Ras pulled his hands away from his face only to see an exotic man standing before him. There was something ethereal, otherworldly about him. He had sharp ears and handsome that reminded Ras of a Konatsian. His clothes were mundane--looking out of this century though, as if the guy had stole them off some historical reenactment dummy. Ras wasn't a fashion aficionado, but he at least tried to keep with the newer trends. Came with the territory of being a man in the public eye.

The stranger began smoking, the air filling immediately with a strange stench. It was strong, pungent, but also slightly sweet. Ras, still foggy of mind, took the offered cigarette and rolled it through his fingertips.

"Special herb, eh?"

An older gentlemen in a suit and tie walked past stopping to scowl at the stranger. "Fucking stoners kids. Get a job."

The comment caught Ras off guard, and he perked an eyebrow in confusion. What did any of this have to do with stoning people to death?

Regardless, he peeled open his coat and stuffed the cigarette in the inner pocket for safe keeping. Healers and spiritualist on Kabochan used herbs and drugs to enhance their spiritual abilities. Ras figured that this was the same type of deal, so he would inhale it later, perhaps for some reflection. For now, he had to be clear of mind to help recover what he had lost.

"Trust me, I'm not like this normally. It's just--I lost something precious to me. Something I vowed my Dad that I would look after. I am trying to remember where I left it. But, my memory is all foggy."

He rubbed his temples, fighting the headache some more. "I drank way too much last night."

Ever since Ras had left Kabocha, at his father's request, things had been spiraling out of control. He had left with a small fortune, enough to buy him sanctuary and a nice lifestyle. But, he also had been followed around by bodyguards and retainers at all times. They pestered him without end and tried to keep him from doing anything. Ras hated boredom, feeling like his life wasn't moving. During his youth he had always dreamed of running away, of fleeing from his Princedom to make it big on his own. Unlike others he knew, children of aristocrats, he didn't like the notion of relying on his father's fame as the King of Kabocha and the entitlements passed down to him. No, Ras wanted to earn those things by striking it big on his own first. 

After he learned of his Father's death at the hands of assassins, he had been distraught and resentful. So, he fled the watchful eye of his entourage, leaving behind his fortune and protection. At first he had enough to get by, but his funds had been dwindling as he blew them on his bad habits and selfish desires.

He had been broke, only days ago. Right up until he entered the Battle Royale. He won, but the actual winnings had been modest. Enough to get him some food and a place to stay. The real value came in getting his name out there and all the tribute people had given him in response. Strong fighters were highly regarded on Space Vegas, a surprise as humans didn't seem to value strength like other species. The attention had some advantages, but also the misfortune of distracting him.

Now he was paying for it.

"I wish there was a way for me to know the bars I visited last night and what happened there."

WC: 604 | 1207
Tora

The book needs something value.

Ras thought for a second he had actually ingested the sacred herb. Despite being the forlorn Prince of Kabocha, he had little personal experience with real magic. Well, the Royal Armament possessed magic and incredible power. However, it was of a different nature. The magic was... subtle. The knife-eared stranger had magic of a whole different and far weirder nature.

Ras had always been skeptical of magic. He remembered reading about the Sorcerer Kings of Kabocha. It was they who had brought for the Tree of Might. The Tree had grown like a parasite into the lush world, sucking and sapping its genki until the entire planet was a husk of its former self. All to produce fruit that lent great power to those that consumed it. At the time it had probably seemed like a good idea. But, because of the actions of those people in the past, Kabocha never fully recovered to its former glory.

That was saying a lot too. Even in its current state the plant was among the richest across the stars.

He had a choice here. Walk away. Try something else. But what? The fogginess of his mind prevented him from thinking clearly, of seeing another way out of this bad situation. So what did that mean? It meant he needed to find something of value.

"I appreciate the help," Ras said and rubbed the back of his head. "What's your name by the way? I'm Ras the Blade."

