Whilst Seventeen strove to prove himself within the cold, labyrinthine walls of the Thunderdome, a shadowed figure materialized in the depths of the Underworld. Wreathed in darkness, it crept into a nearby alley as a man garbed in black rounded the corner a block or so down the road. The man in black, who was identifiable as a darklighter based on his garb and the antique crossbow strapped to his back, sneered angrily as he trudged down the dank, foul smelling road.
“I can’t believe that Aeries would send me on some wild goose chase,” the instrument of chaos and evil growled as he glanced around at the dilapidated buildings that lined by sides of the cracked, broken-down road. Since the little revolt a few decades back, this little town had been relatively quiet, but apparently the ruler of the darklighter society had been picking up some type of power signature cropping up in the region.
As he was too busy whining about having been sent on the mission, the black-hearted menace failed to notice movement in the shadows. With a brutal grace, the concealed figure sprung from his hiding place and punched his fist through the darklighter’s abdomen. The demonic harbinger let out a faint gasp as the figure yanked the crossbow off his back and proceeded to vanish in a swirl of purple light particles.
“Wh-what was that?” The darklighter groaned as his body caught fire and quickly collapsed into a small pile of ash and dust.
---
“All right, I’m here,” the gruff, booming voice immediately caught the android’s attention and prompted him to pivot as an immediate reflex. “I’m the South Kai,” the figure said, placing his hands on his hips as he made his way over to Seventeen, who looked relatively unappealing with his cuts and bruises. A faint smirk spread across the towering alien’s face as he pivoted his torso and glanced at the door.
“Thanks for waiting up on me,” a hissing figure replied as a changeling sprinted through the door and up to the demigod’s right side. “Because I totally enjoy sprinting as much as any other bloke,” he groaned, rolling his eyes as he flashed a glance over at the android. Upon noting his opponent, the alien placed his hands on his knees, leaned forward, and then began to draw deep, replenishing breaths of air whilst his sensei continued to analyze the lanky android standing a few feet in front of him.
Unlike the short, overweight kais of the East and North quadrants, South Kai was tall and muscular, and his skin was a faded shade of pink that stood as a vivid contrast to the blue and green tones of his coworker’s flesh. Despite his size and skin tone, the South Kai wore the same outfit as the two other kais and was also sporting a similar style of sunglasses (although his were far more contemporary than the others’ shades).
“The name is South Kai,” the gruff demigod spoke, smiling faintly as he extended his hand toward the android. With a cordial nod, Seventeen shook the alien’s hand—twitching just ever so slightly as the burly kai tightened his grip. After a few more moments of trying to subtly crush the android’s hand, the South Kai released his grip and took a step away from the black-haired man. “Looks like you’ve got to earn my approval before you can compete in Grand Kai’s ole tourney, eh?” The demigod inquired—a blatantly rhetorical question that caused Seventeen to laugh beneath his breath.
“Yup,” the man replied, frowning softly as he glanced around the towering demigod at the changeling who was standing in silence behind his mentor. “So what is the inane task or trial that you got laid out for me, South Kai?” Seventeen inquired, lifting an eyebrow to punctuate his sardonic remark. With a soft chuckle, the muscular demigod took a step to the side and gestured for his changeling student to his side.
“This is Kabul,” the South Kai spoke, gesturing toward changeling, who bobbed his head politely upon being introduced to the android. “Like you are to ole Westy, he’s one of my graduate students, and if you want to get my approval to compete in this here tournament, you are going to have to prove that you can knockout Kabul,” the demigod instructed as he crossed his rather massive arms over his equally enormous chest. As he stared up at the towering individual, the android couldn’t help but ponder how the seemingly frail outfit didn’t just rip under the stress of the demigod’s muscles.
“Doesn’t seem to complicated,” Seventeen spoke, prompting the statuesque demigod to erupt in a fit of deep, echoing guffaws. With a heavy sigh, the android put a palm to his pale forehead and made his way toward the ‘squared circle’ that served as the Thunderdome’s main battleground. “I hope the two other kais just want me to sow them a blanket or something, because this is getting monotonous,” the deceased man lamented as he climbed up onto the ring apron and dipped underneath the top rope.
