over it.

The Clucky Chicken had been one of his favorite places to eat ever since he had been a boy, so it was no news to anyone that he could often be seen here every other day, ordering fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and chocolate milk. An odd combination, many thought, but it was amongst one of his favorites and that counted for something, in his book.

"How's it going, Ultimate Kai-sama?"

Ultimate Kai's eyebrow twitched as he looked up at the waitress' face. She had a happy-go-lucky expression on her face that the young teen took as utter and complete stupidity. He had told this very same waitress many times before to call him either 'Ultimate Kai' or 'Ultimate Kai-kun', but she always just nodded and smiled at him as if he was some kind of child to just smile and nod when he talked.

"It is going fine, Eliza.." Ultimate Kai responded, looking back down at his menu. As if it mattered what he saw. He always got the usual anyway. "I would like the Lumberjack's Feast please."

The waitress had already written down what he wanted before he had said it. This was a regular game they played, almost like cat and mouse, except they had both long switched roles several times and it had become almost like habit.

"Alright, it will be ready in a few." Eliza responded, taking his menu and placing the glass of chocolate milk on his table before moving off to another table. Tones of 'May I help you?' could be heard across the diner.

It was rough. Despite having done so much in improving his own power and skill, he still couldn't seem to get his social relations straight. He kept pushing and pushing, trying to get to know people and let people know what his likes and dislikes were, but he still couldn't get most people to see him as more than just a young child. It was infuriating to say the least, but one of the obstacles he knew he would have to overcome in order to become known in his hometown.

As his order came to the table, Ultimate Kai suddenly spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Using solely his peripheral vision, he saw there was a man sitting opposite of him wearing a dark, black cloak and sunglasses. The man was clearly looking at him, but as soon as Ultimate Kai turned towards him, the man turned away. Raising his grape soda to his lips, he takes a sip then puts it back down, turning to his plate.

First, it was time for food. Afterwards, the strange visitor could be investigated further.

The diner was a pleasant experience, despite the strange man eyeballing him and the waitress continually calling him "Ultimate Kai-sama". In the end, it was a pleasant lunch and he was given a free meal, simply for being a regular around those parts. As he made it outside, he took in the fresh air and turned around behind the diner and followed the street to a place he remembered quite clearly from his younger years...


* * * * *

Ultimate Kai used to live in this 'Hood. It wasn't his home 'Hood, but a place him and his had always went to. A long time ago, before he had been a part of the Revolution.

"This place has really gone bad.." Ultimate Kai said, throwing a badly bruised thug from his hand onto the ground, on top of a pile of other thugs dressed similarly. He had not even been in the city for an hour and had already been the victim of an attempted mugging. "I can remember when they would've respected an old face 'round here, y'know?"

"All too well.."

Ultimate Kai whipped around, but the man who spoke was half-hidden in the alleyway less than a block away. He obviously had seen the fight, as well as the lightning-shaped medallion he wore. A symbol of the old days.
"You must be Ultimate Kai. The notorious 'Fighter for Hire'.." the shady figure spoke with a dry chuckle. It took a drag on the cigarette it was holding, or at least the embers light up, then faded as smoke blew from where the man's face presumably was. "Didn't you hear? The members of your team were shot down by the Pythons."

"Ex-Member, for your information." Ultimate Kai quipped back, folding his arms over his chest. "And who might you be? Awfully rude to know somethin' about me when I know nothin' about you, y'know?"

"Same ol' street trash dialect, I see," the figure spoke, stepping out of the shadows and taking off his hat. The man looked a lot like Ultimate Kai, except he had a lot of scruff under his chin and looked at least a few decades older. "You abandoned the gang when they needed you most, Ultimate Kai."

"Geoffry" the younger man exclaimed backing up. "I-I thought you were..."

"Dead? No, far from it. Our Leader may've wanted to see me dead so he could take over the business, but I am very much alive.."

"Why did you leave." Was all the younger man asked, his eyes narrowing and fists clenching. "Do you realize what became of our family once you abandoned us and went off gangbanging?"

The older man just put his hands in his pocket and turned his back to Ultimate Kai. He pointed a finger towards the other side of the town and muttered something about "there you can find 'em" then turned back towards the alley and began walking.

"Wait!" Ultimate Kai called after him, running around to the alleyway, stopping as he saw the most startling thing he had ever seen before.

His old mentor had vanished. There were no doorways, no gutters, and the road was a Dead End, yet his was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn" he muttered, stuffing his hands into his pocket. "The first real lead I get, and this happens." as he made his way back up the streets towards his apartment, his mind still recalling his experience with the strange old man

/= = =\
\= = =/

After doing his morning workout and taking a shower, Ultimate Kai made his way down to the lobby of the ghetto apartment complex he lived in, grabbing a newspaper. Looking in it, he found a listing in the HELP WANTED.

A farmer in a local city trying to find someone to help him with an interesting problem. It wasn't labelled really WHAT the problem was, just that he would pay what little he could afford to part with to anyone who would help.

"Nobody's likely taken this job," Ultimate Kai said with a chuckle as he wadded up the newspaper into a ball and tossed it across the street, straight into a trash bin on the far corner.

"Time I make me some money, even if only a little."

His trip to the farm had been a pretty uneventful one, and he'd been greeted at the choppy, wooden gate that led into the old, rustic-looking farm. Even the old farmer himself looked like something out of an old western movie. The man's manner was gentle enough, and he had a firm and steady handshakes...good merits, in Ultimate Kai's book.

After a tour and introduction to the other workers, Ultimate Kai began working in the problem areas. Little did anyone know, he was something of a Jack of all Trades. He'd been on a farm for some time in his youth, and he had just enough Intuition to make just about anything grow in any condition, and he knew how to pinpoint problems he encountered.

For example, the corn growing in the Northwest Fields was not receiving enough water. Ordinarily, a farmer or scientist might scratch their head and wonder at this phenomenon -- since rain is supposed to rain everywhere equally -- but Ultimate Kai knew that there was a specific type of alien roden that sucked the liquids out of plants and that the corn was a victim of this particular creature.

Finding some common ingredients amongst the crops, he mixed up an organic compound that would repel the beast, and spread it around the cornfields, taking care that every single square foot was saturated with his homemade 'pesticide'. It would not only NOT poison the corn and keep the creatures away, but it also would nourish the corn far more than it was getting nourished.

- - -

He spent all twelve hours of his first day just looking at the different crops, testing them out, then doing whatever needed done to fix the situation. The sun was hot on his face and back (depending on where he was facing), and he was beginning to get a little bit sore.

But it was great to get the hands working on something creative again. It was a definite improvement than just being called upon to knock out a handful of people and retrieve a stolen device and whatnot.

In this field, he actually felt a little bit as if he were finally in his element.

After about a week, the problem with the crops had been solved. There were no more infestations, and the other workers had gotten tired of working for low wages and quit.....meaning Ultimate Kai might've gotten more work....but also more pay.

The farmer was so grateful, he spent a good deal of money -- more than Ultimate Kai would've let the man spend on him had he known what the old farmer had been intending -- to throw a feast of sorts for Ultimate Kai in celebration of their great crops and the sudden boost in profits that were bound to come as an additional end result.

The following morning, at the crack of dawn, Ultimate Kai had his sports bag hiked over his shoulder and was already making his way down the dusty dirt road, not one to be all that good with goodbyes. He had done good here, and he had also sharpened his farming skills. Not to mention proved to a whole group of people that, when it came to hard work and determination, he was definitely not one of the vast majority who chickened out and sought out the easy path.

He was Ultimate Kai, heir to the now extinct Hishirugi Clan, those who'd delved in both the Samurai and Ninja Arts. The sole survivor because of HIS determination to not let himself be undone by the selfish intentions of others, and to live despite what life might throw his way.

If he ever gained anything, it wouldn't be because it was given freely to him. It would be because he worked painstakingly to achieve it.

And that gave him more pride than any amount of worldly wealth ever could.

The wind blew through the dark prairie this evening, whistling through the trees and kicking up leaves as it did so. In this world, this parallel world, Ultimate Kai was alone. Unless there were others who were blessed with 'The Gift', nobody else could necessarily reach this Realm. It was the Realm of Dreams. Most only accessed it in their sleep.

Others...they could access it any time they wished. Well, to be completely honest, this was one of the former times. Ultimate Kai was aware enough of this Realm's existance to access it when he closed his eyes each night, but he never got the method down for locating it when he was awake.

Perhaps the reason he had never really made it all that far here.

"There was another Saiyan who was raised on Earth, a Pureblood." Ultimate Kai said with a scowl. His chiseled, ebony features were strong and sturdy despite their lean appearance, and his massive afro billowed in the wind. His father had been just another low-class warrior sent to what was deemed a nearly inconsequencial planet, and he'd ended up settling down with a nubian woman who just happened to be a Witch Doctor in her small, remote village. The first female Witch Doctor known to her country.

Perhaps it was because of his being raised around the occult that he found himself constantly attracted to it. He certainly worked hard enough to do what he could to get sucked up into things. But the last four times he had involved himself in an effort to save the planet, or to fight off an invading force, he had ended up nearly killed. His power level was, when last scanned, somewhere in the 1,000 range. It was 'strong', but not nearly strong enough.

He was weak. Every time it came down to it, it was someone ELSE who saved the world, or fought off an evil manace.

And he was left for dead each time.

The following morning, Ultimate Kai once again found himself sitting in a rustic diner, sipping on some coffee -- more sugar than coffee, no cream -- and watching people as they made their way through the streets doing their 'day to day'. People wearing suits and carrying briefcases. People dressed in rags with a tin can in hand, begging for change. Even the occasional roughneck looking for a fight.

Nobody of consequence. They were all just your average weak human with a superiority complex. They would never learn, and even if they were taught a lesson, it would only last as long as it took their overinflated ego to repair itself and go overboard again. He'd TRIED knocking some sense into them, and they'd insisted they had seen the error of their ways.

Then, there they were two days or a week later, picking on someone else weaker than them. He now considered it a lost cause. Most of the punks who got bullied drew attention to themselves by mocking the musclehead or making fun of their insecurities. Ultimate Kai could've told the punk what was coming, but they never learned. Oh no....they never, ever learned.

He was one of the few Saiyan Hybrids who could live a long period of time without aging, much like the Purebloods of old. Perhaps it was because there was something otherworldly in his mother. Maybe his father just happened to have good genes. All he knew was that he had been on Earth at LEAST for forty years, and he still looked like he was in his mid to late twenties. He only grew stronger, even if he spent months on end lazing about his small studio apartment. When he got the crap beaten out of him, he always managed to heal from it STRONGER, rather than weaker.

He didn't consider himself a Saiyan, but every time some alien came to Earth, they likened him to one. Maybe it was because of the tail he had wrapped around his waist. Maybe it was the wild, unkept hair that billowed around his head, far thicker and coarser than any black Human had ever had.

But maybe it wasn't. In a world of so much uncertainty, one never knew

Now here he was again, reading the paper on the street corner, a cigarette in his mouth. Life passing by without any involvement on his end. Thirteen thousand days he'd spent at this corner at the VERY least, reading the VERY same company's letter. Oh, there were less airborne cars and more street cars when he had begun, but technology hadn't waited long to catch up to him. In fact, Doctor Briefs had made many great leaps since Capsule Corporation was founded, and they held the patent on the more successful brands of hovercars.

Suddenly, his focus was blown as one of said hovercars suddenly came tearing around the corner, slamming right into Ultimate Kai and sending him crashing into a lightpole on the opposite end of the street, breaking it in half and -- ironically enough-- sending the upper half crashing into the speeding car, sending the two men driving it through the windshield and into the street. The passenger died upon impact, landing on the back of his head and breaking his neck. Blood pooled out of his nose and mouth as he lie there, motionless.

The second guy, somehow springing to his feet after hitting the ground, got up, ran back to the car to pick up a heaping bag of what appeared to be.....jangling coins?.....and took off running.

Now THIS was no way to start off a day. Ultimate Kai had JUST had his coffee, was enjoying a cup of coffee, and some dumbass just rams his car into him with no care whatsoever. Probably figuring him just another pedestrial whose name would show up in the newspaper.

But such was not the case. As Ultimate Kai suddenly crossed the distance between the lightpole and the thug's path in only a matter of seconds, he gripped a wooden dojo sword in hand, his eyes narrowed in irritation.

"You know, you coulda just said howdy, without knocking yer damn car into my chest..." The ebony man said irritably, tapping the length of the blunt, wooden instrument against his shoulder. "And we coulda maybe shared a cup o' joe too, if the mood struck us."

The man looked like he was ready to make a snide remark, but instead of words, blood and teeth suddenly shot out of his mouth as the wooden sword came down in a blurred arc against his jaw, popping his neck as he flopped to the ground like a fish falling out of a fishbowl from ten feet in the air.

"But now, you went and fu**ed my life up. You ruined my day, tore up my newspaper, and now I'm gonna kick yer ass."

He took four slow, precise steps towards the fallen human with a disgruntled sigh and leered at him, his shadow cast across the paler man's form.

"Ya happy now?"

~~~/\/\/\/\/\/\~~~
~~~FLASHBACK~~~
~~~\/\/\/\/\/\/~~~
Ultimate Kai strafed to the left just in time to avoid Nakimuzu's kick, his eyes widening almost as if he was suddenly excited and startled by that excitement at the same time. Her performed a single backflip, his hands blurring through a series of handseals before his hands even touched the ground, drawing up a gigantic boulder with his left hand as he touched the ground again, already releasing the boulder just in time to perform a kick to it, shattering it and sending a massive barrage of sharp stone and rock in Nakimuzu's direction.

He remained in a "Balanced" Martial Arts Stance, almost identical to the stance the various Ninja Clans took when performing Fuujutsu, although the aforementioned Art was theirs alone....but the fundamentals of their fighting style usable by the right mind.

"So I proved the Nara Elders wrong. So I was able to unlock something they didn't even know was buried deep in our innermost core? What is there to fear, other than fear itself?" he mused aloud, keeping his eyes and senses spread around him, and watching for any sudden movement.

"We already know what I've done, although you're too young to know why I began doing it. I knew the risks that came with the job, but at no time did I say I was just going to curl up into some corner and die the instant things began reaching their peak in the way of danger."

He suspected Nakimuzu would act like he wasn't listening, but the Copy Ninja was more than an expert Shinobi....he was an intellectual genius...PERIOD. He wouldn't drown out what information would actually prove useful in the future, especially this particular batch of information.

"But enough chit-chat. If you want a fight, you'll get it. As can be expected of the man who pretty much took down the Demon of the Hidden Mist by his lonesome."

He kept light on his feet, bracing himself for a surprise attack.

~~~/\/\/\/\/\/\~~~
~~~FLASHBACK~~~
~~~\/\/\/\/\/\/~~~


Maybe that was why this seemed familiar. He hadn't fought in such a long time, and yet even the simple act of violence spurred such a powerful surge of adrenaline and a rush.

That even this mere mortal's blood would spike that desire in him.

Ultimate Kai snorts, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he looks at the floating platform he and his most recent Sensei, Bane, stood upon.

"So, you think you can teach me how to master my Taijutsu skills, eh?" He asked, referring to the Ninja Art that partained specifically to hand-to-hand and unarmed combat...an art he would now have to add to his arsenal of knowledge, along with his more comfortable swordsmanship

"Student, why do you persist in asking? I told you many times before that I feel you are not ready. What makes you so confident in your abilities?" replied the sensei, remembering their long periods of training that spanned many months.

Ultimate Kai smirked, not answering. Suddenly, he kicked off the ground, activating the rotation the floating platforms did...an added effect to the training that helped force-train extra balance and stamina. He let himself drop from one platform, only to jump and latch his hands onto the bottom of the opposite side of the platform, flipping up onto it, and aiming a winding kick for Bane's back, wondering if the speed he employed would be even REMOTELY enough.

Bane's experience and the time spent teaching Max allowed him to know the shinobi's usual movements. Moving slightly to his left, the master brought out his left, upper forearm in an attempt to block the wound-up kick.

"Too predicable, try again," snorted the master with a grin.

The grizzled ninja lept into the air in a somersault that easily avoided Ultimate Kai's kick, twisting around just in time to catch the ebony warrior in the side of the head, sending him flying off the platform.

Catching a handhold and whipping himself back up, onto one of the other floating platforms, Ultimate Kai grunted and thumbed his nose at Bane with a dark chuckle.

"It's not over yet, Bane Sensei. Not over by a long shot."
It didn't take long for Bane to prove that his might was far greater than Ultimate Kai's, although that wasn't the intention of their little training session. The actual intention was for Ultimate Kai to work himself harder than he had ever worked himself before. And so far, it was working! Although he was sweating profusely and the heat was unbearable under the intensity of the midday sun, Ultimate Kai still continued his training without either whining or complaining. His was the goal to become stronger and do everything he could to become the strongest warrior he could. If that meant toiling and sweating in the heat of the day on revolving platforms that never stayed still long enough for him to get decent footing, that's what he would do.

He'd already surpassed many of his previous Senseis' expectations, and had moved on from their teachings. He was certainly going to do the same with this Bane fellow, if it was the last thing he ever did. He certainly got a tough enough workout from the man.

But as time passed, Ultimate Kai was beginning to suspect that Bane never expected him to catch up, or at least not before he had to head out again. He suspected that the older man just wanted Ultimate Kai to learn some crafty new maneuvers and practice defending himself so that, should the time come again when he needed to defend himself, he could do so without facing death or WORSE next time the Earth was in crisis.

He had doubts as to whether or not he would ever become one of The Greats -- a term he used for those who always managed to come out on top during interstellar conflict -- but he would come as damn close as he could.

He was definitely dedicated enough, and he put his all into every split second of his training. It WOULD pay off, he knew it.
The training continued for a span of weeks, breaking only for a handful of hours of rest and rehydration. It was really beginning to get intense, but Ultimate Kai seemed to be prevailing his training. At least, by prevailing, he was able to defend himself against the aggressive advances of his Sensei during the hours of their Training, even despite the heat and the sweat trying to pour down his face in buckets and into his eyes at the most inopportune of moments.

The final day of their training ended in a cool evening. It was a memorable evening, apple blossoms blowing here and there throughout the area. One would think that this kind of thing would only happen in the fall, but Bane had a rare breed of plant that emulated the actions of the Apple Blossoms, but where it did those pretty things it did in the Spring, just as much as it did in the fall.

Both men were sweating, but they continued through their stances and forms, then went back into a sparring routine. Bane opened up with an aerial kick, which Ultimate Kai blocked with one hand, then countered with a 180 degree kick of his own aimed right at his Sensei, which Bane somehow avoided by using the toes of his other foot to propel himself off of Ultimate Kai's leg and back onto the ground again, but Ultimate Kai was waiting for him with an earthbound whirlwind kick.

It caught bane in the ribs, but the man still made it to the ground, holding up a hand to halt their sparring for a moment to catch his breath. The older man was actually surprised to find that Ultimate Kai was sweating, but he wasn't even remotely out of breath. It seemed Ultimate Kai had actually ended up building up his stamina and endurance during this training!