Ras didn't have any gold or precious metals. He had owned a few nice rings, but pawned those off weeks ago when he was was broke. Sure after his Battle Royale win, he had a zeni card in his back pocket, but doubted the thing in the book took credit. Space Vegas, especially this part of town, was quite ritzy. Nearly every person that walked by had a nice ring, a necklace, earrings--something of worth. Ras wasn't really into mugging innocent bystanders, even if they were wealthy.

"Hey, follow me. I have an idea actually."

He led the knife-eared companion back to Hotel Lucky. The words were presented as grand neon holograms. The doors frames and handles themselves appeared to be made out of gold, but it was just an edifice. Palm trees lined the boulevard outside of it. The building stretched for the heavens, rising far above the other smaller businesses and office buildings flanking it. An android stood outside, smiling and greeting everything. She was fully mechanical, as far as Ras could tell. But, fleshed out to look just like a supermodel, with a busty chest and elegant curves.

She even had a nice set of bangles on her forearm.

"Welcome back to Hotel Lucky, Ras the Blade."

Ras pretended to be staring into space as he walked up to the machine. It veered out of the way, but he shifted his weight pretending to trip. As he came down, he crashed into the back of its leg, throwing his shoulder into it with some extra force. The android's leg popped inward and it went down over the top of him. With superior reflexes, the bot managed to careen and land away from him, rolling a bit to the side. Onlookers outside of the hotel let out sounds of concern or amusement at the scene.

"I'm so sorry," Ras said. He rolled and got back to his feet, hovering over the bot.

It bore a bewildered expression on its face, having clearly never brought harm to a human before.

"I am sorry sorry Ras the Blade. I did not mean for us to have a collision. Are you okay? Do you need me to call the paramedics?"

Ras's hand reached down to the bot's wrist, coiling around it and her bangle. He yanked, helping her up in a smooth motion. She stumbled, her knee servos clearly busted. A little sleight of hand went a long way though.

"Don't worry about it."

As he walked away and back up to the knife-eared fellow, he had one of its golden bangles hidden in his sleeve. There was a small park at the end of the street. In the center of it stood a marble statue of the Lord and Savior of Earth, Mister Satan.

Clear of any prying eyes, Ras pulled out the bangle and tried to drop it into his new friend's palm.

WC: 738 | 1945
Tora

In the quiet solace of the park, Ras breathed in the strange vapor that Raijin exhaled. It had a sharp scent, tickling his nose. At first he recoiled away from it, but with the knife-eared man's instructions he relaxed. There was no point in struggling against a revelation he needed made. The only thing he could do is let the magic take him.

He shuffled past the statue of Mr. Satan and along a line of hedgerows. There he found a quiet patch of lawn beside an artificial pond. There were a few ducks there, huddled among the reeds. They swam off as he approached. Ras simply sat down in the grass and laid back, closing his eyes.

His skepticism kicked in as he waited. Nothing was happening. The morning sky, filled with the haze of an industrial world. For a few long minutes he watched the various hover-cars and spacecraft zip by. Until he found the world around him melting as if it were all composed of wax. And then the world reversed.

He whipped through time, moving past his encounter with the strange herb peddling wizard. He was in bed again, in the throes of pleasure with the ladies he brought back with him. They had arrived via a floating limousine, after a long trip drinking cocktails and telling stories, while staring their frisky business. And he was back leaning against a bar, sipping on liquor and laughing at someone's jokes. In retrospect, the jokes weren't even funny. That went to show how horrible his judgement was while drunk.

It continued ever backwards through the hours to him spending a huge sum of money on buying drinks for the house. That money he had won during a game of cards minutes prior, hands down thrashing his opponents. A shame. He should have pocketed it. Once again, shitty judgement.

More sex, this time with a questionable looking chick in the bathroom, right after eating chicken tenders at some corner dive. She had followed him too, from the previous bar. Back there he had been enthralled by bumping music and lights. That entire dancing rave sequence blurred past and then time slowed, right before he was entering the bumping bar.

