"467....468....469...470...."

Linedwell's breathing was becoming increasingly labored the longer he trained within the dojo; the push-ups he'd been doing to increase his strength putting a larger toll on him then he'd initially figured they would. Ever since Mr. Miyagi's suggestion that Linedwell work on increasing his physical strength, Linedwell had been doing all that he could to increase his overall strength. He realized due to his fighting style that he'd put too much emphasis on speed - as his fighting style was one that he honed in the use of assassination. Yet, if his strength wasn't on par with his speed then he wouldn't be able to take down foes that could match his speed. Due to his lowered stamina, he wouldn't be able to fight for too long simply relying on speed. He needed to increase the weapons he had in his arsenal, and strength was something he'd need. To reach that upper level your mind, body and soul must be one. It's a sacrifice; it takes hard work, it's a way of life - and if he wanted to reach that upper echelon he had to be willing to put all the work that he could into his training.

At the moment, Linedwell happened to be the only one currently in the dojo. Many of the other students seemed to have other business to attend to recently, and Mr. Miyagi had finally set out on a well deserved vacation on another island somewhere in the South Blue. Many of the other students took this as an opportunity to get some rest, but Linedwell knew if he did that he'd simply cause himself to lag behind. Rest wasn't something he needed. Right now his entire life was dedicated to moving forward with his ambitions - and the actions he'd taken by killing off his detachment was simply the first step in this ambition. If he'd stopped now then their deaths were simply in vain.

Though he seemed to be detached when it came to the act of killing, Linedwell wasn't one to kill unless there was either a greater purpose involved, or if his life had been endangered. In the case of his once comrades, he needed to sacrifice them in order to continue on with his goals - it had nothing to do with him wanting any of them dead and it was never personal. He respected the men he killed, and their deaths would serve to give birth to something greater.

With all of this going through Linedwell's head, he had yet to notice that another person had entered the dojo. It wasn't until the guest spoke out that Linedwell finally realized he wasn't alone during his training.

"I thought there would be more of you here..."

With those words breaking Linedwell's concentration, he slowly stood in order to face the stranger. The man that stood in front of him had hair that gave off the impression that he was a wild beast - and his clothing made it seem that he'd just come out of an 80's martial arts movie (whatever that meant). Before Linedwell could say anything or even ask why the man was present in this dojo, the male quickly darted forward with his hand raised in an attacking position. It seemed that this man had an agenda that Linedwell's wasn't exactly privy to, but it involved this dojo and thus Linedwell needed to act as well.

Jumping backwards, Linedwell put about a meters worth of space between the two at the last second, causing the male to swipe air, yet, it didn't appear that this had been the last of the male's attack. After the swipe, a gust of sharp wind breezed by Linedwell, cutting his shoulder. Wincing, Linedwell grabbed his left shoulder and noticed that the male's hands were now glowing with a dark crimson color.

Whoever this man was, he was a lot stronger than Linedwell had initially given him credit for. He'd never seen someone who had the ability to make use of vacuum slicing without making use of a weapon. It was an obvious indication that taking strikes from any of this man's limbs would cause damage akin to being struck by a blade.

"Who are you?"

It was a simple question, yet, it seemed to spark rage in the man, causing him to go on the attack once again. Deciding not to underestimate this man any further, Linedwell decided to go on the offensive as well - being that he was never one to simply cower in the face of adversity. If this man could use vacuum slicing, then Linedwell figured he'd do the same. Once within range of the man, Linedwell quickly unsheathed O-Ren Ishii before slashing the air in front of him, sending a slice of wind in the man's direction at the same time that the male had done the same once again. While the two blades of air clashed, Linedwell quickly circled the clash, and in the confusion of everything he was able to land a blow against the male, slicing him across the back. Even though it was a clean blow, the "glow" that surrounded the man seemed to mitigate some of the damage. While Linedwell still had prime positioning behind the man, he managed to get off a few more strikes that finally caused the man to slump to the floor in defeat.

Linedwell still hadn't managed to get the man's name, but he figured someone in the dojo might figure out who he was eventually. With the battle completed, Linedwell went back to his training.

-Exit-