With a smile, he concluded the training with a bow, Ultimate Kai's cue to quietly gather his things and begin his trip to see his long time friend and the man who had also been a student during his days at the Chaos Sage Kao Fung's Dojo.

~~~~F L A S H B A C K~~~~

As the war between Rebel Force and the Red Ribbon Army forces raged, Ultimate Kai knew it had been the time to pull away, back to the safety of the Ebony Fortress. This decision had come quite sudden as he had felt the winds change. The northern winds, those cold chilling winds, had turned and now the favorable winds of space had begun to blow.

His trip back to the Ebony Fortress was uneventful, the men, thirty of them, following him on the armada. As he crossed over to the safety of the Ebony Fortress borders, Ultimate Kai again felt calm. He was home again. Though there wouldnt be much time for rest as the Ebony Fortress, needed to stretch out, to grow. The call for more space, to feed the growing number of the Ebony Fortress soldiers, had been growing since his and the Admirals absence. And it had become almost deafening.

Ultimate Kai journey took himself to the Skull subspace, where the fleet of the Ebony Fortress, awaited the return of their general, and once more sail out and bring honor to the people of the Ebony Fortress. The fleet had been gathered in all silence, until the whole subspace, was filled with different ships. Ships of war and Ultimate Kais flagship, the Ormen Lange (the Long Serpent) awaited on the spacestation.

After Ultimate Kai found comfortable housing in the subspace, he sent forth a message to the Armada and to the general of the Southern army of Planet Hukora. The Armada would arrive in a few days, while the Southern Army of Planet Hukora, would arrive at the end of the week.

As for their target, well it was an isspace, a small insignificant piece of space, that no one seemed to care for, that no one saw as something of importance. Well of course it was not so. Space held great importance, to those whom wanted to control the sea trade in Eastern Rebel Force. Not only that, but could function as a base for continuous expansion.

General Tzau and Ultimate Kai had discussed expanding their borders ever since the Ebony Fortress began taking in a large amount of displaced refuges. Combined with the fact the weasels were granted a parcel of space, General Tzau and Ultimate Kai both agreed it was time to broaden the Planet Hukora Ebony Fortress borders.

During a brief but intense meeting, General Tzau the Admiral and Chief General Hishirugi, would hammer out the next course for expansion. It would be a tenuous thing that would need to be handled with care, least the Ebony Fortress be seen a vultures picking over scraps while war raged and the dead mounted.

The decision was reached to secure Space that lay just off the coast of the Ebony Fortress. Space was uncontrolled and virtually uninhabited. If and when secured, it would be a key point for trade and transport, further securing their hold on the southeast and maritime transport in the area.

General Tzau would give his blessings and complete autonomy of the mission to Ultimate Kai. Trusting most completely in his Chief General to take care of the military aspect of things, General Tzau himself would handle diplomatic relations and act as a buffer should their actions be seen as greed based and motivated.

Knowing his Admiral had given the permission to unleash the hammer of the Ebony Fortress, he didnt want to fail. This was not only a mission for expansion, but a show of power. The Armada, and the Southern Army of Planet Hukora, would be the first to honor the Admiral in their first attempt to expand this world of greatness.

Thus the fleet was prepared, and now waited for the troops.All twenty thousand of the combined forces.

The troop carriers, ships of northern design, could fit0 men plus the soldiers. These ships were the common long ships that were suited for this kind of transit. The battle ships, were designed just like the transport ships, but were longer and sleeker, giving them speed in sea warfare. Almost all of them were equipped with either a large ballista or a trebuchet, that fired a array of ammunition, from stones to canisters filled with mortar..


To supply the large army, showed the necessity of good roads, which the Ebony Fortress had. Food and cattle were delivered to the Skull subspace, in countless of wagons. Tents and housing were arranged for the coming army. The few days it took, to arrange all this, the Armada had armadaed to the subspace. These were the first to set foot on Space, make a spacestationhead for the reserves to sail in, then conquer the rest of Space.

As the message came from the Southern Army of Planet Hukora, that they were half way to the subspace, Ultimate Kai ordered his Armada, to enter the ships. He himself, entered the Ormen Lange, then3 ships, accompanied with their escort ships, sailed out, towards the north.

The southern winds, gave good speed to the fleet of ships, that first sailed out from the subspace. The trip seemed to be uneventful, only a few merchant ships were seen, but those turned around as soon as they saw the proportions of this fleet of the Ebony Fortress.

On the late afternoon, of the next day, the fleet arrived to Space, then the first of ships spacestationed themselves, and the Armada, rushed towards the shore. Though it seemed, that the fleet had not been gone unnoticed by some isspaceers and the first skirmish started on the southern spacestation of this isspace. Swords and axes clashed against shields, armor and bone. Bravely Spaceers fought, the water around the spacestation started to turn red. But the pressure from the Armadians, pushed slowly the enemy away, then broke through and routed the small force that had been expecting them.

Only a few escaped.

Ultimate Kai was the last to come ashore, then ordered the main force to move forward, make a spacestationhead, a half circle, so that the rest of the fleet would be protected. After that, the wounded were taken care of. The dead, were burnt, whether they were their own men or the enemy.

A few prisoners, those that had turned and ran, were tortured, with burning oil, a favorite of Ultimate Kais, to gain information of this isspace. What he learned was that Space was called Eire, and the opposition they would encounter was of scattered clans. But Ultimate Kai knew how easy those scattered clans would unite and meet the Ebony Fortress forces in the battle field. The calculated strength of the enemy force was more or less000. Pleasing news since he had long wanted to test the army of the Ebony Fortress and this seemed to be a good test.

While Ultimate Kai was waiting for the rest of the troops to arrive, a ship filled with herbal supplies, arrived. He had not foreseen the need of this and was gladly surprised that his Admiral had. After he read the Admiral letter, Ultimate Kai chuckled. It was not a secret, that Ultimate Kai liked wealth. He liked gold and he liked it a lot. And now finding out, he could keep it all, made Ultimate Kai chuckle.
The healers he had with him, were sent to supervise the offloading of the ship, and to catalogue its contents, so that the healers knew what they would need, if sickness hit their men. If, was the wrong word, when was a better word. Many armies through time, had lost more men to sickness, than to fighting. Thus this gift, from the Admiral was met with great joy by the healers.

As for the Armadians, well they had just finished working on the defences of this campaign. The spacestation head was secure, well as secure as one could make it, in so short time. But then again, no major enemy force had been seen, and maybe those defences would be needed. Maybe the enemy, would wait until the large force of the Ebony Fortress had spacestationed then they would attack. A honourable way, indeed.

Ultimate Kai had to admit, that he had grown to like these people of Eire, even thought they had only fought a small skirmish. They had shown good strength of heart, fine skills, and thought they had ran in the end, the encounter had impressed Ultimate Kai. Maybe here, he would get a fine challenge.

Just a day before the reserves arrived to Space, Ultimate Kai and his Armadians were forced to go into battle. It seemed that a large group of isspaceers had taken up arms, surely intending to drive the invaders out. The enemy numbers were slightly higher than Ultimate Kais men, about000, but Spaceers had fought like individuals and thus had lost against the well oiled war machine of the Ebony Fortress.

Where Spaceers charged in, the Armadians, stood their ground in a tight double line, forming a tactic called a shield wall or in their Northern tongue a Skjaldborg. This was where men stood shoulder to shoulder, tightly packed, with their large shields covering themselves and partly the man standing next to them.

And as the enemy charged in, the shield wall, sapped the enemy charge. And where Spaceers swung their weapons, with powerful strikes and slashes, the Armadians used, swift and precise strikes, with devastating efficiency. As the fight went on, Spaceers started to loose men and it was at this time, Ultimate Kai and his fellow northerners charged in. The push of the charge, sent Spaceers line into disarray and after a short, battle, Ultimate Kai faced the chieftain of the enemy.
Ultimate Kai delivered a devastating wound to the chieftains sternum, then split his head open with a precise axe chop. With the death of the chieftain, Spaceers lost their spirit and thus the battle was won. Spaceers lost about00 men as dead and00 as wounded, thought the wounded were all but killed by Ultimate Kais men, since there wasnt enough supplies to take care of that many enemies.

Ultimate Kais men lost3 men, and had00 wounded. Of those00, a little over00 men could continue the battle, where as the rest were shipped to the Ebony Fortress for better care.

Next day, after the battle, the rest of the forces needed to this campaign arrived to the east of Ultimate Kais men. They spacestationed and started armadaing north. After a short armada, these men were united with Ultimate Kais forces and then the now grown army armadaed north to meet the enemy. At this time, Ultimate Kai knew where the enemy army was located, this information, he had gotten from the few prisoners he had gained from their previous battle.

Ultimate Kais Armada and the Southern Army of Planet Hukora continued their armada and on the evening of this day, they met the main army of these isspaceers. No one really wanted to battle at night, hence, these two armies, made a camp, then slept the night through.

Early the next day, the two opposing forces were again looking at each other. The isspaceers against the Ebony Fortress000 men. This was the deciding battle for the ownership of this isspace. The battle horns sounded and thus the battle started.

When the wounded returned to the mainspace, General Tzau was the first to be notified. He would personally welcome each and every warrior home that had battled in the name of the Ebony Fortress. Though some were wounded more grievous than others only nineteen of the returning men actually succumbed to his wounds and were buried with full and proper ceremonies befitting their rank.

Scouts would retell the Chief General's first encounter with Space natives and how upon the initial foray, Ultimate Kai had as expected come out victorious. His tactics, experience and discipline easily able to counter the wild array of natives.

General Tzau would nod and allow a proud smile as he adjusted the patch over his left eye. A petition was sent sent to the best bards in the Ebony Fortress. General Tzau would have them begin to compose tales of honor and songs of deeds done by Ultimate Kai. General Tzau would also call his people in charge of civil matters and have them begin to plan a celebration upon Ultimate Kai's and the armed forces eventual return. General Tzau had little doubt that the small isspace would soon bear the flag of the Planet Hukora Ebony Fortress. For his Chief General and the men of the Ebony Fortress that had fought and risked their very lives...they would be given the honor and respect they had earned in the field of battle.
Once the ceremonies had been discussed General Tzau got another recount of the events that were partaking on Space, as well as the actual statistical information on troop numbers and their supply lines. A major encounter was said to be building. General Tzau got an idea as he listened to his advisers.

Space terrain and the inner jungles were almost similar in scope to spaces the Gnorkilians of the Ebony Fortress inhabited. Immediately General Tzau would have a conscript of00 Reptoid warriors sent by the fastest ships the Ebony Fortress had to Space. These00 Reptoid warriors were elite class fighters equipped with obsidian armor and weapons. They only ever answered to General Tzau and were now sent to serve as shock troops for Ultimate Kai and the main body of warriors. With their ability to transverse the bogs and swamps as well as endure the sweltering isspace heat more so than armor clad warriors General Tzau hoped they would help off-balance Space natives even further. General Tzau would then await the reports of battle and as always the expected victory of Planet Hukoras finest

Ultimate Kai had been aware of the arrival, of the Gnorkilians, by his "Flying scout". Smiling he had sent a message to these troops, and requested them to use a river, to swim behind the enemy lines and await for a perfect opportunity to attack the enemy from the rear, and to cut of their only way of retreat, which was a bridge, crossing the river behind the enemy lines. Knowing the Reptoid ability of stealth, he was pretty sure, Spaceers could not spot them.

It was on the late afternoon, when the enemy lines had readily formed and then they started to move forward. Great horns of war blew, answered by the bang of shields from the Ebony Fortress troops. With a wave of the flag, Ultimate Kais skirmishers ran forward and started to throw javelins at the advancing Isspaceers. As Spaceers rushed forward in run the skirmishers threw their last javelins then retreated behind the safety of Ultimate Kais lines.

With good formation, Ultimate Kai and the forces of the Ebony Fortress moved forward, while the Archers of the Ebony Fortress fired volley after volley into the enemy lines. Soon the two forces met, and the clash of swords, axes thundered through the air. Soon this was filled with the cries of the wounded. The battle would be long and hard, since neither of them had any cavalry, to force a breakthrough.

In the heat the both forces fought like majestically and evenly at first. But the advantage of the Ebony Fortress forces were, their formation. As the front lines of the Ebony Fortress forces, started to tire, Ultimate Kai ordered the fresh men standing behind the first line to press forward. Now fresh men, about500 of them rushed into the fray.

Ultimate Kai joined this fresh attack and drove his cohort, of00 men into the middle of the enemy lines. As the middle, of the enemy force started to break, Spaceers knew that their army would be cut in two, and that meant defeat. Hence they started to retreat towards the river and the bridge. If they were able to cross the bridge, they could hold off the Ebony Fortress forces for a long time.

Now, it was all up to the Reptiles, to get to the bridge first and attack the enemy from the rear. If this worked, Ultimate Kais Army would be like the anvil and the Reptiles would be the hammer, crushing the enemy force

The Gnorkilians that had been sent to Space to further secure Ultimate Kai's position would follow their orders to the letter. Easily able to transverse the bogs and the rivers behind enemy lines they were able to move into position, and remain undetected.

The bridge they were sent to secure was an old and worn wooden expanse, lashed together by rotting vines. After they did an initial assessment of the structure, the Gnorkilians would knock out certain support pillars that would severely weaken the structural integrity of the bridge but leave it standing. The illusion of a secure route of retreat would hold long enough for the native troops began to clamor across the bridge in mass. A loud groan and cracking was heard and the structure would collapse under their weight, casting them down into the river below and the waiting teeth and claws of the Gnorkilians.

Some Gnorkilians that had not submerged in the river to complete the kills, stayed back on the far bank and would begin firing obsidian tipped arrows at any natives that would actually manage to make it free of the collapsing bridge and the watery death of the river.

The natives had NOT expected this encounter and were unable to mount a proper defense now being caught between the main body of troops bearing down on them and the unexpected Reptoid attack at the river. Their moral and spirits were shaken and would eventually break. Any cohesion the natives had attempted while retreating was lost and they would scatter and begin fighting solo battles seeking to flee for their lives. Never had they faced a force that was so diverse yet well organized and they easily crumbled beneath the forces from Planet Hukora

The collapsing bridge, was indeed, the think that broke the camels back. And the natives, knew they had no where to run. Those who fought solo, were simply cut down, without much of an effort. Those that threw down their weapons, were either captured or killed. It was a complete and utter defeat for Spaceers.

As the fighting died down, the sun had almost set, and it was time to go through the losses. The natives had almost lost all of their men, at least up to400 in dead and wounded. Those whom were wounded worst were killed, since there was not enough supplies to tend to that many enemies. But some had been able to avoid the Reptile archers and their obsidian weapons, jumping into the river and swimming away, others had simply ran.

For the Ebony Fortress, things looked better. It was the armor, the training and the belief in the Ebony Fortress, that had brought them victory. Out of000 men, they had lost00 as dead and50 as wounded. Again those that had been wounded the worst, were sent back to the south, to be shipped over to the Ebony Fortress hospitals, the rest were tended on spot.Even Ultimate Kai had been cut in the leg and had taken a few stitches, to stop the bleeding. But all in all, it was a great victory and even greater show of strength for the Ebony Fortress.

What was left was to armada over the river, then to the planet, that seemed to be Spaceers headquarters. Quickly a makeshift bridge was built, and the army moved over it in a good order. Near the bridge, Ultimate Kai praised the Reptiles for such a good show, and thanked them for sending the final blow to their enemy

As the Ebony Fortress troops had crossed the river, Ultimate Kai ordered them to make camp. It had been a though fight and the men needed rest. Soon, the camp was quiet and the men sleeping, only sound was from the guards on patrol. In the morning a few isspaceer stragglers were caught and were made to work for the Ebony Fortress.

It wasnt long, until the Ebony Fortress was on the move again. North, towards the enemy, these men of the Ebony Fortress armadaed. All of them were now battle hardened men, been in the fray and survived. Ultimate Kai could see the change in their faces and posture. It was as if pride filled every muscle and bone of these men. Ultimate Kai could not do other but smile.

As they neared the enemy headquarters, well if one could call it that, since it was a lonely planet, with a weak wooden wall to defend them. The army stopped and with the order from Ultimate Kai the planet was surrounded. Ultimate Kai didnt have to wait long, until a rider, came out from the planet, bearing a white flag.

After a short talk, Ultimate Kai nodded to the flag bearer, then sent him back to the
planet. Ultimate Kai walked to a rock formation, climbed it, the turned towards his men and lifted his axe in the air, and screamed "VICTORY! HAIL TO THE Ebony Fortress AND THE Admiral!" The men, looked baffled at first, then raised their weapons in the air and praised their native home and their Admiral. If General Tzau had been here, he would have been greatly touched by this, show of loyalty and honor to him and to space he ruled.

The next days, went to negotiations, and soon the native isspaceers leaders were chained and sent south to the awaiting ships. There was no looting or pillaging but Ultimate Kai did tax the new spaces of the Ebony Fortress harshly./3 of their gold and treasure was taken back to the Ebony Fortress. The Southern Army of Planet Hukora, stationed000 men, to guard and supervise the new members of the Ebony Fortress, to see that they followed the laws and faith of the great world.

Ultimate Kai then sailed back to the Ebony Fortress, with his Armada and the prisoners. It was two days from their departure, that Ultimate Kai arrived to the Skull subspace

The scouts and the field reports all would come to General Tzau and he was pleased by what he heard. Ultimate Kai had taken Space, the losses were minimal, and the ships that would be arriving in two days time would be laden with the spoils of war. From a strategic standpoint the Planet Hukora Ebony Fortress with this victory had strengthened their hold on the southeast. The amount of spaces bequeathed to the weasels, were balanced by the acquisition and the returning troops were even more battle hardened.

The reports also told of the native isspaceers who were captured. A new decree would go into effect immediately. Any captives taken during wartime engagements would serve the Ebony Fortress as menial labor for two years time and then be allowed their freedom. This would allow the armed forces to recoup their losses, but before a single captive would set foot within and serve the Ebony Fortress, General Tzau had detailed laws composed of how captives would be treated and how they would be handled during their period of servitude. Eventually they would return to society and General Tzau didn't want resentment to still foster in their hearts.

The bards, and civil planners were all told to make sure that upon arrival, Ultimate Kai and the troops would receive a proper welcome home. He would also instruct the artisans to begin to carve a towering statue depicting the Chief General to commemorate the armies victory. After the celebration they would be sent to Space to begin the work immediately.

Almost0 ships of the Ebony Fortress sailed towards the Skull subspace, their holds filled with treasure and prisoners of war. The captives, those chained and broken men of their Enemies, had almost been thrown overboard, by Ultimate Kai. But had been stopped by his adviser. Feeling a bit sour about the advisers meddling, Ultimate Kai had thrown the adviser overboard, which had made Ultimate Kai feel much better.

As the fleet, neared the Skull subspace, the sails were changed to the Ebony Fortress black sails, sails with the icon of the lion, painted on them. The first horns were blown from the shore, as the fleet was spotted, and these were quickly answered by Ultimate Kais fleet. What a impressive sight it must have been to see, the sea filled, with Black sails and mighty ships. But such was the thought of the whole Ebony Fortress. To impress upon others, to draw attention and with that grow.

Standing on the bow of his ship, the Ormen Lange (Long Serpent) he looked at the subspace closing in and smiled. The campaign had been successful and with their victory, the morale of the whole world, would rise. Picturing himself home with his wife, his son playing in the background, while he was enjoying the comforts of his fireplace. It was all he needed to resupply his energies, for the coming conquests. "Aye, to be home again" he whispered, silently.

It would take the fleet, about0 hours to offload the troops, then Ultimate Kai with his Armadians would start their journey towards their home, the southern army of the Ebony Fortress would armada back to their barracks and await their honor, which would be great

The ships finally arrived to the subspace and the offloading of the troops commenced. A few prisoners had by mistake fallen into the water and drowned, as their heavy chains had pulled them under. But to the Armadians this was a better, than what ever awaited them in the prisons. But there were a few more left, to serve the Ebony Fortress as prisoners of war, and that would have to be sufficient.
The horses were brought out from the stables, located near the Skull subspace and with that, the Armadians and Ultimate Kai, started their way back home. Riding in a long column, they made their way through the Lava Ebony Fortress and were heading for Ultimate Kais home.

They rode into the planet, with the cheering Armadians. It was a sight that touched many. The lion flags, symbol both of the Ebony Fortress and the Northerners fluttered in the air. As they stopped in the planet square, and dismounted, their families rushed out to hug their brave and noble sons, for coming home. Ultimate Kai pushed himself through the crowd, making his way towards the one he had not seen in a few months.

Finally getting through the joyful mob, he saw his house, and there, on the porch stood his wife and son. "Shihara!" he shouted and rushed forward. As he finally was before his wife, Ultimate Kai, with trembling feet, walked up the small set of stairs and stood before his wife. Pulling off his helmet, he let it fall on the ground and said "I have missed you, so much." And then he embraced Shihara, kissing her.

Brocco came out at that moment and Ultimate Kai pulled away from Shihara and asked "And who is this young man?" He had been gone for so long, that, the boy had changed, grown and had gotten a fine posture, that Ultimate Kai at first didnt recognize his own son. But then when their eyes met, Ultimate Kai smiled, and picked up the boy, well the young man, into a hug. "Brocco my boy, you have grown."

Turning again towards Shihara, Ultimate Kai asked "Now what in the heavens have you been feeding this lad?" grinning widely, he leaned forward to kiss her wife again

Chuckled and kissed his wife, then listened to Brocco, speak and tell the very long tale of what he had done on the past hour. Ultimate Kai looked at Shihara and said with a wide grin "Well at least I know from whom he got his quick tongue from." Now, taking off his bag, and opening it, he pulled out a horned helmet, which he handed to Brocco. Whom grabbed it and ran off to show his friends. Ultimate Kai smiling, stood up again and said "I missed you." and closed his bag. He had a few more gifts, to share with his wife, but those could wait a few moments.

Then looking down at her belly, he said "I guess, you should not be on your feet that much, lets go inside and Ill tell you all about how brave I was." With that, he placed his arm around Shihara and started to walk inside. Where hopefully he would get something to eat and would hear the newest gossip.

