Eye to eye. Toe to toe. Champion vs. Champion. Adrenaline peaked in the great arena. The Crowd was in a state of pure ecstasy.
The dead, lifeless grey eyes of KD peered soullessly into Prasadh Angada. Prasadh Angada’s watery eyes glistened back at KD. The crowd was roaring, but the mind of Prasadh Angada was filled with a serene calm.
Shabz was standing in KD’s corner, whip in hand and a cunning smugness etched into his face. Prasadh Angada stood alone. The World was against him. He would not have chosen to have it any other way.
*DING DING* Fight 3 – Round 1
Both fighters raced their way to the middle. Prasadh Angada wasted no time, and went for his crux. His go-to move. The move he had used to eliminate Vinnie Balboa years ago. A move he had refined and mastered to whole new heights.
“Dish-Washer Punch!!!” roared Prasadh, launching the finely tuned sweeping motion at KD’s head.
One ferocious Hit. A perfect connection.
KD’s entire body swung around 180 degrees, before collapsing into a heap. The count began and the crowd roared.
1….2….3
Prasadh Angada returned to his corner to go celebrate with a nice, juicy carrot.
4…5…
He took a carrot out of his ruck sack and took a good, hardy bite. Crunching into its, red glorious juices. Shabz stood stoically, biding his time as if knowing the end to an already written story.
6…7…*WHIP*
The sound of a crackling whip making contact with the boxing mat pierced the cheering crowd.
The Crowd went mute. A hush, dead silence gripped the audience swept the entire stadium, Prasadh turned…the half carrot in his hand dropped from his shock.
KD was on his feet. Completely undamaged, the same cold, deadness in his eyes.
Round 1 continued.
Shabz was smiling, as if orchestrating the spectacle for the benefit of the crowd.
“Scrubbing the toilet!!” roared Prasadh, throwing swift jabs at KD. He avoided most of them easily enough, but the ones that landed seemed to inflict no damage.
“Cleaning the car!”
“Taking out the trash!”. Prasadh grabbed KD’s arm and slung him over his head like a wrestler. He thudded hard against the ground, but arose immediately and unscathed.
30 seconds remained in the round, and KD was completely impassive. Then Shabz began to bark orders from the sidelines.
“Get him Rat…GET HIM NOW!” yelled Shabz from the sidelines, his whip connecting with the ground again and again.
KD went on the offensive. Charging on command.
KD with the left. KD with the right hook. KD with the uppercut. Left hook. Right jab.
Prasadh was forced into the corner of the ring. His face bloody, his nose broken. His left eye had a bad cut. He could barely defend himself from the incoming rampage.
Left jab to the face. Hook to the face. Right hook to the midsection…and again…and again. Prasadh was coughing up blood now. This had turned into barbaric mortal combat, and all too one-sided in a flash.
“He’s getting killed out there…somebody needs to stop this!!!”cried Vinnie, watching from the audience. With genuine concern for the life of his respectable former adversary, he looked on helplessly.
Saralax stared on while lost in deep thought. He had even stopped eating, and had a look none had ever seen on his face. A look of serious contemplation deep in his eyes.
Prasadh Angada was getting thrashed into oblivion. It had been under 30 seconds of the first round when KD had begun his assault – and survival itself in this round seemed near impossible.
“Running away from my sister…!” squealed Prasadh in desperation, fleeing from the corner he was pinned to with his nifty little escape manoeuvre.
KD kept the chase up though, and wouldn’t let up. He just kept chopping away at Angada’s mid-section. Thirsty seconds had changed the game. Each hit seemed to be causing agonizing pain to the hardened Vegetarian. His ribs were surely shattered by the sheer brutality.
Prasadh Angada could barely stand by the time the sweet bell rang.
*Ding*
Prasadh struggled to his corner. His body felt like it had been hit by a freight train. The break was not enough to recover. KD just stood there – glaring at him with an emptiness in his eyes. A brainless monster. Was it pride that kept him going? Idiocy? Was this the end…
*Ding Ding* Round 2
Prasadh looked fearfully and teary eyed at his zombie-like opponent – horrified. A normal human being would not have withstood the attacks Prasadh had thrown. What was this monstrosity…this KD?!
