Each drop of rain tore into me like broken glass. One sliced my bare foot. Another ripped a bleeding hole in my gi. A third cut my cheek, just below the eye. I knew I wouldn't last out here like this much longer. A few more minutes of this and I'd be torn to shreds.
I had no immediate plan of action. Despite this, I knew that the first person I'd met since returning as my whole self had greatly underestimated me. Then again, so had all of the fools I had defeated leading up to my match with ol' four arms. His Majesty never had to defend his title that early into a tournament. No plan of action, no thought, was my comfort zone.
Of all the martial arts, none are more simple, technical, or pragmatic as karate. There are three basic guideposts; kihon, kata, and kumite. Basic technique, training exercises with predetermined moves, and sparring. I may have only just reunited with my beloved body, but it hadn't lost a moment of muscle memory. There was no thought. My body simply knew what to do.
To best defend myself, I needed to put an ned to this rain, or more accurately, the demigods manipulating it. But in order to do that, I needed to cross the open gap where the canopy of overhead tree branches and leaves weren't as close together. In that gap, the rainfall pounded the ground like a jackhammer. What I was getting now would me multiplied threefold the moment I walked out there. I raised my arms to protect my head.
Phwoom!
Tunk! Tunk! Tunk!
I glanced up. My hands were glowing red, a deep red, with an energy barrier like before emitting from them. Hardened, sharpened water droplets fell from the sky and bounced off it. I stared forward. The living weather channel still had his eyes closed, concentrating. Poor sod. I doubted that Raiden would even need to stop fighting to perform such a trick. Such is the distance between god and demigod. Keeping my hands above me, I took a step forward. Cold mud squished between my toes like wet sludge. I took another step. Then another. Slowly but surely, I inched my way across the open gap.
A/N:
White Package
Good morning, booky worms! Glad to have you with me on this relaxing Sunday morning. Getting my door fixed (finally) and painted in about an hour so I'm super hype today. Might even get myself a smoothie. In regards to updates on the website, I do have one! Two technically, but you catch my drift. In the Tales section, I've edited the Twisted Metal link to bring you to the updated, completed version and have added Aedi Tower to the lineup as well. If you don't know me or what I'm talking about, visit my profile, then visit 5Realms dot net!