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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2018 20:30:52 GMT -5
A KINSHIP OF FISTS, Part I.
PLANET SADLA, jungle area.
He was never sure why he kept returning to this wretched jungle moon. It held no kind memories for him, no areas of nostalgia he found hard to part with when he left on his various assignments for the Dominion. It was a seat of Saiyan power, that was to be certain, yet it was also a planet that reeked of failure.
To die a true Saiyan was to give one's life in battle; a glorious death to herald one's arrival into the Other World.
These were the harsh lessons that war had taught Null. It wasn't often that he killed his opponents as he much rather preferred beating them into submission and proving his battle superiority — both of which were hard to do if one's opponent was dead.
Planet Sadla was filled to its brim with grey-haired warriors of old or those so badly injured they could no longer pose a serious threat to anyone, much less the Dominion's enemies.
And yet, it was amongst the discarded and disdained that Null had found a special treasure.
Null stood, arms poised, fists raised in an offensive stance. He ignored the stifling humidity of the jungle, the beads of sweat rolling down his bare arms and chest, or the itch of the bandanna that held his hair out of his eyes. All else was distraction from his one true objection at that moment.
With a smirk, he gestured toward the girl standing a few meters away from him.
"Come at me, young one. I shall teach you the results of a battle-weary life."
word count: 274
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2018 20:53:41 GMT -5
A KINSHIP OF FISTS, Part II.
PLANET SADLA, jungle area.
Cobb seemed hesitant to move.
Her ratty clothing hung like tattered drapery along her thin frame. Her black hair, pulled into a pair of long ponytails, was dry and crusted at the ends. Even her stance was sloppy — it drooped with fatigue and melancholy, and was full of openings. If she had been an opponent of his on the battlefield, Null would beat her senseless on principle.
As difficult as it would be, he would have to exercise some measure of patience with her.
"I-I'm afraid, Mister."
"No, you're not."
"But—"
"That isn't fear, girl. It's call battle lust. Don't you feel it?"
Null unclenched his fist, extending his hand. The tips of his fingers trembled slightly. Cobb's eyes widened at the sight of this, as if Null had divulged some great and terrible secret that would lead to his ultimate demise. She glanced at her own hand. It trembled a great deal more than his.
She clenched it into a tight fist.
"Battle lust. Every Saiyan is capable of it. You tremble because you can sense my power level, no doubt leagues above your own. Don't be afraid. I shall teach you to survive in this cruel world. Again, I say... come at me!"
His tone was iron, his words steel.
Null was leaving her little choice in the matter. His smirk grew at the sharp spike in her ki, emanating from her in a white aura. It had a wild, unbridled shape and in it Null felt potential.
He gestured again, and this time, Cobb flew at him with a mighty yell.
word count: 276
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2018 21:15:17 GMT -5
A KINSHIP OF FISTS, Part III.
PLANET SADLA, jungle area.
Her strength caught him off guard.
Cobb's fist glanced wildly off his outstretched palm, the force of the blow ruffling the grass at their feet. She was stronger than he thought she would be, yet he did not allow any of his surprise to filter through his stoic expression.
Quietly adjusting his own power level to match hers as closely as possible, Null expertly blocked each of her wild punches, swatting her tiny fists aside as if he were merely dealing with a vague annoyance. He feinted going for a punch wanting to test her battle instinct, and much to his delight, Cobb ducked backwards though rather sloppily. The toe of her sandal caught the heel of her foot, and she stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
She glanced up at Null, as if she were a petulant child expecting a scolding.
"Get up." He gestured for her to rise to her feet again. "Fall easily again..."
Null's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"And I'll REALLY make you regret it."
Cobb nodded, scrambling back to her feet. She resumed her best offensive posture, then launched herself at Null. Only this time, she yelped in surprise as he flickered out of view.
Only to reappear behind her, landing a powerful knife edge chop to her shoulder.
Combined with her earlier momentum, she went tumbling to the ground again. Luckily for Cobb, she had the sense to get back to her feet as the earth where she previously landed exploded in a cloud of dirt, the ground scorched from Null's ki blast. Null grinned at the look of fear in Cobb's eyes as she glanced at the smoldering, fingerless glove he'd launched the attack from.
"You gonna cry, little one? To whom, might I ask? It's not as if you have any parents—"
"Shut up!"
Her aura exploded wildly, dancing untamed around her. Her eyes became like flint. There wasn't an ounce of fear in them.
"Hmph." Null swiped a thumb across his nose before powering up himself, his own aura flaring to life. "About time you get serious. No more playing around!"
word count: 331
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2018 14:06:49 GMT -5
A KINSHIP OF FISTS, Part IV.
PLANET SADLA, jungle area.
They went at each other in a flurry of fists.
Null laughed, easily dodging her fists, elbows and kicks. Cobb was like a wild animal, grunting and yelling in her haste to land a blow on the veteran warrior. It was painfully easy to avoid taking any real damage if he wanted to.
"Is that the best you've got? You call yourself a SAIYAN? Pathetic!"
This spurned Cobb on even more. Her reflexes were getting better, and she even managed to dodge the few light punches Null threw her way. Excellent. Letting out a primal yell, Cobb threw a haymaker with enough force to cause his hand to go numb as he blocked it.
Closing his hand over her fist, Null jerked her closer.
"And here I thought I saw something special in you. Guess you're just another gutter rat."
Cobb jerked away from him, skipping back a couple of meters. Null stood with hands planted on his narrow hips, expectantly. He watched as Cobb took a stance, hands cupped together as if she planned to gather ki. He was curious if she could even manage to gather the energy properly, much less use it offensively.
Much to his surprise, and perhaps his chagrin, the white ball of energy began to form and grow in her hands. Beams of light spread out and around as the energy grew brighter and denser.
"Yaaaaaaah!"
Cobb launched it at him with a furious thrust. It cut a swath through the grass, leaving a line of scorched earth its wake as it barreled toward Null. He braced himself defensively, both hands held out to intercept it as it slammed into his palms. The energy was raw and wild, even managed to push him back a few feet, but Null stopped its momentum. He sent it flying up into the air, and taking aim, fired his own blast and caused it to explode.
The concussive force bent the trees and hanging vines of the forest around them, the booming echo almost deafening. Various fauna shrieked in terror, scampering away from the blast zone so as to avoid harm.
Once the light and sound faded, all that was left was an eerie silence.
Both Saiyans were breathing heavily, shoulders heaving up and down as they stared at each other. Null was the first to relax his stance, offering Cobb a thumbs up.
"...you might be a worthy sparring partner, some day."
word count: 385
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