Chakrin Power Level: 6,999
Outside, gathering storm clouds started the flow of water to earth. Though it was a mere drizzle, the rain left nothing dry. Upon his return home, Chakrin loaded his belongings onto his ship and began the process for take off. The ship's pilot informed Chakrin that he had been sent by one of Sacooru's followers and was to stay as long as he was needed. Walking out of the ship and up the steps to Tapion's peaceful home he checked his room for any over-looked items; pleased that the cargo was on the ship, he flicked off the light and headed to the front door.
"Hey...you forgot this.", Tapion was standing at the opposite end of the hallway, holding a small box in his left hand. Turning back Chakrin met Tapion halfway. He stood tall and at attention as he waited for the approval of his Master before he spoke. Looking over at Chakrin, Tapion adjusted his shirt and brushed-off his shoulder before nodding slightly. Tapion held out the box for Chakrin to take and watched as Chakrin's eyes started to well. Chakrin held back his tears, took a deep breath, reaching out Chakrin accepted the box and turned to leave the house one last time.
"You choose your own battles my son. Let no one deter you from your rightful place in history." Starting his advise with verbal words Tapion ended by speaking to Chakrin's mind. "You will find everything that you have been searching for. We will meet again...follow your heart...my son" Disappearing from the house Tapion was gone from Chakrin's thoughts as well. He stopped at the doorway, pulled out a small pocketknife and carved his name in the doorframe.
"Chakrin-student and child of Tapion, Master of Konatsa"
*HIM: Bury Me Deep Inside Your Heart begins to play*
Chakrin let the door shut behind him and stood at the porch's edge for a long time, then wiping tears that had formed at his eye, he made his way to his ship. Upon approaching the ramp he felt an old memory. Someone was watching him from the corner of the house. Chakrin looked over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of someone he hadn't seen in over two years, Angelia.
"So it’s true...you really are leaving aren't you?" Her voice was sad as she spoke quietly to Chakrin. "Are you going away forever?" Closing his eyes Chakrin let his head come to rest against his chest before he turned around to face the women he had loved secretly for so long. Angelia met him quickly and had to stop her sprint to keep from running him over. She was just as he had last remembered. Beautiful. Her hair was shorter than before, black with lighter brown streaks running through it. Long enough to just barely brush against her shoulders as it cupped itself at the ends toward her neck. Lined with black and accented by a slightly hazy brown eye shadow, her green eyes still held a fiery glow and seemed to be the one feature that never failed her. They exploded with passion and sorrow as they longingly searched over Chakrin for an answer to his leaving. Slowly shaking his head in disbelief he searched his heart for the perfect words, the words that would let her know he still loved her and always would.
"I'm no good on the spot." He thought. "Maybe if I had the time to play out the scenario in my head...maybe I could think of something. This could be the last chance to tell her how I feel. Possibly the last chance I will ever be able to have these feelings." Arguing the idea over in his mind came to no resolve. Looking into her eyes he took a deep breath. His shaking hand reached out and brushed the hair from her eyes and tucked it neatly behind her ears. He watched her eyes close as she slowly tilted her head into his hand, showing Chakrin that she felt the same way about him. He closed his eyes and strived to memorize every moment, every detail so it could always be with him. He felt the warmth on her cheek flow into his hand. How her hair trickled over his hand and wrist as if it were holding his hand to her cheek. Opening his eyes he could see her looking up into his, still waiting for an answer.
"Angelia...you are the,” he bit his lip and looked down as he closed his eyes trying to think of what he would tell her, "you are..." Looking back up at her he paused before going on, "I want you to know that...that I have loved you from the first day I saw you..." Allowing the tears to form in his eyes and blur his vision he continued, "I always wanted to be with you. It would've never worked, people would have mocked us...you, for being with me and I just couldn't bare the thought of even seeing you get punished for something as stupid as me."
Breathing deeply Chakrin closed his eyes, a tear fell from his face. The tears had found their way to Angelia's eyes as well. Sniffling slightly she was able to no longer hold them back. They started slowly at first, making a path down each side of her face until they disappeared just under her chin before falling to the ground. During this time her hands were held against her waist, fingers interlocked, until now. Wrapping her arms around Chakrin, she buried her face into his chest that had long since been beaten and battered with scars from previous battles. She let her tears fall freely she could no longer hold back her cries. Through her weeping and uncontrollable jerks she was able to speak the words that Chakrin had only been able to wish for so many times before.
"...I...love you..." Crying again she held tightly onto Chakrin as he finally wrapped his arms around her, his tears rolled with heaviness. They held each other tightly surrounded by the trickling rain. This wasn't how he would have wanted to tell her, but now she knew how he really felt. Now he finally knew that all the years that had passed by could have been spent next to her. This is why he was crying; he finally knew that someone cared enough about him to love him just when he was leaving.
"I will...come back for you..." Speaking gently and quietly in her ear he held on to her a moment longer before gently pushing her back so that he could look into her eyes one last time. He searched into her eyes and mind, he was frozen with fear and shock as he tried to figure out what to say to comfort her. Angelia could see that something else was missing between both of them.
She watched as his eyes moved silently under his eyelids as he shut his eyes unable to do the one thing that was unthinkable to him. The tears still fell from her face as she bit her bottom lip before reaching up to Chakrin's shoulders.
"Chakrin? I have wanted to share something with you...for so long that I..." Moving his hands to hold her face he wiped away her tears as best he could before she continued, "that I don't know how to do it. It has happened many times...only for me to wake up and find that it was only a dream. I want to finally feel that dream...to not wake up wishing it was real..." Gently pulling Chakrin's shoulders towards her she tilted her head as she slightly raised herself on her toes.
Closing her eyes slowly she gently bit her lip as she raised her chin slightly to show Chakrin what she had dreamed about over the years so many times to only wake up disappointed by the dream. A kiss. Closing his eyes he fumbled with his hands as he tried to figure out where to put them until she finally put her arms around his shoulders. Opening her eyes slowly she found herself mere inches away from Chakrin both of them almost startled at finally being this close to the other. Though they were both teary eyed and shaking from emotion they both seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking.
