Seth Trask and the Return of Atonement

By Scott Brochert

Why shouldn't martial artist Seth Trask feel a little cocky? The son of the City Director of Washington, D.C. and the unbeaten champion of his master's one-and-fifty-year-old dojo, he thinks nothing of dispatching a red-eyed skeleton and his gang of kung-ju-kicking skeletons. But what should he think of the strange old man who calls himself Jostheu and approaches Seth talking about Atonement? What does Seth have to atone for? Far too proud to give the old man a hearing, Seth launches a hand strike at the old man's scrawny neck—and finds himself at the point of a flaming sword.

Seth is about to learn that the toughest discipline of the martial arts doesn't come from hardening the body and mastering the moves for a myriad of potent leg kicks and arm strikes, but from controlling the self. Behind the familiar noises and smells of the dojo lurks another reality, where good contends with evil for mastery over the universe, and a Universal Champion preserves the balance between chaos and order. Awakened to his potential for good and his responsibility to act, Seth accepts Supra-master Jostheu's command to accept his destiny as the one person who can challenge the demonic being Shatoth for the Belt of Authority for control of the universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scott Brochert
• Release date: Aug 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386954767

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Vhalxanar moved in again, intent on continuing the fight, which was growing more intense with each second.

Seth Trask heard a voice inside his head, evil and hollow sounding.

You have been selected by Supra-Master Jostheu to challenge for the Belt of Authority. If you win, Supra-Kung Fu will be open for all to learn. I have been sent to slay you before that happens. You will die a slow, horrible death. You will not become the new Universal Champion.

Dressed in a long black trench coat and a hat with a very wide rim that shadowed the upper part of his skeletal face, he seemed to grin on endlessly. He had no eyes, but there were two glowing points of red light in the empty sockets that cast their crimson glow on Seth Trask’s face when he was close enough.

What’s he talking about? Seth thought, annoyed. What is the Belt of Authority?

As they circled each other, daring the other to strike first, Seth couldn’t help but notice how unnatural the conditions of the night were. He noticed that, even with a full moon, it was darker than it was supposed to be. It was also very quiet; he had difficulty hearing the ruckus of the city, as if the night muffled its sounds. Seth considered it a miracle he had even heard the poor girl screaming moments ago as this thing had tried to kill her. He had distracted the skeletal being long enough for the girl to escape the scene.

Seth glared at Vhalxanar as they closed the circle further. They had been fighting for about ten minutes, and neither seemed to be getting the upper hand.

Going into a ready stance while gritting his teeth, Seth drew himself up to his full six feet and prepared to attack as Vhalxanar followed suit. Vhalxanar attacked first, throwing a hand strike, but Seth did a flip in midair and landed behind the fiend.

Seth gritted his teeth, wanting so very much to knock that smile right off that bony face. He didn’t have much time to dwell on that thought before Vhalxanar attacked again. Seth knew what was coming and dodged the invisible energy blast that would have shattered his face, had it hit.

You almost lost that pretty face, boy! Vhalxanar jeered.

Seth mentally thanked his unique talent, which was an intuitive combat sense that no one else seemed to have, except for his twin brother. He just somehow knew what was about to happen and could successfully defend against it.

Vhalxanar seemed to be equally annoyed that he couldn’t seem to take Seth out. He had managed to avoid every attack he threw. Apparently, he decided that it was time for more drastic measures. He made a gesture with his right hand. A large, double bladed scythe came into existence. The blades were surrounded by crackling, purple energy. Looking at Seth with that taunting grin, he spun the scythe very fast until it became a blur.

Seth wasn’t impressed. He merely narrowed his piercing blue eyes and went into another ready stance. As Vhalxanar approached, an unseen force blew into him. He’s trying to intimidate me, no doubt, Seth thought. His roguish black hair was ruffled, but he remained standing.

Vhalxanar attacked with his weapon, throwing several deadly strikes. Seth avoided every one, ducking twice, once to the right and left, then again flipping in midair to land behind the fiend, facing his back. With increased speed, Vhalxanar spun around, bringing the scythe up then down, attempting to slice Seth’s head in two. Seth brought his arms up in an X, blocking the attack, his arms right below the fiend’s hand.

Seth felt the numbing cold coming from the fiend’s hand and frowned. As the skeletal hand was forced further forward, the cold becoming more intense, Seth gritted his teeth, grabbed the fiend’s attacking wrist, twisted, and flipped him over his shoulder with all the strength he could muster. Vhalxanar landed on his back with a dull crunch, making him drop the scythe and lie still. Seth then did a flip, bringing his two hundred pounds down on him. Using a stamp kick upon impact, Seth believed the fight was over.