---

The world was just beginning to spin and Ras chuckled. The line to get into Prometheus was all the way around the corner. It was one of the best night-clubs in town. This wasn't Ras's first time visiting it, but it was his first time since his growing infamy. He leaned against a brick wall, his fingers tracing the leather grip of his sword. Last time he had went into the place, they'd let him put it up. Maybe this time if he said who he was, he would be able to wear it in the bar. The bouncers tended to be lenient with celebrities.

"Who needs am arm band?" a girl said walking the line.

She worked at the club no doubt, due to her all black t-shirt and army pants. Also her irritated expression that dripped with fuck off, I'm doing my job. Raven locks of hair fell like a waterfall from the top of her head, cut to sharp angles at her shoulder and above her brow. Both of her azure eyes glared out at the mass of patrons with indifference. It was like she was staring at a herd of cattle. Her build wasn't dainty or even thick, but she had some meat on her. Her forearms had cords of muscles in them, so she probably worked out a lot. Ras much preferred his girls dainty or doughy, but she was impressive none the less.

"I do," Ras said, stepping forward.

"Holy shit. Ras the Blade here live in the flesh."

"You know me?"

"Saw you the other night on the holovids. You almost got wrecked by Saiyan Etohn (@tanuc). Real shame though. Lucky shot there at the end."

That was the first time that Ras had someone repeat back to him the actual events. She seemed to know a thing or two about fighting.

"You know, that's fair."

"Battle Royales are a shitty way to measure a fighter's worth, honestly."

She put the wrist band on and pointed to the weapon, eyebrows furrowed. "You can't bring that in here, by the way."

"Last time they let me put it up at the entrance," Ras said and shrugged.

"New owner. Dude's a stickler. Sorry man. You'll have to come back after you find somewhere to stash it."

Rash rubbed his chin. "Do you think you could hang onto it for me?"

The girl frowned. "You don't want me to hold onto that for you."

"Look, I'll give you money."

She shook her head. "Nah. That was a pretty entertaining fight. I'll hold onto it for you. Just don't forget to come pick it up. If you don't, then I get to keep it."

Ras laughed. "I won't forget."

---

Ras emerged from the trip, sitting up straight as an arrow. The blood had fled form his face and his mouth drooped agape. I'm such a fucking idiot.

He gave Raijin a long and hard look, face etched with frustration at himself. "Fuck. I think I know where the weapon is. Or at least, who I gave it to. Some dark haired girl at Prometheus. You ever been there?"

WC: 846 | 2,791
Tora

Ras blew air from his lips. After his magical trip through space-time he wasn't feeling relaxed at all. He has seen just what his reckless partying had wrought him. A lot of wasted money in his vice. Money had always been something he had copious amounts of, so it was hard to break the habit of burning through it like twigs thrown on the bonfire of decadence.

You only got one life to live, after all. And he wasn't about to waste his. He had watched his Father, the former King of Kabocha, live a life of discipline and dedication. The guy never had any time to have fun. Those fleeting moments Ras did get to spend with him away from all the attention and all the work--had been the best. Each time had had seen a flicker of desperation on the old ruler's eyes, the sort that said: I don't want this to end. Ras didn't want to have that life. He didn't want to ever give his own kid that same expression to feel that sort of entrapment.

Kabocha was behind him. He was free now.

He took a deep breath and stood up, flicking off some blades of loose grass from his pants.

There was something about this Raijin word's that steeled him. Things were going to be all right, despite his anxiety. The girl had his sword, probably kept it for him somewhere safe. He would go get it back and then he would have a drink to celebrate not losing the damn thing.

 Fishing around inside of his jacket pocket, he pulled out his comm device. Flipping it open, the holographic screen flickered to life. It was a little past noon. The night club wouldn't be open yet, so they had some hours to kill.

