The Face: Tournament of Death, Chapter Twenty-Two

Taoyu and Panda faced off against the ever big-biceped Buchio in a brutish battle, as the young fighter girl charged forth upon her target.

Upon reaching in close proximity, she thrust her hand forward to strike her opponent's abdomen, but was met with tough resilience. Her eyes widened in shock as she could not penetrate damage, and soon her wrist was caught by the evil giant.

"Not good enough, little girl," he said with a smirk, and clutched her wrist tighter, snapping his fingers together in a clamp, creating a large crackling thunder.

After he released her arm, Taoyu fell upon the ground in great agony, as she held her broken wrist in her left hand. He then brutishly proceeded to kick her while she was down, and with a low thud, she landed upon the sand unconscious.

Angrily, the young, stricken girl's bodyguard rushed toward the aggressor intent on massive injury. Panda, roaring loudly like a rex, slashed her large paw at Buchio, who was able to stop the assault with his own hands just in time. However, blood trickled from his arms, as the bear's claws had sunk into his flush.

But with one swift motion, Buchio held his fist steadfastly in the air, and let soar the hand into the bear's stomach in the blink of an eye, twisting it inward and upward for a full effect at close range. The bear's eyes widened in shock with mouth hanging open, overwhelmed by its power, and soon collapsed lifelessly upon the ground.

Buchio, seeing as his foes had fallen quite easily, folded his arms in triumph. "No one can stand up to the touch of death...not even the largest of animals," he silently whispered, and continued on to track the trail of Sam Lee Kim with murderous intentions.

Inside the underground factory, Huoreh headed straight for the weakened Hunteress, ready to strike her down for the last time. With a trembling pace, he ran across the floor, but was soon caught upon something from around his neck.

It was I, who had leapt upon his neck to impede his malicious goal, and he began to twist around and lunge himself against a back wall, to throw me off course.

Eventually I released grasp upon his neck, but I gave enough time for Hunteress to recover, and knock him into the wall with a swift kick. She pounced upon him like a raging lion, and unsheathed her sharp claws, raising them into the air.

But with swift thinking, Huoreh was able to counter her attack with a lunge of the feet forward, sending Hunteress backward. I slammed with all my might my elbow into his face, but he somehow with quick reflex stopped my arms, and overturned me onto the ground.

He then attempted to end things with a leap into the air with a propouding stomp onto my backbone, but Hunteress tackled him before he could, sending both she and her opponent to the ground to the right of me.

"I underestimate you both..." Huoreh concluded. "They always do..." I said frankly. Hunteress had the bodyguard's arms locked as she stood with knees grinding into his back muscles. She struggled to keep him down, as they moved about, trying to keep the upper hand. "Where's that touch of death now?" Hunteress angrily taunted.

The remark made Huoreh bustle with fury, and attempt to harness his power even more. "Do something, Face! Don't just stand there!" Hunteress cried. I looked around to reap of my resourcefulness, realizing it would have been easier if I kept some type of hard-surfaced weapon with me whenever I went on an adventure. 'Maybe a mace...' I imagined. 'Yeah, a mace would be cool...' And soon I snapped out of my trance.

I hurriedly found a small cylindrical metal canister, and proceeded to throw it upon Huoreh's head, rendering him unconscious. I repeated to strike three or four times, just to make sure he was completely knocked out.

We both were relieved when we saw that he was lifeless, and sat down on the ground struggling for breath. "Whew... that... was close, ...huh?" I said, with rapid breaths. "...Yeah...." Hunteress gasped back.

"Hellooo!" A voice startled us, causing our heads to turn. It was Shadow, who had been locked in his cell wounded the entire time. "Shoot," I said, frantically searching for some sort of bandage. Then I looked upon the yellow-golden robed shirt that Huoreh wore, took it, and went to his cell. "Where are the keys?" I asked the Hunteress.

Finding none, I spoke again. "Could you break this door down?" I asked her. She was still huffing upon the ground. "Excuse me if I could catch a break. I used up my energy... that so-called fist of dead takes a lot out of you...."

