The sword sliced swiftly through the air and was about to cut down before it was blocked by another thick steel blade, which belonged to the jovial old man known as Barack O'Lee. He was characterized by his dark green disheveled convoluted hair, juxtaposed with the rest of his simple sturdy voluminous body. He had a slight green tone to his skin, which complimented his hair well. He blocked the sword masterfully, then shifted to an offensive stance and brought his sword upon the initial assailant, who happened to be O'Lee's student, by the name of Ninjin. With this offensive stance, Lee reversed the situation in less than a second.
Ninjin caught an opening near the master's legs and went for it, almost clipping him in the calf. "You have gone senile, Old Man Lee. Your reactions are impeccable as always, but your sword grows weak over your years."
Of course, those words came to be regretted by the impertinent Ninjin, for as soon as they were uttered, Barack O'Lee went into an overpowering frenzy of slashing. 10, 100, 1000 strokes, not randomly thrown, but carefully placed with such purpose and control so that each gash increased imbalance, each stab forced immense pressure, and with the final slash, the opponent had been disarmed and defeated.
"Does my sword grow weak, or does my student grow strong?" sagaciously replied O'Lee. Jokingly, he added, "I think neither."
Ninjin was one of the best among a group of elite warriors who trained under O'Lee. Their goal was to become the soupyverse's greatest warriors, being the strongest, fastest, and smartest of all on the planet that draws breath. He sparred daily, learning and using a combination of martial arts and weapon skill all amplified by his keen strategy and planning.
One fine misty morning, Barack O'Lee sat his students down and spoke some very important words. "Your period of training with me on this planet is over. I have taught you all everything I have to teach, and this will provide the foundation of your strive for knowledge and power. From this day on, you all progress to the next step in your journey to become the greatest warriors. All of you will leave this planet in a week to explore the universe and learn from new species and systems. You may never see each other again. You may never even see me again. But the lessons I taught must never be forgotten". The training of the Old Green Master School, as it was officially named, started with the young children being brought to Barack O'Lee for preliminary training, but after that, it was necessary for them to learn all that they could from other places as well, in order to get a whole rounded knowledge of their universe system and to learn everything that there is to know. Ninjin had just progressed to this stage, and while it was truly an important event, there was no sign of elation. No ostentatious festivities were to be expected from this day. The rest of the week would be preparation for their departure.
It was two days till departure, and Ninjin sat down next to his placid combat maven, and started to ask some questions. "Who created our universe, wise mentor?" The teacher thought for a while, and then responded, "I know the existence of diving beings, but that is all". "What is beyond our universe, master?", inquired Ninjin. At this question, the cognoscente seemed to display just the slightest bit of anxiety, undetectable to the normal eye. Incredulously, it almost seemed as though he were thinking, deciding whether or not this information was worth telling, or rather, safe to tell. Finally, he proclaimed, "I do not have the answer to every one of your conundrums. It is for you to find out, when you withdraw from my planet." Alas, it appeared as if the trivial observations of the master's mood were unfounded.
Ninjin had finished preparing for his voyage, and was now ready to depart the planet. He loaded his luggage into the Tonkotsu 1000 M1S0 X Glider Z, the latest model, and finally took off. He had decided the previous day that the best planet to go to first would be one called Brassica in a remote system, about a considerable 1500 tubers away. Landing would be relatively easy, as a background check on the planet had been done beforehand, and it reported that there was a moderately advanced civilization residing there already, that could potentially accommodate new combat techniques to be learned, and at least provide a refueling station and provision source He would use this planet as his first practice flying and landing the Tonkotsu, as a bonus.
To be continued...