“Heaaahh…” muttered Prasadh, abjectly.
… KD closed in, aggression in his cold dead eyes.
…
“Heaaahh…” he muttered again, a bit of whininess in his tone.
…
…KD was staring Prasadh in the eye, fist clenched and winding up for a king hit.
…
“I give up…” Prasadh muttered.
The crowd was stunned. It was over, albeit anti-climactically.
~
The events that had transpired in the days fight had been etched into every remaining fighters mind. How insanely powerful the champion was, not one of them had seen coming. Vinnie was nervous in his lodgings. Should he survive in his battle with Habaz the next morning, his enemy would be either Saralax or KD. Winning it all seemed further from sight than ever.
That night, Saralax received mysterious summons from the tournament organisers. There were several guard sent to escort him to a meeting room in the outskirts of the island – far into the forestry. It was a good 30 minute walk and Saralax was quick to temper with this inopportune intervention to his meal time. To be fair to the guards – All times of day were considered meal time to the heart, rotund warrior.
The Cat Sage and Missy were ever vigilant, watching from the rooftop of the Fighters lodging as Saralax departed with his escorts. Missy was getting the stroking of a lifetime from the wizened master.
The meeting was in a very basic interrogation room. 1 door and no tables or chairs.
Saralax was surrounded by at least 8 guards, and in front of him stood Shabz. A serious look in his eye.
“We have heard a rumour that you have been caught in heinous acts of perversions with McDonalds Big Macs. Licking them…touching them…pro-creating with them.”
Shabz had a serious glint in his eye. Time for the devastating coup de grace from the master wordsmith.
“You should know, Saralax – that we do not allow such perversions in our tournament.” said Shabz, somehow maintaining a serious conviction.
Saralax stood stunned for a second or two.
“Gobba’, me ears – sometime thee hearing comes n’ goes. I mustn’ have heard thee?” asked Saralax, thinking he clearly misunderstood what Shabz was saying.
“Stop having sex with Big Macs, Saralax. Or you will be disqualified from the tournament. Is that clear enough for you, you oversized butterball” commanded Shabz.
Saralax snapped and pounced at the pudgy Fight Promoter. The guards were on him before he could reach his mark. Abusing him down with batons. Beaten, bloodied up, and bruised – he struggled back to his feet and managed to subdue the armed guards.
A few brutal knock out punches and a body slam or two – and he was free. He was Saralax! these weaklings had no chance. Shabz was screaming in panic for more guards, and he could hear the footsteps of too many men approaching him. Saralax hesitated. For a moment he considered ending it all. Going for the head and eliminating the cornered Shabz. No, vengeance would have to wait.
Saralax burst out the door and made for the exit.
He was surrounded by at least 50 men. One on fifty. In the middle of a dark forest – far from any help. This looked like it could be Saralax’s last clash. But he would make the Gods remember his name!
He fought man after man, but things seemed bleak as Saralax grew weary. He would get hit from behind, the sides and each person he took down was immediately replaced by two.
But when all hope seemed loss, The Cat Sage arrived. Slashing, dodging and ripping through the sea of people like knife through butter. The greatest little martial artist the world had never seen was an artist, and these people were his canvas. Missy was swerving through their feet and tripping them up.
“Come Saralax” yelled Santiago. The path was paved now. One glided through the grass like a light feline, the other rampaged through like a wild Rhino steamrolling all in its path. Saralax and the Cat Sage. They ran without any real sense of direction.
It wasn’t long before they were completely lost. This wasn’t like the forest outside the prison. This was some mysterious island. Something was amiss in the nearby bush where they stopped. A creature emerged on all four legs. It was wearing a slightly worn-out black latex suit. It was Leelz!
