The Face: Tournament of Death, Chapter Twenty-Three

Hunteress, Shadow, and I had just entered the room which contained the secret passage that led to the outside. "Great... how are we going to get all the way up there?" Hunteress wondered, looking high above to the hole.

I looked around avidly searching for another way. "There's got to be another way..." I said. "Let's try this way!" I mentioned, pointing to a doorway that we had never been through.

We all agreed, and proceeded through the entrance. But before us, surprisingly, was a flock of entertained guards who had been enjoying themselves in what seemed to be a rec room, playing ping-pong, making music with bamboo instruments, and make-shift sparring. We stood, blank-faced at the dozens of guards around and silently tried to scurry away unnoticed.

But a ping-pong ball had suddenly bounced our way, and our eyes widened in nervousness. One of the robed guards came our way and picked up the ball. "Oops, sorry..." he said stupidly. Our eyes were still widened in surprise as we watched him walk away. He then halted... "Wait a second..." he said. "Ah!" The guard then stooped down to adjust his laceless shoe, and continued to play ping-pong with his friend.

The guards continued to enjoy their leisure time, and we slowly slipped away from the secret rec room. "Interesting..." I said in a rather confused tone.

But then we heard startled voices from within. "What? Did you recognize those guys?" One said. "Maybe they were the new volunteers..." another suggested. "Wait... those were the guys we locked up earlier! Get 'em!" A third concluded.

Then the dozens of guards each bursted through the door of the rec room and into the open space of the main room in the underground facility, ready to fight. "We could've gotten away..." I silently lamented.

"Hold on a second..." I said. "Remember that cell full of blue-robed martial artists?" I wondered. "Yeah...so?" Hunteress asked. I stroked my chin in thought. "Maybe they can help us... Gotta go!" I quickly greeted goodbye, leaving Hunteress to fend for herself and Shadow.

Hunteress, however, was not happy. "WHAT!? Where are you going!? Get back here!" She furiously bellowed. "Don't worry," I consoled. "I'll be back with reinforcements..." I echoed with a fading voice...

I quickly went back to the room where we were held captive, and ran to the right side to where the locked jail cell was. "Hold on, you guys! I'll get you out. And as soon as I do, we can get revenge on those who put you here! Remember... they're the WHITE-robed guys all around here. And of course, you know Shran with his metal hand and such..." I reminded them. The soldiers greeted with glee, and a hearty "Yeah!"

But I held my hand to my chin once again and looked around. "Now where's that key..."

I wondered why Shran had to be so old-fashioned, for it would have been much easier if there was some sort of switch laying around for me to push and let the soldiers be on their way. I took out a notepad from my trenchcoat pocket and jotted down a few words. "Note to self: Always bring lockpicks..." I wrote.

"Here, try this!" A raggedy clothed prisoner held out his hand, with what looked to be a small, rusted lockpick. "Oh... thanks," I said, retrieving the pick, and attempting to unlock the cell door. With a few jiggles, and much stress, I was finally able to swing the jail door open to let the soldiers out. "Alright guys... go get 'em!" I said enthusiastically, as if speaking to a high-school football team before they hit the field.

Each of the dozens of warriors cried out for battle, and ran with their hearts to fight for the permanent freedom.

I ran behind the pack directing them where to go, until we reached the room that I was previously in. Hunteress was busy holding her own, to my surprise, knocking down guards with furious vigor.

"Took you long enough!" She said... kicking out a guard. "Show 'em what we're made of guys!" I yelled to the blue-robed crowd, as a coach does for his players. The result was massive frenzy of karate action as the soldiers enganged in combat. As soldier after soldier punched and kicked against the various guards, I weaved through the commotion to view that all was finally going our way.

"Lookin' good, guys," I encouraged. Hunteress was busy fighting off some guards of her own. One white-robed martial artist was thrown over my head to an untimely smack against the factory floor. "I think we should lay low here until we're all finished. It'll be safer if we all stay together," I suggested. Hunteress narrowed her eyes toward me. "What do you mean 'we'? You're not doing a thing!" She pointed out. I was slightly offended. "I freed the guards didn't I? You'd be getting pummeled if it weren't for me..."

And I let the blue-robed soldiers fight the good fight.

As war raged on beneath the complex in the underground, Shran sat behind his oak wooden desk, waiting for his bodyguards. "What is taking them so long?! Where is Huoreh and Buchio?" Shran demanded to know.

The long-mustached messenger shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure they're fine! They've probably gotten rid of that pest Sam Lee Kim!" He assured. But a young woman with clunking wooden sandals came by. "Huroeh and Buchio have been defeated, sir! And there is war raging in the underground lair!" she explained. "What!?" Shran yelled in outrage.

He struck his metal hand into his desk, crushing through it's hard surface. "Well, we always have insurance, just in case Sam comes here..." he said, pointing his metal hand to a sack, which contained Mina, taped at the mouth and with tied limbs. "But get all guards at every post to see what's going on downstairs... make sure everyone is exterminated!" The messenger nodded and was on his way.

"You there..." He ordered the young woman. "Get this sack upstairs. I will remain there until further notice..." He said.

The young servant girl nodded in agreement and grabbed the struggling sack, and carried it upstairs following Shran to his very own 'Hall of Hands'.