Turning around, Seventeen noted that the South Kai had finally shut his enormous mouth, and his graduate student (a changeling, of all things) was slithering into the ring. With an odd smile on his face, the white-skinned warrior rose up to a fully vertical position and began to crack his knuckles. When he finished popping the last of his digits, Kabul slid down into a fighting stance and set his eyes upon his opponent, who was still wearing the injuries he had accrued during his previous encounter.
“Okay!” South Kai shouted as he punched his right fist into the air. “Let the ‘bout commence,” he roared, swinging down his ham-sized hand as the metal cage that loomed overhead slid down into place around the opponents’ battlefield. With a frown, the android summoned up a light red aura around his features and diverted his attention back to the changeling.
It’s going to be hard not to pummel that creature into a pulp. Seventeen thought, clenching his fists as his opponent waited for him to make the opening move. Even in death, I can’t escape their noxious, appalling presence. The android continued as the tension between the motionless warriors reached a boiling point. Just when the man was ready to pounce, he was stopped dead in his tracks by a voice in his head.
You shouldn’t judge someone because of their species or race. Seventeen’s eyes widened as the realization dawned upon him that his alien adversary was telepathic! Before the android had much of a window to analyze this new development, a set of five ash-white fingers slammed into the side of his head.
With a groan, Seventeen stumbled backwards—his eyes going wide as the changeling’s second attack found its mark upon the man’s exposed abdomen. Before he knew what was going on, the android was on the ground, his hands clenched over his throbbing gut as he stared up at the somber changeling. Instead of pressing his advantage, Kabul simply bowed his head slightly and took a few steps away from his trounced opponent. Moderately irritated by the seemingly vain tactic, Seventeen clenched his teeth and sprung up off the cream-colored mat.
Darting forward, the android drilled his knee up into the alien’s chest, causing Kabul to now be on the receiving end of a shocking turnaround. As the armored warrior lurched forward, Seventeen lifted his laced fingers up over his head and then proceeded to swing them down on the small of the changeling’s back. Instead of collapsing to the canvas, however, the telepathic warrior merely clenched his eyes shut and ducked under the android’s legs. When he was directly beneath Seventeen’s groin, the changeling popped up and drove his armored shoulders up between the android’s legs.
A faint squeak escaped the deceased man’s lips as his knees buckled from the low blow. Capitalizing on his opponent’s condition, Kabul slipped up behind the android and unleashed a single, thundering punch into the small of Seventeen’s back. As the overwhelming pain exploded through his lithe form, the student of the North Kai found himself fighting the urge to throw in the towel. But then, just as it seemed that everything was going to fade to black, the android remembered what he was locked in fisticuffs with—
—Changeling.
It was one of those seedy monstrosities that had claimed so many of his friends across the years. Deep inside, the deceased man knew that to falter here today would mean to bring shame upon those who had perished at the hands of this warrior’s race of cold-blooded killers. And although he was sometimes more crass and headstrong than he would admit, the android was certainly not one to let down those who meant something to him.
“Ahh!” Seventeen screamed as the fires of Kaioken exploded to life around his trembling body. As the ensanguined flames danced across the bruised, bloodied surface of his body, the android felt all the fatigue and weakness slowly beginning to subside. In its place, he could feel that warm, sweet feeling to raw, undiluted strength that had yet to truly fail him. “You’re done,” the raven-haired warrior rasped as he spun around and dove at the startled alien.
Kabul’s eyes went wide as he tried to dodge around the android’s attacks, but despite the changeling’s considerable strength and ability to withstand pain, his speed was lax—especially in comparison to Seventeen, who was able to drill the alien with almost half a dozen blows before his foe could take a handful of steps. With each vicious blow, the android could see the wounds opening up on the exposed parts of the alien’s body, and even the sections that were shielding with his natural armor were beginning to splinter.
You attack with such violence. Kabul said, his words conveyed telepathically to the man who was attempting—quite successfully, at that—to pound in his face. Why do you harbor such disdain for someone you have never met? The question caused the android to pull his punch and then promptly recoil away from his battered opponent.
