Disclaimer: Namco owns Soul Calibur franchise, but not Peter, "Death's Right Hand."

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Chapter 5: Minimum Effort, MAXImum Performance

It's been a week since Peter's journey pointed to the Indies and to find the man called Maxi. The week after he took the life of Voldo after a decent fight against Kilik. The nightmares of "Scythe Roulette" almost became a thing of the past. However, it wasn't without disturbance, because the mysterious girl, still watching over him, got into his large black bag and read his poetry notebook, a navy blue spiral notebook. It was known because in the morning, Peter saw the book opened to the haiku-style story "The Only One." Alongside was a note in Indian style. Fortunatley it was readible.

PETER-THE SCYTHE THAT YOU USE IN BATTLE IS NOTHING COMPAIRED TO THE POEMS YOU WRITE IN YOUR BOOK, NO MATTER WHERE IT(scythe) CAME FROM. YOU MUST REMAIN AS STRONG AS YOU ARE IN YOUR ARTWORK.

"Well, it seems I have an admirer to my poetry. I just have no idea who she is," expressed Peter, who for some strange reason could identify the handwriting. Anyway, back to today.

Today, he arrived in the Indies. Peter wasted practically less than no time getting info from townspeople to where Maxi's location is. They point him to the Monk's Palace. As Peter is walking to palace, he thinks about the attack against him and Seong Mi-na. As he arrives, an elderly monk stand guard by the gates. The frailing monk sees Peter and calls the the blonde over.

"Excuse me, how can I help you, child?" the monk asked. Peter glanced over at the elder.

"I was told by townspeople that a man named Maxi resides here."

"And what is your purpose for seeing him?" Peter pulls the shards of Soul Edge out of his jeans pocket and shows them to the aged monk. Both pieces glew together rather brightly. The monk felt the evil energy radiating from the pieces. Knowing that they were irritating the monk, Peter put them back in his pocket.

"I knew it. I knew you were coming, 'Right Hand of Death.' As a matter of fact, so was Maxi."

"I apoligize for that. I didn't mean to cause you so much pain."

"It's okay. I wasn't expecting much from what you brought. By the way, can I see your weapon?" Peter knew he needed it for his fight with Maxi, but he wanted to show this monk wasn't his target.

"Be careful not to poke yourself on the wrong blade," he said as he showed it.

"Very good. Maxi is in the balcony in the back. I can take you there if you want."

"Of course." After placing the double-scythe back to his back, the monk led Peter through the hall of the palace, seeing classes and workout sessions along the way.

"This is an interesting palace you got here."

"If you want, I can give you some training sessions and history about this place." Peter thinks about the offer.

"I would need some time to think it over." His honesty caught the elder monk's attention for a second.

"You have the tendancy of being truthful and honest, don't you?"

"It's a small piece of who I am, but it's how I tend to present it. I rather be focused than honest when I have to journey." Peter soon stopped speaking when he arrived at the door to the balcony. The monk open the door, and revieled a musclar man with what appeared to be Elvis-like hair.

"Master Maxi, 'Death's Right Hand' has arrived. Best wishes to you." The monk closed the door, locking out the two souls to reslove their differences. Peter looked at Maxi, still sitting and facing away from the double-scythe man. His Soryuju straddling his shoulders.

"The warrior, known for the infamous 'Scythe Roulette' game. I bet I know why your here."

"Odds are 5 to 3." Peter, once again pulled the fragments from his pocket. "These shards of the Sword of Salvation."

Maxi started to turned his head around to see the fragments glowing. "The past never wants to leave me, does it?" He jumps to his feet, grabs the Soryuju from the shoulders, and starts flailing it.

"You know the deal. I'm here for information about Soul Edge."

"Very well, but first..." Maxi said, then he placed the Soryuju to the side. "A hand-to-hand contest. Place your wreatched weapon to the side." Peter complied, putting the double-scythe to the door. "I want to see if you can fight unarmed." All Peter did was smile. He was recieving a test from the man who, about a month ago, sent a ninja clan to take the fragments from him. They both square off. Then, Maxi attacks with his fists, but misses wildly. Peter tries to counterattack, using his flexiblity to be unpredictible, but that, too, fails. "A worthy challenge indeed for me, a disciple of Shissen Karihadi. What is your disipline, may I ask?"

"I train in Caporeria."

"Looks like a dance. I see now. A dancing fighter. I should be impressed." The two fought with impressive results. After about 20 minutes, the bumps and bruises were mounting, but neither brute back down from the fight.

"So...tell me...what is your...relationship...with Taki?"

"Why...are you...asking me...this, now?"

"It was...a branch of...her's...you hired...to get the...shards."

"Oh yeah. Taki and I...fought each other. I won and...she made...a deal."

"Makes sense. You two...working...together?"

"You could...say that."

"Try saying this!" Peter leaps parallel to the ground and catches Maxi's head with a heel kick of his right leg, which was swiftly concealed under his left. Peter's strike KO'd Maxi, who did a barrel fall to the ground. A minute later his comes around to see the Wisconsinite and the elder monk.

"Yo, Max. You all right?"

"You did a number on this soul."

"Elder Monk, the young man isn't to blame."

"It seems he'll be fine." Peter and the monk help Maxi to his feet. He was still feeling the effects of the kick that knocked him out.

"Tell me, what do you call that attack?"

"I would call it my 'Guilottine Kick.'" Maxi laughed.

"I agree. If you weren't carful, you could take someone's head off, litterally." As Maxi started to walk under his own power, he remembered something, like the kick jump started his brain. "You know, you won this fight. For your victory, I can give you a lift over to Japan. You can meet Taki there, and test your strength."

"Thank you, Max."

The next day, the vessel to Japan was ready to depart. Peter and Maxi were getting on board with their belongings. The vessel then departed from port and into open sea. Peter was enjoying the sights of the surf when Maxi and a female sailor came to the blonde dancer.

"Y'know, throughout the fight, I forgot to ask you."

"What's that?"

"Your name. I mean I don't want to say I fought Death and lost, but was able to keep my life."

"The name is Peter Hamby."

"Peter, huh?"

"By the way, who's she?" The brunette sailor realized she was being addressed to. She chuckled at the boy from the future.

"I guess you don't recognize your own partners that much, do you?" She pulls her hat off to reveal...it was Seong Mi-na.

"Seong, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing. And to find out about the ninja-"

"Wait, Timeout, 20 seconds," Peter interupted, first touching his right middle finger to his left palm, then placing his hands on his shoulders. "Were you the one who's been with me ever since we departed from the remains? I could swear there was a female kissing my forehead to calm me from the nightmares-"

"No, no, no, no, not me," Mi-na spoke up, interupting Peter ranting. Peter greatly calmed.

"Well, how many other hotties have you scored upon?" Maxi asked, but wrong question at the wrong time. Peter and Mi-na looked at Maxi in a grotesque way. He knew he was going to feel the pain. After they KO'd Maxi for his remark, Peter went back over to his spot. He knew a female was comforting him, but if anything Mi-na isn't the one. 'If Seong isn't the one who was comforting me,' he thought. 'Then, who?' Then he pulls his poetry notebook from his bag, and starts writing in it.

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Peter heads to Japan for more fragments of Soul Edge. He will run into double trouble as he fights two samurai...at the same time.