"I love you" In unison they said the words to each other before finally closing their eyes as they felt each other's breath against their skin. Moving slowly through space and time, their lips finally touched gently together. Allowing for the first real kiss to consume every thought they were having, taking over there very being as they shared the love they had for each other.
Slowly, as with all that have kissed another, they gently kissed awhile longer before they moved apart. Still holding hands they once again embraced each other in tears. Only Chakrin was able to speak this time, ending the reunion with two words.
"I promise."
~~Space Travel~~
"I looked over the pre-programmed coordinates, Namek to be exact and I let them be. Everything is prepped for launch and we're ready to move out on your order, Sir." The pilot spoke quickly to Chakrin. He was accustomed to many years of flight and even the rare ship battle in space.
Looking at the monitors outside the ship Chakrin watched Angelia make her way to the porch and collapse in a sobbing mess of painful tears and agonizing cries. She had been unable to persuade Chakrin to stay on Konatsa, to stay with her. Without taking his eyes off the screen he gave the order to make way.
"I'll be in my quarters...I would...I would like to be alone as much as possible during this trip."
"Aye Sir. Enjoy the trip, I'll inform you when we make our approach on Namek."
Leaving the bridge Chakrin gave himself a tour of the ship. Inspecting all the rooms, from the gravity chamber to the rejuvenation tank to the small hanger inside the ship he was satisfied with his investment. The debate in his head finally caught up with him and he decided to take leave in his quarters. The hallway leading to his room was barren. Only the mundane placement of the rivets holding the walls together gave any sign of life to the ship. The reverberating echo from Chakrin's steel-toed boots overpowered the otherwise quite hum of the engines. Placing his hand on the keypad to his room, he waited briefly while the computer matched his prints before opening the door. Stepping in, he paused as he quickly scanned the room. Content that everything was normal he sat down in his chair making himself comfortable. Finally, he decided to look at the information Tapion had been able to provide for him. Accessing the program from his holographic desktop computer he sat back in his chair, relaxed, prepared to hear the same redundant spiel that he had always heard about his parents.
*Program access protected...permission granted...*
"Everything you already know about your mother is true." Tapion's voice came clearly over the speakers. "That she died soon after giving birth to you. You know that I, Tapion, Master of Konatsa, took you in and raised you as if you were my own son. What you don't know is everything else. "What happened to your parents prior to your coming? Where you are from? Even, who you are."
Slowly the screen projected itself around Chakrin as flashes of a major battle popped up before disappearing again. Flashes of people he had never seen before, places he had never been to.
Leaning forward in his seat he watched anxiously as the flashes soon became so fast that a single image started to appear. Faint at first bringing forth a very generic face.
"This...Chakrin, is who you are. This is your linage." As the still frames proceeded in succession Chakrin was able to see the face form and split into four completely separate beings. Staring in awe he leaned closer to inspect the four. They all looked extremely versatile compared to the other. Something about each one of them overpowered the other. Amazement took over his body and pushed him back into his seat as he watched the four figures spin on an axis independently from another.
"Chakrin," the voice continued, "I will show you everything I know about these warriors, choose one to begin." Thinking about the news that he had just received he was unable to contain his excitement. He too, was also having great doubts about what was going on. Slowly moving his hand forward he placed his finger on the warrior directly in front of him.
"Hafgeryn-Namek Warrior from the years 4,837 to 5,387. He was 550 years old when he vanished from the Namek Planet. As odd as this sounds it is actually easier to comprehend. Time travel has been known for a while now though it was only used to go back in time, it soon became a matter of utmost importance to move forward in time. With the application of time travel, mastered by your own...father. Anything became possible to those that had the money. He found a way to extract the DNA from any being. Also creating an ultimately unstoppable creation. You."
Tapion's voice paused briefly as the screen changed showing a brief history of the warrior. Chakrin was completely amazed at this new information. He finally had some past or future to search for.
"His weaknesses were few, if any." Continued the narration." As a Namek warrior he was able to master nearly every possible form of energy, his abilities unmatched by any Namek. He, Chakrin, was able to live forever. His only two weaknesses were the Dragon Balls themselves and the inability to control his rage. Obviously being unable to make a wish to be able to control his rage he was doomed to live eternity as a monster. So at the peak of his skills when he was truly unstoppable aside from, us, the Masters, he ordered his loving wife, the woman who was able to sooth him and control his temper to make a wish to end his struggle. In so doing, he became weak and eventually died an untimely and bloody death." Fading to black the screen reopened with the four warriors.
"This is unbelievable. I am from the future and my dad dies except it's not really my father at all. Why me? Why did it have to be me?!" Slamming his hand down on the consol the screen flickered slightly before shutting off. "God damn it!" Standing quickly he reached for the computer on the desk. Jolting to the left and crashing into the half empty shelves, Chakrin lay dazed in the rubble as the lights in the room flickered before completely shutting off. Just as quickly as the lights had gone out the backup emergency lights flicked on. Covering his room in a soft blue light.
"Sir! We've been hit!" The voice was faint at first, static blending into the P.A. system disrupting the pilot's voice. Scrambling to his feet Chakrin lunged for the door. Outside the hallway was flashing in blindingly bright waves of red and yellow. Something major was going on and Chakrin was still uninformed.
"Computer! What's happening?!" Yelling loudly, Chakrin begged for an explanation.
"Seismic disturbances on the planet Ketyer 9 have reached magnitudes of unparalleled phenomena. Thus resulting in the annihilation of its sister planet Ketyer 7." The voice was a basically mechanical with no feeling behind anything that it had just said.
"WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN!" With a blank look on his face Chakrin could barely contain his anger at the preprogrammed voice.
"In laymen's terms it means Ketyer 7 has exploded and we are experiencing a nuclear shower of planet core and shock waves emanating from where the planet used to be." Ending in monotone the voice disappeared under the blanket of a new alarm being sounded.
