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Yuriko stood in the bamboo forest scanning her surroundings for her foe. An eerie wind blew across Yuriko’s causing the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. The forest was shrouded in a mysterious fog and the closeness of the bamboo stalks would surely put her CQC skills to the test. She had trained for years under the watchful tutelage of Master Quai and now was a living weapon. The diminutive warrior almost looked like a small child clad in her lycra bodystocking, but she was known all through the land as fighter that could take down grown men thrice her size. Suddenly there was a shift in the wind and a single solitary figure stood 10 feet before. Yuriko eyed her opponent and stood fast and was prepared for the challenge that faced her. She thought back to a time when she was still an innocent little “Pu-Yi”.
Seven years earlier, Yuriko was an up and coming gymnast in the Red Empire. She was deemed to be a natural by her trainers on all the apparatus. At 4’11” and 79 lbs she had the appearance of a girl much younger than 16, but looks were deceiving. She was the fastest girl on the team and her wispy frame allowed her reach dizzying heights with relative ease. Despite her looks, she had a fiery disposition and a killer instinct that earned her the nickname “Little Assassin”. Yuri was determined to make the World Games and bring home gold for her beloved Red Empire.
While training for the World Games, Yuri suffered a devastating knee injury that derailed her hopes of honor and glory. Yuri was told to take a little time off following the surgery before starting rehab. Dejected, Yuri slipped into depression. One day while convalescing, a tall thin man appeared at Yuri’s house. He handed Yuri a small scroll and was told not to open it for 7 days. The anticipation was eating away at Yuri, but she stood fast. Finally, on the seventh day, Yuri tore open the seal around the scroll and read the contents. Yuri read the message inside. It indicated that she had passed the first test and demonstrated an ability to follow orders. There was also an invitation to a special “rehab” program. Yuri spirits were instantly lifted. Less than 4 hours later a black vehicle arrived in front of Yuri’s house. Such a machine had never been seen in Yuri’s village and a crowd of people gathered in the area. The same thin man emerged from the vehicle. He entered the house and told Yuri not to pack…everything would be provided for her. Yuri was so excited to have a second chance that she almost forgot to say good-bye to her parents. As the vehicle pulled away, Yuri looked out the rear window and waved good-bye.
The vehicle traveled for what appeared hours, Yuri gazed out the window in amazement as she saw a massive fortress nestled in the mountains. She thought about her rehabilitation process and the opportunity to live out her dream. The vehicle disappeared into the fortress and descended down a steep road. Finally the vehicle came to a halt and the thin man got out and opened the rear door signaling for Yuri to get out. She looked around and saw kids just like her training on different equipment. Some were practicing martial arts while others were working on uneven bars and pommel horses. Yuri was on cloud nine. Yuri’s amazement was broken by the thin man’s massive hand patting Yuri’s left shoulder. He motioned Yuri to a set of double doors. Yuri gingerly walked through the doors and saw a man reading from a scroll. He looked up and introduced himself as Master Quai. He was a short frail man and looked to be approximately 75 years old with white hair. He had one wisp of white hair peeking through his chin. Despite his stature, he commanded the respect of all those around him. Yuri was almost behind the thin man when Quai beckoned her to him. “My, you are quite the specimen” Quai noted. Yuri blushed, not knowing how to respond to the statement. Quai stood before Yuri and explained that her injury was not what it had appeared. He explained that he had been tracking Yuri since she was a little girl starting out in gymnastics. As her legend grew, so did Quai’s interest. He told Yuri, that she had been selected to participate in a special program outside the Empire’s jurisdiction.
The program was in essence a breeding ground for young warriors. Quai told Yuri about the Order of the Lotus. A group of trained female warriors specially selected to battle the forces of the Red Talon. Apparently the Red Talon was an offshoot that broke away from the Lotus almost 400 years earlier when the Talon master, Ji became corrupted by the dark essence. Ji staged a coop against the Lotus‘ leader Wong. The rebellion was thwarted and Ji was exiled from the Order. Ji swore revenge and hence the Red Talon was started. Both clans were made up of female warriors between the ages of 16 and 22. A trainee would become a full warrior ready for battle duty by her 18th birthday. Males were not selected because their genetic make up could not accept the life force of the Order. There were no warriors beyond the age of 22 due to the fact that the life force that was bonded to each warrior would detach from its host effectively sending it into a catatonic state. The host would eventually return to a normal life unaware that they were ever a part of either clan. At least, those were the luck ones. Annals were littered with the names of fallen warriors who were struck down in their prime. The attrition rate for warriors was extremely high with the average age of death at 19. Massive fights were staged on battlefields between the young lycra clad warriors all in the name of the Order. Yuri was stunned by Quai’s words, but reality had sunk in. Yuri was selected to a much better team, one where she would serve a much greater good.
