The Face: Tournament of Death, Chapter Six

Sam Lee Kim breathed in the beautiful sight that lay before him, as the small lugsail finally approached its destination. Lush green palm trees were littered about the landscape as the radiant sun brightly shone upon the soft, sandy beaches to which beautiful clear-blue waves crashed towards to. He smiled as he spotted a familiar face in the distance…an old man with slightly fading black hair, with a wrinkled forehead and short gray beard and mustache. “Uncle!” Sam cried, as he ran off the dock to greet his relative.

One by one, the others followed suit, approaching a small welcoming committee dressed in rich, finely fabricated and radiant Chinese attire. A large group of women were among them as well as a man dressed in a blue pajama-like kung fu outfit. “Hello, friends, and welcome to the Hanoi Islands. We have been expecting you,” he said. Joseph Bell walked up to the vast number of colorful women and whispered to D, “Now this is more like it.” D raised a brow in suspicion. “I agree…but don’t you have a girlfriend waiting for you?” He asked mindfully. Joseph ignored the question and resumed shuffling his feet across the sandy beach and into the arms of friendly female greeters.

‘Disgusting’ Kristy said to herself, folding her arms across her chest. She winced at the bright light eminating from the radiant sun, then took out a pair of sunglasses and put them on. “There we go,” she said, flipping her head back. A mysterious figure soon caught her eye as he slowly skulked off the boat, kicking the white sand as he passed. He stood behind the large crowd, refusing to meddle, folded his own arms and stared with his dark shades at the ground beneath him. “Hmm, didn’t notice him before…” Kristy said to herself, but took no note of it and followed the crowd, her pointy purple boots piercing the mounds of white grains beneath her feet.

Muay Thai Master Edom was already on the beach, almost barefoot and hardly flinching at the burning sand that scorched his feet. All he had was a white bandage wrapped around each of the soles, and black trunks to match. His darkened skin and black, pointy hair absorbed much of the sunlight. Larcen approached the crowd of women, spit upon the sand, then slapped a woman’s buttock as he passed.

“Thank you all for coming!” The male greeter said. “I am Wong, I will be assisting you with daily preparations for the tournament.” He waved his arm to the fighters that followed. “If you would please follow me to Master Shran’s palace, I will lead you to your rooms. You are all invited to the initial party festivities at four o’clock today. We are expecting a great turnout for the tournament this year.”

“Party, huh? Already? This Shran really does seem to live big…this might not be so strenuous after all,” Joseph said to D. “I’m all for it,” D replied. The then proceeded to follow Wong and the flock of women up a winding path to a beautiful, opulent palace located atop a large, overlooking hill.

Larcen looked behind him to see that Sam Lee Kim was staying behind, and not continuing with the party. He approached him and his relative. “’Ey mate, aren’t ye comin’ to the palace?” he wondered. Sam Lee Kim turned to the avid fighter. “No, I am going to stay with my relatives on the island for now, I would prefer to stay with them,” he replied politely. Larcen stroked his slightly furry chin. “Alright, mate, but make sure ye make it to the tournament, we gotta scoar to settle, remembah!” He said excitedly, jabbing the light air before him.

[Dubbed from Chinese to English]

“Come,” Sam’s uncle said to him. “Your cousins are awaiting your arrival!” Sam nodded and followed his uncle.

As they walked about the sandy, desolate beach, with smooth sounds of rushing waves soothing their lighthearted ears, Sam spoke. “Uncle Lio, I did not know there were large living habitats on the Hanoi islands,” he said. Lio held up one finger and began to speak. “Yes, there is a small town on this island, a haven from all of the technology of civilization, but I assure you, it is not as heard of as the Great Palace upon the Zaibatsu hill. And neither as wealthy,” There footsteps were synchronized in perfect harmony as they strode across the smooth, flourishing grains of sand. “Listen, Samuel, this tournament you are entering…it can be very stressful. I myself have wanted to strike and take revenge on Shran’s bodyguard for killing your mother, but I along with your cousins, must pay off our debts here because of rebellion, for we are too weak to fight them. The enemies you will face are very tough indeed.” Sam looked at his uncle in disbelief. “But Uncle, isn’t cousin Billy Tien a great martial artist as well?” He inquired.
Lio nodded in agreement. “Yes, in fact one of the better fighters on this island. But he too was not able to overcome even Shran’s best underlings. We are forced to work to pay off our debts before we can leave this island. But I will not leave until the wrongs acts here have been repaid. I must ask of you, Samuel, that you do not get into any fights before this tournament. You must save your strength.”