"NOW WHAT?!" Running down the hall Chakrin entered the cockpit slamming the door open making it clang against the wall. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
"Sir, we have some major damage to our rear and starboard side engines. We must and I mean MUST find somewhere to make repairs or the damage will slowly deteriorate the hull of the ship only causing further damage and even eventually... a breach." The pilot's voice was calm showing no sign of panic or worriedness, helping to calm Chakrin so that he may think clearly and possibly come up with a way to reach safety.
"How close are we to anything?" Breathing a little easier Chakrin took his seat in the empty seat next to the pilot. Quickly the seat readjusted to his body weight and height strapping him in snuggly yet comfortably. "That's new!"
"Comes standard with all Konatsian built ships. It's not pretty, but it'll ride easy." Smiling the pilot quoted a factory motto. Humming the rest of the song to himself. "Right, so are we anywhere near anything?"
"Well actually yes," Continuing before Chakrin could inquire any further. "Our only problem with that is that the ship might not make it." Looking over to Chakrin before continuing, "we're reduced to warp 3 and it's only a matter of time before the warp drive fails and we go to impulse." Turning back to the light display on the consol he once again went back to pressing buttons and typing in different sequences. "Impulse is like driving 25 MPH on a 75 MPH highway. So the ship might fall apart before we get there."
Chuckling to himself Chakrin smiled slowly. "So what's the bad news?" Laughing again at his joke he watched the on-screen cameras catch the last moments of Ketyer 7's life. Though the beauty of the explosion was breath taking the damage that it caused far outweighed its miraculous existence into nothingness.
"Hold on. I'll transmit our location and urgency for assistance. If we're lucky, we'll live through this, Sir." Moving his hands in quick repetition the pilot sent out a distress signal.
"Should I make a formal request you think?" Not certain how these matters worked Chakrin relied more on his pilot's knowledge of the situation than his own.
"Actually, we are being hailed. I'll put them on screen for you, just remember, you're the Captain of this vessel and we pose no threat to them." Nodding with agreement he waited as the pilot signaled that he was connected.
"I am Chakrin, Captain of the Banshee. I am traveling to Namek and my ship was caught in the...death...of Ketyer 7. If it is possible I would like to dock with your station and make repairs to my ship." Trying to sound like he had done this a hundred times Chakrin waited for a reply.
"List your crew and estimated time of repairs." The voice was cold and almost unwelcoming.
"Myself and my pilot. The rear and starboard engines are both damaged and require extensive repair work. I am unable to give you an estimated time of repair." Trying not to let his voice reveal that he was truly worried about the situation he patiently waited for the reply.
"Agreed, proceed to these coordinates for rendezvous and docking instructions. Have an Omega day."
"...and we're offline." The pilot once again made his fingers move in rapid succession as he typed in the new coordinates and set the autopilot. “It'll take us about 24 hours to reach the base. I suggest maybe some shuteye and a shower before docking. I'll let you know when we arrive at the rendezvous point." Seeing Chakrin was still clinching the armrest he continued. "Relax, its all good, go get some rest." Releasing his grip on the chair Chakrin unbuckled himself and left the cockpit.
Spending the rest of the trip under the blue lights of emergency power Chakrin was unable to learn any more about his past. Angered, he left his quarters to find something to keep his mind busy.
"Computer?" Walking out of the room he asked for a brief rundown of what could and could not be used while the ship was damaged.
"All life support systems are at 100%. Rejuvenation is at 63%. Gravity chamber is at 87%." As if the computer was reading Chakrin's mind it continued. "Should you put the gravity chamber at 90% you will have 39.5 times gravity. However, doing so would compromise the stability of the hull. The rejuvenation tank is unaffected and therefore may be used at 100%."
"Thank you computer. Am I correct to assume that the gravity chamber has more than enough power to operate at 5 times gravity?" Walking toward the end of the hall as if he already knew the answer Chakrin made his way to the gravity room.
"That is correct, only 20% of the power available is needed for the amount you have questioned about. Would you like to set the gravity now?"
"No, convert the extra 67% to the rejuvenation tank and back up life support. On my command increase the gravity 1 tenth of a G, cumulatively every 3 hours. At the end of 15 hours disengage the gravity drive." Stripping down to boxers Chakrin entered and stood in the middle of the room.
"1 tenth G cumulatively for 15 hours for a total of 5xG at the end of 15 hours, is this what you want?" Standing by, the computer waited for the prompt. Assuming his fighting stance he took in a deep breath before answering.
"Yes."
A single beep followed by a long tone came over the speaker. Then silence. For the first time Chakrin was feeling the effects of increased gravity. "This doesn't seem so bad." He thought, taking a step forward he noticed the small change in his body. "I'm slower!" As if coming upon the great mystery of man with an answer he simply marveled at the idea that he was indeed slower than before. "This is amazing! Computer, adjust the increase x2 as well as running power as needed. Time frame is the same.” Feeling a little bolder Chakrin increased the gravity. A single beep followed by the same long tone, again, came over the speaker before it was followed by silence.
"Computer, I would like to hear something from Earth. Anything from the ancient Japanese arts will do. I want calming music." Beginning his training as he always did Chakrin concentrated on keeping his balance steady and focusing his mind on the matter at hand. Moving slower than normal only helped him focus on his arms and legs, making them move steadily as he preformed the Tai-Chi Tapion had taught him from the day he was able to stand. He moved in an even flowing fashion and balanced the new forces on his body with the training he had received while growing up. Perfectly, he moved, sliding his feet across the floor moving his arms in precise circles extenuated by the wrists. Bending to form slight arches with his fingers. He was able to keep his strength for the most part as he continued his slow dance like movements. Hours had gone by, Chakrin was still doing his best to keep up with the continuous gravity change. He also had a sudden change in heart for the music selection as it was now blaring heavy-metal tunes. Sweat had found its way to Chakrin and covered his body from head to toe. Still, he did his best struggling in the 9 G's to even stand. He had been in the chamber for almost 15 hours straight. At this point it was simply a matter of lying down and waiting for the return of normal gravity. Something so easy to say yet seemingly impossible to achieve.