Ras's stomach growled and he ran a search on nearby eateries. He still had some cash left in his account. Enough to eat lunch. Using an app on his comm, he managed to flag down an auto-cab. The tiny yellow transport was shaped like a beetle. It floated down in front of them, repulsors fluttering the grass as it levitated there. The side door slid open, revealing a row of seats. Ras clamored in and motioned for Raijin to follow.

It was a quick trip over the sprawling metropolis. It still amazed Ras that as far as his eyes could see, there were buildings. The planet had two layers as well, the Upper City--where he had spent most of his time, and a seedy much darker Under City, which lurked in the depths below the platforms and green-ways. He never went down there, but from what he heard it was filled with surly types. There was a saying on Space Vegas.

The real rich ones are forged in the dark.

It seemed kinda ominous. But, it made sense to a degree. All the hustling and moving happened out of the public eye. No doubt there was plenty of opportunity down there among the rabble and the stench.

The cab pulled up along side a huge artificial lake. There was even a man-made beach here. Lots of girls in bikinis and bronzed dudes with muscle. A boardwalk stretched around most of it, lined with small shops, restaurants, and resorts.

He had chosen a restaurant called Speedy's. Ras had eaten there a few weeks ago after arriving on Space Vegas. The human food there was greasy and looked gross, but tasted god-like. After ordering a burger the size of a small child's head, he sat down at one of the tables across from Rajin and dug into his crispy fried root vegetables. He dipped them in some sort of sweet and savory red paste. They complicated the saltiness and he couldn't help but close his eyes to savor them. Raijin was allowed to order whatever he wanted as well.

"Thanks for your help so far," Ras said between chomps. 

"Look at this place man," he gestured around at the splendor of the metropolis. "It puts my home-world to shame. Our biggest city looks like a dusty pit in comparison. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do here. Drinking and partying is fun, but it feels wasteful sometimes."

He took a huge bite of the burger, grease running down his chin. After dabbing his face with a napkin he furrowed his brow. The nerves were there still, his foot tapping floor. The longer he didn't have that sword, the worse he felt.

"I used to be rich. But, all that wealth wasn't earned by me. I inherited it all from my Father. I-"

He decided to omit the part about him being a prince, for now. "I want to strike it out on my own. I want to build something with my bare-hands, not look after handed to me by someone else. I don't care about playing by the rules either. My dad was always so altruistic, always trying to do the right thing. You know? He got walked all over by people that gave zero fucks him or others. Those guys made the rules and if assholes like them could do that, then that just means rules are shit."

"They took what they wanted. Did what they wanted. And my dad broke his back for them, sacrificed a lot. Pissed me off, still pisses me off. I won't be like that at all."

WC: 910 | 3,701
Tora

Ras watched the waves on the fake beach roll in. The entire lake was fabricated. The waves were as well. That didn't stop the humans from enjoying themselves. They sprawled out on the sands, soaking up the sunlight, or hiding beneath the cool shade of the umbrellas. Kids darted back and forth. All serene, and little did any of them know that both Ras and Raijin could end all their existences in the flick of a wrist.

The knife-eared hybrid man was right, to a degree. Perhaps Ras had been too trusting. But, at the same time--if you didn't take the risk of letting someone in, you never made any friends. Ras had been alone for awhile now. And, it didn't benefit him at all. Fucking a bunch of girls, or having drunk conversations with strangers didn't equate to meaningful interaction.

"Funny you say that," Ras finally spoke. Entire minutes had dragged on. The food they ate was polished off, nothing but empty wrappers and loose crumbs. Now the both of them seemed to be relaxing, enjoying the meal they conquered. Ras sipped his drink and leaned forward a bit.

"I beat a Super Saiyan (Etohn ) the other day in one of the fighting arenas. Guy was a monster, way stronger than me. He left his guard down for a second and I hit him in the chin. Took him out."

As if on cue, a couple locals ran over. Fans--of course. Ras smiled, that princely practiced smile, and shook their hands. He even let one take a selfie with him.

Shit. Someone from Kabocha is going to find me, the more my face is spread around the Galactic Hypernet.