“What?” Inquired Seventeen—his voice a gruff rasp as he stared at the bloodied changeling. Kabul coughed softly as he wiped a trail of blood away from what was possibly a broken cheekbone.
“Why do you hate me?” Kabul asked, furrowing his brow line as he continued to breath rather raggedly. “I can feel your hatred emanating from you like a suffocating summer’s heat. Your thoughts before our scuffle were fueled by such a strong avarice…what has rooted these seeds of hatred in your mind?”
“Your fellow monsters have slain, time and time again, many of those closest to me,” Seventeen snarled, the flames of his aura burning higher as they feed of their master’s emotions like it was dry kindling. “You beasts have been responsible for so many genocides, and none of you deserve a moment’s solace,” the deceased man growled, springing forward and slamming the side of his bare foot into Kabul’s temple. The changeling let out a muffled grunt as he collapsed against the ring ropes.
“This I am well aware of,” the alien spoke, his words slurring together as he clung to the cushioned cables like bright, red lifelines. “My people have a knack for being unable to satisfy what some may consider a genetic bloodlust, but I will have you know that I am different from my people,” Kabul continued as he tried to shake himself out of the daze that the thunderous blow to the head had bestowed upon him.
“That’s what they all say,” Seventeen replied, cracking his knuckles as he went to move in for the final blow. Just as he had tensed up, the changeling lifted a trembling hand and looked deep into the android’s fiery eyes.
“I fought during the invasion of Earth,” Kabul groaned, his eyes shaky as he struggled through the concussion. “I fought against the CIA invasion forces.”
“Yea, whatever,” Seventeen replied, his expression just as sour and unmoving as it had been for the last couple of minutes. Despite the changeling’s tenacity, the android’s own impenetrable hatred for his people prevented him from accepting what looked very much like a genuine story. Moving forward, the deceased man wrapped his hands around Kabul’s throat and slammed the white-skinned warrior into the unyielding metal bars that surrounded the Thunderdome’s central battleground.
“I was forced into service with the CIA after they threatened my family, but after my loved ones perished in the uprising on Frost, I defected to the other side. I helped the underground resistance decode messages from the empire, but during the final fight, I gave my life to save a young earth child from a group of CIA soldiers,” the changeling coughed—his lips adorned with a thin layer of violet blood as he struggled to breathe.
Frowning heavily, the android cocked his head to the side and pushed the armored warrior against the metal bars, causing Kabul to wince in agony as his skin bruised beneath the cold, unbending steel. “You…call my people a monster, but what does this little display make you?” Kabul wheezed, his words causing the android’s stone-like expression to falter.
With an almost inaudible gasp, Seventeen released the changeling and backed away from the wall of the caged arena. The alien let out a hoarse sigh as he began to cough and wheeze—his lungs and heart trying their hardest to re-oxygenate his body. Outside of the steel cage, the South Kai stood in complete and utter silence, his mouth a straight line of indifference that was the only expression of emotion visible on his face due to his contemporary sunglasses.
South Kai had an extended track record of chiding his fellow coworkers for their spastic, almost neurotic attitudes when it came to these little contests. Unlike the portlier kais that had preceded him, the tower of muscle and fitness was completely content watching the little drama play out in front of him. Both Kabul and he knew that Seventeen was the stronger warrior, so the kai and his graduate student had opted to test the android’s mental fortitude rather than his physical constitution. And what better way to test a man than to show him himself?
“You…you are an anomaly,” Seventeen muttered, his fingers twitching intermittently as his changeling opponent stumbled away from the ring ropes. “I know this type of game you are trying to play, and trust me, it is not going to work,” the android continued as the corner of his lip also began to twitch. Try as he might to keep up the façade, the android was starting to feel the weight of the scenario on him.
He had spent three years trying to do good in the world but had all his championing somehow corrupted him? Kabul had come into this little contest as a friendly competitor, and the android had beaten him down on the basis of his genetics. Seventeen had judged a noble soul before even knowing him…what did that make the android? Who was he to play the role of judicator?