"Ah crap!" Breathing hard Chakrin rolled on his back and watched the timer on the wall slowly tick by the seconds. "An hour and a half to go." Almost breathing a sigh of relief, Chakrin struggled his way to a sitting position. "Screw moving! I'm gonna sit and meditate for the rest of the time." Crossing his legs by sliding them across the floor he reached a fairly good position to steady himself as he started his meditation. Clearing his mind of all thoughts Chakrin sat silently in 9Gs. Silent. Letting his mind bring the outside world to him, his past, present and now future that had been shown to him. Slowly without his knowledge he rose off the floor. Inch by inch he adjusted himself to the effects of gravity. Deep in meditation his movements were unnoticed by his physical and mental being. He was too deep in meditation to have any knowledge of his surroundings. Faintly he could hear an echoing. His mind had now gone deeper into itself than ever before. Bringing forth new memories that had yet to be made, new faces that were yet to be seen. Flooding his mind the hundreds of voices and faces that had been mere whispers before seemed to be yelling into his ears. Yelling for help, yelling for death.
~~The Arena~~
100s of people had gathered in the arena to witness the show. The scheduled events started with small fights of a couple warriors to all out brawls with dozens. The roaring fans cheered for their favorite as they watched the onslaught take place center stage.
~~The Banshee~~
A series of beeps came over the speakers, ending the music and Chakrin's meditation as well. Feeling drained of energy Chakrin felt the aftermath of 10Gs on his body. Unable to lift his arms without struggling, he managed to stand once more. Breathing deeply he bent down and grabbed his clothes before stumbling his way to the door. Leaning against it as it opened he tripped his way into the hall before smashing against the opposite wall, face first. Pushing himself off the wall before looking at it as he squinted he steadied his wavering stance as he complained about the face plant he had just given himself.
"Owwwwwwww..." Frowning at the wall he turned toward the rejuvenation tank that waited patiently at the far end of the hall. Slowly he bumped and tripped his way to the tank. Sitting down in the tank he gave the computer instructions and strapped on the mask. As the tank sealed itself, the greenish blue liquid replaced the air as the mask slowly put Chakrin to sleep.
~~4 Horsemen~~
"Kruptis." The familiar voice of Sabin from down the hall caught up with him. "Hey! Hello? You OK Kruptis?" Continuing his ignorance of Sabin, Kruptis made his way to the bar to drown his anger in the overwhelmingly loud crowd that had gathered there. "So does this mean you don't want to talk?", scratching his head Sabin returned back to his room dumbfounded.
The drunks in the bar had made the fine drinking establishment a mad house. Occasionally the odd beer bottle could be seen flying across the room or a chair making friends with the back of another's head. It was a controlled mob at this point. Anything could make the crowd turn into a hell's mosh pit. Walking into the bar Kruptis stood in the doorway. His huge silhouette cast a shadow all the way to the bar itself. Quickly, as if the Grim Reaper had walked in to take names the bar went silent. Tables of men stopped everything to turn and look at Kruptis before turning back quickly to continue whatever game of cards they had going. The mere sight of him had stopped the chaos in a split second.
"Humph." Letting out a grunt he continued his way into the bar, strolling up to it and taking a seat.
"You want the usual today?" Doing his job as he should the bar tender never stopped a beat as he offered up the shot glass to Kruptis.
"Nah, it does nothing for me anyways. Any word of a good fight around here?", Eagerness encased his eyes as he watched the bar tender.
"Nothin' really. A lot of betting takin' place but no one is standing up offering a fight. Stay a while though. I got that feeling again that something will come up today" Grabbing another shot glass the bar tender wiped it clean before placing it back up on the rack with the others. "Never know, the day is still half started anything could happen."
"This is true. I'm going back to my quarters if anything sounds like it could be fun give me a call." Walking out of the bar that had grown used to his presence Kruptis took leave in his room.
~~Docking~~
Hours later the Banshee had finally drifted its way to the Dark Sun. By this time Chakrin had recovered fully from his gravity training and managed to find some clean clothes. Taking his place next to the pilot he watched as the flickering lights were maintained by the pilot's amazing ability to keep up with everything. Through the window he could see the Dark Sun as it approached the bow of his ship. The menacing gray plates connected by what seemed like insignificant beams to a center core. Outside of the station, lights flashed periodically. Chakrin was able to see many other ships already docked or orbiting the base.
"Looks busy. I'm sure we're welcomed too.", he said laughing to himself.
"90 seconds to dock, make sure you're strapped in." Never taking his eyes off the console or moving his hands away from the buttons and levers the pilot moved gracefully over the area as he made the final preparations for docking.
"Good. I'll check us in and see if I can find anything to do. I suppose you know the rules, keep in touch with the ship, keep in touch with me and always be ready for launch." Slightly nervous, Chakrin squirmed in his seat anxiously awaiting his chance to get on base.
"60 seconds..." Rotating his chair 45 degrees the pilot started working a new set of instruments. Slowly guiding the ship into a pocket so that the tractor beams of the base could bring it in for easy access to the damaged portions of the ship. "Well that's it! Wait for the final OK from the station and we'll be ready to turn it all off and stretch our legs." Showing slight appreciation for his skills the pilot leaned back in the chair putting his arms up behind his head.
"So is it always this easy?" Asked Chakrin as he could now see crewmembers scrambling around on the deck as they awaited the arrival of a new ship.
"Not always, but for the most part it's not much harder than this either." Leaning forward to check everything one last time the pilot noted the time and counted backwards. "5-4-3-2-1..." Smiling he turned to Chakrin, "we're done."
*Muffled by the hull the docking bay speakers could be heard*
"Shut down your engines, all crew must exit the craft to be accounted for."