“My Master…Leelz hath’ found you at last…”he muttered subserviently and in the third person, “Come my master, I know the path to safety. You follow old Leelz, she’ll show you the way”
Leelz ran like some kind of half man – half dog, on his 4 legs. Leading them through secret pathways and bushes. They were moving away from sight of a fully manned forest. But where could they flee on a small island such as this?
“Leelz!” screamed Saralax, overjoyed while jiggling along beside Santiago. “Good Leelz…” He was glad to have his faithful pet back at his side.
Suddenly they ran into a group of five or so men.
The three of them fought through the mob and made for a huge clearing. The lack of tree cover would provide no protection when engaging large groups. The conditions and terrain seemed quite unsuitable for The Cat Sage and Saralax due to their training.
They were encircled in snap, almost as if they had entered a trap.
Leelz disappeared into the mob, pouncing in and fighting from within them. The Cat sage and Saralax stood strong in the centre – back to back. Brute force vs Brute force.
They were winning. The three warriors together were fending off all assaults. Five, ten, twenty guards were dropped like children by the veteran warriors.
The full moon was glowing in magnificent glory.
The three calmed down when all the enemies had fallen. Santiago turned to Saralax to exchange words.
“Blessed us, Shima has” muttered Sensei Santiago, “Failed, Shabz has. Praise be to Missy…Pr-”
Suddenly the cat sage coughed up some blood, his eyes looking off into the distance.
Saralax noticed the tip of dagger sticking out of his chest. Right through his heart.
“MASTER!!!” screamed Saralax. Santiago crumpled to the ground.
He smiled malignantly from behind as he rose to his feet, withdrawing the stiletto. His straight hair glistening under the moonlight. His eyes filled with a wild madness. Casimiro licked the blood off the dagger as he smiled maliciously at Saralax.
“BAD LEELZ!, WHAT HAS THEE DONE!!!” The roar of Saralax echoed endlessly through the forests.
Men were again surrounding him. Their numbers simply did not end, but now the lone berserker was born. White hot rage spread through every layer of fat in Saralax’s body.
Saralax lapsed into a bloodlust of blind, unstoppable rage. Everyone who got too close was crippled in an instant. He wasn’t the prey. He was the predator. It took minutes before all that remained was him and Casimiro.
Saralax and Casimiro stood face to face. Fear crippled the former Leelz…He quivered meekly in the face of his crazed and Super-Sized former-Master.
Each step made the ground quake, as Saralax fumed towards Casimiro. Casimiro tried to beg for mercy on his knees. He even went as far as to request a “walk”…but he knew he had crossed the line.
“It’s over, you Big Bloated Balloon” said someone from the shadows. Two men emerged into the clearing. Shabz and KD.
KD charged into Saralax.
KD vs Saralax. The Final midnight brawl. Undefeated Former Champion vs Undefeated Current Champion. Casimiro used the moment to flee into back into the woods.
They were toe to toe, throwing heavy punches at one another and neither blocking the other’s incoming blow. KD, lifeless and mechanic and technical. Saralax, hungry and All-Consuming. This was the greatest battle, with only a single witness to soak it in – Shabz.
Punch for Punch. Even after everything Saralax had endured – he was taking on the champion on a level field. Both were pushing each other to new heights. Shabz couldn’t believe the two were so close in strength.
KD was sweating, bleeding. Saralax was already damaged from his previous scuffles, but was holding his own in the clash of champions.
This fight would not end this way. They were too equal. Saralax saw it now.
It was time…for Feline Mode. The Cat Sage’s greatest Legacy. He took a long and deep breath.
Everything around Saralax came to life, the power inside his girth swelled and his connection to nature was born. Just a few more seconds…
A crunching, sickening blow took Saralax at the back of his head. He was on his knees, his vision blurry and fading. A haze of Casimiro with a baseball bat in hand splayed across his vision.
It was over. The Cat Sage was slain. They had been out-strategized, betrayed and ultimately beaten. And Saralax had been taken out from behind while in a heated battle with KD.
There was nothing but grief. He had failed his fallen Master. He had failed Vinnie.
“Gob…bba’” he whispered. A tear fell from his eye. KD was the last thing he saw – before losing consciousness.