“Fuck!” Seventeen moaned as he rolled over the thoughts in his head: A noble changeling? Throughout the last three years, the changelings had been the constant bad guys, with no redeeming qualities and nothing but a taste for blood and death. Unlike many of the android’s foes, they hadn’t vied for redemption or been tricked into their evils. Now, however, Seventeen was standing just a few feet away from a changeling who had lived a noble enough life that he had been invited to compete for a spot to train with the Grand Kai.
What does this display make you? The changeling’s simple remark was on playback in the android’s head. This little bout, as insignificant as it could have been in the long run, was going to be something that would haunt the android for a long time to come. After all, if it was possible for changelings to be good people…what about the Red Stallions? Had their entire fleet deserved destruction or were there some people in that group who had been forced into service in order to protect a loved one?
“Fuck,” Seventeen mumbled as a rested Kabul rushed forward and knocked him across the wrestling ring. “I hate all these variables!” He shouted as he threw out his arms and legs, which caused his body to come to a grinding stop near the center of the caged arena. “Sometimes you just have to wonder if you’re better off just having no morals at all,” the android thought out loud as the changeling began toward him.
“No morals?” Kabul inquired as he came to a stop just a foot or so in front of his free-floating opponent. “I can read your thoughts, Seventeen. You’re too conflicted a person to exist without morals.”
“Yea…maybe,” Seventeen replied, rolling his eyes slightly as he dwelled on the thoughts. “But I think that the winds of change are blowing, and after I win this match, win the tournament, and then go on to become the Grand Kai’s most awesome student, I reckon I’m going to have a chance to start new. No more synthetic morals imposed on me by other powers, and I won’t be having all these crusades thrown at me to help a bunch of top-secret, universal bureaucracies.
“I’m going to be honestly, truly free, and for that, I thank you for trying to stir up my mind by showing me that the established order isn't so black and white. I guess I should thank ya, but I think that instead of that...I'm going to opt to own you. Because I'm excited to be reborn, and the first step is to take you down!” The android roared as his kaioken flames exploded with a raw vigor.
In lieu of the mentally reinvigorated android, Kabul could do little but throw his arms up in an attempt to fend off the upcoming assault. The changeling also managed to recoil a few inches before the first bony fist arched around his raised hands and slammed into the side of his cranium with such force that an expression of apprehension spread across the pink visage of the South Kai. With a blood-laced groan, Kabul pitched backwards—his hands shooting out to his sides as he struggled not to lose his equilibrium.
Like a hungry lioness stalking a wounded gazelle, Seventeen pressed his advantage and unleashed another thunderous punch that landed square on the alien’s armored chest. Despite the strength of his species’ natural defenses, Kabul could do little but let out another frail yelp as his chest plate splintered beneath the might of the android’s kaioken-infused assault. As he continued to waver backwards, an aura of violet energy suddenly sprung to life around the battered changeling, and with a defiant shout, Kabul swung his gauntleted fist at the android’s forehead.
Smirking faintly at his adversary’s attempted counterattack, Seventeen proceeded to narrow his eyes and effortlessly drop down into a split. As the changeling’s fist soared high, the android gritted his teeth together and slammed his palm against Kabul’s knee. With a grimace-inducing snap, the alien’s joint shattered, but before his opponent had a chance to properly register the pain, Seventeen sprung up off the canvas and slammed his fist into the underside of the changeling’s neck.
“Shoryuken!” The android shouted as his kaioken aura flared around his extended fist like a raging inferno. As Kabul was launched up toward the roof of the caged arena, Seventeen’s bare feet calmly landed back on the canvas. A frown spread across the deceased man’s visage as he watched the wounded changeling smack the roof of the cage, but instead of plummeting back down, Kabul managed to wrap his muscular, prehensile tail through the mesh.
“Tricksie changelings,” Seventeen whispered as the telepathic warrior stared down at him with a newfound determination. “That’s how I like it,” he added as he bent at his knees and proceeded to launch his lithe, sinewy body off the mat and up toward his foe. Frowning down at his adversary, Kabul released his grip on the network of steel bars and began to plunge down toward the raven-haired warrior.
