Chapter 1:

Having A Good Day

The Blood Of Palken


  Alex found himself whistling as he arrived at the dojo that morning. Usually the sky was overcast and there would at least be a light mist in the air, if not a complete downpour. That day was bright and beautiful. The treacherous trek through the city to work that was commonly filled with near misses by cars and their aggressive drivers, was surprisingly smooth. And his first class as sensei was earning their belts. He was having a good day.

  Back in the office, Sensei Tainaka was drinking tea just as Alex knew he'd be. Alex had studied under him for more than twenty years and he'd learned his sensei was a man of rigid discipline and his daily schedule was absolute. It was one of the qualities he most respected in his teacher. He smiled as Alex sat across from him. 

  “Good morning.” The sensei poured another cup and slid it towards Alex. 

  “Thank you Sensei.” Alex lifted the cup and drank gratefully. Over the years he'd truly come to appreciate the taste of freshly brewed green tea and made sure to arrive early enough each morning to join his sensei.

  The tea was served in what Alex could only remember as yunomi, though he couldn't be absolutely certain of the name. Terra would know, she always had the better memory of the two, but she was not there. They were definitely tea cups though, not tea bowls.

  A few years earlier when Alex was first developing this interest, Sensei Tainaka attempted to teach him a traditional tea ceremony. They did drink from bowls then but he'd be hard pressed to remember what they were called as well. They did this a handful of times before the invitations stopped coming. When Alex asked why he was simply told he had no grace. Wisely, he chose to never revisit the subject.

  Sensei Tainaka still smiled with his great wide grin. He was in his fifties and clean shaven, both his face and head, and he always had that Cheshire grin. Alex thought he looked a great deal  like Pac-Man. 

  “Are you excited for today?” They are your first students after all.”

  Alex took another sip. “ I don’t know if I’m necessarily excited Sensei, I certainly feel proud.”

  Sensei Tainaka laughed. “You should be proud! Of them and yourself, you’ve done a great job.”

  Not even the two terrifying monsters walking through the room could stop Alex's mood from rising. 

                                                                           ~~~

  Across town, Terra was already two hours into her shift at the diner and hating every single minute of it. She was having a bad one.

  “Ralphie, the oh so polite woman at table four wants this bacon crispier.” 

  The cook took the plate from Terra and frowned. “What does she want me to do, burn it?”

  “I won't presume to tell you how to do your job.” She walked away from the window. 

  Terra’s impatience was getting the better of her. While she was waiting for the bacon she began bussing her last dirty table. Once it was clear Terra grabbed a rag from the sanitizer bucket and started back. Her stride was interrupted by an obnoxious “ahem” and she cringed. It was table four. Terra gritted her teeth and walked over. 

  “Yes ma’am?”

  “Is my bacon ready?” Table four asked with all of the condescension reserved for the service industry by those who’ve never had to work in it.

  “I was just about to check ma’am.”

  “I’d like my bacon now.”

  “I understand that.” Terra hurried over to the window. Ralphie saw the hustle in her step so he quickly put the plate up. The bacon was black. “Ughh... I don’t know Ralphie.”

  Ralphie giggled perhaps a little too unprofessionally. “It’s crispy.”

  Terra took the plate with a sigh and headed for table four. The woman’s displeasure was apparent long before she arrived. 

  Table four looked disdainfully at the charred mess that was set before her. “Is this supposed to be funny?”

  “No ma’am, I assure you that I find nothing funny about this.”

  “Then why would you serve me black bacon?"

  “It’s what the cook gave me.”

  “Would you eat this?”

  “Ma’am the bacon was crispy before you sent it back. It couldn’t be any crispier without burning it.” Table four looked aghast. Terra knew the next words out of the woman’s mouth would be more than she could handle and she refused to hear them. She wasn’t cut out to be a server. “On second thought. You know what ma’am? I would eat it, it looks delicious.” 

  Table four gasped and Terra could hear Ralphie laughing in the kitchen. She could also hear Sensei Tainaka’s voice in her head telling her to walk away. Terra couldn’t help herself though, there were far too few opportunities to put on this kind of show. Laughing to herself, she picked up one of the unappealing pieces of bacon and stuffed it into her mouth. “I was right, yum!” Table four spit and sputtered as the manager ran over. 

  Ralphie howled with laughter. 

  “I’m so sorry ma’am,” The manager squealed before rounding on Terra. “and you, you’re fired!”