“But uncle…” Sam pleaded. Lio interrupted. “No, you must listen to me. You need every last ounce of energy to defeat your opponents, and defeat Shran once and for all. Do this for your mother.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small jade pendant that attached to a leather string. He fitted the necklace onto the neck of Samuel Lee Kim. “You must honor and promise to your mother, as long as you wear this necklace, that you will not fight until the tournament arrives,” Lio explained. Knowing full well how important the Chinese Code of Honor was to all his family, Samuel reluctantly agreed.

After walking nearly a half-mile into the island, the pair soon came across a small dirt road that connected a series of tiny wooden buildings that made up a very minute town. Before them stood a little boy, selling a basket of Siopao to a group of suspicious-looking men. “Sure I’ll take some, little punk,” one of the older men said, lips awkwardly moving, and hand swiping a bundle of the sealed pork sandwiches, tossing them to his three friends. The young boy held out his hand for money. When the men did not cease to eat, the boy nervously insisted his money. “P…please sir…my money…I need it to pay off the debts…” He held out his hand patiently. The leader of the gang looked at the eager young boy. “Here’s your payment, kid,” the black-haired scruffy Asian said, continuing on to spit in the boy’s hand. “Hey!” The boy cried, in a helpless voice.

Sam was about to intervene, but Lio held him back. “The pendant, Samuel, the pendant. I may remind you that you cannot take it off yourself, nor can I. It is your mother’s, and it cannot be misplaced by anyone until the requirement has been fulfilled…” Fearing of desecration to his family, Sam stopped himself.

He watched as the lead member beat the boy’s face and pushed him to the ground. “Chew on that you little punk!” he cried without synchronization with his lips, laughing at the great triumph he had made with his fellow friends. The young boy literally cried and began running towards home.

However, another young man stopped the boy in his tracks. He wore a blue Tae Kwon Do robe, and blue belt and his parting black hair was colored with slight red highlights. He was of Korean descent, for his father had been Korean. The young man stared at the weeping boy. “What’s wrong, little guy?” He said in Chinese. The boy explained his plight to him, and the man nodded his head.

He then daringly approached the four miscreants and questioned their authority. “Hey what do you think you are doing, harming a little child like that? Why don’t you give him his money! Or else!” He said. The lead gang member laughed his pants off. “Wahaha! You gonna do something? You and what army?” The blue-robed Korean drew his fists, and parted his legs, one forward and one backward. “Oh, a challenge, eh?” The leader said. “Let’s get him, guys! Haaaaa!” He cried, as the four troublemakers jumped for him.

Using tremendous skill, the Korean anticipated their every move. One of the thugs came rushing head on, which was a very big mistake. With one leap off the ground, the Korean man kicked his leg high up into the air, while making contact with the thug’s face on the way. The thug cried in agony as he lay in pain on the floor.

As a second thug approached from behind, the Korean swirled his body around, with leg outward, striking the next thug in his side with a semi-circular foot-blow. Drawing back his leg inward without touching the ground, he pointed himself in direction to the third thug, and let his foot fly straight into the gutless mouth of the opponent, sending splattering blood all over the enemy’s clothes and sending him far back onto his buttocks.

The leader, taken aback, magically reached out to his belt loop and retrieved a small knife. He waved it threateningly in front of the man, attempting to intimidate him. The Korean man eased himself for a moment and folded his arms.
Thinking this the opportunity to attack, the leader rushed forward for the fatal blow, with hand outstretched and knife on end. With arms still folded, the Korean lifted his leg high up into the air, and brought it down upon the unknowing head of the attacking assailant, introducing him to the dust mites that lived upon the ground below.

The Korean man eased himself out of battle stance and dusted his arms off. Soon the posse was back on their feet, but knew they were no match…so they fled. The Korean ran after them with threatening motion and cried, “Cowards!” as they frighteningly rushed away for their lives.

“Samuel, my boy, meet Billy Tien…your half-Korean cousin,” Uncle Lio told Sam.