"Well, let's go." Leaving the bridge, Chakrin and his pilot made their way to the loading ramp and waited to make their grand entrance on Dark Sun. The ramp lowered itself to the ground releasing its airlock creating a hissing sound. The ramp lowered them to the ground as the light traveled its way up the ramp to meet them, revealing the two figures for the rest of the docking crew to see. Stepping out into the light Chakrin squinted slightly while his eyes adjusted to the light. Immediately behind him he heard the crew of the Dark Sun began to work. They looked like an army of ants covering every inch of the Banshee.
"Well then," turning back toward the bookkeeper. "That's my ship and I'm Chakrin. This is my pilot." Waiting patiently for his information to be taken he then asked for directions to the nearest place of excitement. He made his way down the hall he stopped often to check all the scenery that the massive windows allowed. The dark of space seemed infinitely small compared to the nearby planet that shown brightly in the sunlight.
"May I help you?"
Startled, Chakrin turned quickly to see a woman standing behind him. "I didn't hear you," He said slowly as he looked over the woman for any details as to what she may be.
"I do that," she replied quickly. "My name is Shar, I am the AI of this base. Would you like directions?" Her sweet tone was warm and inviting even if she wasn't as real as she looked.
"Ummm actually yes, I was told that the..." trying to remember he stopped for a second before going on. "The 4 Horsemen..." slightly tilting his head having no idea where it would have been or if he had even remembered the name correctly.
"Yes, our fine establishment is down this hall through the double doors, it's the second right." Moving her hands in the direction he should be heading she waited for Chakrin's approval.
"Thank you. One more thing if I may ask?"
"Yes, anything." Replied the hologram.
"I noticed a large amount of other ships around here. Is there something going on planet side or is this place known for something?"
"A little of both. Currently we are holding a small competition in the arena. f you would like you could ask the bar tender for further information, but if you'll excuse me. I must be getting back to other matters of the station." Closing her eyes she slightly nodded as the image collapsed on itself forming a finger wide line before it disappeared completely.
"Amazing. I want one of those for my ship." Turning his attention to the hallway he made his way past the other visitors and to the outside doors of the bar.
~~Talk Too Much~~
Sitting at the bar with a tall glass of imported beer, Chakrin seemed as though he didn’t have a care in the world. The almost coffee colored ale went down remarkably well for its slightly thicker consistency. Swallowing, Chakrin could feel the slightly chilled liquid make its way to his stomach and coat it nicely, leaving behind a warm and fuzzy feeling. Turning in his stool he propped himself up against the bar to watch the action unfold.
For sometime a group of men had been sitting at a table declaring who’s better over another. Eventually it got to the point that the small group of men had molded itself to include nearly all of the bar in this random placement of money that declared a winner over another being. Finding this all rather amusing, Chakrin asked for a refill and headed over to the arguing men. Walking around the circle of betters, Chakrin was able to decipher that the so called, “Death Seeker” was unbeatable. Even as this point was made clear to Chakrin the crowd refused to let it go. Placing even more money and even more names on the table to see if anyone would be willing to try and top the last bet. Finishing his beer quickly, Chakrin walked around the rest of the group before he spook under his breath.
“Pusses make beats to see others do their fighting...”
Once again sitting on his bar stool he refilled his glass and watched the monitors in the arena display the current match. Of course with all bar scenes, his words did not go unnoticed. Nor where they appreciated. Slowly the crowd migrated behind Chakrin before someone spoke up.
“You got a problem Green Bean!?”
Without looking over his shoulder Chakrin answered calmly yet boldly, “The name is Chakrin and to answer your question, not as big a problem as your gonna have if you call me ‘Green Bean’ again.” Sipping on his ale Chakrin continued to watch the arena battle.
“Big words from such a young kid. You got your old man in here to back you up or something?” The persistently annoying voice was quick to make assumptions.
“Only myself, but unless you want to die I suggest that you go back to your table and shut up.” Finishing his drink he quietly placed the mug on the counter top before he spun around to face the crowd. “That goes for all of you.”
Anger was an easy sign to pick up on and the fact that the leader of the bunch was unable to hide it only proved to Chakrin that he already had this battle won. Pulling money out of his pocket he placed it up on the bar and stood up. “Thanks for the drinks, here’s a tip.”
“Son, this is more than those drinks are worth, you know that right?” Confused the bar tender held up the left over change after taking a reasonable tip for himself.
“It's for the damages.” Turning back toward the audience Chakrin stepped forward. Scratching his head with confusion the bar tender mouthed the words before he realized what was going on.
“Hold it! Don’t think that just because you paid for your drinks that you think your goin anywhere.” Stepping in front of Chakrin to stop his escape the cocky leader pushed Chakrin back into the bar.
“These damages.” Rolling his eyes Chakrin balled up his fists and turned with everything flying. Nailing the leader squarely in the face he was sent into the rest of the group taking out half of them before the furniture stopped their fall. Without hesitation Chakrin continued his attack sending drunks and sobers alike through the air and into other people.
Soon the whole place had turned into a massive bar fight, with cans and bottles and chairs flying across the room. For about 45 seconds the bar was a battlefield. Then just as quickly as it had started, everything came to a halt. Bottles stopped in midair, tables that were in the process of tipping over, froze, teetering on edge. Appearing slowly and faintly the AI, Shar, made her presence known. Everyone that was in mid swing had stopped to gaze upon the beauty of holographic projections.
“Gentlemen, I am going to have to ask that you all take your seats or leave this ship immediately. The matter at hand is over a simple bet if I am not mistaken. I would like to point out the fact that the only betting allowed on this ship must be through the bookkeeping staff. Though you all may be to drunk to comprehend this you are still liable for any and all actions that you partake in. Such as bar brawls for example.” The tone coming from the AI reminded Chakrin of the mother’s voices he heard growing up in the village. Disciplining as well as teaching the child to stay out of trouble in the future. “Come to an agreement with your bets and we shall arrange for the battles to take place today.”
Slowly getting up from the hit Chakrin had given him, the leader spoke up quickly, “1000 zenni says you can’t take any 4 of us.” Trying to sound threatening his voice did little to decrease Chakrin’s feeling of invulnerability at the current time.