~~~~E N D ~ F L A S H B A C K~~~~

Remembering the days of the past, Ultimate Kai crouched low, his Ki enveloping his form as he faced off with his old friend in classic sparring stance. They would end up sparring before they went on their journey to collect the Forbidden Scrolls, and he hoped he measured up. Even if he didn't, that was fine.

He would find a way to excel.

Fire was burning in the young rogue's eyes as he squared off against his best friend, "Hey, do try to keep up, Max," Sento joked as he pulled out a sharp dagger. The blade gleamed as the master thief held it behind him while standing in a low crouching position, "Here I come," the young rogue yelled as he launched himself at Ultimate Kai cutting at his forehead and twisting around to cut at his inner thigh. Not holding back as the master thief knew he's friend was up to the task of this sparring match.

Ultimate Kai was already in gear when his friend had come at him. Sento was skilled enough to more than give the ebony warrior a run for his money. As the first strike was aimed for his forehead, Ultimate Kai's blade came out, catching the dagger with Sujou {sword's name}'s guard, twisting around just in time to block the second dagger strike, while aiming a fly kick for the rogue's prone body, but knowing that Sento was probably in more than enough of a position to evade.

Ultimate Kai's foot narrowly missed the skilled thief's head as Sento had rolled away just in time, "You're getting better," he said as the young rogue placed his dagger back into its scabbard while drawing three throwing knives from the belt tied diagonally around his chest. Creating distance between him and his friend Sento continued his assault by throwing the knives at Ultimate Kai from three different directions to see how well the ebony blademaster can fair against ranged attacks.

Ultimate Kai sheathed his sword just in time to drop to the ground and begin a maneuver that highly resembled breakdancing, what he called Spinning Top, where he employed a series of wild -- but well-aimed -- kicks with his metal-plated boots. His legs whipped around like a helicopter, knocking the blades that came his way aside, then flipped back onto his feet, his hand going to and from his kunai pouch so swiftly that the kunai were flying for Sento's last location the split second the ebony warrior's feet touched the ground again.

=====================

After awhile, things were brought to a head and both sparring partners had went ahead and made their way back to the Temple. There, a large feast was prepared for them by some of the local villagers. After all, Ultimate Kai's sparring partner was a big name in these parts.

"I appreciate you taking the time to train me." Ultimate Kai said as he took his place at the table, already helping himself to large amounts of chicken, potatoes, sauteed onions and greens. He hated to be rude, but one never knew when a combat situation might come to head. Besides, ever since he was a kid, he noticed that his appetite was ALWAYS ravenous. Along with that, his tail, and the way he metabolized food at a rapid rate, it had been clear that he wasn't human, but it never really came into conversations. He wore his tail like a belt around his waist, and that was that.

As he ate, again earning a surprised but cheerful smile from his mentor, it seemed as if he was practically throwing everything he could get his hands on into his mouth, and he had cleared all the plates within arm's reach around him, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the others' plates.

"I think it's time I go.." he said with a chuckle, standing with a bow to his old mentor, and taking his leave, ready to head towards his next destination

Training had become one of the most tedious exercises available to Ultimate Kai. Every day, it was the same grind. He would get up, take care of hygiene, eat whatever he could get ahold of in the kitchen of his studio apartment, then jog down the steps to the Dojo downstairs where one of the greatest fighters on Earth lived, teaching the forgotten art of Morenkai Fu. It was a crafty and deadly art, just as dangerous to the user at times as the target, but those who used it had become legends in their Galaxies for their uncanny fighting prowess.

Although he didn't see it happening, Ultimate Kai wanted to become one of those fighting masters. His IQ was already at least a hundred points higher than the human IQ scale even provided. For decades, he'd spent his life investing in efforts intellectual and philosophical, choosing not to 'waste time' with the more brutish things the world had to offer. He'd even scoffed at those he'd see working out in gyms as he passed by the glass windows that allowed him to watch as he headed either to or from the store with the week's groceries.

But now, it was different. He had finally encountered a Ultimate Kai! A member of the race his mother had told him about, that his father had belonged to. Even explained why it was the reason that his father hadn't come back after a mission to wipe out another Ultimate Kai, presumably the first to arrive at and begin living on Earth.

There was no helping it now. He could feel it now, the pride of his ancestors burning within him. He wanted to become powerful, and there was surely only one way to do it. Hard work and perseverence!


As he came out of the dressing room fifteen minutes later, dressed in a baggy muscle shirt and baggy white pants, he came to stand before his sensei, fist in palm, beginning their session with a formal bow.

The first step of the session was to do another opening bow, then begin warm-ups.

Low punch, high punch, mid punch.

High kick, low kick, mid kick.

Sweeping Roundhouse Kick.

Aerial Kick......

And on it would go, each warm-up maneuver getting more and more complex. Resting in the middle of a session was permitted, but it was for the Sensei to know who it was who wasn't measuring up. Sadly, everyone but Ultimate Kai and another student whose name escaped Ultimate Kai's mind ended up sitting on the sidelines, rubbing their arms or legs, or using a cellphone or watchphone to call medics.

This other man, he kept in motion with the Master, in motion with Ultimate Kai. A trio executing strenuous simultaneous movement at the same time, none breaking a sweat. They moved in perfect rhythm, even taking on another maneuver that the instructor chose to throw out at random, and it always was smooth precision. Even though all sources verified that this other man was a Human, the man moved and fought like a Ultimate Kai. It was only much later that he would learn that the other man's name was Raoul.


By the end of the three hour session, both students and even the instructor were sweating and holding themselves up by their knees. The other students had cleared out thirty minutes into the session, having perhaps surpassed their performance the day before, but still not capable of making it to the Final Hour.

After being dismissed, Ultimate Kai went to the restroom to freshen himself up, then left to go to the dressing room to get back into his street clothes, then do a final bow before opening the exiting door and stepping out into the hot, muggy evening air.

Sighing deeply, he began the long trek towards the city limits, where he would begin his more intense training regiment amidst the Forest Spirits, whose physical powers were beyond mortal comprehension...

The spirits would not be easy on the promising ebony warrior. Although his level of power was lower than some, he showed steady progress. To them, steady progress was far more important than drastic progress. After all, the Forest Spirits had come into existance many millennia ago. They only showed themselves to the truly spiritual, and they only trained those who were willing to undergo horrors and pains that would drive any unready creature's mind for a twist not unlike running a truck over a turtle, then reanimating the turtle and giving it just long enough to rejoice it's survival before it gets crushed again, then being forced to relive the same thing over. And over. And over again, with no chance of adapting. It just has to ENDURE it.

Ultimate Kai was the only one these particular Forest Spirits would speak to, and his training amongst them always brought forth great results. He felt it was certain that he could become stronger in their company. Just a half hour with them made him feel like he had already advanced a bit physically...was a little lighter on his feet, his muscles just a little more toned. It was because, when they trained, the Spirits wrapped him in a Spiritual Blanket of sorts that tapped into his natural Ultimate Kai ability to come back from damage stronger, without the damage lasting any longer than it took to become that much more strong.

By the end of the first thirty minutes, though, he knew something was different. They were pushing him harder. The gravity where he stood had suddenly shifted to twice Earth's natural gravity, causing him to stumble back in astonishment, but otherwise he was okay. But then the gravity continued to get heavier and heavier, and his ability to stand went from being easy to difficult, to excruciatingly tough, to near impossible. Finally, he was forced to his hands and knees, which were in themselves beginning to feel weak and rubbery.

Were they trying to kill him? If so, would they succeed?

There was no way to tell. Only the fact that he would find out if he continued to persevere and push himself to be the best he could be. Otherwise, they WOULD make it so that it wasn't worth his time to quit prematurely.

A strange man toting a samurai sword has been going from town to town, challenging Dojo Owners. Unlike most Dojo Destroyers, who challenge Dojos and take their titles, this man has been killing them, claiming they were "Not worthy of living". His insignia is 'Akuma', also known as "Devil".

Amazing how coopertive a man can be after he sees his comrades get their asses kicked. The barkeep spilled every bit of information he knew. Now Ultimate Kai had addresses of several people that might be hiding the fugitive. He also had the names of several businesses the man frequented.

Ultimate Kai turned and strode out of the bar. A soft rain greeted him outside. That did not stop the always busy city. Cars continued to whiz past overhead. People rushed in and out of buildings.

Nightfall loomed over the city. This made no difference. Many of the stores remained open late. This was a city that never slept. Ultimate Kai paused just briefly enjoying the cool rain. He had places to go. Sometimes though, he wished for more trees and less buildings.

His next stop would be a weapon shop that dojo destroyer had claimed to visit. Ultimate Kai raced down the darkening streets. Having an idea of what sort of equipment his enemy like to purchase would be a bit of useful information. Though, Ultimate Kai did not mind a surprise.

He rounded a corner nearly running over an older woman with an armful of bags. The warrior stopped, bowed a greeting, and took the bags from her. He politely carried them to her car before continuing his trek. He always had time in his day for a moment of charity.

The weapon shop sat at the end of a poorly lit road in what could be called the worst part of town. Gangs ruled these streets. While Ultimate Kai had no fear of attack, he still remained wary. A group of twenty angry young men could possibly do a bit of damage. The warrior paused in front of the shop. Place was strangely quiet.

Then again, it was always quiet before a storm. To let down his guard would most certainly be foolish.

He stood upon the roof of one of the older buildings in the city. Somewhere down there in the mass of technology and humanity, a murderer hid. Ultimate Kai had every intention of finding this foul excuse of a human being and bring him to justice by the point of his sword.

Sometimes people needed to die. This was a fact of life. Not everyone had the stomach to do what needed done. This suited Ultimate Kai fine. He enjoyed the fight, the thrill of the hunt. Some part of him craved battle. He had no fears of death. Maybe it was just his ego, but he considered himself a far better warrior than most. Rarely did he meet his match. It happened. Yet he survived to tell the tale. But they did not.

He glanced to the darkening sky overhead. Ominous clouds rolled in. The low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance. He felt a cool breeze stir up. Seemed a city this size generated its own heat. The breeze against his skin was welcome.
Yet, he could not simply wait here enjoying the weather. He had a job to do. Ultimate Kai gripped the hilt of his sword briefly. It remained strapped securely at his hip. He studied the movement of the cars flying past just below him.
Some would be startled at his choice of weapon. But a sword was close and personal. Ultimate Kai liked to feel the blade slice through skin. He needed to feel bones breaking. Sure, better weapons existed these days. But, he took no satisfaction in just shooting someone. A warrior fought with mind, body, and soul, not with mundane weapons.

Perhaps dojo destroyer prefered such things. He expected no less. A gun, be it laser or bullets, was the coward's way. It served to provide a bit more challenge to an attacker. Yet, remove the gun and they had no defense. Weak men used guns.
Ultimate Kai's fists packed as much damage as any sword. Should the warrior be disarmed, he remained just as dangerous. Could any gun wielding fightermake such a claim. No. Ultimate Kai spat on the idea of any man claiming to be a warrior who used such fighting tactics.

The world had changed. People knew more than they did in the age of the sword. This city below himwas evidence of that. Long gone were the times of slow travel and messengers. But tradition was sacred. The sword was sacred.

A car passed just below the warrior. His eyes narrowed as he leapt right atop the vehicle with a dull thud. He thought he heard a shout from the startled driver. But the sounds of traffic drowned it out. Ultimate Kai was hardly interested in the puny anger of this man inthe car. He began leaping, half flying from car to car. Each time, he landed with a thud. Unfortunately his weight and the impact left small dents in the roof of each vehicle.

Just ahead in the street below was Ultimate Kai's first stop. A bar. Seedy place for these times. But every city had it's dark corners. He dropped down in front of the door. He had been told that this bar was a known hideout for destroyer. Ultimate Kai doubted that the man still used the place, but they would lead him to the right destination.

Yes, the would. His muscles flexed under his ebony skin. They had no choice but to give him the information he needed. Lack of cooperation in this matter might result in one less flea ridden dive in the city. He smiled at the thought. Maybe they would give him a medal for public service.

The lack of light inside the bar did not bother the warrior. His eyes adjusted readily. The place reeked of spilled booze. Music squeaked out of an antique jukebox in the corner. Most of the tables were empty. He noted that a few patrons turned his way, but some simply ignored him.

Ultimate Kai stepped up to the bar as if he owned the place. His eyes locked onto the barkeep. He pulled a photo from his pocket and slapped it on the counter."Where is he?" Ultimate Kai's deep voice rumbled much like the thunder outside. It would be unwise to challenge him.

The barkeep's eyes dropped to the photo. He quickly stabbed at a button below the counter. Ultimate Kai took a step back. His gut told him trouble was on the way.
Trouble took the form of three bouncers close to the warrior's size. Ultimate Kai laughed. His sword remained sheathed. This little job did not require it.
The men attacked at once. Perhaps they thought they would bodily remove him from the bar. One had him in a chokehold while the other two grappled at his arm. Ultimate Kai stood perfectly still. A grin spread across his face as his attackers tugged and pulled without budging him an inch.

With one swift move, Ultimate Kai grabbed the man who had the chokehold and threw him backwards over his shoulder and onto one of the wooden tables. The table broke in two. His fists struck out at the other two men catching them both by the hair. He slammed them together. Both lay barely breathing at his feet.
The patrons stared briefly then returned to their drinks. The jukebox continued to play the same annoying song. Ultimate Kai stepped over the counter and grabbed the cowering barkeep by the front of the shirt. Once again he shoved the picture in front of the man.

"Try again," he growled.

Thunder rumbled ominously in the sky above. Ultimate Kai paused to glance at the thick wall of grey clouds clouds that gathered overhead. If he did not find this dojo destroyer soon, he would lose him in the forest. Mud already sloshed around his feet from previous storms.

He pushed his way through the dense foliage. Briefly he thought he caught sight of a flash of red. But his vision was obscured by trees. The place had grown quiet. Usually birds filled the air with sounds of song and wings. Sometimes animals could be heard in the brush. The only thing Ultimate Kai heard now was the sticky sound of his boots in the mud. He cursed silently.

This would not do. Ultimate Kai focused his energy inward. Slowly he rose above the ground so that he could sail silently through the brush. Flight here proved difficult. As he moved forward, he had to dodge low hanging branches, flowering vines, and several spider webs.

At least this way, he avoided the mud. The warrior studied the ground as he made as way forward. These forests housed all sorts of animals. He noted their tracks. Only one animal interested him. This dojo destroyer would pay for his crimes. If Ultimate Kai had his way, this man would fall by his sword.
Eventually he came across a human footprint in the mud. Ultimate Kai hovered over it . Seemed that his quarry had gone south. It also appeared that he had attempted to hide his tracks. Ultimate Kai's face twisted into a frown. He clutched the hilt of his sword and surged forward.

He came across the tracks again by a river. Most had been wiped away. That meant his prey was worried. Obviously concerned enough about an impending battle to attemptto hide. Ultimate Kai wanted to laugh. He should be afraid.
Unfortunately the trail ended at the river. He wondered if the dojo destroyer had decided to take a swim. That strategy had advantages and disadvantages. While it would throw Ultimate Kai off the trail, it would also bog the man down in water. Finding him still in the river would make this easy.

Lightning lit up the sky. Ultimate Kai glanced upward again as he rose higher. He saw no sign of his quarry. The river continued to the east. Dense forest covered the land further to the south.

Ultimate Kai cracked his knuckles and proceeded down river for nearly a mile. He rose higher risking lightning strike. The sounds of birds distracted him. He turned to face the canopy of trees. Further south a flock of birds flew from the foliage. He narrowed his eyes in thought. Something frightened those birds. Typically forest beasts did not cause such an event to happen. However, humans crashing through the woods was a different story.


He sped forward dodging tree limbs. More birds flew from the trees as he passed. He landed on the soft earth close to the place he expected to be his destination. Unfortunately he landed near the resting spot of a wild boar. The beast charged with a snarl. Ultimate Kai dodged with ease.

He continued forward taking each step slowly. The mud clung to his boots. The hunter made every effort to not make a sloshing sound as he walked. Carefully he pushed past the trees. One hand remained on the hilt of his blade. Finally he entered a clearing.

Dojo destroyer was not there. But from the looks of things, he had been. Several tents lay scattered across a small meadow. He noted a campfire already doused by the rain. A pot was situated above it. Ultimate Kai peered inside. Seemed the campers had planned on fish for dinner. Their meal sat there half cooked.

His eyes scanned the campsite. Animal pelts lay over a line stretched between two tents. Ultimate Kai surmised these people were hunters. He reached out absently to feels the soft fur. Something caught his attention by the tents as he did.
A human hand could be seen laying at the entrance to the tent. Ultimate Kai slowly approached it. Blood soaked into the mud around the severed hand. He stared down at it briefly. Where was the rest of the body?

At the edge of the clearing Ultimate Kai spied the answer to his question. Two bodies lay there twisted and broken. Clearly they were hunters from the gear they wore. Ultimate Kai assumed they were likely fur trappers. Both suffered deep lacerations to the neck. He noted a missing hand on one.

Ultimate Kai bent down and touched the arm of one. It was cool to the touch but had not begun to stiffen. These bodies were not that old. That meant dojo destroyer was not that far away. What reason could he have had for this senseless killing? These hunters did not need to die.
He scanned the camp one last time. He doubted these men had money or anything of value to steal. Perhaps they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. His grip tightened on the hilt of the sword. An almost inhuman growl rose from his throat. Dojo destroyer would pay for this.

Spinning back toward the forest, Ultimate Kai returned to his quest. He figured the man was probably somewhere beyond the bodies. Once again he quietly rose off the ground. He paused once more over the bodies paying a moments respect.
This part of the forest was thicker. Ultimate Kai cursed silently as he moved around trees and vines that seemed to have grown together as one entity. In some places he had to rise over the trees. While the forest was so thick here, he tried to stay under the trees where possible.

He continued for nearly two miles wondering if he had possibly gone the wrong way. Thunder rumbled loudly. The heavy clouds blocked the remaining sunlight of the day. Night would fall soon. There were plenty of shadowy hiding spots here for the man to burrow down into. This was becoming an impossible task.

A scream echoed through the still forest. A woman. Ultimate Kai stopped short suddenly wondering if there had been a female among the campers. He drew his sword and surged forward.

Another clearing lay ahead. It appeared that dojo destroyer had attempted to make his own campsite. The equipment here looked like it belonged to the slain trappers. His eyes landed on a man standing over a woman. She had a hand to her face as if she had just been slapped.

Ultimate Kai pointed one thick finger straight at dojo destroyer. "I'm going to start by ripping your entrails out slowly enough that you live while I do it. Murderer."
The distraction allowed the woman enough time to get to her feet. She fled to a place behind the trees but not quite out of Ultimate Kai's sight.

Dojo destroyer pulled two swords from the sheaths at his hips. He crossed them and assumed a defensive stance. Ultimate Kai studied him briefly noting his strong muscled frame. First thing in defeating the enemy was to evaluate the enemy. This man clearly had strength. He held his swords in a confident manner. Ultimate Kai surmised he was probably quite agile as well.

Ultimate Kai leapt forward with surprising speed. His sword struck out at the destroyer, meeting the other man's sword. He twisted his wrist in an attempt to knock the weapon out of his hands.

Dojo destroyer ducked under Ultimate Kai's swing. He twisted his body, flipping over, swords flashing in the dimly lit sky. A hard kick landed in Ultimate Kai's back. But not hard enough to knock him down.

Ultimate Kai turned in time to land an elbow in the back of Dojo's neck. The man staggered slightly before rolling below his attacker. His swords struck out at once. While Ultimate Kai dodged one, the other sliced a deep wound across his left arm. Unfortunately that was the arm with which Ultimate Kai held his sword.

He flipped backwards dropping the sword and landing a safe distance from dojo destroyer. Blood flowed freely from the open cut. He placed a hand over it briefly. No sword against two swords. This would be quite the challenge. A grin spread across his face.