Ras wondered what would happen, in that case. Would he go back? He didn't want to. There were dreams to pursue, and none of them included ruling over a dusty and dying world. Plus, there was the fact that his seat as the monarch had been ursurped by Emperor Carambolis (Cam ). Ras didn't know Cam, or didn't remember the man in any meaningful way, if he had met him. Yet, he had pushed out the Saiyans and re-established Kabocha as an independant power, for the first time in several hundred years.

"Come on," Ras said as his fans walked off. "Let's get the fuck out of here, before more show up."

This time they took an automated cab shaped like a pelican back into the depths of the entertainment district. Such weird animal inspired rides were part of the tourism thing. They weren't practical or even aerodynamic. At least this one was a little better compared to the beetle, it was inspired by an avian creature after all.

Prometheus was hell of a night club, from above. The letters of its name were splayed out in a physical sign, unique compared to the holog-signs of most. Six stories tall, with multiple decks reaching out into the sky. There were swimming pools, virtual reality pods, view-screens where sporting events and televison could be watched, private lounges, and elaborate dance floors. It had a bit of everything, and only so many people were let inside--usually the rich and good looking.

This time of day, the place was closed. The pelican cab let them off next to the entrance. An block-headed robot was the only person outside of the door, vacuuming the carpet and stoop with an arm appendage.

Ras stretched and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out that herbal smoke that Raijin had given him earlier. Using a spark of ki from his finger tip, he lit it up and took a long drag. Perhaps too long--as it sent him into a fit of coughing, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. Dizzy, he found a low stone wall surrounding a bank of palm trees and plopped down on it.

"This herb is astounding."

Ras passed it to Raijin a couple times as the duo finished it off. Now rather high, and a bit paranoid--he kept checking his comm to see what time it was. "What's in that flask of yours?"

Staring at his new companion, Ras didn't see the raven haired girl with a jacket slung over her shoulder approaching the entrance of the club. She carried the slump of someone about to start their shift, meandering her way through the empty velvet roped queue. Once her eyes locked on Ras from across the way, they went wide with fright. She vanished from sight. Or at least, it would have seemed to the average person. With eyes like Raijin's he would see her leap and dart down an alleyway instead--with unnatural speed.

WC: 777 | 4,478
Tora

The rain droplets landed on Ruby and she grunted as her leg muscles started to seize up. But, she wasn't an ordinary woman. Her enhancement reacted, a swarm of nano-machines surging through her veins and flooding her legs, to keep her moving. Despite her super speed, the knife-eared guy was able to keep up with her. She had heard of powerful beings out, had seen the fights. But, she had always sized herself up as being superior to them, designed that way.

The few tough spacers and savages that fucked around in the bar, always regretted when she showed up. She was the real muscle of Prometheus.

Where did those rain and clouds come from? she thought.

Both her dark eyes darted to the swirling mass above the alleyway. It was worrisome, and illogical. The atmospheric conditions on Space Vegas were always precisely controlled. Random weather patterns just never happened. Everything was scheduled and accounted for.

She flickered back into view at the end of the alleyway. There wasn't anywhere else for her to go, just a yawning abyss. The drop off plunged thousands of feet into the Under City of Space Vegas. She was familiar with the place, but it wasn't ideal for her to go there--after what happened last time. Plus, she had to get to work. It was a pickle to be in. Glancing over her shoulder, knife-ear was upon her.

A bolt of lightning struck the concrete next to Ruby, scoring it black. Her hands found the duracrete of the wall and she leaned there as her nano-machines fought against the magic that weakened her, almost making her fall. A grimace found its way into her pretty features. There werd two choices--fight him here or leap off the edge and take her chances down there.

“Sorry to rain on your parade, babe.”

The stormy gray blanket had shrunken to only fall upon her. Her grimace shifting into a hard scowl. "I bet."

As his hands began to crackle with plasma, Ruby reached to her hip and drew out a small coin sized metal disc. She tapped the side of it and erupted out, creating a glinting chrome shaft--a bo-staff.

