Chapter 181: Some Problems Are Universal Among Men Of All Races

I cracked my knuckles as the growling got closer; whatever it was, it was big. I closed the third gate, I wasn't here to go on a killing spree, but if there was a monster that wanted to go a couple rounds. Well, that's what I had come for, to let some steam off. 

Whatever it was, it was playing possum and was waiting for me to come to it. That was fine, The jungle was dark, and it was a jungle, in the sense that everything was massive. From the boat, these looked like normal trees, but up close, these things were over twenty meters tall, and at least four thick.

As I walked closer, I could make out a pair of tails whipping around behind a four meter tall boulder. Yeah, real sneaky; I reached done and grabbed a dead branch with my right hand, and gave it the air charge. This would not be like the stone, which could almost kill or knock out someone. No, the Splinter Stick, cool name, I know, was like throwing a porcupine at someone. Hurt like hell, but unlikely to kill, and I had it a humming! 

I focused and gave it some delay, my right hand had a couple cool functions that I had bee messing around with back in the village. Holding my focus on the enchantment extended or decreased the time it took to go off. Air standard was ten second fo the spells to go off, but could feel the motions of the spell if I focused, then I could hold the spell at a certain point until ready, or force another air spell into it. The whole thing was complicated, so I just the fucking thing with a three second timer.

1…

The stick sailed from my hand, in an arc that would travel over the rock. This should scare the bastard out!

2…

The Splinter Stick arced over the rock, and down behind it, and the twitching tails became white furry back hind legs that were three meters tall. The apparent feline jumped back, and oh fuck! The timer was too long, and I tried to burst over there and scare the thing off, but it was too late.

3…

*Pop!*

*Roar/Scream/Squeal/Other indisciment sounds!*

The massive flew backwards more of its own accord due to having a shit the size of me scared out of it, but then it fell over pawing at its face. This was not what I wanted, son of a bitch! Now what was I going to do? Try and go pet the Giant white tiger with a thousand slivers in its face?

Yeah, I was, fuck. This was my fault, and now all I could think about was how to get closer to the tiger without seriously getting hurt or vice versa. All my anger was gone as I circled the beast, listening to it wail. I watched it's back legs kick, closing the second Gate, and timed a smack with my right hand just as it extended.

I already had covered my eyes, wasn't going to chance going blind right now. When the light vanished, I dropped my hand and ran over to a tall man with white hair over his body and tail, but he also had white shorts on. Good job magic for not scaring me.

"Hey, are you alright? The splinters are gone now, I healed you, kind of."

The man was still slapping his face with his now bare hands, that were no longer paws, but then he stopped. He slowly looked at his hands and then slowly looked down. Then he screamed like a little girl, jumping about five feet into the air.

"AHHHHH! WHERE IS THE REST OF ME!" The Tiger-Kin demanded once his feet were back on the ground.

"Well, bout that...nah, I don't have any good excuses. Honestly, I was mad, and looking to start a fight, and you looked like we could be a good match, but then I fucked up with my timing. Then you got a face full of splitters, and then I used my King Magic on you. Now, we are here, and you are the way you are until future notice."

The tiger became silent, and put a hand to his face in a very human gesture. I wondered what was going through his mind right now, considering I was supposed to be a tasty little snack a couple of minutes ago. I kind of understood how he felt, considering I had just lost almost all of my magic.

"Listen, I know this must be hard to take right now, and I'm sorry. I know what it's to be at the top of your game and…"

I had to block a fist, and then a high kick that almost knocked me off my feet, forcing me to snap my second Gate back open. I jumped back and the Tiger smiled at me.

"So, you wanted to fight? Let's fight then, I too was in a bad mood, but I don't think this is helping. So, let's work out our...what do you call your hairless paws?" The Tiger-Kin asked.

"Hands if you are talking about them, but they are called fists when you make them into balls. I'm good to go a couple rounds, but know this. The faster friends we become, the sooner you will become your old self."

The tiger gave me a toothy grin and bolted at me, just like a tiger would if he was coming for the kill, but this wasn't the same. I sidestepped him, and dropped my knee into his stomach, but I felt him jump right as I did. The action caused my knee to be absorbed as the tiger did a front flip.

I spun back to catch him with a closed fist backhand, but I was met with a block identical to the first one I had used to stop his strike. The guy was a fast learner, and I would have to take the gloves off or I was going to get hurt. In the same motion I tried to follow up with a left hook continuing to use my momentum to large a solid strike, but the tiger used his block and wicked strength to send me flying back. 

I smacked my back into a tree, but had to duck and to avoid having my head sheared off, but the duck gave me an opening. The third Gate snapped open and I delivered a devastating right, left jab, hook combo that sent the Tiger-Kin flying. That was a bit hard, and he was going to piss blood, but there was a ten centimeter deep gouge in the tree from the strike that missed me.

"Okay Tigger, time out! Let's take a breather, I can't fix you twice!" I said, breathing heavy.

What was that? Like a thirty second fight and I was already getting winded? I needed to get in shape so losing my magic thing might not be all bad, I was starting to get soft. 

"How are you so strong? I was strong, and I think that now I am almost as strong as I was, but compacted now. You, you are something different, not like the other hairless pink things, but you got stronger! I was winning, but then you knocked me aside the way I would a small animal. What are you?"

"I am Hyde, the king of the quarter of this world, and one of the strongest people in it, but no matter how strong you get, I will be stronger. That is my main magic, The Gate; whenever I am put in a position where I can't win and could die, then another Gate is unlocked, making me far stronger than I was. The other magic is King magic, the thing that made you more human. What do you want me to call you?"

"Tigger is fine, the name sounds good."

Oh boy, first Buddy and now Tigger, next would be Eeyore for sure!

"Okay, so now that we are civil, what were you so riled up about?" I asked, letting my gates all close, and then sitting down against the tree. 

"She is wanting to move us to a new cave, just so we can have a different place to look at. No other reason than that, and it's on the other side of the island. There is nothing wrong with the cave, but I will end up moving over there anyways, or I'll be alone. Damn she always thinks she can push me around because I need her, but what she doesnt know is I protect her and our cub from predators," Tigger said, sitting down at a tree across from me. 

"That's close to the same reason I was in a bad mood. I'm trying to take over the world to give all races an equal place, and everyone a chance in life, not just the strong one. So, you know what my wives do?"

"You have more than one she?"

"Eighteen, but that's not important…"

"THAT MANY SHE'S?! Are you mad? I can barely handle one!"

"See friend, that's the mistake we men constantly make, thinking we can handle the women. No, we are just there as trophies in their mind! Doesn't matter if we are trying to protect them!" I said, standing up, and so did Tigger.

"Yeah!" Tigger shouted.

"Yeah!" I shouted back.

"Let's go find more things to fist then!"

"Yeah...wait, what? That's not the right expression. Punch, more things to punch. I don't even want to get into fisting with your premature brain!"

"Then let's go find more things to go punch!"

"Yeah!"