The thin man led Yuri out of the room and through the other practicing warriors. Finally the Yuri and the thin man stood before a door. The man pulled out a key and opened the door and told Yuri to enter. The room was a modest one, 8 x 8 in size with a desk and a bed and no window. Apart from sleeping, the warriors did everything in a communal setting. Yuri entered the room and saw a medium white box with the same type of seal as was on the scroll. Inside the box was Yuri’s uniform as well as a note. Yuri pulled out a red spandex long sleeve leotard and a pair of shiny spandex footed tights, nude in color. Yuri thought that this “costume” was very similar to what she wore for gymnastics except the tights were a new addition. She pulled the note out of the box and it instructed her to change into her uniform and wait in front of her door in 10 minutes. Yuri quickly got out of her “civilian” clothes and changed into her costume.
Yuri sat on the edge bed and held up the tights between her index finger and thumb as if it were some sort of foreign object and to her they may as well have been. She had never worn tights before and had a difficult time getting them on. Once she finally got her tights on, Yuri stepped into the leotard and made sure everything was straight. She felt a little constricted in the tights and it would take her a while to get used to them, but overall, it felt good getting back into a familiar costume. Yuri scurried out of the room and closed the door behind her. Just as the door shut, the thin man reappeared and led Yuri to the training facility.
Over the years, Yuri would train with other girls from all across the Empire. They were all proficient at some type of athletics. She would train for 9 hours a day and combined with her regular classes, she barely had time to sleep. She would usually just return to her room tired, sore and bruised from combat training and past out while still in her uniform. One day, while Yuri was in a simulated exercise, she felt a strange sensation come over her. She was sparing with a senior warrior and getting her butt kicked all over the arena. Suddenly and without warning, Yuri started to emit a strange black smoke and then just disappeared. She reemerged on the opposite end of the arena with a dazed look on her face and then passed out.
The Elders of the Order studied Yuri at length and it was revealed that Yuri had a latent mutant ability to turn into an ethereal cloud of smoke and teleport. Approximately 3 percent of all clan members had some type mutant ability. These girls entered into an even more select sect of the Order, one that dealt with clandestine operations. Yuri was entered into the sect and learned to develop her newfound “skill” to a frightening level. Time passed by and Yuri was finally ready for field-testing. Many trainees would enter the final phase of training only to be slaughtered under real conditions. Yuri knew in her heart she was ready.
On Yuri’s 18th birthday she was given her first assignment: infiltrate a known Red Talon outpost and obtain a jade dragon. Yuri was so in tune with her life force that she did not hesitate or question the assignment. Yuri changed into her usual costume and headed to the briefing area. Yuri got to the area and noticed another girl there dressed just like her but in a yellow leotard and nude tights set. Kimiko turned and introduced herself to Yuri. Like Yuri, Kimiko came from a gymnastic background and had the mutant ability of remote viewing. Together, they were to work off of each other to gain access to the outpost. Master Quai appeared before the two young women separated by a long onyx table about waist high. There were two pieces of silk on the table. Master took up the gold piece of fabric and tied it around Yuri’s waist and followed suit with a blue piece of fabric around Kimiko’s waist. He stared deep into their eyes, neither girl flinched and then Master Quai turned his back and exited the room. The young warriors were about to embark on their first mission.
The girls were deposited several kilometers from the outpost without and any maps or guides. Kimiko began to concentrate and her ability started to kick in. She pointed to Yuri and signaled to move in that direction. As they approached the outpost, they noticed a high wall surrounding the perimeter. Kimiko again was able to detect a spot with minimal guard support. Inside the compound was just like the fortress where Yuri and Kimiko called home. Warriors were in the courtyard reading and practicing various kata. Yuri grabbed Kimiko’s hand and they turned and a grayish mist and disappeared. Yuri’s ability was able to get her and Kimiko into the compound while Kimiko was able to sense where the dragon was located. She signaled to Yuri to teleport to a specific coordinate and retrieve the dragon. The mission was going according to plan. Yuri managed to get the dragon and as she was about to teleport to meet with Kimiko, she sensed something was wrong. Kimiko had used her ability too much and became drained and did not notice the massive Amazonian warrior coming around the corner. Sudden the Amazon sensed Kimiko’s presence and before she could react, the Amazon descended upon Kimiko with brutal fury. The Amazon was over six feet tall and had a defined physique. She was also dressed like Kimiko and Yuri, except she wore an orange leotard instead. The Amazon towered over Kimiko and threw a left straight jab that landed on Kimiko’s jaw. Immediately Kimiko began to see stars. She was completely caught of guard by the Amazon’s speed. Yuri materialized a few feet away from the action