“I can take anyone that is willing to go a few rounds with me, jackass! That includes this whole room if need be!” His feeling of euphoria came to an end soon after he realized what he had said. Thinking in his head he clearly did not mean to sound that cocky.
“YOUR ON! Anyone I want huh? You got yourself a fight Green Bean!” Laughing loudly he sealed the deal with an insult.
Smiling back Chakrin only nodded as he walked next to the man, shoulder to shoulder, “I said that you would have problems if you ever called me that again. When this is over with…” turning toward the man Chakrin spoke clearly, “…I’m gonna hunt you down and give you a reason to wish for death.” Walking out of the bar he made his way to the arena locker room and prepared for the battle that would soon take place.
“HE WHAT!” Slamming the bottle against the wall Kruptis showed his anger about the bar fight. “Where is he!? I want a word with him, NOW!” Moving down the hall with quick strides, Kruptis made it to the bar. Looking around he quickly spotted his prey and was on him in seconds. “I told you once that if you caused anymore problems in my bar that I would personally rip your nuts off and shove them up your ass! Now what about that do you not understand!?” Holding the man by the neck Kruptis was unaware that he was choking the poor man. Only after the man’s face started turning purple did he realize his grip.
“…Chak…rin…” Nearly losing consciousness the man struggled for life as Kruptis worked to end it.
Squinting with hate Kruptis lightened his grip enough for the man to repeat himself.
“What was that you future ball-less wonder?”
“…Chak…rin…” Coughing slightly as the extra air to his lungs jump-started his heart.
Pulling the man towards him with one hand, Kruptis brought him eye to eye nose to nose, taking the man a few feet off the ground.
“WHERE?!”
~~Locker Room~~
“I’ve got a big mouth.” Pacing back and forth in the locker room Chakrin tried to figure out how he was going to get himself out of this one. Readjusting his gear he finally calmed down enough to clear his mind.
“This is great. Not even away from home for a week and I’m already in deep shit.” Letting his anger show on his face he continued to pace around. Turning towards the television Chakrin watched a battle unfold in the arena.
“THIS IS AMAZING FOLKS!” The pure excitement in the announcers voice was enough to alert Chakrin to the fight on TV. “In all my years of broadcasting, NEVER, have I seen such carnage from one man!”
Leaning closer to the TV he watched as one man literally tore through the fighters. Ripping arms and legs off of their owners. Beating others with the bloody stumps.
“This folks is what a real battle looks like! Death Seeker is unstoppable today! Who would really be crazy enough to try and fight him?!”
With his jaw dropping Chakrin leaned back, eyes wide, he was able to utter only a few words that described his entire situation.
“Oh…shit!”
“Find out next! When we return to “DARK SUN BATTLE ROYAL!” Cutting the live feed commercials engulfed the next couple minutes of airtime.
“This could really be painful…” Trailing off he looked down at the ground and retied his bootlaces making sure they were secure.
“AND WE’RE BACK FOLKS!” Jerking Chakrin’s attention away from the floor and back to the monitor. “Here with us now is the winner of the Battle Royal, DEATH SEEKER!”
Zooming in on his face the camera showed how a name like ‘Death Seeker’ could be given to someone. The blood covering his face didn’t seem to mask the horrific scars that made him such a target for name-calling. Across his cheeks, forehead, neck, even from one side of his face to the other.
“So Death Seeker, what are you gonna do with your winnings?” Holding the mic out, Death Seeker swiped it from the announcer’s grasp and pushed him out of camera view.
With the mic now in front of him Death Seeker laid out a challenge. “FUCK THE MONEY! THIS GOES FOR ANYONE THAT’S LISTENING RIGHT NOW! IF YOU THINK YOU’RE A WORTHY OPPONANT, STEP UP! FACE ME AND PROVE YOURSELF, SHOW ME…SHOW THE WORLD…WHAT YOUR MADE…”
Walking into camera range was Kruptis standing next to Death Seeker even he, Kruptis, killer of thousands, didn’t look all that intimidating.
“So you think you can take me?” Beginning to chuckle he was interrupted by death.
Shooting a ki blast directly in his face Kruptis ended the life of the Battle Royal Champion in one move.
“Now then…” Turning to the camera he seemed to be staring directly into Chakrin’s eyes. “GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!”
“Now that’s a scary son of a bitch!” Laughing loudly Chakrin soon stopped.
“I said NOW! Chakrin!”
Stopping immediately with his laughter he soon realized that he was being called out for the bar fight earlier.
“I’m waiting!” Forming an aura around him Kruptis put on a display of his power as he broke the camera lens causing static to cover the screen.
“I don’t know if you folks can hear me or not, but we’ll get to this next battle when we return to…DARK SUN BATTLE ROYAL!!!”
“Well, I’m pretty much screwed at this point so what the hell! Maybe I can woe the crowd to like me so that I don’t die…” Walking to the door he prepared himself for an amazing ass kicking.
~~Konatsa~~
“That didn’t take too long did it?” Talking to himself Tapion chuckled as he appeared in his living room and turned on the television. “Let’s see here, it’s on Dark Sun…channel 533487.”
Tuning in, Tapion made himself comfortable on the couch as he watched the replays of Death Seeker’s demise before the program came back to the live feed.
~~Dark Sun Arena~~
Walking into the light of the arena, Chakrin stood in wonder as the masses cheered and booed his existence. On the far side of the arena was Kruptis, still looking into the camera as he put on his display of power. Hovering slightly, Kruptis turned to see his opponent. Turned to see the man that caused such commotion in his bar.
Suddenly Chakrin was surrounded by a few people as they attached a few things to his skin, that soon slid under leaving no sign of their existence. Looking across the arena Chakrin watched as the same thing was being done to Kruptis.
“Hey kid, it’s just a Reader. Takes your a measurement of your vital signs and relays that into music. Think of it as a theme song generator.”
“Oh, so if I think of a song do I need to know all the words?”