I don’t lose when it comes to playing chicken… The android spoke into his head, knowing full well that his opponent would be able to hear him. Despite Seventeen’s remark, the changeling merely smirked as the two opponents closed in on one another from opposing directions. Between the roof of the cage and the canvas mat below, the android and his alien foe collided—the force generating a small sonic boom that caused the reinforced metal bars to shudder.
With a yelp, South Kai turned his head away from the deluge of sound energy, but despite his status as a demigod, his movement was quick enough to prevent the shockwave from knocking his sunglasses clean off his chiseled face. Groaning beneath his breath, the pink-skinned kai turned his attention back to the caged arena and let out a gasp when he saw that both warriors were standing motionless. Seventeen was clinging to the roof of the arena, whilst Kabul was standing where his opponent had been just prior to their aerial scuffle.
Leaning forward, South Kai noticed that both warriors had been bloodied in the exchange. The android had a large gash on the side of his head that was oozing blood down his neck and onto his already sweat-encrusted outfit. Every once in a while, a sole droplet of the sanguine fluid would plunge down to the canvas and splatter the ground around Kabul, whose jaw now appeared to be dislocated.
With a scream, Seventeen let go of the cage’s roof and began to freefall toward his white-skinned opponent. Instead of repeating his opponent’s earlier tactic, the android exploded into an amalgamation of blue and white orbs, leaving the changeling to immediately throw up his defenses. A heartbeat later, the deceased man rematerialized next to his alien opponent, but as the android moved to attack, the changeling’s tail shot up and closed around his neck!
Seventeen’s eyes went wide as the changeling’s muscular tail closed around his neck—instantly robbing him of the precious oxygen he needed to sustain his corporeal body. If he hadn’t been the one on the receiving end of the stranglehold, the android would have had a field day reflecting upon the irony that, even in death, the corporeal were still forced to abide by natural laws. Unfortunately for the deceased man’s sense of humor, this wasn’t the most opportune moment to crack a joke.
Realizing that he didn’t have long before the crushing weight on his neck did some rather unwelcomed damage, Seventeen clenched his teeth and swung his bare foot at Kabul’s injured leg. When the changeling moved his body to avoid the attack, the android gritted his teeth and summoned up a small handful of energy into his right palm. Flicking his wrist, the raven-haired man smirked as the concentration of ki jutted upward in the form of a ki saber.
In the wink of an eye, the blade cleaved clean through changeling’s tail—instantly cleaving away the appendage without facing the slightest hint of resistance. Although the stump was instantaneously cauterized by the blistering heat of the energy sword, the pain was extreme enough to cause Kabul to clench his teeth shut in an effort to choke down the scream welling up from within his tormented body.
Realizing that the end was drawing closer by the second, Seventeen calmly drew another breath and pressed the assault. In a fury, he proceeded to reduce the changeling’s face into a bloody, broken mask like something from a Picasso sketchbook. With each thunderous strike, the deceased man felt a surge of adrenaline course through his veins. It was a soothing feeling that numbed his consciousness of the grotesque pummeling he was bestowing upon the wounded, defeated warrior.
“I must fight on,” Kabul mumbled as he swung his right hand around at the side of Seventeen’s exposed cranium. Almost as if he was driven by instincts alone, the raven-haired warrior slid down into a split on the cream-colored canvas of the wrestling ring. As a result, the changeling’s right hook sailed high and the momentum behind the attack caused Kabul to stumble forward ever so slightly—just enough space for his fate to be sealed.
“Shoryuken!” Seventeen screamed as he erupted up from the ground. As he was propelled upward, he threw his fist up in the air, and before the changeling could react, his opponent’s bony knuckles slammed into his chin with all the fury of a steroidal bodybuilder. Upon impact, the kaioken aura around Seventeen’s fist exploded with a fiery vigor, and with nothing more than a faint groan, Kabul was propelled off the ground.
The changeling was airborne for only a few seconds before his unconscious body came crashing down onto the canvas. After a single twitch, Kabul came to rest on the floor of the ring, and around the victorious man, the walls of the steel cage were lifted into the shadowy ceiling of the Thunderdome. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Seventeen turned away from the defeated changeling and flashed a smile toward the somber visage of the South Kai. The towering demigod simply nodded his head and slid into the ring to collect his defeated warrior.