Again Ultimate Kai leapt toward the man. Each swing of the swords he dodged effortlessly. Despite the pain, he landed a punch with his left fist. Dojo staggered slightly. This was all the advantage Ultimate Kai needed. He enjoyed the feel of his fist against the other man's warm flesh.

He ducked under the wide swing of the swords. His foot slammed against the man's gut. He twisted and flipped over him landing more blows to his back. Bones broke under his assaults. He felt the crunch of ribs, the shattering of a jaw.
Finally he landed a hard enough kick to the man's back that he dropped his swords. Ultimate Kai took the chance to force him into a headlock. He grabbed the man's body and hair.

"You will be the bane of the existance of good men NO LONGER!" Ultimate Kai snarled, a sharp jerk easily snapping the neck of the depraved rogue.

"And let it be known that any other menace that rears it's ugly head shall share the same fate!"

Bad luck. Some people are just inflicted with a case of terrible misfortune. Maybe it is because of some bit of karma returning to bite them in the ass. Perhaps they did something in a past life and it is now payback time. Today, bad luck had an agent. Bad luck would be dished out to the masses.

Only fair right? After all, balance in the universe is essential. Good karma has no meaning if it is not balanced out by a bit of bad. Who would possibly appriciate a good deed if they did not experience bad? Good days have more meaning when they are countered with a bit of misfortune.
Everybody needs a bit of balance, including Ultimate Kai. He was known for good deeds. He save lives, killed the bad guy, even helped little old ladies across the street. But he needed balance to retain his neutrality. This was a fact of his existance. Today would be a day of balance. Today would be a day of bad luck.

Ultimate Kai walked down a busy street with the morning sun on his face. Cars whizzed overhead. People rushed in and out of buildings. Even in these modern times, folks had to get to work. He smiled, a bit of mischief coming to mind.
Running footsteps approached. The warrior turned quickly and stuck out a foot just in time to cause a business man to fall flat on his face. Seemed the man was late for work. Now his suit was soiled and his briefcase busted open. Papers blew out across the road.

Unconcerned with helping the man to his feet, Ultimate Kai continued his trek to a taxi cab that waited along the street. The light on top was out. Seemed the driver was eating breakfast. Ultimate Kai reached in and grabbed the man. He slammed his head against the side of the cab. Laughing he picked up the remains of a sausage sandwich and took a bite. His eyes fell to the driver. "This crap will kill you," he remarked.

He pulled the body out of the car and dumped it on the sidewalk. Then he hopped in the cab and turned on the light. It seemed the more complex a vehicle got, the easier it was to steal. This one had a push button start. The vehicle rose gently off the ground. He sailed off to another street, munching the remains of the taxi driver's breakfast.

It did not take long for someone to hop in the back of the cab. The man barely have him a glance. He spat out an address and a demand that they reach their destination quickly. Ultimate Kai nodded. He had every intention of making sure they got to their stop.

The cab rose into the flying traffic overhead. Ultimate Kai steered it directly into the wrong lane and oncoming traffic. The warrior had excellent reflexes and timing. While he easily dodged the cars, they could not dodge each other.

Crash after crash randout in the sky. Ruined vehicles crashed to the old roads below. Some of them fell directly onto sidewalks right on the heads of unsuspecting pedestrians. Other fell into buildings. Ultimate Kai peered down. Several places caught fire. He heard some screams. Though the screams below were being drowned out by the screams in the cab.

"Oh? You want out?" The ebony skinned man peered into the rear view mirror at his victim in tha back seat. "Ok then."
The cab veered. Ultimate Kai punched a couple buttons unlocking and opening the back doors. He swung the cab on its side. They were a few miles in the air. He wondered if the snooty passenger could fly. He watched without emotion as the man struggled to hang on.

Finally, Ultimate Kai grew tired of the man clinging to the seat as his legs dangled in the air. He slammed the breaks on the cab, veered, and sideswiped another car. That was enough to dislodge the dead weight.

Satisfied with the mess he made of traffic, he decided that the breakfast he stole just was not enough to feed a warrior such as himself. He straightened the cab. He thought he had spied a fast food restaurant below.

One thing that never changed no matter how much society improved itself, was fast food. It would always be the same artery clogging mess that people enjoyed. Ultimate Kai set the cab down in the drive through lane blocking the traffic there and went inside.

The warrior frowned at the waiting line. That would not do. He drew his sword and began cutting his way to the front much like a man in the jungle with a machete. Blood and bodies littered the floor. Some people fled the restaurant screaming. When he reached the counter, he pulled the clerk over it and calmly cleaned his sword on his shirt.
"Now, I'd like," He paused to examine the choices on the menu. "A double cheeseburger, large fries, a soda, and some of those little cookies in the box."

The clerk took a step back, horror etched on his face. Several of his co-workers huddled in a corner. Ultimate Kai patiently waited until he was presented with his meal on a tray. He opened the box of the double cheeseburger and arched an eyebrow.

"There are tomatoes on this." His sword flashed again. This time it made contact with the clerk's neck. "I hate tomatoes," he said to the severed head on the floor. His eyes fell on the employees in the corner. "Try again."

The group broke apart. A blonde woman, possibly the manager produced a new tray of food. This time the sandwich was missing the tomato. Ultimate Kai nodded with satisfaction. Even the box of fries was full. He hated it when they short changed him on fries.

The warrior grabbed his tray and gave the blonde woman a thoughtful look. If he had any bad deeds left at the end of the day he would not mind coming back and getting to know her better. In the meantime, he could use a bit of company for his meal. He reached over and grabbed her arm.

She protested a bit but there would be no fighting him. Ultimate Kai steered her to a table. He pulled out a chair, sat down, and indicated that she should sit right on his knee. Who needed fine dining? Ultimate Kai tore through the food using one hand while he explored the woman's leg with the other. Once the meal was done, he pushed her off and slapped her ass. "I'll see you later," he promised.

Now that his stomach was satisfied, he stepped outside to decide what bit of mischief he would start next. He was still far from balance. All those good deeds he had done needed countered. He sighed. A deep rumbling belch issued forth from the depths of his stomach.

His eyes fell to the taxi which still blocked the drive thru. He was tired of driving a cab. He scanned the parking lot for a suitable ride. Nope. Nothing there caught his interest. A few cars were stacked in the drive thru. Seemed their owners had no idea that the restaurant had essentially closed for business.

He decided to take a walk down the busy pedestrian filled streets. As he did, he took every opportunity to push or shove people. Some stumbled. Some fell. Ultimate Kai kept walking.

Finally he spied a car worth taking. The police car sat hovering just out of a normal person's reach. The officer that belonged to it was busy attempting to break up a fight. It seemed that the young peace keeper had his hands full with two rather large thugs. Ultimate Kai leapt up the the car and slid in. How convenient that the officer left the engine running.

Again he sped into traffic. He weaved back and forth intp both lanes causing mass accidents once again. Pieces of vehicles littered the street below. He tapped a few buttons on the dash to increase the speed. His destination was the forests outside the city.

These forests acted as public parks. Little campgrounds were scattered throughout them. There was some limited hunting, though the game wardens were impossibly strict when it came to the hunters. Several lakes dotted the landscape. Often families would go fishing for the weekend.

The warrior flew over a small building that served as a supply station for the rangers. He noted a refuel center for their vehicles. Smiling, Ultimate Kai opened the door of the cop car, aimed at the building, and leapt out to safety. The car crashed as expected. The result was a massive explosion and the start of a forest fire.


As much as Ultimate Kai liked to thinkof himself as invincible, he was not. A carefully aimed bullet could do him in like anyone. Fire was also an issue. He had not developed any immunity to flames. He landed on his feet facing the raging blaze.

Black smoke drifted high into a brilliant blus sky. Flames crackled over the treetops. Already some of the grassy forest floor had succombed to the inferno. Ultimate Kai nodded to himself satified that this deed would restore most of his balance.

He spun quickly and began to run back toward the city. His strong legs carried him quickly with ease. He dodged low hanging branches here and there. Fallen trees and vines hindered him slightly. But soon the fire was a distant memory.

He now stood at the edge of the forest. Several cars zipped past on the highway overhead. He watched silently as a large fire craft whooshed by. They would be needing more than one for the mess he made.

This part of the city catered to visitors mostly. He noted some stores with souvenirs. A few other places offered camping supplies. A weapon shop caught his eye. Laser rifles sat in a window display. That seemed a bit excessive for hunting. He considered going inside and dispatching the owner. But he was not certain that the act would not be a good deed.

He considered that a moment longer. Ultimate Kai had no desire to undo some of his actions this day. His eyes swung toward a government office that advertised hunting permits. This too was questionable. Dispatching possibly corrupt government officials counted as a good deed in his book.

The warrior tapped the hilt of his sword and started walking toward a regional flight facility. This place attended to the long range visitors to the city. High speed flights left on a regular basis. They also offered instant transport services for quite a few credits.

A security official objected to his sword when he entered. Without so much as a look toward the man's direction, he silenced him with the same sword. Ultimate Kai scanned the inside of the place. Tourists scurried back and forth much like rats. Those that witnessed the demise of the officer screamed and ran for help.

But no amount of help would keep him from what he needed to do.

Several more officers rushed his way armed with laser pistols. It appeared they
were the 'shoot first - ask questions later' sort. Ultimate Kai dodged several
blasts of bright green laser fire. He drew his sword again. It flashed as
he moved toward them. His foot landed squarely in the stomach of one man sending
him flying into a wall. The back of his muscled forearm met another officer's
neck breaking it with ease. The third officer simply stood there, mouth agape,
as Ultimate Kai ran him through. By this time, people were running about
screaming or crying. Ultimate Kai shrugged. They would appriciate those good days
all the more now. He laughed as a good samaritan challenged him. His fist
crashed into the weak little man's jaw. He spun him around and planted a foot
right squarely in his ass. Who was next? Ultimate Kai wiped his bloody
sword on a body. Seemed nobody else wanted to take him up on a fight. He calmly
strode through the facility knocking over magazine stands. He busted the glass
displays in a few shops. All the while he felt his balance slowly
returning. Anybody that came too close met his fist or his sword. A trails of
bodies followed him. He located the secure areas of the flight center, busted
open the heavy doors, and proceeded. Ahead he noted the storage facilities
and repair facilities for the flight engines. He calmly walked toward them
ignoring the protests of the staff. All it would take was one good explosion to
take out most of this establishment. He found one of the largest machines
there and peered into the engine. Ultimate Kai had some basic skills involving
machinery. Most people did. One thing he knew was even in this day and age,
wiring problems could cause a fire. So, he fiddled with the engine wires until
he was satisfied that they would be quite dangerous. Nodding at his work,
he swung to the cockpit. A few button pushes activated the engine. Ultimate Kai
leapt out and ran for his life. His feet carried him quickly back into the
building. He pushed past the people still inside, though most had already run
for their lives. He exited just in time to hear a massive explosion. The
ground shook under his feet. Another boom followed and then another. Ultimate Kai
kept running as hard and fast as he could. The building behind him disolved into
a hellish inferno. A safe distance away, Ultimate Kai stopped to survey
the damage. Yes that would do. Fire, brimstone, and mayhem followed
in his wake. This was the price of having his strength. How many had he saved
from fires? How many evil doers died at his sword? Did his actions today negate
those things? Some might argue that it did. But Ultimate Kai understood the need
for balance. What if every life was saved? Eventually too many people would
populate the earth. The universe demanded balance. He was an instrument of
just that. Really was there such a thing as good and evil? They were just
opposing sides of the same concept. A part of him deep within hated the deeds he
needed to do. But they were necessary. His actions saved everyone from a worse
fate. Nobody wanted to know what happened when the universe spun out of
control. He turned away from the disaster. It no longer required his
attention. Smoke filled the ait in this place. Some of it had a wood flavor.
Some smelled like oil. People were rushing toward the ruined buildings, their
faces covered in cloths to block the foul air. Ultimate Kai kept walking.
Sirens from emergency vehicles raced through the overhead highway. They meant
nothing. He followed an old street that led back into the city proper. This part
of town housed the poor. Even in these times, there existed a social hierarchy.
These people were often considered the bottom dwellers. Many times, the
warrior came here to fight crime. Gangs wondered the streets. The bad element
skulked about in dark alleys. Missing your car? The thing was probably hidden
here in a garage. Places around here could be so dangerous that the police
avoided them. He surveyed the streets. Graffiti in glowing ink flashed on
the side of a building ahead. Ultimate Kai spied a group of young men hanging
outside the building. Normally he would walk over there and whip out some kick
ass, but not today. The group rose collectively as he approached. Their
defenses were up. Some fingered laser pistols. Ultimate Kai kept his hand from
his sword. Killing them would be a good deed. He smiled at the with a wicked
grin, turned away, walked to a nearby story, and broke the glass window. That
was one way to enter a building. The door might have worked better, but this was
more fun. He hopped inside. Place was full of all sorts of odd electronics from
game machines to communication devices. Ultimate Kai started grabbing boxes and
tossing them outside for the gang to take. The shop owner protested. But
not for long. Ultimate Kai quickly drew his sword and severed the man's head. The
few patrons inside ran outside quickly into the waiting arms of the gang
outside. Ultimate Kai broke open some jewelry cases. All that he found
within went outside for the gang. Clothes followed that. Very soon, little
remained in the building. The gang members weretoo busy grabbing the loot to
notice the warrior leave. That was well enough. He had no desire to fight any of
them. He smiled to himself as he walked down the street. That gang would be
blamed for the entire event at the store. He continued on his walk. The
shadows were getting long. Evening was approaching. He could feel the balance
within nearly restored. A few more acts of terror should do the trick. Just a
couple more bodies here and there. He thought of the blonde manager at the
restaurant. That might be worth a revisit as well. A creature of
balance who would do anything to grasp and maintain his hold on Neutrality. What
would they do with someone like him in the Otherworld? There was no telling. He
had always been something of an enigma to others. Only the Gods themselves could
perhaps tell him what the impact of his actions on this planet would have on the
universe as a whole. But he believed in balance. He believed in doing
whatever it took to make sure balance was held and maintained at any cost. That
the work it took to do pure good AND pure evil was within range at any given
time. To forego his own personal wants and needs when it came to building up the
kind of reputation he would need as both a Crime Boss, as well as a Warrior for
Hire. Some would call him despicable. Some would call him the best kind
of warrior. Some would call him a fencewalker who had no right to call himself a
Fighter or Martial Artist. Rather than arguing with them, he would probably just
shrug at those claims and just keep on about his business. After all,
that was the kind of man he was. He looked after his own, and his own looked
after him

A gentle rain floated from the heavens down to the dark forest. The trees were so thick in some places that the cool dusting of rain did not make it to the forest floor. Trees and thick vines covered those places. Little plant life survived below them. What could survive in such darkness. The trees completely blocked the sun in some areas.

The ground lay littered with layers of dried leaves. One might think of it as a winter graveyard. Sometimes a little grass peeked through. Here and there a nightbloom blossomed in the cool evenings. But for the most part, trees and vines as fast as a man could see.

Walking through these places was quite a challenge. The vines covered the trees and spilled down below. Heavy thick ropes crisscrossed between heavy branches overhead. They cascaded to the ground taking root there. Navigating required a good sword.

Birds of all sorts made their homes in the trees. Their songs floated through the air all day and all night unless something disturbed their peace. Then the place became oddly still. Too much disturbing the peace and the birds would take to the sky like a massive black cloud.

And, of course, all sorts of life rustled in the underbrush. Small rodents tried to hide in the leaves away from the prying eyes of bids of prey. Wild boar often ran through. A careful hunter might be able to track some deer.

But there was more to this place than trees, birds, and game animals. The woodsman might find a good catch of fish in the several lakes here. More fish waited their lines in the river. But there was more to this place than fish as well.

Rarely did a hunter set foot in the forest these days. Prizes of large fish and deer pelts meant little if one lost their life. The forest held dangers beyond the imagination of most. Lately any hunter in this place became the hunted. But what secrets did this place hide?

The answer to that question depended on where one was in the forest. Ancient ruins dotted the landscape to the north. The temples offered riches beyond the imagination to one brave enough to survive the trials within.

And around those temples lived tribes of natives eager to defend their territory. Poisoned spears and arrows did little to encourage the health of visitors. And these particular natives had a strange taste for human flesh. Nothing like dining on an unsuspecting traveler in the woods.

To the east lay the mountains. They rise up the touch the heavens with massive snow capped peaks. The terrain here is almost impossible to navigate and only a fool would try to climb to the top. Waterfalls cascade down the rocky slopes and turn into churning rivers.

To the south lie crude villages inhabited by mutants. They were not as advanced as their human counterparts to the north. But they were stronger. These beings raged through the land killing anything in sight. Sometimes they ate their prey. And sometimes they just played with the body parts.

The western areas hold more lakes than the rest of the forest. Those bodies of water are inhabited by all manner of man eating fish. But aside from dangerous waters, there is little to fear here.

Along the edges of the forests are those men who choose to brave the dangers to a limited extent. Most are thieves or criminals.

And there in the center of all this danger stood a lone warrior. Ultimate Kai walked under the heavy canopy of tree, stepping over fallen logs. He was here for one purpose - to train. he needed strength. He needed to face dangers. Certainly, he had his share of action in the world. But sometimes one had to take a step back and focus on refining their skills. This was why he needed this place.

He did not carry much in the way of weaponry. A sword and his fists sufficed in aiding him in this adventure. Ultimate Kai knew that he needed to rely on himself, his innate energies to earn victory against whatever enemy assailed him. He could not afford even a moments rest these days. For every day that he did not train or fight, he lost some of that edge that kept him alive.

Nothing worse than nearly losing a battle. Ultimate Kai would like to think that he was invincible. his enemies certainly thought so. But, no, he had his flaws. He had his weaknesses. A sword in the gut was as deadly to him as it was to anyone else. A fist in the jaw still hurt, not that his pride allowed it to show. He could be broken. he could be beaten. he could be defeated.

Maybe it was his ego that told him that a world without him in it would be an unfortunate place to live in. How many lives had he saved. This place was forever changed by his deeds. Of course, he had those moments where he needed to return to a neutral balance. Innocent lives were sacrificed by his hands. This was simply the way things had to be. He was no monster. as far as he was concerned, the good outweighed the bad even if the cosmos saw him in balance.

He lived and died by the sword. He lived and died by the energy within. Ultimate Kai felt that it was his very soul that gave him strength. May his enemies shudder in terror at the power he wielded. As far as he was concerned, he was power. He was strength. Good and evil had no meaning. All things in balance. His foes cast below his feet like the leaves he now trod upon.

Ultimate Kai lived for battle. He loved the feel of a sword as it sliced into a foe's skin. The spray of blood thrilled him. He enjoyed the feel of bones crunching in his hands. Some might say that made him a bloodthirsty monster. But in his eyes, he should enjoy his line of work. Should not everyone have a job they like? He liked his. And the result benefited almost everyone.

The pay was good too. He could live comfortably taking assignments. He had a nice home. But who had time to stop and enjoy luxury? Not Ultimate Kai. Every moment that he stopped to smell the roses wasted valuable time. Plus for every day that he chose to relax, rather than work out, he lost a bit of muscle. That just would not do.

So here he was in perhaps the most dangerous forest on the planet. The goal was to grow stronger, if that was possible. Ultimate Kai laughed at the thought. Of course it was. Everyone had room for improvement. Even he did, despite massive ego knew that he had room to grow. Everyone does. And he did have an ego. He knew it. As far as he was concerned, that was alright.

He considered his goals as he picked hiw wasy through the dense underbrush. killing things was a good goal. there were plenty of things running about the wilderness that could use a good killing. The animals could be deadly. he heard tale of a snake that could kill a man with just a nip. Then there was bears and wild boar. He would be hunting here. Food would have to be caught and killed. He chose not to bring any supplies of that nature. His hunger would be good motivation in his training.

The faster the prey the better. He needed to work on reflexes and speed. Perhaps some deer meat would be good. Already the man's stomach rumbled. Hunger and motivation. Ultimate Kai listened to the rumbling, felt it. For just a bit, he would deny that need. His body needed to learn to sustain itself during battle. after all, he could not just stop in the middle of a nasty fight against his enemies for a burger. he could not just put them on pause and say 'wait, i'm hungry.' Seemed his foes would not cater to such a request. Unfortunate. But then, he doubted that he would be too likely to extend such a courtesy to them.