Seth kept his eyes fixed on him, his gaze never leaving the skeletal form. He moved forward to get back into striking range, then stopped as Vhalxanar disappeared in a cloud of grey, wispy smoke that gave off a foul, tomb-like smell.

Yeah, you better run, Seth thought as he started to leave the scene. He took three steps forward, then went into a ready stance as he saw a skeleton appear before him. Simultaneously, he sensed something else behind him. Not giving them a chance to attack first, Seth threw a hand strike with the edge of his left hand, while kicking the skeleton behind him with his right foot.

The hand strike cracked the first creature’s skull; the kick damaged the second’s pelvis. After he threw the kick, Seth snatched the first creature’s bony left wrist and placed that arm into a lock behind his back, then lashed out at the second creature with a side kick that landed on his sternum.

The blow shattered the entire ribcage, the sound like a sledgehammer breaking stone. The skull, arms, legs, and pelvis dropped to the ground with a dry clatter. The second the kick was delivered, Seth swung his free hand out and around, the edge of his hand connecting with the creature’s neck.

At the same time, Seth used his grip on the skeleton’s arm to bend it backward, impacting with his right knee at the center of the spine. Both the skeleton’s neck and back broke, finishing it off. Seth let it fall to the ground, where it lay at his feet.

Seth turned to the left, where he saw Vhalxanar standing twenty feet away, surrounded by what looked like twenty minions, ready to do their lord’s bidding. The skeletons and Seth exchanged glances, and they began to move toward him.

Just you guys? Seth asked. Pity.

Seth remained where he was, in his ready stance. When the skeletons came into striking range, he acted. He attacked the closest with a hand strike to the temple, shattering the whole side of the skull. As that one fell destroyed, Seth kicked the next in the chest, breaking the sternum and all the ribs. As broken bones flew everywhere, another skeleton attempted a punch, only to have his attack blocked and his face shattered by an elbow strike.

Seth was standing between two more skeleton men, both preparing to attack. Seth was in a ready position, sensing what they were going to do. He ducked as each skeleton threw their attacks simultaneously. They both missed, nearly spinning from the force of their blows. As they did, Seth was standing upright again, and he lost no time in giving them an attack of his own.

He launched a side kick into the back of a skeleton’s head, the power of the kick sending the skull flying off the neck. With the speed of a dancer, he used a low side kick that hit the side of the creature’s right knee, shattering it.

He then followed up with a kick to the spine right above the pelvis, which made it double over. He ended with another hand strike to the base of the neck, which broke it cleanly, the skull hitting the ground. As the body dropped, Seth turned and faced Vhalxanar, going into a ready stance, waiting for the next wave to come at him.

Five of them stepped forward. Vhalxanar gestured, and each one suddenly held a magical sword. Not to be outdone, Seth reached inside his trench jacket and produced a pair of nun-chucks. He swiftly joined the ends attached to the chains, making a blunt weapon the size of a very small sword. Holding it in his right hand and re-entering his ready stance, Seth waited for the assault.

They charged him, one at a time. The first swung his sword, but Seth blocked it and struck with the nun-chucks simultaneously, hitting it in the side of the head and breaking the side of the skull, which destroyed it. Seemingly faster, the next skeleton raised his arm and brought the sword down like an axe, but Seth blocked that, too. He struck the side of its neck with the nun-chucks, breaking the neck clean off, and spin-kicked the next one in range, striking it in the skull, sending it into the cold arms of destruction.

Yet another one advanced on Seth, swinging his sword. He blocked with his left arm and swung the nun-chucks to the right, breaking a good deal of ribs, then swinging it back to the left and down, striking the left upper leg bone, which broke it and sent him to the ground. Upon impact with the ground, Seth used a swift axe kick that shattered the face and skull.

Seth turned and faced Vhalxanar and his remaining nine servants. They advanced, their weapons ready. Seth did the same. He was growing tired of this fight, so he intended to finish it as fast as he could.

When each side was close enough to strike, Seth let the skeletons attack first. The closest one swung his sword. Seth flipped up and around behind him and side-kicked the closest one, his foot landing on the creature’s chest and destroying the whole ribcage in an explosion of bones.