and saw Kimiko lying on the ground wiping the blood away from her jaw. Yuri ran up to Kimiko and grabbed her arm and yelled out “we need to get out of he….” Before Yuri could finish her sentence, the Amazon grabbed a handful of Kimiko’s leotard, picked her up and flung her across the courtyard like a rag doll. Kimiko landed near a reflecting pool, nearly 20 feet away. Yuri was stunned by the sudden turn of events. She quickly teleported over to where Kimiko had landed. Her yellow leotard was now covered with dirt and blood and there was a tear in the fabric across her midsection. As they were about to teleport the Amazon grabbed Kimiko by the leg and hung her upside down. Yuri was completely helpless and unable to stop the beating that the Amazon inflicted upon Kimiko. The Amazon repeatedly drove her fist into Kimiko’s stomach; Kimiko screamed in pain after each blow. The Amazon dwarfed the yellow warrior to such a degree that it was an utter rout. The Amazon proceeded to have her way with Kimiko’s diminutive frame. Kimiko was beaten to a point where she could no longer defend herself. Finally, the Amazon held Kimiko in the air by her right arm; her lycra covered feet were a good four feet off the ground, the Amazon proceeded to swing Kimiko around and then slammed her into the cold hard surface. Yuri screamed as the dust settled and she saw Kimiko lying broken, battered and motionless on the ground. Suddenly, something snapped in Yuri. Her killer instinct had kicked. Several clouds of smoke appeared and before the Amazon had a chance to react Yuri had managed to appear just behind the towering brute. She kicked out the left leg of the Amazon and in one motion jammed her fist into the giant’s hamstring, tearing it to shreds. As the Amazon shrieked Yuri then jumped on the back of the beast and with all her might snapped the neck of the giant. The giant fell to the ground with a loud thud. Yuri quickly grabbed up the dazed and injured Kimiko and teleported out to the compound.
By instinct, Yuri teleported as far as she could with Kimiko on her back. Finally, Yuri had become too exhausted to teleport. The sheer strain of carrying Kimiko and teleporting wore her out. She was lost and disoriented. She gently lay Kimiko down and finally had a chance to survey the damage done to her body. Kimiko’s costume was a tattered mess. Her leotard was stained with dirt, blood and sweat and the left sleeve had torn away from the shoulder and hung around her elbow. The fabric around her neck was torn and almost exposed her chest. Her sash hung carelessly around her waist. Her footed tights were completely ruined as they were littered with runs and holes of various sizes. The right side of Kimiko’s face was bruised and swollen. To make matters worse, Yuri knew that Kimiko had suffered internal bleeding as well. Suddenly, Kimiko opened her eyes. Yuri ran and kneeled by her side. Kimiko lifted up her right arm and Yuri grabbed it. Kimiko asked if Yuri had the dragon. Yuri nodded and Kimiko let out a pained smile “we did it.” She began to cough blood and Yuri told her to conserve her strength. They both knew that Kimiko was not going to make it. With her last ounce of energy, Kimiko sat up and whispered into Yuri’s ear the coordinates back to the fortress and then slumped back to the ground. Some time later, Yuri arrived back at the fortress and handed the dragon over to Master Quai. “ I knew the right one would return,” whispered the old sage. He smashed the dragon into the floor and retrieved a small disk and handed it to Yuri. Master Quai then said, “When the time is right, you will know what to do” and then left the room. Over the coming months, Yuri quickly rose up the ranks earning quite a reputation as fierce warrior. She had graduated to the level of full warrior and earned a new costume and codename. The costume consisted of a red lycra bodystocking that covered her from head toe. There was a narrow horizontal slit across her mask revealing her smoldering black eyes. She completed the costume with the same blue sash that Kimiko wore on their first assignment to honor her memory. Yuri would be known throughout the land as the Red Mist.
Present:
Yuri calmly stood in the foggy bamboo forest eyeing her opponent across from her. She was almost the mirror image of Yuri in height and stature. The only difference between the two warriors was that Yuri’s opponent wore a purple bodystocking. The two warriors instinctively began to run towards each other and leaped into the air like two graceful birds. The battle was quick and brutal. Yuri concentrated her chi into the talisman that Master Quai had given her on her first mission. She channeled her life force into the disk, which amplified her power three-fold. The purple clad warrior did not stand chance. After about five minutes, the fog had lifted and sun began to peek through the clouds. Yuri stood over the ravaged purple warrior. Yuri had a couple tears in her costume but was fine. The purple warrior unfortunately could not say the same. Blood was seeping through the fabric of her costume from several wound points. The bodystocking itself was completely destroyed. There were holes all over the suit and her right leg was completely exposed and bare. For Yuri, the opponent did not, nor did the mission. Her only goal was to crush the enemy and avenge her friend’s death. Yuri swore that she would take down the Red Talon one by one until she got her revenge.
Silken Mist
another great story phoxy!
no problem phoxy....your stories are captivating and very descriptive in the right kind of way......hope you can get bionic soon!
