Chapter V - Bar Brawl ~Shinsei

A bottle whizzes by, a near miss, and smashes into a thousand crystalline pieces, beer washing over the wall, adding to the stains already there. Shin's eyes dart to the source, a group of 5 men in an all out melee brawl near the exit. From what he could tell, one of them had entered the shabby bar without the others permission, then 3 complete strangers had entered the confrontation just for the fun of it.

Shin sighed, looking back down at his half empty drink. The stuff looked potent enough to dissolve paint. He shrugged and downed the rest in one swift motion. He got to his feet and headed to the door, his hooded cloak following. He stopped in front of the brawl, now with nine active members that were blocking the entrance. He growled impatiently…every day it was the same in here. And there was one thing he knew of; he was sick and tired of it.

He raised his eyes, red swirls of color invading the pools of green until they were completely red. He bared his fanged teeth as he held his long, thin hands out. A black glow surrounded each outstretched digit of his hands, moving upward in a liquid fashion, washing over the rest of his arms. He opened his mouth, unleashing a high pitched scream, his red eyes giving off a red glow. The blackness covering each of his arms shot out towards the brawlers, each shot of black energy creating a huge gravitational force, erupting throughout the area around the fighters. They all were suspended in mid motion, the space around them rippling with a weird time/space rip effect. The walls of the bar caught in the force field began to crumble and shake. Shin yelled once more, the darkness first compressing into two dark balls, then erupting back out again, exploding and sending fragments of dark energy every which way. Everything in the bar burst, the walls exploding and crumbling, tables flying off the ground and crashing into each other, and the people propelled through the air, scattered like grains of sand in a storm. The force calmed, eventually coming to an end.

Shin stood in the middle of what appeared to be a war zone. Pieces of rubble everywhere, bodies scattered throughout a half mile radius. He closed his red eyes, breathing deeply. Opening the back up, the redness was slowing dissipating, returning them to their original green color. He began to walk off when a flash of light distracted him, a large metallic, hovering craft speeding up toward him. He gnashed his teeth, expecting confrontation, when suddenly the craft slowed to a stop. A strange, armored fellow stepped out, greeting him.

"Shinsei Aku, I presume?"

Shin narrowed his eyes, looking the weird figure over. "Who wants to know?"

"You have encountered a few of my acquaintances at a certain annual tournament this past year, am I right?"

Shin stared off into space, remembering the people he had fought. They had been some of the strongest fighters he'd ever encountered. Especially that metallic, spherical fellow.

Shin nodded. "Yes, I have encountered a few people during that tournament. Whether or not they are your acquaintances, I know not."

The figure smiled.

"They are, trust me. On to the matter at hand...they are currently in a bit of trouble and I am here to round up some of the most powerful fighters in the known dimensions to help them."

Shin thought for a moment, then slowly surveyed the city around him: dirt, rust, evil, hate, promiscuity, drunkenness, pleasure at the expense of morality. He shrugged.

"Beats hanging around this dump. Count me in."

The figure smiled once more. "Excellent! Welcome aboard, Shins..."

"Just call me Shin," Shin said coolly.

"Very well then, Shin."