As they were all closing in, trying to surround him, Seth was finding it very easy to strike. Another swung his weapon, but it was blocked. Seth used an elbow strike to the chest, the back of his hand to his face, then another elbow strike to the chest, finalizing his attack with a spinning punch that destroyed his enemy’s head.

As the body fell, three of them moved in at once. As the one in the middle struck first with his sword, Seth blocked it, jumped up, and spun in a circle, kicking each one in the head, breaking skulls like eggshells.

Two more began to close in. Before they could act, Seth punched both in the chest, one strike with each hand, destroying the ribs. He struck the side of each one’s neck, breaking them clean off.

Seth then turned his attention to the last three. He got into striking range by executing a flip in the air toward them, raising the nun-chucks above his head. Upon landing, he brought them down on top of the skull of the skeleton in the center, splitting it cleanly in two pieces. Jumping up, he lashed out with both feet, kicking each creature in its temple. The last two skeletons fell to the ground, destroyed.

Seth took two steps toward Vhalxanar, but the fiend disappeared in the foul-smelling smoke. Seth mentally cursed and cautiously walked around in a ready stance, ready for any attack.

He saw the wispy smoke reappear several feet away, near a large object he couldn’t quite make out because of the dark. Seth dashed over there, stopping as he neared the object, which turned out to be a garbage dumpster. Seth slowly approached the dumpster, going around to the back. He paused, then leaped behind it.

Nothing was there. He saw a little bit more of his surroundings. The dumpster was beside a wooden fence; the gate leading into the area was broken open. Seth began to walk away from the dumpster. Something caught his eye and made him turn, facing the gate. Again, nothing.

As Seth started to walk again, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He jumped up, did a back flip, then twisted in midair to face his attacker. Vhalxanar barely missed him, having thrown a strike that would have broken his neck at the shoulders. As Vhalxanar turned with frightening speed, Seth threw a spinning kick that connected squarely with his opponent’s mouth.

Another puff of smoke appeared, and he disappeared once more.

As Seth cautiously moved around, looking for his enemy, Seth saw the smoke cloud appear on top of the small Red Sky Tavern. That grin and those red eyes stared down at him.

Seth glanced around at the area by the tavern. He saw a garbage dumpster almost beside the wall with two wooden crates stacked atop each other. He ran forward, jumped onto the upper crate, then leaped up and forward into the air, landing on the roof fifteen feet away from Vhalxanar.

Where do you think you’re going? Seth asked. You had your chance to walk away.

The only answer was that ever-present smile. They both went into ready stances. As they did, Seth wondered why he couldn’t harm this thing.

Vhalxanar closed in, using a side kick that Seth blocked, then he moved his right leg in a circle, knocking the Vhalxanar’s supporting leg out from under him, making him land on his back on the ground. Seth aimed another axe kick at his head, but he rolled away from him and was back on his feet too fast.

Seth was now trying hard to control his temper, growing too angry from beating on this bag of bones that just wouldn’t go down. He launched a powerful hook kick that made the Vhalxanar stagger backward. To Seth’s dismay, he just straightened back up and seemed to be laughing.

Seth had put the nun-chucks away, but now he took them back out. He spun them around, then entered a ready stance. Vhalxanar raised his arms and gestured, as if to say, Come on.

Gripping the nun-chucks more tightly, Seth moved in to attack, but the Vhalxanar struck first. He raised his arm, blocking Seth’s strike, then lashed out with his fist and connected with Seth’s chin. Pain made Seth drop his weapon and groan. As he looked back up, he saw his enemy’s foot coming around in a spin kick. Before he could defend himself, the kick struck home, sending Seth back about ten feet. He hit the ground and rolled around for a moment.

Glancing up in alarm, he saw Vhalxanar walking toward him slowly, as if he had all the time in the universe to continue this fight. Seth got to his feet swiftly, frowning from the pain. His hated foe was still coming. Seth entered a ready stance and waited for him to get close enough. Meanwhile, Seth reached into his jacket pocket and produced his cell phone. Quickly flipping it open, he dialed 911. He barely had enough time to give the operator his location before the Vhalxanar was upon him.

When he was, Seth started his attack by attempting a shin kick. Vhalxanar ducked under it and drove the palm of his hand into Seth’s chest. He followed up with a kick to the same spot, then spun around with a backhand punch that sent Seth backward another ten feet, then to the ground.