“It doesn’t work like that. It works on a subconscious level. Every song ever made is stored in the data banks. During battle your vital signs change and it plays the song or songs that express your body. Its cool when you just fight and let the music play, plus it makes for a killer soundtrack for the DVD.” With that explanation the man left Chakrin’s side. Leaving him to face Kruptis in the arena by himself.
*Princes of the Universe by Queen, begins to play*
“And we’re back folks! In the red and blue suit, weighing in at 900 pounds, standing 10 feet tall…The Tool of Chaos! The Black Tide of Death! The one the only… KRRRRRUUUPTIIIIIIIIIIS!!!!!!!!!” The roar of the fans quickly drowned out the announcer. Without emotion, Kruptis stepped forward to the middle of the arena where he waited for Chakrin.
*Headstrong by Trapt, begins to play*
And on the opposite side of the arena…” Cupping his hand over the mic, he turned back quickly to ask, “Who the hell is this guy?!” Quickly a stack of papers appeared in front of the announcer. “Thank you and your fired.” Turning back to the microphone he started again with his announcement.
“On the opposite side of the arena we have the challenger, weighing in at 180 pounds, standing tall at 6 feet 2 inches…The Sexy Beast! The Highlight of the Night! The Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rolla! CHAAAAAAKRIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!” Stepping forward to signify his presence and to take his place in the middle of the arena he was also preceded by the masses going crazy once again. Standing there in the middle of the arena were the two warriors. Kruptis leering down upon Chakrin only to see the muscled freak slightly grinning back up at him. Suddenly a small television was lowered from the ceiling to come to a rest between Chakrin and Kruptis.
“This is not to the death. Both parties shall fight until the final blow, only then will the match be called.” Continuing with the last few rules for the match up the small monitor was quickly raised.
“So Kruptis is it? How do we know when to start this?”
“That’s simple…” Lunging forward Kruptis aimed the first punch for Chakrin’s chest. “Someone starts it!”
Nearly caught off guard Chakrin managed to escape a hard hit beginning the music. “OOoooWHA AH AH AH AH!!!!” Was suddenly blared over the speakers as the music of Disturbed pumped up the crowd into an insane frenzy.
“So you mean there’s no bell or horn then?” Smiling as he moved in close for a hit of his own. Swinging from the left he connected with the right side of Kruptis’ head where an ear would normally of been.
Turning quickly Kruptis caught Chakrin’s lower back with an uppercut from his left hand. "No one gets a cheap shot in on Kruptis!” He said as he watched Chakrin sail through the air before he landed and slid to a stop. Breathing heavily Chakrin slowly got up as the music molded together with another song. Pulling up his shirt to check his wound he could see it quickly start to bruise. “That’s gonna leave a mark.”
“WOW! I don’t know if anyone even saw that, but it was amazing! I don’t even know who to go for in this match up! This is unbelievable!” Standing up over his table the announcer watched as the battle unfolded.
“He seems a little excited for three punches don’t you think?” Asking Kruptis in a slightly confused tone.
“Well, when you drink 20 gallons of café latte double shot cappuccino…it winds you up a bit.” Replying with a matter of fact tone. “So what do you say we give the audience a show? Basically I mean you running away while I hunt you down.” Laughing as he finished his remarks Kruptis took a defensive stance as Chakrin’s mood quickly changed.
“I don’t run, from anyone.” With that Chakrin began the battle in full force.
Charging in he quickly landed punch after punch, kick after kick. Nailing Kruptis from every angle it looked as though Chakrin would win. Quickly backing out before Kruptis could land another punch. Moving in again Chakrin repeated his attack only to flee before the massive arms of Kruptis could find their mark.
“That all you got kid? Your not even beginning to hurt me, keep it up the crowd is really getting behind you. I’ll wait til’ your tired to end this pathetic challenge.” Standing up Kruptis stretched before returning to a defensive posture.
“You know you could at least give me some credit by backing up or maybe even acting like this hurts. Your not scared are you?” Moving in quickly to dish out another series of punches and kicks Chakrin soon found out the meaning of redundant. Before Chakrin realized what happened the music changed once again.
Lying in the dirt, busted lip and ripped shirt Chakrin failed to move as quickly as he did last time. Laughing loudly at his achievement, Kruptis turned to the crowd with his arms out taking in there boos and cheers as he turned back to Chakrin.
“That was fun wasn’t it? I mean it wasn’t very long, but you got in a crap load of hits…I got in two. I say were pretty even.” Beginning his walk over to Chakrin he never took his eye off the victim as he neared closer. “This is it Chakrin. I will however, take the damages from my bar and imprint them on your ass!” The music once again changed this time it was Awake by Godsmack and it came from Chakrin. “Prepare yourself for your brush with death.” Finishing his walk to Chakrin, Kruptis listened, as the intro to the song was roughly about 26 seconds in. Looking back down at Chakrin he reached for his neck.
Exploding with force, tears, and pain. Chakrin released a massive sized ki blast into the face of Kruptis forcing him to fall back in pain. Slowly getting to his hands and knees Chakrin watched as Kruptis had his hands over his eyes trying to put out the embers that were burning on his face. Coughing vigorously, black smoke exited Chakrin’s mouth.
“WHOO! That was freakin’ awesome! Chakrin just shot a huge blast of fire from his mouth. Kruptis was totally unprepared for that one folks!”
Moving to his knees Chakrin balanced himself as he struggled to take off his shirt. The cheers from the crowds boosted his confidence that he may be able to hold his own for a while. Rising to his feet Kruptis was the first to get up.
“That actually hurt.” Rubbing the chimney sweeper look off his face Kruptis soon realized that it would take more than a few punches to end this fight.
“That’s how your mom likes it Trebeck!” Smiling Chakrin joined Kruptis by standing.
“That’s it! Nobody disses Jeopardy and gets away with it!” Charging ki in each hand Kruptis held them at his sides as he built energy.
“I suppose you would want me to wait until your done, right?” Pointing at the energy as it grew in Kruptis’ hands.