She grasped into her pocket to pull a strip of vial-holders and looked upon it. "Er, now I only have two vials left..." she said. "I better take a small drop now, and save the rest..."

She opened her mouth and let a drop of the green serum touch her tongue, and reinvigorate her strength. She then stood up and rammed herself into the door of Shadow's cell, bursting it across the prison over D, who braced himself.

He was unharmed, strictly speaking except for his wound. We let Shadow wrap the small shirt-robe around his wound and helped him to his feet. "Where to now?" He asked. I looked blankly at the Hunteress. "Well... we find a way out of here..." she answered. And so we three parted through the door.

Meanwhile, returning from the Inn, Sam Lee Kim met Buchio at the entrance of the tropical jungle. "You!" Buchio said starkly, pointing his fat finger at Sam.

"What do you want?" Sam asked. Buchio, planted his feet upon the ground. "You...I want you dead... Shran's orders... As for Cho, and the girl and her bear... I'd say they're better off if they weren't alive," he said.

"You scoundrel! What did you do with them?!" Sam angrily questioned, raising his fists into a fighting stance. He began to slowly bounce upon his feet, shifting from one foot to other, as if in perfect fluidity of balance. His fingertips reached forward, back and forth, alternating with each stroke.

Soon he slowly made his way forward against the fiend. Sam struck his hand forward with a test strike to observe his opponent's moves. Buchio was startled, but did not guard nor attack. They eyed each other attentively facing off in complete silence.

Finally, Sam struck with a high jab to the face, overturning his clenched fist so that his palm faced west. Buchio's head snapped back in shock. He grabbed his ailing nose, rubbed it to relieve some pain, and returned to his stance. Buchio thrust his large right fist forward, but Sam easily avoided the attack, and countered with a jab to the stomach. This is when he gained the upper hand, never to look back.

After being struck in the abdomen, Buchio was stunned, leaving room for Sam to strike repeatedly, and buffet him with bountiful blows. He struck thrice, each moving Buchio backward, and finished with a fast uppercut to the jaw, which caused Buchio to fall backward. But before he slowly fell to the ground, Sam leaped into the air, and elbowed downward into Buchio's face once again, letting out a high shrill cry.

Once Buchio had fallen flat upon his back on the soft sand, Sam jumped once more, even higher into the air with foot landing upon Buchio's sternum with maximum force ending with a crack. Sam's face was mad with expression as he let out yet another shrill, high cry that echoed through the tropics and carried through the waves of the sea.

Buchio had been defeated, and revenge carried out. There was only one person left to face.

Sam sat down beside the injured young female fighter and her bodyguard bear. He lowered his head as he checked to see the injuries. Taoyu had a broken wrist, and the bear had seemed to have suffered from sever shock hinted from her widened eyes, gaping mouth, and dry tongue. "She must have been hit with the fabled touch of death..." Sam Kim concluded, listening to the Panda's slow heart rate. "If she hadn't been such a large animal, she wouldn't have survived..."

An old chinese man sporting a traditional cylindrical hat with a point on the top with a rickshaw came passing by mumbling in chinese. Sam quickly rushed over to him. "Could you help me bring some friends to the inn?" He asked. The old toothless man, nodded happily finally receiving a willing customer. "Sho! Is it just you, or will there be more?" He asked. Sam shook his head. "No, not me, those two... over there." He pointed to the young girl and Panda.

The old man's eyes widened in shock. And shook his head as well. "No no no no no! I'm just an old man! You can't expect me to wheel that hunk o' junk to the inn!" He referred to the Panda.

"Then I'll pay you for the rickshaw..." Sam reached into his pocket for as much currency as he could find, which was not much, and shoved it into the man's hand, and he quickly loaded the wagon with the two injured fighters.

The old man busily counted the change, then looked up at the escaping Sam pulling the rickshaw. "Hey you! This is not nearly enough!" But it was too late, Sam had already fled. "Things just won't go write for a silly old rickshaw runner..." he somberly complained.