His body needed to learn that he was in charge. It could not dictate to him. He could not allow simple things like hunger to slow him down. But he had to realize that despite his strength, his body did have a say. No man can run forever without fuel. So, after the battle there was nothing wrong with a good meal. In fact, a nice steak was one of his favorite rewards after twisting the bad guy's head off. Side of potatoes with that steak. Nice tall glass of water.

Ultimate Kai's stomach grumbled louder and he realized that he was gining in to the demands of his body. He had to train his mind as well as his muscles. So, he cleared away the persistant thoughts of steak dinners. They had no place here. He only allowed himself to acknowledge the fact that his body told him that food would be required soon. He acknowledged it and continued. this need would be attended to as soon as possible, when he was ready.

Until then, his stomach needed to wait. Of course, perhaps it would have been wise to have breakfast before entering this adventure. Lesson learned for the next time he chose to train in the forest. He continued walking through the leafy brush under the dark trees. It occured to him that all the noise he was making probably had an adverse effect on finding a meal. Food in these parts came equipped with ears and feet. A message hit the easr and traveled straight to the feet. Food ran fast here.

Therefore he needed to use a bit of stealth. this was hunting after all. if the man wanted to eat he needed to try to make an effort to be quiet. this was one of Ultimate Kai's weak points. he generally did not believe in stealth. what great satisfaction he took in busting into a room an cutting down everyone in it. All that blood and bone crunching by his hands. That was certainly a noisy affair.

He really did not have that much experience sneaking up on his foes. They knew he was coming. they could run. they could hide. But Ultimate Kai was going to have their head. No place was safe if the warrior searched for you. So go ahead and run. Ultimate Kai usually could run faster or longer. He had all these muscles that ached for speed. So run. he wanted them to run.

What a thrill to see a frightened foe flee from him. Ultimate Kailaughed at the thought. His laughted startled some birds from the trees reminding him that this was quiet stealth time and not laugh at the enemy time. of course, he could laugh. Breakfast might take a bit longer to obtain. but if he wanted to sit there and laugh his ass off, who would stop him?

Eventually his stomach was going to have a say about it though. But that stomach had to wait its turn. right now he stomped through the brush thinking of times long past and laughing at the memories of those who fled in fear as he sought them.

They did not escape, those foes. they thought they could. But no, Ultimate Kai would even give them a head start. made things a bit more interesting. he liked a challenge. though rarely did anyone offer him too much of a challenge. Still, it was a nice feeling that he was so feared, they needed to flee.

But stealth. He assumed that the day might come where he neded to take care when entering a battle. Perhaps one day he would be asked to take out a specific target and leave the others alone. He was a warrior, not an assassin. but he would take such a job if offered, he assumed. Sometimes he needed the pay. Though he frowned at the thought of sneaking past perfectly killable enemied just to strike the ass that led them.

He needed to learn this art. he had some training long ago in the art of stealth. every young warrior learned how to place their feet on the ground in such a way that not a sound issued forth. Even he had that training at a young age. Perhaps back then such a thing kept him alive.

Sneaking up behind a man and slicing his throat open did have its merits. He did not see that as much of a challenge. But perhaps it was. He considered this as he carefully placed his feet on the ground. Was it more a challenge to slip behind the foe without his knowing and remove his life?

He continued to consider this as he worked his way forward. This did have merits. Perhaps he could sneak behind a man and grab him. No sword need pulled. he could grasp his struggling victim, overpower him, stiffle his cries for help. In one swift move, he could grab the man's head and snap his neck. He would know by that pop sensation that you could both feel and hear. Plus his enemy would say in his arms twitching as the last spark of life left him.

Would that be satisfying? The mission would be complete. He would have done his duty. he could collect his pay. One less bad guy would be around to spread terror to the masses. Yet that victim, that slain foe would not know who it was that slew him. Ultimate Kai would send him straight to hell and he could not look up at the devil and say to him that he had been vanquished by Ultimate Kai. Of course, the devil would likely know who did the slaying. But the question remained. What would satisfy him more?

He liked that look in amna's eyes as he met his fate on the tip of his sword. that look that said 'I am undone'. That last little flash in a man's face where he thinks of his entire life and wonders where he went astray. how did he end up in this place with this man's sword in his gut? Why did this happen to him? had he made a wrong turn.

There was that last gasp of protest on an enemy's lips. He begged sometimes for his life. But it was up for the taking due to his own deeds. Ultimate Kai was judge, jury and executioner. If you looked into that face you knew what was to come. Beg to the Gods all you want. Your body would be lain upon the alter and Ultimate Kai wielded the blade that sent you to them.

So the question remained. Would he have any satisfaction in being sneaky? He assumed that it might get the job done with as little protest as possible. That had merits. Sometimes the excessive whining of a man before he died grated on the warrior's nerves.

Perhaps if he entered his mission with a headache he might just sneak behind the guy and do him in. But sometimes the best cure for a headache was distraction and a good bloody fight was a great distraction. One did not worry so much about a pounding migraine if one was dodging punches and attacks.

Ultimate Kai ducked under some low hanging vines and nodded to himself. he never planned to be a sneaky stealth assassin. he could admit that there were merits to this type on combat. but it was not for him. he did not have the body type for one. He was a a big tall man with a body of muscles. Little people could sneak. He was not much for throwing blades and poison daggers either. This was certainly the type of combat for someone else.

But despite his conclusion that stealth was basically for the birds, he needed to understand the art of this sort of combat. How could he defend himself against the stealthy if he himself did not make an effort to appriciate the art. he could not discount it by any means. After all, anyone would admit that he was a formidable fighter. Would his enemies not attempt to use stealth on him? They had in that past. He had excellent hearing though and one misplaced foot step was enough to alert him to the danger.

They tried to sneak up on him. there was a bit of thrill in that actually. How quickly he moved from a state of rest to attack. He relished the feel of his blood boiling. his muscles burned to take down the foe. He would twist and turn surprising the one that did the sneaking. Oh how clever they thought they were. Too many underestimated them. Or perhaps the case was that they overestimated themselves. The result was the same either way. One very dead enemy lying broken on the ground. Foolish of them to try it. But sometimes that broke up an otherwise boring afternoon.

Yet, again Ultimate Kai had to admit that he was not invincible. Stealth could be quite effective if used properly. he needed to make himself understand this technique. All it would take was one poisoned blade between the shoulders and all the legend of Ultimate Kai would be just so much dust. What a way that would be to end his career. All the fights and glory, all he acheived, undone by one sneak with a dripping blade. He could not end it this way. He would not. No foul sneak thief could claim him.

If he were to die as all warriors eventually do, it would be in the heat of battle. let him fall in a blaze of glory. Let it be that the numbers overwhelmed him. let it be that he died honor. He wanted remembered after he left this world. He wanted the young to look up to him and want to follow his path. Good or bad, fame or infamy, he would be remembered for his honor. Even the villain had honor. At least some did.

He recognized that fact. Some of his foes looked him right in the eye, drew their sword and fought the fair fight. This was a worthy foe. Sure he dispatched them with the same lack of mercy that any enemy recieved. But he held a certain respect for a man that could look him in the eye, knowing that certain death awaited and still met it with courage and resolve. Shame that such people had to be the enemy. that was waste.

Yet, how many of those he faced really were that way? Most were cowards. most would try any tactic to win. That included trying to sneak behind him and reft him of his life. Maybe he could not blame them. Death could be a frightening prospect. Ultimate Kai woke everyday knowing that this might be his last. he prepared himsel for it. and should it come, he would know that it came with honor. He knew that even if his body died, his name lived on.

His stomach rumbled again more insistant this time. seemed the body did need a bit of fuel and after a period of ignoring it, demands would be made. So, Ultimate Kai decided that perhaps it was time to seek a meal in this place. He pushed aside the thoughts and memories that he had been so focused upon. Distractions need to be placed in a corner of the mind. Distractions were deadly. The one thing any warrior learned first was to clear the mind and focus.

He knew he was hungry. he did not need to listen to the insistant urges of his stomach. That served only to divide his focus. It was enough to know. But he also needed to clear his thoughts of all the memories he had examined in the last hour. Past events had their place. A wise warrior studied each battle and learned from it. But there was a time and a place for such thoughts. Those times were during the peace and quiet when one's wounds healed. Thinking about it during the next battle was quite simply pointless. And too much a focus on thinsg other than battle was deadly.

So, he pushed aside all the distracting thoughts. they were not needed now. his focus was now on the hunt. Food was the priority and his enemy would be whatever he could find. The better jpb he did in seeking out his prey, the better fed he would be. So every movement had to be taken into consideration. He stepped slowly over the leaves that lay scattered under his feet. He stepped over and around the twigs that would give him away.

His mind rested on the hunt. His ears listened for the sounds of animals. Calls would be nice but he did not expect his quarry to do him such a favor. Yet he might hear them as they stepped through the forest. He even attempted to smell them out. But Ultimate Kai was not any sort of fur trapper. he could smell an animal usually if it was close enough to smell.

He imagined that they could smell him. Not much that he could do about that. If their sensitive noses dectected a man in the woods that simply increased his challenge. Some of the beasts might flee from him then. But perhaps something would challenge him. Having breakfast run straight into his waiting arms would be the best scenario possible.

There were sounds in the forest. Birds rustled in the trees overhead. Some sung little trilling songs that also served to distract the warrior. Others watched his progress quietly. They would wait and see what he hunted.

Ultimate Kai was not about to slay the birds in the trees. He wanted a meal. Little birds hardly made for a snack. plus, as good as he was, a bird was a tough thing to aim at and kill. If nothing else, he'd try it. But he hoped for a meal on the hoof. That would fill up his stomach. Something nice and meaty for a warrior such as himself.

Every step he took was with care. He found it terrible difficult to avoid the twigs. and no matter how carefully he put his feet to the ground, those cursed leaves wanted to crunch. He hoped that his prey would have that much difficulty. But as he made his way through the forest, he knew that he would have no such luck. he was being watched. Eyes saw him from shadowed corners. he felt them. The hair on the back of his neck stood. Nothing here was a friend, so he needed to make the assumption that all was a foe.

Though assumptions were as deadly as distractions. Ultimate Kai found ovr the years that the best thing he could do was assume the worst. never underestimate an enemy. Assume that they have skills to match or exceed your own. assume their blade is harper, that thir reflexes are quicker. ever if they stand before you looking like a ragged wimp, assume that they have your strength. assume that they are the one that will have your life. assume they are your killer.

He felt those eyes in the darkness and made his assumptions. That was death itself stalking him. those watching eyes belonged to murder. They wanted him dead. they wanted to tear his flesh and comsume his evry soul. if these were the assumptions he acted on, then he could be safe. he would fight as if this were the last fight of his life. never underestimate the enemy. Never give them the chance to win. because they will. That enemy will have your life before you know that you gave it.

Only these assumptions were safe. He allowed his hand to rest lightly on the hilt of his sword. That sword fit him perfectly. It's blade had bit the flesh of countless enemies. perhaps there were better weapons in the world. But this was weapon worthy of the warrior. This was the only weapon worthy of him. It fot him like an extention of his arm. in a way, it was an extention of his will. Behold the warrior and his blade. How many enemies had he cut down? He wielded this sword and would have no other.

He fingered the hilt and studied the shadows. Something stalked him. this was the test of stealth. These shadows hid them well. He knew they were there and now they played a game. Which way would they come from? how many watched? How many waited? what weapons did they wield? Would it be swords? He wondered if the creatures in this place had suce refined equipment. maybe those criminals in the outer villages had some swords. Crude swords possibly. But here? Would he be assaulted with sticks.

Perhaps even a stick if handled properly could be deadly. He imagined that the sticks were at least sharp on one end. Rocks maybe? Would he be pelted with stones. Enough of those could crack a man's skull. Oh yes. That would be a rather unpleasant end to the day.

It occured to him that this forest was truly unfamiliar territory. That, in itself, was a bit unnerving. He was accustomed to fighting for his life in many places, but not in a place as harsh as this one. A great deal was still unknown here. There were stories of twisted abominations lurking in the deepest places. Who could predict the actions of such a foe?

He heard tale of beasts from ancient times. Dinosaurs. This place held an ancient sould. so he must assume the worst. These beast must hunt these lands. Never before had he challenged such a being. Primal in its nature. It's sole purpose in existance is survival. Nothing else matters. they are like all beasts in this way. yet, the idea of facing an actual dinosaur seemed a bit strange. He imagined that it would take quite a few swipes of the sword to fell one.

Ultimate Kai liked to know his enemy. He liked to study them. Their movements could be predicted and countered. that did not work in all cases. Sometimes they were not so easily predicted. He enjoyed a challenge. But men were men. They could only change their methods so much. He knew enough about various fighting styles to counter whatever his advisary might throw his way.

But what did he know about dinosaurs? Some were poisonous, so he heard. But then so was a snake. He expect that they would be fast despite their size. Were they large. he recalled seeing bones once. some were of a massive size. others were small. those were the poison ones. Little venom filled reptiles skulking about in the shadows. is that what watched him now? Was he now the hunted? he had to wonder what dinosaur tasted like. Ultimate Kai rather hoped for deer or boar. he knew that was safe to eat.

The large ones would certainly challenge him. Oh yes. He could imagine those teeth headed his way. That could end his life in a quick minute. Was there any glory in being eaten alive. Ultimate Kai figured that there probably was not. The once famous warrior would become a tasty meal and a joke. Mighty Ultimate Kai in the belly of the beast. Does he fight his way out? No, he leaves by way of the pooper shoot. He frowned at the idea.

No. That was not acceptable by any means. He would not be known as Ultimate Kai dino food. He could just hear the stories now. At least his enemies would appriciate it, he guessed. He decided the best thing to do was to use as much caution in this place as possible. He would not feed the beast, so to speak.

So he faced the shadows and watched for that which watched. He heard nothing. It must be of a smaller size. in a way, Ultimate Kai felt a bit of relief over that. he did not have any desire to fight a huge dinosaur when his stomach was growling and his head was full of all these distracting thoughts.

Perhaps it was small dinosaurs. Did they hunt in packs. He moved toward a clearing. he wanted his hands free in case he needed to swing his sword. he needed a place to move. his body was ready to flow like the wind. his fight would be a dance. He would dance with his foe and they would die for the pleasure.

Now he waited for them to make the first move. let the fight come to the warrior. There was honor in this. And wisdom. In this way, he already exerted his will on the other. he made them do his bidding by forcing them to come to him. he learned many rules of engagement in his youth. this one stuck to him above others.

Power over the enemy was essential. The more the better. Let their moves betray them. thet their actions speak to their defeat. let their will be conquered by yours before you so much as touch your blade. Such wisdome and they are defeated before they begin. Let their eagerness to deal a blow be their undoing. he was a wise warrior. He would let the enemy defeat himself. so he waited silently.

All his senses were on high alert. His ears strained for the tiniest sound. A leaf crunched under a foot. A twig perhaps. Maybe a man would betray himself with words. Would Ultimate Kai catch a whisper between allies? If they so much as moved and were heavier than a feather, he planned to hear them. Even the breeze could not move here without sound.

Sight, of course. but this was the least important sense. He trained long ago with a blindfold. The eyes can lie. they tell the mind stories and the mind wishes to believe them. The eyes try to speak to the strength of that which comes. They fool a warrior with illusion and tricks. Ultimate Kai used his eyes but knew better than to trust them. He would see his foe come. But he would feel them too. he would use every sense he could to know they were there. Sight meant little.

He heard a slight rustle to his left. Perhaps he saw a flash of movement. but he did not turn. More than one enemy might try to trick him. He noted the movement, yet remained still. Another crunch came to him. This seemed almost on purpose. he felt the power they tried to exert on him. they wanted to control him. They wanted him to come to them. they wanted his obedience and his death. They would have neither.

Another crunch. Ultimate Kai wanted to laugh at these pathetic fools who thought they could trick him so easily. The attack was ceratinly to come from behind if he turned. So he prepared himself. He drew his sword. it was thirsty for blood. he was thirsty for blood. The need for this battle beat in his chest. He understood their tactics and now they would hang themselves with them. He turned to face the direction that the noise came from and prepared for attack.

Dinosaurs. Little ones. Ultimate Kai halfway expected this. Three jumped directly out of the shadows before him. His eyes held them. In his mind he knew it was but a trick. His ears caught the sounds of twig snapping. the attack, as expected really came from behind. Ultimate Kai's sword swung in a wide arc at the beasts that clawed his back. One after another they fell. Their necks were fairly thin and the sword beheaded them. He felt the spray of blood on his skin.

Those that tried the frontal attack met a massive fist. Some were knocked back with a punch. Other found themselves in the man's grasp. their neck were easier to break than a man. But there were many of them. He had to use his fists, sword, and feet. He knocked them back with brute strength.

The battle did him good. he felt his heart pumping in his chest, the beat of the fight. His muscles hummed in tune with each other. He would have taken more enemies had they came. He wanted more. let legions of these little reptiles attack. He was a one man army. Their teeth and claws could not touch this man. He would not allow it. Besides, it would be bad enough to be dino food to a large one. But he could not imagine what being eaten by tiny dinosaurs would do to his reputation.

Soon he was surrounded by bodies. Blood covered the forest floor and in most places he could not see any leaves. Some of the sticky mess now coated his chest and legs. To him that was a badge of honor. Better to wear the blood of the enemy than for him to wear yours. Yes, he would sport that blood with pride.

He stared down at the bodies wondering what sort of dinosaurs they were. Obviously they hunted in packs. he nudged one to get a better look. Shiny blue black scales covered the length of it. the claws seemed formidable enough. Certainly these things were killers. The teeth matched the claws in ferocity. A pack of these things could probably take down a larger dinosaur without an issue.

Yet they were no match for Ultimate Kai. He sheathed his sword after wiping it across one of the bodies. The fight was a good one. Unfortunately it did not yield breakfast. he imagined that he could try and cook one of these creatures over a fire. but he was more inclined to wait and see what he could find. A better deal. Part of him regretted the choice not to bring food.

Another though occured to him as well. Here he was standing in the middle of a pile of dead dinos. he was covered in blood. he smelled like them. How long would it take for something larger and more dangerous to sniff him out? For that matter how would he sneak upn deer if he smelled like a natural predator. This was a problem. he considered fashioning a trap. But he was here for battle not forest survival training.

He was right. Standing there in that pile of bodies was a bad idea. the first thing that came to visit was flies. Large ones. Ultimate Kai swatted at them with a frown etched across his face. He stepped away from the pile and took a few shirt steps back to the trees. The forest ahead was dense and dark. He figured that it might be a bit too thick for a larger dinosaur. For now, that was good. His body needed nourishment.

Little shafts of daylight stabbed through small openings in the trees providing what small amount of light was to be found here. Amazing that a place could be so dark in the daytime. But his eyes adjusted and he silently proceeded forward. Vines flowed down between the trees rooted to the ground. Ultimate Kai had to pull his sword and use it like a machete at some points. He knew that he wa making too much noise.

A rabbit bounded out from a hole hidden by the base of an old dead treee. Ultimate Kai cursed. That was breakfast flying away as if wings had grown onto it's feet. He concentrated his energy to his palms and allowed a blast of ki to follow the little beast. But it was too fast and he was too slow,

Some battles are losing battles. Ultimate Kai did not like that. But winning every time led to overconfidence. He could not afford such a handicap. A hungry stomach taught lessons. Never assume that you will win. Always fight for your life. the rabbit claimed victory. Even over a might warrior, the smallest of advisaries could win. Ultimate Kai continued to curse. His stomach was soundly defeated.

All things in life had lessons. Ultimate Kai was here to grow stronder. he was here to learn. What lesson did the rabbit teach? Choose battles wisely. Certainly that little creature was no match for him. so it watched and waited. when the time was right, it fled. Ultimate Kai hated the idea of turning tail and running. Perhaps one day, he would have to remember the rabbit's lesson. He hoped not.

Ultimate Kai could not imagine running from anyone. He would rather die a hero's death than suffer such a miserable defeat. But if the only answer was death, would he run? He considered that briefly as he continued forward. When that time came, how would he respond? People feared death. It was natural. Did he fear it?

He had to consider the possibility. There were times that he faced the enemy and somewhere deep inside he assumed his death would come. Yet he fought with all the power he could muster. He wanted to live. His defeat often meant the defeat of others. Life or death. He wanted life just as much as any man. If he did fear it, he could not let it show. that in itself is defeat. that gived the other man power over him. never show your fears. he would look in the face of death and laugh if he had too. Maybe he would be seen as reckless. But he could not pass such power to the enemy.