  Terra already held her apron in her hand. “Yup,” 

  She could still hear Ralphie laughing as the diner door closed behind her. It was eight thirty in the morning and Terra was unemployed. “Yay...” she said to nobody at all as she walked with nowhere to go. 

  For a moment she considered whether any bars would be open that early but then shook her head. That would be irresponsible, even for her. 

                                                                              ~~~

  Alex drained the last of his tea, then respectfully took his sensei’s cup and the pot to the sink to wash them. Sensei Tainaka waited for him, still as stone in the dojo. 

  The hour and a half between tea time and opening was for their personal training. 

  “I think we'll spar this morning.” Sensei Tainaka said. 

  Alex nodded and began his stretching routine. He knew they'd be sparring, the sensei liked to start the day by knocking some sense into him. When he was younger, Alex used to wonder if his teacher was a bully but as he became more proficient in his ability he'd come to realize that Sensei Tainaka just liked to fight. Simple as that. But honestly, Alex would be a liar if he said it didn't help motivate him to improve. 

  Twenty minutes later Alex was flat on his back and gasping for air. Sensei Tainaka jogged in place. Looming above him was an opaque, insect-like monster eating a lumpy arm. 

  Alex shrugged off the uneasy vibe he always got when he stared at the creepy things too long and got to his feet. “I barely saw that kick coming Sensei.”

  “Ha! You can’t fight with your eyes closed Alex.”

  “Thank you for your sage advice. Shall I get a staff?”

  The sensei waved this off. “I don’t feel like getting hit with a stick right now.”

  Just then there was a knock at the door. They could see Terra on the other side of the glass. 

  “Are you going to let your fellow student in?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Alex clicked the lock and pulled the door open for Terra. “Didn’t you go to work this morning?”

  “I quit.” Terra walked in and bowed before Sensei Tainaka. “Good morning Sensei.”

  Sensei Tainaka groaned. “You've always lacked discipline.”

  “You sound like an old movie Sensei.”

  “If I was a movie then perhaps you'd pay attention to me. You still lack discipline. And respect.”

  Terra grinned mischievously. “I respect you Sensei.”

  “Yes I know Terra. Even so, if you were less skilled I’d have expelled you from my school years ago.”

  Alex laughed. It was always like this with those two. Both he and Terra enrolled at the dojo when they were five years old and they became instant friends. They quickly proved themselves to be talented and determined, and by pushing each other they were able to become the top students in the school. 

  In fact, Terra was offered an instructing position alongside Alex but she refused. A clearly misguided decision as far as he was concerned. Especially considering how often she found herself without a job. 

  “So how are you going to pay your half of the rent next month?”

  “You are, and always have been a most compassionate friend. Thank you for your support Alex.”

  Alex gave another laugh. “What did you do, punch someone again?”

  “No,” it was Terra’s turn to laugh. “I yelled at a table and ate their bacon.”

  “Oh my... so disrespectful. My second best student.” Sensei Tainaka mocked. 

  Alex was nearly crying. "You ate their bacon! That’s a new one, I bet Ralphie was dying.”

  “He sure was,” Terra deflated “I shouldn’t have burned that bridge though, I loved that diner.”

  “I’ll have to bring you something back next time I go.”

  “Thanks Alex.”

  “Seriously though, what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. I was hoping to just spar with you guys for now.”

  Sensei Tainaka clapped his hands together and turned to Alex. “Perfect! You can hit her with a stick.”

  “Wait, what?” Terra was rightfully confused. 

  “I wanted to get in some staff training today.”

  “Sounds great. I’m sorry in advance though, I’m going to be aggressive.”

  Alex gave his friend a cocky smile. “You’ve never beaten me before.”

  “Yeah but I'm really annoyed this morning.”

  “Not so fast,” The sensei interrupted “Terra, first you'll do fifty push-ups, seventy five sit-ups, and a hundred squats.”

  “Sensei!” Terra shrieked. 

  Alex again had to laugh and the sensei himself didn’t do much to hide his mirth. 

  “You represent the Tainaka school, such disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.”

  “Aren’t you the one who was arrested for public indecency, Sensei?”

  “That was New Years!”

  Alex struggled for breath and wiped a tear away. He was having a good day. 

  Though far away, on a world called Palken, roamed the very monsters that haunted Alex’s vision. And before the sun sets that very day, they will bring war to his peaceful city. 

Joe Gold
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