Showdown! The Best of the Best

Chapter Ten

A faint green light marked his presence in the darkness, thanks to his glowing visor. The same color of light adorned his katana, free from its sheath, as Genji ventured through the underbrush. The forest he now crept through had proven even more ominous than it appeared from the outside, thick with inky darkness and strewn with foliage everywhere. Some part of him whispered that there was life here, but the place seemed to be devoid of animals or wildlife of any kind, besides the trees.

How are the plants pollinated, then? Genji pondered.

This was certainly a strange place.

Genji stopped, dead in his tracks, his sword at the ready should anything choose a fight with him. His foot had clanked against something hard and metal, not unlike his exoskeleton. He eased somewhat upon realization that this thing was not, in fact, alive. Rather, his foot had bumped a piece of shredded metal. 

One of many, he now saw, as he noticed what appeared to be the site of a battle. The earth around him was shredded with craters, the earth singed from the fires of god knew what. As Genji scouted the outer rim of the clearing, he began to understand more about the altercation that had taken place here. 

The shattered, skeletal remnants of the war machines told him what he needed to know. Someone had been in battle with the same kind of robots he had fought earlier that day. The impossibly durable robot was not alone then, he realized. There were others like him. And now, seeing the scrapped remains of the robots' hulls, and noticing that they, too, possessed the emboldened "K" insignia, he knew that the robot warriors were all part of an army.

But one question stood out in his mind above the others:  what, or who, had fought the robots?

Whoever it had been had certainly been strong enough to take on several of the robots. This was what alarmed him. One of these monstrosities alone had been a challenge for him. So who was it that lurked within only several miles of his location that could face at least three of these beasts and walk away? Such an opponent could prove beyond him. 

One thing he was certain of:  he was no longer alone.

Genji did not want to linger, should the robot-slayers be lurking about, so he made his way forward through the woods. Dawn was beginning to peek through the minuscule gaps in the treetops, which gave him some small semblance of hope. Still, be it dusk or dawn, he needed to remain on the move. If he was ever to solve the mystery of what brought him here, how he got here, or why he was here, this was the way to do it. 

He smelled something then, a scent he was familiar with. Once again, Genji stopped, and crouched low to the earth, awaiting some sort of attack or ambush. This scent seldom bore with it joyful tidings. He drew his katana without making a sound, the specs in his visor scanning for movement. But there was nothing.

The smell of blood continued to fill his nostrils.

Although his scanners failed to detect movement, they did pick up on something alive nearby. Genji crept slowly forward, his sword drawn in a defensive posture, ready to fight should something choose to engage him. Detecting something in his peripherals, he swiveled his gaze around to see what it was. 

He gasped. Lying about ten meters from where he stood, crumpled and bleeding, was a woman. She was of average to tall height, with auburn hair, stained and matted with blood. Whether it was her own or someone else's, Genji knew not. Her face was adorned with black war paint, in three distinct bands that ran from her left cheek to the right side of her forehead. The woman was clad in armor like that of a Viking, all fur and leather. Her leg appeared to be bent at an odd angle. He crept closer, trying to discern whether or not she was conscious. His inquiry was answered with groans of agony.

The woman seemed to detect his presence, as well. She flinched, her eyes widening, then turned her head as best she could to look at the cyborg samurai. The woman bared her teeth at Genji almost bestially. He paused, slowing his pace slightly.

"Stay back!" She snarled. "Whatever you are, stay back!"

"It is alright," Genji murmured reassuringly. "I am not here to harm you." 

"Go away!" She continued to threaten. "I may be injured, but I'm still dangerous! Leave now!'

Rather than follow her command, Genji instead slid the katana back into its sheath as a gesture of good will. The wounded woman did not appear to be armed, but he didn't want to take any chances. He was now within three or four meters of where the woman lay. From here, he had a slightly better picture of her injuries. Her leg was definitely broken, and she had some minor lacerations. Maybe whatever had done this to her had also vanquished the robots he'd found destroyed in the woods before.

"Please," Genji cooed. "I am not your enemy."

"I don't know you!" She snapped. "I don't know this place. I don't trust you, so go away!"

"My name is Genji Shimada," he introduced, bowing. "I know I may appear as a foe, but I give you my word my intentions are good. Who are you?"

She glared at him, but her mouth opened.

"I am Aela, of the Companions," she grimaced. "Are you stuck here, as well?"

"Yes," Genji nodded, taking a seat near the injured woman. "The Companions. I haven't heard of any such group."

Aela smirked, the closest thing she'd shown to a smile since they'd met. "You haven't heard of the Jorrvaskr Companions?"

Genji shook his head. "Are you particularly well-known?"

"The most famous sell-swords in Skyrim," Aela confirmed. "You truly haven't heard of us."

"No," Genji affirmed. "Neither have I heard of Skyrim."

Aela's mouth was agape, and her expression was one of mixed disbelief and pondering. 

"Perhaps our worlds are...a little different," he suggested. "I'm a champion on my world. But you don't know me. In the same way, you are a brave warrior on your world. But I do not know you." 

Her brow furrowed. "If we are from different worlds, how did we both come to be here?"

Genji shrugged. "This I do not know. But I would like to find out. I could use a guide."

Aela gestured to her awkwardly bent leg. "That may be a problem. As you can see, I cannot walk." 

Genji nodded. "I already accounted for that. Wait here."

The metal man began rushing back and forth across the clearing, to and fro, slashing at branches with his glowing sword. This man was certainly peculiar, this Genji, Aela pondered. He appeared to be covered head to toe in steel armor, and yet his sword glowed as if it were enchanted. He came back to here with two long, skinny branches, each roughly the length of her leg. He gestured to her fur tunic then.

"We will need cloth to secure it," he explained.

"Secure what?"

"The splint." 

Aela nodded, finally getting what Genji was doing. Using her hands and teeth, she tore off two strips of fabric, each long enough to wrap around her leg and tie off the splint. After several minutes of cursing, pain, and knot-tying, Genji had gotten Aela on her feet, and walking, using another piece of wood. Genji gestured forward robustly, like a tour guide leading a troupe to their next destination.

"Shall we?"

Aela nodded, and began following. But after several paces, she stopped. She could sense movement. Turning, she stared back through the trees. Seeing nothing did nothing to put her mind at ease. She knew there was a possibility the massive man in red that had cornered her in the woods and broken her leg was following her. But she disregarded it. Turning, she saw that Genji's visor was focused on her.

"What?" She demanded.

"Your breathing is quick, nervous," he suggested. "Is there something I should know?"

She considered telling him. But why should she? After all, he was but a stranger.

"No," she muttered dismissively. "Nothing."

And with that, the unlikely duo persisted through the trees.