But who was the enemy? Who was the foe? That rabbit knew Ultimate Kai was his foe because Ultimate Kai was there hunting. It did not matter that if he were good or evil. All that mattered was his safety. His mission was to survice. Ultimate Kai laughed as he considered this. His job was to make more rabbits.

The enemy was whoever Ultimate Kai had to face at the moment. It did not matter if they were good or evil. he had a duty to perform. He did it. He did not take the time to consider right or wrong. What he did was for the good and for pay, in his opinion. And time was money. He preferred not to waste time in idle chatter with the enemy. he did not play games. He did not taunt or tease. The enemy fell to either fist or blade.

Woe to those who stood between him and that which he hunted. They too would fall. He had intention to go out of his way to vanquish one who blocked him. But if need be, he would do it. This was a simple fact. Would any other warrior act differently? Not and get paid. This was his life. he lived for the hunt. He lived for the kill. Good and evil were simply words.

He sighed and pressed forward. Too much times was being taken in thought. he needed to eat soon. His stomach demanded a meal. He had ignored it a bit too long. Clearly, however, rabbit was off the menu. He cleared his thoughts once more as he climbed over a fallen log.

The forest ahead grew quiet and he was alone in the silence. If there were birds overhead, they sang no songs. He could not even hear the rustle of a rat in the leaves. He paused briefly to assess the situation. The silence disturbed him. Again he felt as if he were being stalked. Yet, he did not sence this from the shadows. Whatever it was would be more direct and to the point.

Ultimate Kai was being hunted again. He figured the blood had attracted something. He felt a slight tremor on the earth benath his feet. Something large perhaps. This gave him a moment's pause. He rested hios hand on the hilt of the blade.

What was it? another vibration shook the earth. This time he heard it. A loud sound like a battering ram on a door. His blade reflected in a stream of sunlight. There would be no time for thought in this battle. He would need his instincts and wits about him. In this scenario, he knew what he faced was stronger. But it was primitive. It lived to kill. It lived to consume.

He spun around, eyes darting to the area where it came. he could feel it coming. It made no pretense. It did not try to be sneaky. it just came. Ultimate Kai could appriciate such directness. He was similar in his own ways. Now it came for him.


What came screaming out of the forest was at least ten times his size. It had no need for stealth. Size alone could give such a thing victory. a death blow would be difficult at best. In fact, no single blow would kill this. He would have to use all the strength at his disposal to do his enemy in.

The creature came at him without pause. Ultimate Kai's quick reflexes allowed him to step aside away from a mouthful of very sharp teeth. Such enemies were easier to fight. Despite its size the fact remained that it did not plan. It did not think ahead. Ultimate Kai would be able to anticipate it's moves and react accordingly.

It spun to face him. Again sharp teeth snapped at him. Ultimate Kai almost laughed. he could taste victory. He swung his sword at the back of one the creature's legs. It bellowed in pain as the tendon snapped. The hunter quickly moved aside allowing it to fall slightly to it's side.

But such a beast is not so easily taken. there were still plenty of teeth to deal with. And it now swung a massive tail his direction. Ultimate Kai leapt out of the way narrowly missing a direct hit to the head. This dinosaur had instinct. It fought ti live. In this place it was kill or be killed. Ultimate Kai would not be slain so easily.

He jumped forward mindful of the snapping teeth and landed his sword between the bones on the neck. The resulting howl could be heard far away. But Ultimate Kai barely heard it over the pounding in his own ears. his body worked hard. Muscles moved together like a well oiled machine.

The sword pulled away from it with a heavy sucking sound. The creature bucked. Ultimate Kai leapt again to the side. He did not want the thing to roll over on him. His blade flashed a few more times causing deep wounds to the beast's neck. blood sprayed their makeshift arena.

Not wanting to be completely soaked, Ultimate Kai moved aside. The blood sprayed onto the nearby trees. It covered the leafy forest floor. Breathing heavily, the warrior went in for the kill. His swork flashed and flashed again. Over and over until the creature lay defeated. It twitched slightly. But the light had left it's eyes. Ultimate Kai won.

He took a few steps back to admire the size of this felled creature. Indeed it was an awesome sight. Such a powerful beast. In it's own way, an agent of destruction. It fought as it knew how to. Teeth and tail were the weapons it had. perhaps if it were a thinking beast it could have won. Size itself rested on it's side. This was a good battle. This was a worthy foe. He felt no guilt at killing it. Why should he? Would it feel guilty for killing him?

This was the point of battle. the point of the hunt. kill or be killed. What had time for mercy or remorse? certainly not Ultimate Kai. And certainly not this beast.

He surveyed the damage before him. The dinosaur lay there before him ruined. It's life blood still spilled from it's body to the earth. Ultimate Kai studied it just briefly. He wondered just how many of these things lived here. Hopefully they were solitary beasts. An attack from several at once might be a challenge that exceeded his abilities. Though Ultimate Kai was more than willing to give it a try. He would hate tolose though.

His stomach was starting to protest loudly. It was getting harder and harder to ignore this need. He sighed. Perhaps he could carve a steak out of the beast. The meat was probably good. But then he had no idea which dinosaurs were poisonous. This waould hardly be a fitting last meal. So he turned to continue his trek.

It was easy to lose one's bearings in the forest. Especially since the massive overhead blanket of trees blocked the sky. He could have been walking in circles. Though Ultimate Kai had an excellent sense of direction. He felt that he was going due north. There was no evidence of this as one tree looked like the next. But something in his gut told him to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

What was to the north? More challenges, Ultimate Kai assumed. This forest served as an excellent training ground. If a man could survive a day here, they could survive anywhere. The rough terrain beneath his feet was exercise enough. The fights did him good. By the time he made his way out of this place he would be sharper, stronger, and better than he had ever been.

The sound of trickling water greeted his ears and Ultimate Kai could see the sun filtering through the trees up ahead. It occured to him that washing some of the blood off his skin might be a wise idea. He sped up just a bit. As expected he noted a small stream in a clearing. The water trickled over smooth rocks.

He bent down and ran his hand through the water. It was cold. He did not expect it to be so cold. Ultimate Kai assumed that this little stream must branch off from the main river. And that comes from the mountains.

Ultimate Kai splashed the water over his blood stained legs, over his clothes. Soon the water took on a red tint as he worked to clean up. He did not do the best job but at least he was less sticky. Perhaps he killed the smell of blood. Having less flies land on him would be nice.

He looked up from the stream and surveyed the area around him. Still, the forest remained oddly quiet. He kept his ears open. A slight breeze kicked up. The leaves rustled. Ultimate Kai stood an felt it against his skin. The breeze brought with it the slight smell of smoke. Where there was smoke, there was fire. Usually there was also the person who started the fire. Ultimate Kai smiled. A new challenge awaited and he was ready.

This part of the forest was a bit thinner. Less trees dotted the landscape. From the looks of things some locals had cut them down. Ultimate Kai suspected there was some sort of village ahead. He knew of tribals in the area. These people had vilent tendancies. he smiled at the thought. They certainly would not look too kindly on a visit. The warrior fingered the hilt of his sword. Perhaps the good people here would care for a challenge. He understood they were cannibals. He wanted to be their breakfast just as much as he wanted to be dinosaur food.

There were lessons to be learned from everything here. Even the local people could teach him a few things. He studied their fighting styles a while back. They worked as a team. Every person had their role. They struck out from dark shadows with poison darts sometimes. Other times they fought face to face. What lessons did they teach?

The locals relied upon their environment to fight. Every weapon they had was carefully crafted from the things the very earth gave them. The poisons on their darts came from the gifts of nature. They were smart.They understood what was given to them. They used everything, wasted nothing. There was nothing wrong with having such a resourceful edge.

Ultimate Kai had to respect what he knew of these people. They could make a stick off the ground just as deadly as his sword. From what he knew, they also were pretty good shot with a rock. And he certainly did not want to tangle with a poison dart. Plus they wasted nothing. What better use for their dead enemy, but food. The warrior had to admit that of all the things he had done, he never ate an enemy.

That sort of thing was better left for the natives. So long as he was not the meal, they could eat anybody they wished. He thought about those poison darts for another moment. Perhaps it would be wise to slow down and pay attention. Trotting through the forest as loudly as possible was going to get him a place roasting over a pit.

He stopped under the branches of an old towering tree. The breeze rustled the leaves gently. He felt a slight misting of water on his face and realized that there was still a bit of rain in the sky. The birds fluttered from tree to tree. He heard the pop of a twig being snapped. The man turned slightly. Perhaps it was a man. Maybe an animal. The natives were known to be silent as they walked. Thus he doubted that it was one of them.

He waited for a long moment to see if the sound would occur again. He heard nothing. If it were an animal he wished it would have come closer. It was well past breakfast time. But whatever it was steered clear of him and his sword. He could not fault the wisdom of such a choice. He decided to linger a moment more in silence.

Ultimate Kai watched the forest just as it watched him. How many hidden eyes peered out at him from dark little corners? He had no idea. Danger lurked everywhere in this place. He placed his hand back on his sword and began to move again. His nose led him forward. He would find the source of the smoke.

He walked perhaps another mile. Every step was taken with care and he stopped often to listen to the sounds of the forest around him. So far, nithing seemed too keen to attack. In fact, it seemed as if everything was keeping a safe distance from him. Who could blame them?

He pushed his way past a collection of low hanging vines. Just ahead lay a small clearing with a few tents within them. Ultimate Kai frowned. He had expected locals, but these were travelers. That was indeed a strange sight here. Anyone who was brave or foolish enough to travel these forests must be quite formidable.

A campfire sat in the middle of this small clearing. Ultimate Kai counted three tents. He did not see anyone, however. He approached slowly noting the small flame licking the bottom of a large pot.

His stomach growled almost angrily. He peered doen into the pot and there was some nice warm fish just waiting to be eaten. Ultimate Kai almost laughed out loud. All that hunting and he finds a meal just laid out for him.

Perhaps this was cheating. After all,he did not catch it himself. But, he was hungry. The fish was just sitting there calling his name. How could he say no tosuch an invitation. No, he did not own the fish. But finders keepers. He found it and if they did not like the fact that he ate it, there could be a dicussion at swordpoint.

He spied some plates sitting by a pile of bedrolls. They did not look that clean but Ultimate Kai was not too picky. He also failed to see any forks. That was fine. Who needed a fork. Fish could be finger food. After all, who was about to tell him that he could not dine on someone else's fish with his fingers?

Carefully he reached in and grabbed his prize. The fish and the pot was burning hot. But the prize was worth the pain. This was a battle with himself. Not much of a battle though. In this, he was the winner. And perhaps he was the loser too. After all he now sported some interesting burns to his fingers. He knew going in that he would have a burn. But he was also about to have breakfast which would silence his annoying stomach.

The fish did not amke the best meal on the planet. But it was good enough. Certainly much better than standing there starving. Thankfully whoever had started this meal got the chance to clean and prep them. Ultimate Kai completely ate the first piece, then his had went in the pot for the second and the third. he had to think that it was pretty considerate for someone to just leave this here.

Finally he managed to eat evry last bit of the fish. His fingers burned somewhat from the heat, but his stomach was content. That was a good trade off. He took a seat briefly on a little cushion that was situated by the cooking fire and wondered just who belonged to this camp.

Hunters possibly. though what ordinary hunter would come here of all places? This was much to damgerous to just be some tourist stop. maybe someone had a death wish. of course, they were nowhere in sight, so maybe their wish was answered. He assumed that just because he had no desire to be dino food did not mean that someone else felt the same way. Seemed a terrible way to die. Ultimate Kai would rather take a sword in the gut over crushing and chewing.

He considered that for a moment. Everyone dies at some point. One day his turn would come. How would it happen? Dying in battle seemed appropriate. This was the warrior's way. So he might take a sword in the gut or find himself over powered. He would go down in a blaze of glory.

At least people would know his name after he went. Some of his escapades were legend. Fame was not the thing he set out for. he had a job to do and he did it. He did not go out of his way to be known.

It was simply a side effect of what he did. Kill a few people and suddenly folks know who you are. maybe that was so they could quickly make their exit if they saw him coming their way. He did not blame them. But if his contract said 'kill', he would. it did not matter how hard they hid, where they hid, or who hid them. They were done. Life was complete. Ultimate Kai would send them straight to their maker.

But one day, someone was going to send him straight to his. That was only fair. You could not have victory in every battle. One could hope. But the odds are against you. Maybe it would happen when he got older. Nobody fights time and survives. Old age always wins out. And everyone suffers the same fate in the end. Did not matter if you were King or simply a poor man in the street. In the end we all die. This was a fact Ultimate Kai considered at times. But he did not allow it to be the first and foremost thing in his mind. That would be a distraction. He could not afford it.

Ultimate Kai sighed. Sitting here was getting him nowhere. No amount of training would be accomplished by sitting on his ass. He pulled himself up to his feet and started poking around the camp. It did appear to be some sort of hunter's camp. Several pelts were hanging on a line just behind the tents. He noted camping supples sprinkled about. Pots, pans, bedrolls. He nudged a small pile with a foot absently looking. he really had no interest in this place. he was more curious as to where the occupants went and why they were there in the first place.

A sound from the forest drifted to his ears and Ultimate Kai's head popped up with a snap. it was just a twig snapping but that was enough to alert him. His hand flexed over the hilt of his sword. Then he heard a voice. Then two voices. Seemed the owners of this place were on the way back. He imagined whoever it was would not be too happy to find their breakfast eaten.

They were not too quiet either. Sounds of twigs snapping and voices allowed Ultimate Kai to pinpoint what direction they were coming from. Fools like this were going to attract one of the large predators in the area. Dino food indeed. Ultimate Kai took a couple steps back and drew his sword. He kept one ear open behind him just in case.

When the three hunters emerged from the forest, Ultimate Kai almost laughed, though he was also surprised. He knew them. Criminals of the worst sort. he had a contract once to kill an associate of theirs. he had no killed them because it was not necessary to complete the task.

The man in the middle was their leader. A tall man with long black hair tied into a fierce knot on the back of his head. He carried two swords and was known to be deadly with both. But he was also just as deadly as Ultimate Kai with his fists. He had a reputation as a murderer with a cold cruel heart. The man's dark eyes lifted to Ultimate Kai and for a moment he just stood there with a slightly surprised look.

The man to his left was a bit shorter, also with dark hair. Ultimate Kai did not know the man but from the company he kept, the warrior knew he was bad news. There was also a short sword at his hip. he was dragging the body of a small dinosaur along the ground. Seems they had been hunting.

Then there was the third man. He was as tall and dark skinned as Ultimate Kai. The man seemed to have no weapons on him which alerted the warrior to the idea that he fought with his hands. Bulky muscles rippled up and down his arms and legs. he carried a slightly annoyed expression on his face. Seems that he also wasn't expecting company. He took a few steps forward. Ultimate Kai swore he heard a growl. Seemed he must be some sort of attack dog.

"Well, how delightful," their leader growled. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. The man's eyes almost glowed and Ultimate Kai could feel waves of hate coming off him. Both the man's hands dropped to the swords at his side. Looked like this situation was about to fall apart quickly.

Ultimate Kai was not interested in having a conversation. He was curious as to why this man, such a well known criminal, was taking a hunting trip in the middle of such a deadly place. Perhaps it was for the same reasons Ultimate Kai had selected this place. These were men who obviously trained. Yet, he cheated. Bringing help. That was a sign of weakness. Cowards hid behind others. It did not matter. he would cut them all down.


The group came at him at once. However their attack was hindered by the tents and the scattered equipment on the ground. Ultimate Kai planned to have a good laugh when this was over. The man with the dinosaur tripped over the pot and landed face first. That was all the advantage he needed. There was no way he was about to let the man get back on his feet.

Ultimate Kai leapt to his side and drove his sharp sword straight into the man's back. He twisted quickly. that should be enough to kill him. He was not about to let him get back up. Of course, the others were taking the opportunity to attack him. he landed a punch and a kick to both men as he freed his sword from the dead man at his feet.

The battle continued with the leader swinging both of his swords with deadly calculated precision at Ultimate Kai. He dodged the swings, though a few came too close for comfort. He found himself driven back slightly. He grabbed a tent and flung it toward his attacker.

That had the effect of slowing him down just a bit. Ultimate Kai jumped over another tent and came up on the man's back. he landed a heavey blow to the attack dog. Hos fist centered directly on his jaw. His sword flashed and he managed to knock one sword away from their leader.

So now he fought two at once. His sword rang against the other man's sword matching blow for blow. While his fist and feet countered the second attacker. His focus, though divided, was completely on the kill. Any opportunity would be taken.

His sword flashed toward an opening left by the leader of these men. It slid into his gut like a knife in butter. The man gasped and tried to grab Ultimate Kai in attempt to undo the damage that he had just done. Ultimate Kai pulled the sword free and quickly turned to face the other man.

The leader fell with a thud behind him. Blood gushed from the wound in his gut. Ultimate Kai heard a moan but he had no time, nor did he care. He focused on the last man who was a powerhouse of attacks. He managed to land a few punches to Ultimate Kai's brw. The warrior felt a trickle of blood near his eye.

Nothing pisses Ultimate Kai off more than the other guy landing a punch. The good thing about anger is that it gets the blood boiling and spurs one to fight harder. Yet, anger was a distraction in itself. Ultimate Kai needed to find his calm center. Angry fighters tended to react poorly. their timing was off. they made mistakes, Anger blinded a man to the situation.

So, he leapt backward just out of reach. The sword slammed home back in it's sheath. His fists would be as deadly. In fact, he preferred the feeling of dealing blows with his bare hands over the slicing of a sharp sword. There was simply more satisfaction in such a deed.

He regained his focus quickly and felt the calm center. Ultimate Kai summoned the inner strength and focused a blast of ki straight into the other man's chest. He staggered backwards. Ultimate Kai followed the blast with a kick to the abdomen and a fist in the face.

Ultimate Kai did not stop his relentless assault. he had ni intention of allowing his foe to recover. He surged foward landing more punches to the man's face, to his gut. He cicked him repeatedly pushing him further and further back. The other man tried to defend himself. But he grew weaker as the assault continued. Ultimate Kai easily blocked the attacks.

Finally the man fell to his knees. blood streamed from a broken nose. he wheezed weakly for air. Seemed his ribs were broken. He coughed weakly. Ultimate Kai did not pause to assess his situation. There was no mercy in him, only cold resolve. he was indiferent. Would this man not have done the same to him. Ultimate Kai was the victor and this man, the loser.

He shed no tears for a defeated foe. Nor did he allow the job to remain incomplete. The enemy that still breathed was still a threat. Ultimate Kai stepped around the man. he grasped his head and twisted violently. he struggled. he foght with the last bit of strength he had. Ultimate Kai barely made note of the hand that grabbed him. he twisted harder until hh felt the pop he was looking for. The man's body became dead weight in his arms. Without ceremony, he let the dead man fall to the earth.

Ultimate Kai stretched his back and stopped to check himself for injury. Sometimes an injury was overlooked in the heat of battle. A wise man knew to treat his wounds before proceeding. Nothing was broken. He had a minor cut above his eye but the bleeding had already stopped.

No ribs were broken. His arms and legs seemed to be fine. There was a bruise forming on his abdomen. Appeared that a fist or foot caught him. Ultimate Kai could not recall that happening. Other than that he appeared in good shape.

He glanced around the campsite at the carnage he created. That was a satisfactory fight. Of course it was. He won after all. He picked up one of the leader's swords and examoned it. Shame such a fine weapon went to waste.

Ultimate Kai dropped the sword back on the ground. He was not one to take trophies from battle. And he had no need for a defeated man's sword. Perhaps had the man known how to use the sword better, he would still be holding it. But he did not and Ultimate Kai claimed victory.

He turned back to the campsite once more. Victory was sweet. And breakfast was even better. He wondered where they had caught the fish. Seemed there must be a river or a lake nearby. He did not see any fish there. But thoughts of fish were not important. he reminded himself that he had more important things to do.

So once again he moved forward. He had no destination in particular. This entire journey is the destination. First this was about survival. He had to hone his instincts. He had to anticipate the enemy. In this place there were countless things that could kill him. If a man could survive here, he could survive anywhere.