Seth turned his head and glared at him, the desire to knock that grinning smile off his face growing more obsessive with each second. He got back to his feet unsteadily, watching Vhalxanar’s approach. This time, Seth didn’t let him get near enough. He threw two quick punches, putting all his effort and skill into them. Vhalxanar blocked each one, then grabbed Seth by his shoulders, brought him closer, and drove his forehead into Seth’s. The sound of the impact was like a pistol shot. Seth’s skull exploded in pain, but he didn’t let a sound louder than a groan escape him. Vhalxanar released him, then pushed him to the ground. Seth clutched his head and rolled around in agony.

He got back to his feet, glancing at Vhalxanar even more angrily. He looked into those red eyes, and then with a new rush of terror, he understood what was happening.

During the fight with the minions, Vhalxanar had been studying him, seeing just how tough he was and what he knew. Seth was now an open book to this thing, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Vhalxanar seemed to be picking up on Seth’s growing terror. He slightly lowered his head and renewed his advance. Seth entered another ready stance, and when he was close enough, he started a spinning punch. But it was blocked, and Seth’s injured chest screamed in more pain as Vhalxanar punched him, then tossed him aside like a pile of rags.

Seth was on one knee, struggling to stand up. The pain in his chest was throbbing, almost unbearable. Vhalxanar approached menacingly.

I’ll never give up, Seth gasped. Never.

As Seth clumsily entered another ready stance, he thought he heard noises. He saw dim, flashing red and blue lights, which grew brighter as they got closer. Vhalxanar turned his head in that direction and looked back at Seth. He removed his hat. To Seth’s surprise, he performed the customary bow of the martial arts, then put his hat back on. Seth heard Vhalxanar’s voice in his head again.

You fought well. I am under orders to keep a low profile, so I find it best to depart. But when we meet again, the authorities will not be your savior; nor will I hold back.

Vhalxanar then disappeared in the tendrils of that smoke that Seth so much hated smelling. As he tried to pull himself together, he managed to see some police officers and the girl who would have been Vhalxanar’s victim running toward him.

Seth sighed. He knew the police wouldn’t believe this. But he would stay and give them his story anyway.

Chapter 2

Seth pulled open the glass door of the dojo and walked in. He glanced at the practicing students, their dark-grey martial arts suits standing out in contrast to the white walls. The large shelving unit to the left was built into the wall. It contained all the non-lethal weapons of the martial arts. The walls themselves had portraits of the dojo’s past leaders going back one hundred fifty years. The floor mat, in the center of the room, was a scarlet that seemed to blend flawlessly with the room’s colors. The floor was hardwood and very smooth.

Banners of red and grey hung from the ceiling, adding to the majestic look of the place. There were two gigantic stained-glass skylights overhead. The east wall was all glass, allowing the Atlantic Ocean to be seen in the distance. One story up were windows all around the sides of the building. There were three doors inside. Two were on the north wall; the other, on the south wall. The south door led to the office, and the north went to locker rooms.

Seth smiled at the beauty of the dojo, then went into the back to change into his suit. When he came back out, the instructor of the dojo was circling the assembly of students, watching as they practiced the moves they were assigned to learn that day.

The students were doing well, this particular group being fast learners. The instructor, Martin Marcus, whom his students called Master Martin, was one of the city’s best martial artists and a very famous public figure. He cared for all his students and considered himself their friend first and teacher second. He glanced with concern at Seth, who had missed class the previous day from his chest wound.

Master Martin turned and walked to the front of the group and faced them. Stop, he said.

The students stood at attention.

The circle, Master Martin commanded.

The students bowed in obedience, formed a circle in the center of the mat, and seated themselves. Master Martin stood in the center of the circle.

Marcie and Dawn, he said.

The two students stood and walked to the center of the ring. They faced Master Martin and bowed, then faced each other and repeated the bow. Master Martin raised his right hand, Marcie and Dawn entering ready stances as he did so.

As he lowered his hand, Master Martin said, Begin.

Marcie and Dawn circled each other for a second, and then Dawn launched a spin kick that connected with Marcie’s chest. Simultaneously, Marcie launched a fierce elbow strike that struck Dawn squarely in the face. Both had pulled their punches as taught, but both had driven each other down to the mat. Marcie scored more points for connecting slightly faster than Dawn.

Dawn and Marcie both clambered to their feet. Marcie moved first, attempting a sweeping kick on Dawn. Since Marcie had stood quicker, the move connected, making Dawn land on her back on the mat. Marcie then finished the skirmish with a hand strike to Dawn’s chest. Marcie was so fast in ending the match that Dawn had no time to react. Marcie stood and helped Dawn to her feet as the watching students applauded. They faced Master Martin and bowed, then returned to their places in