"Outta my way!"

Necro pushed his way through the merchants, destroying their wares and displays. Hoisting Effie over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, he knew he could not continue this ordeal for long before she was harmed.

The angry salesmen protested in Chinese, but were interrupted by Necro's huntsman- a large, grey man- no, thing- whose visage was impossible to determine. It leaped into the air and grew wings to continue its pursuit, leaving the once-rowdy vendors in complete silence.

Necro flailed through the Beijing streets.

"Um... I-Ilia?"m Effie stuttered. Before Necro could respond, Twelve swooped over the couple and turned to face.

"I-I was g-going t-to say...", Effie's voice trailed off as Necro set her down. His aggressor looked him over with inhuman eyes. Its hands morphed into all instruments of destruction, edged, pointed, and blunt.

Necro surprised himself as he ran to attack first. He would not wait for the creation to attack, he was sick of constantly being on the run and somewhat happy the Illuminati was thoughtful enough to send him a punching bag. Twelve sharpened itself in defense, but Necro was the origin of its mutating shape, and would not fall for such a trick. The elastic Russian wrapped himself around the extended spike and channeled electricity through his body. Twelve reacted violently, melting and convulsing, struggling to maintain a solid form.

In the crowd naturally drawn by such a conflict, Effie watched on diligently. However, she was not the only one who was unusually invested in the fight- a tall, bald foreigner was intrigued by the man in purple's unique fighting style.

Once a few more blows were exchanged, Twelve was badly damaged. It glared at Necro and dissolved into a nearby gutter. Effie cheered and went to make sure her partner wasn't injured. The bald man also approached Necro, baring a somewhat menacing smile.

"That was some show, there. Where did you learn to fight like that?" Sagat asked Necro.

"Learn?" Necro laughed. "You'd never believe it, but I wasn't taught. It… it's a long story," he chuckled as he looked at Effie.

"I am curious. I have seen powers like yours, but not used in the way you do. Tell me your name, and your story."

"I'm Nec-" he paused. "...I'm Ilia. You are?"

"I am the one they call the King of Muay Thai. I am Sagat."

"Well, Sagat, it happened like this…"

Necro explained his story of opera, Illuminati, and true love. Sagat sympathised with Necro's struggle and admired the rubber man's perseverance. The trio of Sagat, Necro, and Effie walked through Beijing until nightfall, sharing the tales of their travels.

"Ilia, my friend, you are in danger as long as you roam these streets." Sagat bode. "The Illuminati has eyes and informants everywhere. Return to Thailand with me, and I will train you to defend yourself properly. The Illuminati created you, if you do not learn new tricks, they will soon defeat you."

"You may have a point there. How long would it take me to master a thing like that, Muay Thai?" Necro asked.

"For a student as capable as yourself? With much training, you could become proficient in nearly a year. You will be under my protection the entire time, the Illuminati has no place in my dojo."

"And Effie?"

"Of course, she is also welcome."

With a smile, and a shake of hands, the master, the student, and his lover set off for Thailand.