“Not at all. Please be my guest.” Smiling before continuing, “Your gonna need it!”
Without hesitation Chakrin moved in, ignoring all the signs of a set-up. Remembering back to the last hit he received Chakrin decided to change up his attack. Launching an assault of ki energy on Kruptis. This attack somewhat surprised Kruptis, forcing him to cut his own attack down to one handful of energy so he could block with the other. Chakrin sensing his speed was higher than his opponent decided that it would also be his only way to defeat him. Keeping this in mind Chakrin continued his assault on Kruptis.
“That’s right, keep it up! I only need a few more seconds…”
As Chakrin backed off to prepare for another attack Kruptis made his move. Releasing his single ball of energy he launched it at Chakrin as he moved in.
“CRUSHER BALL!!!!!!!” Thrusting his arms forward Kruptis set forth his attack. Heading right for Chakrin it was a direct hit. Suddenly, the air movement changed and headed straight into the ball. Even Kruptis himself was dragged into the center. “WHAT! How could this be? He wasn’t this close when…” The explosion rocked the arena. The cameras that had been close enough to the imploding ball were destroyed as the ball released its destruction.
On the opposite sides of the arena were the two warriors. Kruptis, having made his way through the arena barrier, was being thrown back by the crowd. His plan had worked the way he wanted it. Chakrin was nowhere to be seen and he had definitely done some damage. Looking over the area he saw bits and pieces of cameras strewn over the landscape, still sparking every now and then.
“That was a little too close for comfort.” Dusting off he found his wounds. “Damn, that’ll leave a mark. Now to find that punk kid.”
Lying in the debris face down was Chakrin. Burns covered most of his chest and his antennae were mangled. He was a complete mess and yet, he was still alive. Struggling to get to his feet Chakrin knew that soon the battle would be over. And it would end quicker if he failed to get up in the next 30 seconds. Opening his eyes he could see Kruptis dusting himself off and examine his open wounds to which he showed little interest or didn’t think it would mean much. Whichever the case Chakrin knew that he must take advantage of this weakness and exploit it beyond all reasoning.
In the distance Chakrin heard what could only be his imagination, but felt and sounded so real that even he couldn’t pass it off as dementia. Somehow the voice was enough to make Chakrin listen.
“Get up. Get up NOW!”
Slowly rising through the broken cameras and debris Chakrin stood unsteadily with is back to Kruptis as he listened to the voice speak to him.
“There’s my bitch.” Holding his hand in front of him Kruptis walked toward Chakrin firing small ki blasts as he moved. “I’ve had enough of your shit. It’s over, NOW!” Bringing up his free hand to meet his other he fired a huge ki blast from them that meshed together with the eye beams. The small blast all seemed to hit next to or behind Chakrin, but none of them actually hit him.
“MOVE!”
Without hesitation Chakrin laid himself out in the dirt in time to see the conglomeration of the attack fly overhead. Firing again Kruptis launched more ki blasts at Chakrin’s new position on the ground.
“GET UP AND HIT HIM!”
Flipping onto his back Chakrin did an impressive kip up just as a ki blast flew under him and took out the ground beneath him. Covering his existence in dust, leaving the stunned crowd to ponder whether or not he lived through it.
The announcer that had been calling this match-up from the first punch all the way up to this point was finally caught speechless as he waited for the dust to clear. Even more anxious than him was Kruptis who was still walking toward the dust cloud, ki blasts ready should anything happen.
“HE”S ALIVE!! UNBELIEVABLE! HOW THE HELL DID HE MANAGE TO LIVE THROUGH ALL THAT?!” Obviously the announcer’s question more than covered Kruptis’ thoughts.
As the dust slowly started to clear, the crowd erupted into a frenzy. Even Kruptis was impressed by this man’s ability to keep going. There was Chakrin. With ki energy surrounding his body he was a glowing ball of neon blue energy. Seeing an attack coming Kruptis gathered his energy above his head.
“KIENZEN ATTACK!” Releasing his attack just in time.
“COVER OF NIGHT!” Without warning Chakrin slammed his hands together releasing the aura to consume his enemy. Quickly, Kruptis was engulfed in the bright blue aura as time slowed around him. Without hesitation, Chakrin moved in and unleashed every attack in his arsenal. Being almost three times slower than Chakrin, Kruptis was unable to defend himself. Dodging the attacks of the Keinzen, Chakrin continued his punishment on Kruptis.
“WHAT IS THIS?! NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I SEEN SUCH A MOVE!”
From the outside, it looked as though the two warriors were covered in a thick blue blanket with a disk flying in and out of it. On the inside it was total chaos. Moving to every angle possible he hit Kruptis with all the force he had, taking advantage of every weak spot or open wound that he could find. Slowly the bright neon blue curtain of energy changed to a dark blue almost black color.
Moving away from Kruptis, Chakrin gathered up the remaining bit of power he had left to summon his greatest attack. As the blanket of ki slowly became thin the spectators were able to see the final blow of the match. As the Keinzen made its way back into the aura Chakrin made his move.
With a large aura surrounding his body he moved in quickly and grabbed Kruptis’ face with both hands releasing the tazer effect. It was just enough to make Kruptis lose focus making his attack disappear just as it broke the skin on Chakrin’s back. As the energy escaped through his hands he opened his mouth to reveal a ball of fire for Kruptis to closely examine. The blast from the fire breath released Kruptis from Chakrin’s grip, forcing both men to fall in opposite directions, ending Chakrin’s consciousness.
Together both men lay in waste, neither one of them moving. It was the end of the match and a winner had to be decided.
“…I’m at a loss for words folks. Never in my life have I experienced such a battle. I think the sponsors are calling for a commercial break…well be right back…” Quickly jumping out of his seat the announcer made his way to the arena, to interview the winner of the match.
~~Konatsa~~
"YEAH!! YEAH!! YEAH!! THATS RIGHT! EAT IT! YEAH!! OOOWAAH!!!"