"My friend is looking for you. You took something of his, I think. Judging from the way you ran away, I bet you either are hiding it away for yourself," she said. "Or, you sold it to some good-for-nothing. Either way, love, you're in trouble."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Rain Man," she twirled the staff and assumed her fighting stance. "Today's been shit. Trust me, you don't want to fuck with me."

Ruby decided to strike back. She cocked her arm and hurled the shiny weapon as if she were throwing a javelin, straight at his gut. The length of it thundered as it broke the sound barrier in an instant. The velocity of her throw was enough that it acted more like a slug shot from a rail gun.

WC: 502 | 4,980
Tora

Light flooded Ruby's vision and she averted her gaze. Immediately she realized what a novice mistake that was, but she couldn't see anyway--so what did it mater. Rather, she relied on her built-in-scouter to track the energy levels of Raijin. It didn't tell her what he was going to do, but at the very least it told her where he was.

Even so, she wasn't fast enough to avoid his arm grab. She yanked back, but it was like trying to pull a flag pole out of its seating. This guy was stronger than she was, by a wide margin. Despite all her enhancements. It wasn't something she had ever expected to find.

"I'm not a robot you cunt," Ruby said. "And your ex-girlfriend must have been a little bitch. Maybe if you bought her some wine and took her out once in awhile."

Pissed now, she did the only thing she could think of. She swung her leg up with all the power and force she could muster. Right for Raijin's gonads. Right for the baby-makers.

---

Ras snapped out of his stupor upon hearing some shouting. He looked to his right. Raijin wasn't gone. It was then, in his high state of mind, he came to the conclusion that the voice was indeed Raijins.

"What is he going on about?"

Ras jogged over to the alleyway entrance, just in time to see the raven haired girl from the night before clobber Raijin in the family jewels.

"Hey!"

Her eyes locked with his for a moment. Raijin still had her in his grip, but she did something very unexpected. She yanked so hard that her arm came loose from its socket. It was gross, sickening. There was all sorts of red and blue stuff--

Ras realized that they were wires and gears, not flesh and bone. "She's a fucking robot?"

Loose, she turned jumped straight off the ledge at the end of the alleyway. The first thing, his addled mind wondered is why there wasn't any sort of safety features stopping someone from just walking to their doom. Until he heard a loud sizzling crunch. He had to stir his ki into motion. It sat latent in his body's chakra points due to his extremely relaxed state. It surged like hot fire through his veins, sobering his mind a bit as he blinked from sight and appeared at the ledge.

The raven haired girl, now one armed, stood atop of what looked like some sort of buzzing energy field. That was the saftey net. At least Space Vegas thought about those kinds of things, it put Ras at ease for now. But, she was doing the unthinkable, hammering on it with her foot. Her heel rose and fell into it like a piston.

"Quit that! Hey. I just wanna know where my sword went."

She turned and gave him the finger with her only good arm. Ras tore the other loose arm from Raijin's grip and whipped it at her. It tumbled end over end, missing her by a wide margin, sparking and sputtering as it slid across the surface of the shield.

Grunting, she slammed her foot one last time and the entire thing fractured and shattered like glass, scattering motes of light and electricity everywhere. And then the raven haired girl plunged into the dark.

Ras grimaced at Raijin. "You should have told me you saw her, we could have went after her together. Damn that joint was good. Sucks that this shit had to ruin my high."

He stretched for a second and scooted even closer to the abyss. The drop didn't scare him at all. He could use his ki to fly, but more so--he was nervous about what lurked down there--out of sight. It was nothing but dark haze. The Undercity, as the locals called it. There were dozens of warnings around every corner on why you shouldn't go down there. There was nothing but wretched scum and villainy down there.

"Here goes nothing. You coming Rai?"

The Kabochan Prince stepped off the ledge and let himself free fall into the abyss

WC: 692 | 5,672
Tora