Round One: Fight!
I placed my feet back into the world. I know what must be done, but the path ahead is cloudy. This battle will shake the very foundation of not just Anarchyworld, but everything that we know. Every fighter wants to be involved. I sit down on the springy grass and close my eyes. I don’t know what has been done to me, but I now project my mind out into the world. I feel the movement that goes on around me. There’s so much pain ahead. This task will not be easy, but it’s my task to accomplish. I will succeed.
I feel somebody approaching from behind. He’s strong. I know exactly who it is as I’d recognize him from anywhere. Leaping to my feet, I whirl around to face him. Is he here to fight? I once made a promise to protect him, but recently things have turned sour. I was responsible for slaying the man who was like a brother to him. That man’s soul now roams the Hell that I am fortunate enough to have been given reprieve from. There standing before me is Cut-Zero. Ready to fight, the two of us stare coldly at each other.
“State your purpose,” I say, trying to avoid an unnecessary confrontation.
“I’m on my way to meet with Bo’Rab Cho and the rest of the warriors that we could gather together to fight the threat that The Dynamite King poses to us all.” His voice is stern, his confidence unwavering. I’m impressed. He has come a long way. “I have no interest in fighting you now Scorplee, but I will do what I must.”
“Be at ease,” I say, dropping my guard. Cut-Zero is too proud of a warrior to take a cheap shot at me. “When we fight next, it will be under the sanction of Immortal Kombat. For now however, we find ourselves with a similar goal in mind. The Dynamite King will fall at my feet. However, I wish to know what you have planned with that drunken fool Bo’Rab Cho. Is there a plan of attack?”
“Bo’Rab Cho and Vic Mei have acquired the armies of the Anarchyworld townships and are preparing to take on The Dynamite King’s armies, lead by Arsaka. They have been ravaging the innocent for too long.” He’s fired up. Again Cut-Zero impresses me. I haven’t seen him in this state before. Perhaps I’m lucky that we are not about to engage in Kombat.
“And where do you fit into it all? Are you going to be merely a foot soldier, or are you going to be the one to take The Dynamite King head-on?” I’m eager to know more. If Cut-Zero is able to distract The Dynamite King, my quest may be made easier.
“I will fight with our armies. My first objective is to ensure that no more damage is done to the realm than needs to be. Those of us who survive the clash with Arsaka’s armies, will then battle towards The Dynamite King’s temple. The more of us there are, the less chance he stands.” His explanation is both pleasing and not. Having the armies distracted will make my path towards The Dynamite King easier, but his previous rule lasted for so long for a reason. He is an extremely powerful warrior.
“I shall accompany you for now. Our paths run parallel for now.” He nods at this. Good. I know his strengths and weakness very well. With the current state of the realms, we may very well be forced to fight. If this is the case, I will be able to work well alongside him. “I have been granted access to a portal that can transport us between the realms. It is not far from here.”
“Lead the way.” I bow my head slightly. We then begin to walk in a comforting silence. I prefer the silence. It allows me to stay focused. Before us looms the stone circle that contains the portal. I step towards it and glance back to see Cut-Zero hesitating. He glances around him as if he’s looking for something. Then I feel it as well. Somebody else is here. Jogging down the slight hill towards Cut-Zero, we stand back to back and scan the bushes that surround us. Then we see the person responsible for our feelings. Splitting up, we flank either side of the mysterious person, and cut him off. The form we see is different to what I expected. He’s clad in all white, and as soon as he sees the two of us coming, he heads in my direction.
He flies forward, spinning in the air. I barely manage to avoid him. Drawing one of my swords from its sheath on my back, I prepare to fight, only to see his legs become frozen in ice. Sliding the sword back into place, I walk up to this fighter as Cut-Zero completely immobilizes everything but his head.
“Who are you?”
I demand, saliva flying onto the cheek of this man.
“My name is Ashdrew, and I know all about you Scorplee. You should be cast back into the Hell that you came from.” Just what I need, somebody trying to kill me.
“I don’t have the time for insolent punks like yourself. I’ll be going back to Hell as soon as I save this place for morons like yourself.” I fire back at him as Cut-Zero comes to my side. “You see, I like it in that Hell. It’s warm and cozy.”
“Unless you are a friend of The Dynamite King, we are not your enemies,” Cut-Zero says, trying to diffuse the situation. “Please don’t involve us in whatever sick fantasy world you’re living in.”
“I’m no friend of The Dynamite King. My mission is to slay evil such as this demon standing beside you.” He scoffs at me. I almost respect him for showing such conviction to his beliefs even while he is defenseless. “I escaped from the Hell myself after a confrontation with Boon Saibot and Smoke-2, however I believe they survived the battle. I am now on a mission to find Smoke-2, as I’m unable to track Boon due to him being a wraith. Smoke-2 is a cyborg, and much easier to find.”
“We will not get in your way any further.” Sometimes Cut-Zero is too much of a diplomat.
“Provided you stay out of ours,” I bark at him, inputting my own opinion.
“Bite me.” It’s been a long time since I’ve found any amusement in this world, but that almost has me laughing.
“Let’s leave him here. The sun will melt him free soon. We have more important things to do.” Cut-Zero just nods as we head back to the portal, and step through.