Of course, strength was part of the goal. The stronger he was, the more likely it would be to claim th evictory, But strength alone was not enough. he had to be clever. he had to have his wits about him. he had to think on his feet. His mind needed to able to focus. His energy, his ki needed to be at his disposal on demand. Every aspect of his physical and mental being needed shaped, toned.

That was why he was here. Training was a requirement for anyone. Should he be any different? He had bet mercenaries over the years that took more time in drink and women than in perfecting their skills. One did not live long that way. They dies doing their assignments. Some died half drunk in a bar. He felt no sorrow for fools. He had no time for them either.

Fools died a fool's death. They deserved what they got. This was not to say that Ultimate Kai was all work and no play. he had his fun. But work came first. His life was on the line everytime he took a contract. He was not about to allow anyone to simply take his life. Carelessness had no place in his life. Neither did complacency.

He left the campground behind him, a memory now. He was not certain if there was a lesson there in that battle except the one regarding hiding behind eithers. Ultimate Kai fought alone for good reason. how could he rely on someone else to save his life if they were too busy saving their own?

He could not. He would not. If he died in battle, he would be the one to blame. No one else could shoulder that burden. No one else should. On the same subject, he had no desire to shoulder that burden for anyone else. He fought alone. Another person at his side would be a distraction and that might get them both killed. Plus, he simply wanted to get the job done without the extra chatter.

So it was time to train. He needed toconcentrate. His tomach was full. Thus there was no need for delay. Not time to pause. Ultimate Kai stretched his muscles and began running. It was a good thing the forests were not so thick here. Had he attempted this thing further back, he would be tripping on every other vine that grew out of the ground.

Here he ran around the trees and evaded the ever present vines. He paidno attention to the noise he was making. The dried leaves crunched under his boots. He snapped twig after twig. Perhaps allthis noise would attract unwanted attention. He would deal with that if it came hunting him. He already had to once. And then he was trying to be quiet.

He surged forward. His heart beat a steady but fast rhythm in his chest. His breaths came in ragged pulls. Ultimate Kai wanted to extend himself. He needed to push himself further than he had ever attempted in the past. He leapt over small bushes and downed trees. He barely avoided a tangle of vines along the ground.

The muscles in his legs burned from the effort. What was it they said? No pain no gain.He continued running. The land in this place was marked by steep tree covered hills. He felw down them and struggled to run up them. He slipped here and there. Recent rain made what little grass that grew slick. He came across some sticky mud here and there as well.

Birds fluttered out of the trees overhead as he ran. Seemed they were not used to such a large ebony skinned man running through their territory. There were animals in these woodlands. Finally, he came across some deer. This would have been a nice find when he was hungry for breakfast. They quickly ran from him, vanishing into the misty shadows of the forest. He considered giving chase. After all he might want lunch and dinner. But he did not want to stop running.

He came to a place where there were less trees and more meadows. This grassland was a bit easier to run through. It helped to have such even ground. Unfortunately, there was a rock or two and Ultimate Kai nearly tripped. He cursed and reminded himself to pay attention to where he was going.

He noted that some of these rocks looked man made. Or perhaps they were carved in some way. He decided notto stop to look. But these were odd looking rocks. Perhaps he was getting closer to the land of the natives. These were dangerous people. He reminded himself to remain wary.

The last thing he needed was a poison dart in the forehead. The natives would enjoy a big tasty treat such as himself. With all his muscles, he could probably feed the tribe. Even if he were skinny as a beanstalk, they were not too picky. He kept his eyes open as his feet continued to pound the earth. He had no desire to wake up roasting over a fire.

He was not certain how far he had run. Seemed like it had been miles. Ultimate Kai ran until his muscles screamed in protest. He wanted to find his limits and exceed them. He had done just that. One learns that pushing limits again and again will allow you to go further and do more. That was what he needed. More strength. He needed to extend himself as far as his protesting body would take him.

He wondered what his limits would be when he was older. Certainly he would not be able to go as far or doas much. He hated that idea. But what man cheated time itself. Who cheated death? Not Ultimate Kai. Not his enemies. It simply did not happen. It would not happen. At some point he would stand at the brink of eternity looking down into the pit.

Death would claim him. He considered this idea again. He had once already in this journey. But when one dealt death to others, one sometimes paused to consider the concept of death. One day he would die. Would he be an old man? Ultimate Kai wanted to laugh thinking about himself as old. He could not picture it. What would he be doing? Would his days be passed by sitting on a porch drinking tea?

He figured that even if he were old and useless, he would likely have an enemy. He had enough already. All these bitter people who lost a family member or a friend were enemies.He could not blame them actually. There was no point in taking their assaults personally. Well maybe it was personal to them. Understandable. But work was work. A man had to make a living. Sadly that argument got him nowhere with an angry mob.

He smiled as he slowed his pace. His heart still beat out of chest. He still had a bit of a hard time breathing. His legs were screaming for relief. This was good. His body was working as it should. His smile was at memories long past. Once a mob did come to find him. That was a memorable day. He needed a good fight. Nothing like an angry mob to fill the bill.

He picked up speed one last time. His legs had moved past pain to a new sensation all together. He wondered if he would feel like doing too much walking tomorrow. Of course, he would have to if he wanted to eat. Plus after the dinosaur encounters he had no desire to stay too long in once place with his guard down.

A chance like that and once becomes dino bait. That would nicely defeat all the hard work he had done here. Of course, he would require some sleep. That, in itself, would be a challenge. But it was a challenge he could consider later. There was still plenty of daylight. He planned to use every ounce of it to the fullest. He could waste time in the future on silly things like sleep. Who needed sleep anyway?



His run ended at the edge of what appeared to be a deep lake. This place seemed peaceful. Birds twittered in nearby trees. He noted animal tracks along the edges of the cool late. He walked that edge, his boots catching in the sticky mud. Little fish swam in the shallow portions hiding among plants from the bigger fish that might see them as a meal.

He paused to look at the fish. Everything was a fight for survival. How many of these fish would live to see the next day? How many would be a meal? The dynamics of a aquatic life did not interest him that much. But there was a lesson in this as well. Everything fought for life. Certainly the nature of the fight changed per the details. These fish were not about to whip out a sword. Yet their hiding was every bit a battle as any he had ever engaged in.

Ultimate Kai stretched at the edge of the lake. His body dripped with sweat and a cool swim sounded nice. Plus he would be using an entirely different set of muscles swimming. He pulled off his shirt and kicked off his boots. He unbuckled his sheath and laid that on top of his crumpled shirt. Then, without pause, he entered the cold water.

And it was cold water. The icy chill surprised him.He contined forward to the deeper parts. It took a moment for his body to become accustomed to the shock of the water. Yet soon it became warm and felt good. He could feel seaweeds brushing against his feet. Fish swam around him. He noted a snapping turtle nearby.

The warrior took a deep breath and began to swim. His legs kicked behind him. His arms pushed the weight of his body through the water. Back and forth he swam in the lake. The clouds overhead darkened somewhat and a light drizzle dusted the lake surface. He heard the distant rumble of thunder. The thought of lightning strike came to him. No amount of raw strength in the world would save him from electricution.

He turned over in the water and faced the cloudy sky. The water felt good. He really did not want to leave it. He relaxed his body and allowed himself to float along the surface face up. The light drizzle brushed against his skin. He barely felt it.

This was a good time to meditate. Usually he meditated sitting down while closing his thoughts away. Yet he felt oddly at peace for this brief moment. Almost as if he were one with the forest. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He allowed himself tofocus on the sounds of the forest which was oddly muffled by water in his ears.

He sighed,suddenly feeling tired. If a man fell asleep while floating in water, would he sink and drown? He hated to find out. Reluctantly, he reopened his eyes and faced the clouds once again. He really needed to climb out of this lake and return to his journey.

Ultimate Kai decided that his rest was over. He swung his arms beside him. He was situated in about the middle of the lake. His was face pointed directly to sky above. The drizzle had become more of a mist now. There still was a hint of thunder in the distance. Ultimate Kai could smell rain in the air.

He continued to swing his arms until he was halfway back to the place where his sword, shirt, and boots waited. The water was just a bit more shallow here. He paused just a moment longer knowing that the air would be cold once he stepped out.

A small sound caught his attention. A little splash. It really was not anything that should cause concern. Yet, it seemed out of place. Ultimate Kai remained very still. He searched around with his peripheral vision. He saw nothing. Yet something did not feel right.

Slowly, he righted himself in the water. He wanted to get back to shore, but he was not certain that the lake btween here and there was safe enough to swim. He remained up right, moving his feet slightly to maintain the pose. He felt the seaweed brush against his leg. His eyes dropped to the water. But he could not see in it. All he saw was the reflection of the grey clouds above and his own bald head peering in.

His eyes scanned the surface of the lake. It was not still. Small circular ripples formed each time a heavier rain drop landed in the water. Longer ripples were created by tiny insects that skimmed the surface. He could see nothing large. Ultimate Kai crackled his knuckles and frowned. He could not escape this odd feeling.

A fish jumped out of the water just before him. It landed back into the lake with a splash. The sound was similar to the one Ultimate Kai heard. Had it just been a fish jumping? For a brief second, Ultimate Kai felt a bit stupid. Fish jumped. They splashed. Why be alarmed?

Yet, he realized that he was trying to ignore his own gut feeling. That was not wise. Often the best source of information came from one's instincts. The mind tried to fool the warrior with rationalizations. The eyes played tricks. The heart had no place in battle. But the gut, that was where trust should be placed.

And Ultimate Kai's gut spoke to him now. Something was not right in this lake. He was not accustomed to battle in water. Not that he felt he could not engage in such a thing. But he would be at a disadvantage in the water.He glanced toward his sword laying safely out of reach. His fists would have to do.

He drifted backwards toward the shore just slightly. His feet found just a bit more purchase on the soft ground. He continued to watch the water for signs of movement. Nothing stirred aside fromone of those little skating bugs. He scowled, perhaps he was making too much of nothing. Yet better safe than sorry

A current formed in what should have been very still water. Ultimate Kai felt the feathery touch of an underwater wave hit his leg. Something moved in there. Whatever it was, it was larger than a fish. His muscles tensed in anticipation of an impending fight. He clenched his fists. His jaw set hard. Ultimate Kai's eyes studied the water for any sign. Yet he saw nothing.

The attack came quickly. And as ready as he was for it, he was not ready. Something large knocked into his feet. Ultimate Kai fell backwards underwater. Whatever it was had a death grip with some sort of tentacle.

The tentacle was wrapped tightly around his leg threatening his circulation. He was now completely submerged attempting to untangle his leg from whatever beast had it. His fists grasped the long twisting tentacle and squeezed with all of his strength.

Blood gushed from deep puncture wounds he made with his fingers. A massive jerk dislodged him briefly. Ultimate Kai kicked with his free leg and surface only briefly for a gulp of air. He returned to the task of removing this thing from his leg. By now his foot was growing numb.

He dug his fingers in deep. The thing twisted and pulled. It took all of Ultimate Kai's strength to pull away and keep from being dragged deeper in the water. He kicked violently. He squeezed as tightly as he could.

Finally, he had freedom. The creature recoiled. Blood painted the lake water read. Ultimate Kai's foot was throbbing. But he had no time to worry about it. He swam back as quickly as possible. He was gratefull for air when he reached the surface.

The beast, whatever it was, also surfaced with a large violent splash. Ultimate Kai wiped water from his face. What was it? There were several tentacles and a head. He would have sworn it was a giant octopus, but this was fresh water. He wondered howmany of these things were in this lake. When you saw one, there were usually others you did not see.

He suddenly had an overwhelming desire to kill the thing. He did not have to. He could have simply waded his way back to shore. But he had been challenged. Now he would see the battle to the end. It seemed that his enemy shared the same resolve. It jumped in the water, then fast as a lightning bolt raced toward Ultimate Kai.

The man reached forit as it cam. He got two hands on seperate tentacle. The thing twisted around him. Ultimate Kai was surprised at it's brute strength. He struggledtohold on to it as it twisted and attempted to wrap around him.

He lifted it out of the water as high as he could. A meaty tentacle wrapped around his neck. Ultimate Kai coughed. He needed to get free quickly. His fingers dug into the beast and with more strength than he thought he had, he pulled in opposite directions. Tentacles tore from the thing's body. It convulsed as it died. A large tentacle struck the warrior on the back of his head.

The blow staggered him. Ultimate Kai stumbed slghtly. He felt dizzy. A bit of nausea welled up in his stomach. He could taste the fish he had eaten for breakfast and it did not taste that good the second time around. The thing twitched angrily in his grip. It was dying. Blood splattered all over Ultimate Kai. He heaved and threw the beast back toward the center of the lake.

It floated there twitching for a long moment. Ultimate Kai watched it without really seeing it. His head throbbed. The lake spun around him. He decided that it might be best to get away from the water.

He turned and slowly walked back to the edge of the lake. Even outside of the water, he felt as if he were still walking in it. Once he was a safe distance from the water he turned tosee what became of his enemy.

The beast lay still, floating on topof the water. It no longer twitched. A pool of red blood surrounded it. Ultimate Kai stared silently. There was an odd ripple in the water nearby. A tentacle rose from the liquid surface and wrapped around the remains of the the beast. Quickly it vanished from sight.

Seemed these creatures were cannibals. Well the body should go to good use. Ultimate Kai reminded himself to steer clear of any more deep bodies of water in this place.

He had to learn a lesson in this whole adventure. This was a good lesson. Never let your guard down. Never relax when in hostile territory. He was nearly lunch. He thought about the fact that this lake was likely full of these things. Perhaps that had not been seaweed around his feet.

He gave them the opening. He went into the battle with his guard down. He entered combat not knowing what he was fighting. While he claimed victory, he could not help but feel he had failed in some way. This battle was too close. He might have lost.

Ultimate Kai felt the lump on the back of his head. He had to admit that he earned that. The pain would be a reminder to pay attention next time. Carelessness led to death.

He reached down and grabbed his shirt. Pulling it over wet skin was a bit difficult. His boots were not exactly an easy task either. He started to pull one on and stopped. What was that, He thought he saw movement.

He turned the boot over and a snake fell out. Nice. Ultimate Kai wondered what other bad luck he could have this day. He reached down quickly and grasped the snake. It tool little effort to kill it. Just a squeeze of his big fist and it was broken. He let it fall to the the ground.

Finally he had his boots on. He reached for the sword and put it in place buckling it securely. After a moment of adjustment he was ready to proceed. He glanced around. Where? More forest, no particualar direction. Where his feet tookhim, he would go. he tapped his sword stepped toward the trees.






So the lesson. Ultimate Kai considered the lessons he had just learned as he stepped toward the trees. Never let his guard down. Do not relax. Especially on the battlefield. What had he been thinking? He cursed himself.He still had no idea what that thing int he water was. But he was nearly a meal. Foolish. He would remember this lesson well. How many warriors were put as ease thinking things were safe,only to discover their mistake much too late? He was determined not to allow that to happen to him.

His hand remained on the hilt of his sword as he stepped under the trees. After eveything he had encountered thus far, he would not be surprised to find himself on the wrong end of a hunt. There were certainly more dinosaurs in this place. He thought he heard a distant trilling call. That might have been a bird or a dino. He had no idea which.

His thoughts drifted back to the three men he encountered. What could this placepossibly offer them? Training? For some reason, he doubted that. They did not seem the type. They were lazy warriors that hid behind each other in battle. Perhaps this place held some other interest. Certainly not camping. He imagined that there were plenty of safer campgrounds to go to.

Ultimate Kai's head was still throbbing from the blow. He stopped under a old termite ridden tree to rub a hand over his hairless scalp. It hurt to the touch. He imagined that there was a bruise forming. Terrible place for a bruise. At least the nausea and dizziness had passed.

He placed his hand backon the sword and carried on. He did not pay too much attention to silence. So the leaves crunched under his feet. He snapped twigs. Some birds were startled from the trees. He expected attack. Though, he also figured the noise might scare certain predators away.

Where was he headed. North, he belived. Toward the tribals. He considered the three men again. Perhaps that was where they went as well. Stories had circulated for years about treasures within their temples. Of course you had to get past the natives and survive whatever guarded the ruins.

That would not be an easy task. Those natives knew how to kill their enemy. They had no problem doing it either. And they defined 'enemy' as anyone who was not them. It occured to Ultimate Kai that approaching their territories might not be wise. They had numbers and the means to dispose of him from a distance.

Plus they were silent hunters. He did not have to see them or even know they were there to be killed by them. He could take lessons from that sort of fighting style. Ultimate Kai was no trasure hunter, but he was also not the type to turn down a nice payment. If he found something, he could sell it.

He frowned at the thought. What sort of treasures did they have? Hopefully nothing too big as he would have to carry it out of here.

He continued his journey through the forest, attempting to remain silent as he stepped. That wa not an easy task, Sometimes he throught he caught a whiff of smoke on the breeze. Somewhere, fairly close, there had to be a fire. It smelled like wood smoke. He saw no signs of people. No voices drifted on the wind. He did note places where branches had been broken on the lower part of the trees. That could have been done by people or animals. Spidewebs stretched across the broken path he traveled. That suggested this area had not been traveled for at least a day.

Soon, he came to a place where trees had obviously been cut down. Ultimate Kai paused to examine the chop marks. Obviously these people had made some sort of axe. He guessed that they likely sharpened stones. Ultimate Kai made a mental note. They would likely have spears and arrows as well. It appeared that combat with these people would be a bit more complicated than fending off rocks and sticks. He doubted that they had anything as advanced as a sword.

He knew that they also had numbers on their side. An entire tribe armed with spears, arrows, and axes stood a good chance of taking him down. Not to mention the fact that they had poison darts, so he had once been told. He was walking straight into a viper pit. Part of himwondered if this was actually a wise journey.

Ultimate Kai stepped over some fallen trees. A good part of this land had been cleared. Obviously they came to this place often. He walked to a small mound of dirt. Ashes were mixed in with the soil. They camped here. Was this place far from the village? Part of a stone bowl stuck out of the ground. Ultimate Kai fished it out and peered at the odd markings. This was definately a camp site. His gut warned him that they had been here recently.

He placed the bowl back on the ground and moved back to the seeming safety of the trees. The wood smoke smelled a bit stronger. He noted that the breeze came from the west. There was no visible evidence of smoke, only a vague persistant scent. He paused a moment considering which direction to go in. West meant trouble. North might mean trouble. He had no idea what lay to the east. And south led him back to dinosaur infested woods.

After a moments consideration he chose to travel east. In the back of his mind, he knew this might be a bad idea. His hand stayed close to the hilt of his sword. He chose every step carefully. He shuffled through the leaves more than he stepped. This was much quieter. He sounded more like a soft breeze than a large warrior trotting through the woods.

The wood smoke led him onward. He followed that scent much like a bloodhound. His eyes remained peeled for any obvious dangerous. His ears were focused for any sound. Nothing came to him.

Just ahead was another clearing much like the one he recently left. He noted more downed trees. The sap on some of them suggested that the chopping had occured in the last few days. Ultimate Kai assumed that they were using the wood for their houses, or huts. He smiled to himself. He had no idea what primitive little hovels they lived in. The smoke smell came from another dirt coated fire pit. He bent down and placed a hand on the soil. There was a bit of warmth retained in the ground. But it was by no means hot. He figured that it might be a day old. The rains had likely doused it along with the soil. The ashes felt a bit damp.

He stood erect and allowed himself a moment to look around the camp. Ultimate Kai noted a thin trail leading off into the woods. He wondered if that trail led to the village. They would have to have some sort of path to get back home with the felled trees.

The warrior twisted slightly to study the forest around him. There appeared to be no obvious danger. It seemed still. Almost too quiet perhaps. He still heard the faint rustle of the trees overhead giving way to a gentle breeze. Off in the far distance a low rumble of thunder could be heard. But there was nothing to indicate the presence of any enemy.

So he decided to continue forward slowly. Ultimate Kai knew that he was slowly headed toward a pile of trouble. Yet he placed one foot in front of the other and kept walking. The trail was narrow in most places. He could see where people had walked,stomping down some of the stubborn plants that wished to grow there. He wondered how these people possibly managed to haul a tree through here. Perhaps they cut it in the clearing, then carried it. The weight had to be a bit much. He needed to lift some weights. Perhaps he should chop down a few trees.

Ultimate Kai smiled despite himself. He was no lumberjack. While that was a good strength building eexercise, he couldnot imagine chopping down trees. Lifting weights was one thing. That he would do all day. These people had to be fairly strong. That would make them a good challenge.

He passed by another man made clearing. There was a pile of chopped pieces of wood here. That answered his question. They were still quite heavy, but someone with adequate strength could handle them. He paused by the pile of lumber to lift a rather large piece. His muscles strained with the effort. Good exercise indeed.

After a few minutes of lifting logs he turned to leave. The log fell out of his hands and back into the haphazard pile to await the natives that cut them. Ultimate Kai stared off into the gloomy forest looking for signs of life. He saw nothing. He sighed. It just seemed too quiet. Why did this nor feel right? He was not certain.

Something was not right. Even an experience warrior like Ultimate Kai would have missed this. He was not of the forest. This was not his typical arena. Did he expect too much of himself here? He sought a battle with foes he could only guess at. He was strong. His sword and his fists were as powerful as any man. His ki could knock back and enemy, two enemies, three. Only a fool would challenge a man like Ultimate Kai. Usually.

The people of the forest had no idea what it was that moved through their lands. Ultimate Kai might not have seen them, but they saw him. They watched as he chose his steps carefully. And while the little rustles he made as he shuffled through the leaves seemed like nothing to him. They heard it loud and clear. This was not a natural sound. It was no animal. The natives heard and listened. They waited and watched.

These people were like shadows. They blended into the darkness and remained still. Ultimate Kai's eyes darted toward their hiding places. But his eyes fooled him. He saw shadows. He saw darkness. He did not see eyes. His gut told him something was not quite right. While he heard the warning, he did not heed it. If Ultimate Kai was tolearn anything in this trip,it would be to listen to the wisdom of his gut. It knew what the mind did not. It saw what the eyes did not. It heard what the ears did not.

So he pressed on. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. They saw that too. That sword buried in its sheath at his hip. The natives knew of such weapons. Others had come to this place with swords. Others meant them harm. They knew the bite of such a weapon. They saw how close his hand stayed to it.

Ultimate Kai had been right in his estimation regarding their weapons. They were crude. They had rough axes madeof stone and wood. They had stone tip spears. These were quite deadly. Their arrows were a matter of pride. The feathers had to be taken from certain birds. The arrow heads were carefully made. The balance was important for it to fly properly.

They had poison darts. This was used rarely though. As the poison in the dart made whatever they used it on dangerous to eat. These people would eat anything that moved. No,they did not need poison. They had darts that caused the victim to sleep. That gave them all the time they needed to dispatch the hapless creature, carve it up, or roast it on a spit.

So they watched this man invade their territory. He was dangerous, that was plainly obvious. But he was also quite muscular and in good shape. He would make a good meal. So they moved silently alongside him. These shadows made not a whisper of sound as they stalked their prey. Ultimate Kai heard his gut, but he proceeded. At this point, it was far too late.

Ultimate Kai slapped his arm. It felt like a bee sting. He cursed quietly to himself. Amazing that a stupid little insect could cause so much discomfort. He had been in so many battles over the years. Swords bit his flesh. He had been stabbed. Many timesover he was punched and kicked. He experienced broken bones. Yet, somehow a bee sting just seemed like one of the worst insults he could have recieved. Strangely he had not heard it buzzing. Had he heard it, he would have squashed the thing before it ever had a chance to sting him.

He continued forward trying to ignore the odd throbbing in his arm. He still made every attempt to keep his footfalls as silent as possible. Still he saw no evidence of natives. Nothing at all aside from the strange clearings that he encountered. But they had to be around here somewhere.

The throbbing in his arm grew more insistant. Finallythe warrior decided to take a look at the wound. Around his shoulder was a red area that was swelling quickly. It felt warm to the touch. He frowned. There was a small object sticking out of his skin. It looked like a tiny piece of wood. Was this his stinger. He pulled it out to examine it.

It was a little piece of wood clearly man made. Ultimate Kai's mind reeled. This was a dart. He stopped dead in his tracks. The sword came free of its scabbard. His gut had been right. Someone was there. They were too silent to be heard. They were too clever to be seen. And from the looksof things, they might have won the battle before it began. Was this poison? Ultimate Kai grappled with the idea that he might die in this very spot from a dart painted with deadly poison.

How could he have been so careless? He felt stupid.He had walked into the unknown, unprepared and allowed the enemy to take advantage of that. There were clearly lessons to be learned in this encounter but he feared that he would not be around to learn them. He certainly might not be around to put them to any good use.

He flicked the dart onto the ground. Ultimate Kai felt a little dizzy. Nausea welled up in his stomach. He wondered if this were a psychological reaction tothe idea of being poisoned.He would not be surprised if that were the case. Yet no matter what the cause,he now had the symptoms. The man wanted to throw up.

He lifted his sword so that any onlooker could see that he was dangerous. Yet, he wondered what the point was. They could just shoot him with another deadly dart and call the deed done. His eyes darted across the shadows. Where? Where? He saw nothing. No one.

He stepped back and felt another sting. Seemed they were going to dohimin at a distance. He reached over his shoulder and plucked a second dart out of his skin. He really did not feel well now.

Waves of nausea rocked him. The forest spun slightly in his vision. Ultimate Kai knew somewhere in his mind that he was dangerously losing control. But it was becoming increasingly difficult to think. His thoughts were unfocused. He could not reason. He waved his sword at the trees that now appeared to be moving. In fact it looked like the entire forest was about to attack. His sword glanced against the heavy bark of one of the trees. Ultimate Kai mumbled a challenge in a slurred voice. He knew what he said. But it was the doubtful that the tree did, or the natives who waited patiently for their prey to pass out.

They did not want him dead. Food was better when it was fresh. They planned to carry him off to the village, put him in the cage, and carve him up when the time was right. The hunters would be well praised for the bounty they brought this day. They were pleased. They dared not shoot another dart into the man lest they kill him. There would be time later for killing.

The warrior stumbled forward. His feet felt oddly heavy. He heard the crashing sounds he made in the leaves and cursed his noisy self. He needed to be quiet. He could not rightly recall why. But all this noise was going to attract trouble.

Or had he already done that. Ultimate Kai struggled to focus his thoughts. He tried to find his calm center. But it seemed out of reach. He felt he was in a nightmare or drowning. Perhaps it was both.

He found the forest was getting darker. Or maybe he was losing his vision. A loud buzzing rang in his ears. The man dug a finger in one seeking a cause for the sound. He felt as if he werelosing control. This was a new sensation and his mind had been numbed by the drugs. Thus, he could not process it.

Another step forward and his foot found a root sticking up from the ground. He pitched forward. Luckily he did not land on his own sword. It flew from his hands. He blindly attempted to feel for it. Hisfingers brished against the hilt but he could not seem to get the hand to work. The sword was pushed just out of reach by his own fingers.

As hard as he struggled, he could not prevent the drugs from taking over. His breathing grew shallow and his muscles relaxed. His hand remained stretched at an odd angle attempting to catch the sword.

The natives waited a few more moments prior to approaching. This man was dangerous. They had no desire to meet that sword. But he lay there unmoving. The darts worked,Their prey was ready to be taken back home. Yes, this was cause for celebration. It was not often food wondered so willingly into their lands. Even the animals knew to avoid the place.

Slowly they rose from their shadowy hiding places and moved silently to the now sleeping Ultimate Kai.

Ultimate Kai was notfully asleep, but he was not quite awake either. It seemed like a strange foggy dream. Was this to be the end? This was no way to end his career. Taking his leave of the world at the hands of hungry cannibals. After all the fights and battles over the years, this did not seem like a fitting demise. There was certainly no glory or pride to be taken in such and end. And the lesson to be learned here was futile. Why learn a lesson when you will never get the chance to use it?

He felt hands on his body. Ultimate Kai could not quite see them. But they were there. Many hands. He cursed himself. How could he have not known they were there watching? Why did he not listen to that feeling in his gut? His instincts had warned him that something was not right. He felt it. Yet he allowed curiosity to lead him blindly forward. Now it seemed he would pay the ultimate price.

They lifted him. He wanted to get his muscles to work. He envisioned destroying the entire mob with his bare hands. They had no idea what it was they had captured. He would tear them limb from limb if he could. He wanted to. Why could he not move? It was hard enough just to breathe. His lungs felt heavy. His chest felt as if a ton of rocks were laying upon it.

If he could feel the hands and feel his lungs, would he also feel te knife. That was a terrible way to die. Of course had he died in battle, he would feel the sword rip into his guts. The last thing he might see was his own intestines spilling in a wet heap on the earth. Every fighter prepared for the possibility. But every one of them always though that it would not happen to them. In this, he was no different. The lesson here was that despite his strength, he had weaknesses. He could be defeated.

He felt movement. Clearly he was being carried. The hands on his body grabbed him in awkward locations. There was a bit of pain here and there in the way they grabbed him. Fingers dug into his flesh. He thought he was bleeding here and there. He was certainly going to be bruised.

Ultimate Kai could not give upon the fight. Was he going to allow these people to make him a meal? He was not sure how he planned to stop them. Yet,if he did nothing he would certainly lose. He plannedto die fighting in whatever capacity he could. Anything less was beneath him.

He concentrated all his energy on his muscles. He struggled mentally to move something, anything. A fist would be nice. Yet, nothing budged. He felt as if he were tied in tight twisting ropes. He just needed to try harder. They still carried him. But suddenly, he felt himself fall. Seemed they had arrived at their destination.


It seemed like eternity that Ultimate Kai lay awkwardly on the ground. His internal struggle to fight the drugs he had been given was not obvious on the outside. As hard as he tried he could not fight the neurotoxins from the dart. No mortal man could. But these things wear off in time.So, after a while,the man was able to open his eyes. His muscles felt incredibly sore and he suffered a bit of pain when he moved. Yet, he was able to stifly move his arms and legs.

The weight on his chest lifted. It felt good to take a deep breath. He stretched his arms and legs slightly, then thought better of it. Clearly, he was not dead yet. If possible he was going to be certain that he did not die this day.The natives, however, were about to have a very bad day.

He remained in the dirt in an awkward uncomfortable position. His eyes popped open. Ultimate Kai took the chance to look around without moving his head. He appeared to be in some sort of hut. The ground was a hard packed dirt. Though some grass peeked up here and there. He could hear the chatter of the natives in an odd harsh language.

It sounded a bit muffled. He imagined that the voices were outside. He heard a bit of laughter. There was some strange haunting music. The sort of mournful sound when one blows into a twisted bull horn. He could also smell wood smoke. There was a fire nearby. He wondered if these people had planned to roast him.

He heard a sof sound in the hut. A foot step. His eyes narrowed to a thin slit so that he could still see but it would not be obvious that they were open. The feet appeard before him. He felt a sharp stick jab into his shoulder. It hurt, but he made no sound. He had been dealt much more and worse. He remained very still. The native was likely checking to see if he was waking up.

For a long while, those feet stood before him and the stick jabbed at him. It was obviously satified that he was asleep. The feet turned and began to walk the opposite direction. That was all the chance he needed.

Ultimate Kai sprang to his feet lightning fast. He grabbed the native from behind. It was a little man carrying a long spear. He roughly attacked the man's neck, snapping it in such a way that the bones stuck out the back. He dropped the body on the ground. He felt for his sword, but it was gone. He wondered if it were still in the woods.

His muscles were very stiff. Perhaps that was a result of the dart. maybe it was the result of the way he had been tossed on the ground. He had no time to worry about it. This village was going to be destroyed and he planned to be on his way. He scanned the dark room to assess the situation.


Obviously he was not alone in this hut. Another man lay sleeping close to the location he had been dropped. The man had the appearance of a native. Ultimate Kai figured that he likely had been captured from another tribe. He knew nothing of their politics, but from the looks of things,they did not like each other. Of course there was possibility he was some sort of criminal or had been condemned for something. This small hut appeared to be food storage. Ultimate Kai turned back to the body of the guard.

The man had been armed with a cride spear. That was the sharp onject that he jabbed into Ultimate Kai's arm. He picked it up and examined it a bit closer. The stone tip was sharp enough. The wood seemed fairly sturdy.

He turned his attention back to the sleeping man. He wondered if he were close to waking. The last thing he needed was someone to watch out for or protect. The man would become a liability. He would get them both kiled. So Ultimate Kai decided to take care of the matter before it bacame an issue. He drove the sharp end of the spear straight into the man's heart.

The drugs must have been still strong in his system. He did not move or twitch. Even his eyes remained closed. Ultimate Kai wondered if the man was able to feel what had been done. At least it was an easier fate than being roasted alive which is what he figured was planned for them both.

Some might say that Ultimate Kai committed an evil deed by destroying a defenseless man that had done nothing to harm him. But Ultimate Kai did not see it that way. He was here to survive. Anthing that might stand in his way would be cut down. There was nothing evil or wrong in that, at least not in Ultimate Kai's opinion.

Now he needed to figure out how to safely get out of this place. He considered waiting in this hut and cutting them down one bt=y one as they entered. Yet, they would eventually figure that out. He might be surrounded ot they might just set the entire thing on fire. Last time he checked, he was not fire proof.

He cautiously approached the door. Outside people still chatted with each other. He heard laughter. The wood smoke was a bit stronger. He needed to use a bit of stealth here. After all these people could put him back down with a couple of darts. And this time he doubted they would let him back up.

Just outside the door stood another native. These people were not exactly big. He noted that he was covered in muscle, but compared to Ultimate Kai he was just a beanstalk. Ultimate Kai ripped open the door, grabbed the man, and dragged him inside. He twisted this man's head in just the same way he had done his counterpart.

It was an easy task. He allowed the body to crumple to a heap on the floor. Ultimate Kai wondered if they would notice a lack of guard at the door.

Once again he peered out. This time he needed to weigh his options. He could not possibly sneak out of this place.These natives were brown skinned with dark hair and short. They had a lean appearance. Ultimate Kai was none of that. He was a mass of muscle, ebony skin, and lack of hair. If he tried to walk out of here, they would certainly notice.

He also could not just walk into the middle of the village and start cutting them down. That would not be wise considering how good they were with their darts. He sighed. This was not about to be an easy task. He noted a couple of warriors wonder past with heavy spears clutched in their fists. No, this was not going to be easy at all.

He rolled his spear in his hands considering what to do.The direct approach was not going to work. Perhaps mass panic and confusion would do the trick. His eyes drifted up to the thatch wood roof. These huts were a bit wet from the rain. He wondered if they would burn.

Ultimate Kai went back to the door and peered out. There were a number of huts in sight. Women stood in front of some making dinner, he imagined. They appeared to be cooking. Small fires were situated in front of several huts. If he decided to do this, he needed to be quick. He would have to keep moving. He would have notime to stopor stay still. the moment he did was the moment one of their darts landed under his skin.

He closed the door once more. Ultimate Kai bent down and stretched his sore muscles. He planned to demand more out of them than he had ever asked. He stretched his legs feeling a slight burn. He arched his back. A small pop answered his movement. He cracked his knuckles and stretched out his arms.

The warrior picked up the spear once more and returned to the door. This time his eyes searched for trouble. Hopefully most of the guards with the darts were scouting the forest. He saw a few men with spears still wondering about. A woman in a nearby hut stuck a few sticks in her fire to get it hotter. He heard children playing in the distance.

He gripped the spear tightly. Now or never. Much like the wind, he flew from the old worn hut. His spear and fists were to save him, though he missed his sword. He surged up to the two warriore he has seen earlier. Swinging the spear, he used the blunt end on each of their heads. The both fell to the ground. He could not stop.

He raced to the woman, his spear crashed into her head as well. She fell with a little cry. He pulled a blazing piece of wood and sent it flying to her hut. He could not wait to see if the flames caught. Instead he raced to the next two huts and repeated the process.

Flames rose into the air on the second hut. Ultimate Kai spun backto the first and threw another blazing stick at it. Soon three of the huts and the grass in between was in flames. This place was about to become an inferno. He heard shouts and knew the battle was about to begin.

He had to keep moving. One second still was enough for them to catch him. Ultimate Kai gripped the spear tightly. He expected the flames would keep them busy. Or at least they would be distracted enough that he could take them.

He heard shouts and the sounds of footfalls. The fire spread to the small hut he had been housed. The place slowly erupted in flamed. The smell of smoke in the air was thick. Ultimate Kai coughed.

Much like a flowing wind, he moved between those that came running. He never paused, never stopped. It was a dance of his own making. He leapt, twisted and turned as appropriate. He chose to strike them with the blunt end of the staff where appropriate. The sharp end might get stuck in someone's body and he could not afford even a minute delay.

Luckily these warriors were smaller and weaker. They went down easily. Yet the exertion of constant movement winded him. He chose to continue. He could not stop.

The fire rapidly spread. He helped it where he could by tossing flaming sticks at huts. Some of the natives cameout of their huts screaming and burning. He did not pause to witness their deaths. it was good enouth they were dead.

Arrows whizzed past him. He worried a bit about the warriors that kept their distance. He had no doubt that they were also armed with those vile darts. He could not run straight at them as that would provide them the chance to hit him.

As he ran past their locations, he shot blasts of ki their way. The sounds of grunts and thuds let him know that they had taken the force of his attack. Sometimes he shot blasts of ki around him just to frighten or confuse any that planned a long distance attack. Where he could, he tried to keep burning huts between himself and the long range attackers.

All he could do was keep up the momentum. Warrior after warrior fell under the heavy blow of the blunt end of the spear. Building after building fell to the flames. He heard screams and cries. It did not matter. Anything that stood before him and breathed was to be destroyed. Man,woman, or child. He took down the elderly. He destroyed the young. It mattered not. They could shoot a dart just as well as the fighters. They were all enemies and they would all die.

The body count grew. The smoke became to thick to see in some places. The attacks grew less and less. Though he did not stop. He would not. He had no idea if they were peering out at him from the trees. They caught him once that way. He was not foolish enough to allow it to happen again.


* * *


He started hearing crackling louder than that from the flames on the huts. Some of the trees were catching fire now. It occured to Ultimate Kai that he might have caught himself in his own clever fire storm. There were stills ome shouts. Hopefully any natives in the forest were in retreat.

He spied a small group ahead. Two warriors and another wearing some sort of animal headdress. The leader, he assumed. The smoke partially obscurred his vision. He was finding it difficult to breathe.

Something caught his eye. It was a familiar flash. There, in the leader's hand, was Ultimate Kai's sword. A low sound issued from his throat. There was no way in hell he was going to allow someone to kill him with his own sword. His eyes narrowed and he rushed forward with full strength and speed.

The sword flashed toward him. The native really had no idea how to properly wield a sword. He did know that it had a sharp end and that end should be stuck in his advisary. Ultimate Kai easily dodged the strike. His spear struck both warriors quickly in the head. Both fell sideways. Ultimate Kai spun the pointed end around and stabbed at the leader.

The first blow grazed the little man's arm. He howled and jabbered some curse in his own language. Ultimate Kai was relentless. He kept moving in case the dart shooters were near. Though he doubted they were with all the smoke and flame. His spear struck again. This time he sunk about two inches into the man's abdomen before the leader jumped back. The blow was not a killing blow,but Ultimate Kai imagined it was a mortal wound.

He swung the spear to the side stricking the otherman's sword arm. He heard a crack as the man's arm broke. The sword went flying. Ultimate Kai threw the spear straight at the man's abdomen. It sunk in deeply. Blood poured from the wound.

The warrior rolled quickly, grabbing his sword. He was back on his feet before the leader could fall down. His sword flashed. The man's head came off his shoulders cleanly with one blow.

Breathing heavily, Ultimate Kai raced through the smoke dodging angry flames that seemed to be everywhere. He still heard voices and still felt danger. But he had a chance to flee and he was going to take it. He had no idea how many he just killed but it seemed to be most of the tribe.

He ran as he had before moving through the trees like the wind. He stopped for no reason until he was far from the burning village. He still smelled smoke but the odor seemed to linger on his own body.

Finally he paused by a familiar stream. His muscles ached. But he survived. Helived to tell the tale. Though he might leave out the part where he was hit by sleeping darts. After all, he already felt like an idiot, he did not want everyone else to think he was one.

He sat down heavily by the stream and flopped onto his back, staring up at the nighttime sky.

"Pain in the ASS!" he bellowed into the sky, glad that the whole ordeal was now done with.....



......or was it?

DONE.

1,880,250 pl ki and zeni with 180 bp