by Rick Scott
Blood erupted from his mouth and his knees grew weak.
The lieutenant was still alive, but her dour face drooped even further with shock. She looked down at her chest where he had struck her, feeling as if for pain. Then slowly a trickle of blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth.
“By the stars,” Olja said from behind. “You really are him…”
What…?
As he turned to face Olja, the lieutenant suddenly reanimated, thrusting at him with her jian. He barely turned back to face her when a sound like thunder shook the tiny room.
The cage blew open behind him and Olja’s massive form flew out in a whirlwind. Her knee slammed into the lieutenant’s chest, driving her back into the wall and cracking it further. Kenji backed away, clutching his shoulder as the two mystic warriors unleashed on one another. They both became a blur, the lieutenant trying to defend herself while Olja fired off a series of punches in rapid succession. But Olja had the clear advantage with her much-larger frame. With the lieutenant already pinned against the wall, Olja ended the fight with an uppercut that slammed the smaller woman against the ceiling, before sending her collapsing in a heap to the floor.
“Hells alive!” Olja stared down at the dour-faced woman who was now either unconscious or dead, debris from the ceiling falling on top of her. “It felt great to finally be able to do that.”
Kenji stared back at Olja, stupefied. The woman was a beast.
“Come on,” she said turning to him. “You need to come with me.”
“Hold on!” Shinoto stepped in front of him. “We’re not going anywhere with you until you tell us exactly who you are.”
Olja cocked a brow. “We?” She then looked to Kenji. “Who is this little girl?”
“She’s my friend,” Kenji said. “And if we’re going anywhere, we’re going together. But as she said, we’re not moving until you tell me where you want to take me and why.”
“Do we really have time for this? Look at you, you’re bleeding!”
They probably didn’t have time, but he wasn’t about to run into another trap. “You said I really am him, just now. What did you mean?”
She furrowed her brow. “You really don’t know, do you?”
“I may know more than you think, but tell me why you’re here first. Why did you come for me? How did you know to save me from that demon?”
The Xjian woman exhaled. “Look, I serve a certain master who has entrusted me to protect you and bring you to the north. You can trust me on that much, all right?”
“A certain master?” Shinoto twisted her lips and glanced at Kenji. “If that doesn’t sound like the Iron Company then I don’t know what does. You really are just a sellblade, aren’t you?”
Olja craned her neck, looking offended. “And what if I am? Is that a problem, little girl? I have to earn money somehow, you know? Advancement on this world is expensive as hell.”
This world? “What do you mean?”
Olja grunted with frustration. “You see why we can’t talk about this right now?”
“Just tell me who you serve!”
“I serve you, all right!” Olja said. Releasing another sigh, she then dropped to one knee before him, bowing her head. “By order of the Holy Seer of the 8th Realm of Ascendance, I, Olja, pledge myself to your service, to protect and train you for your duty ahead.” She then looked up. “Happy now?”
Shinoto glanced at him. “What’s the 8th Realm of Ascendance?”
Kenji didn’t know, but he’d heard the name before.
“And so am I the Templar?” he asked recalling what the Bloody Duke had said before.
Olja blinked. “Are you finally getting your memory back?”
Kenji chuckled. “It’s a bit more complicated than that. All right, I trust you, but we’re not heading north. We’re heading south to Kurogane.”
“What?”
“I need to visit someone there to fix my doma. It’s sealed and I can’t use my Qi.”
“Can’t use your Qi? Are you kidding me?” Olja looked down at the lieutenant. “Did you see what you did to that soldier just now? With a single punch?”
It was true. He didn’t expect the leaking Qi alone to make him so strong. Even now his back and shoulder seemed to have stopped bleeding altogether. “Well…I can’t use it properly. Without it killing me, that is.”
“Fine, whatever. Let’s just go.” Olja took a step past him. “We need to get out of here before that general and his flunkies decide to show back up.”
As they turned to trail after her, Shinoto caught him by the sleeve and whispered, “I still don’t trust her, Kenji.”
“Why?” he said. “She knows who I am. Or supposed to be. That’s good enough for now.”
“But she’s still a sellblade. My father always told me to never trust the Iron Company.”
“A smart man, your father,” Olja said with a laugh, apparently overhearing her whisper. “The Iron Company is full of cutthroats and bandits.”
“Yes,” Shinoto said. “And I’m sure you’re not one of them, right?”
“Look, if it makes you feel any better, I’ll trust you to know me by my moniker.”
“What do you mean moniker?” Kenji asked. “What is that?”
“It’s a name we reveal only to our clients.”
“Or the people you’re about to kill,” Shinoto said sardonically.
The big woman laughed. “Such a precocious child, you are. But in this case, it will mean the opposite, little one. I’m here to protect you.”
“That remains to be seen,” Shinoto said, sounding unconvinced. “So what is it then?”
Olja looked over her shoulder at Shinoto and grinned. “Within the company, I’m known as the Iron Queen.”
Chapter 40 - Separation
The Iron Queen?
Kenji didn’t know what that meant, but by the way she said it, it seemed to hold some kind of significance. Or perhaps it did only to her. Either way, he was sticking with calling her Olja. The giant of a woman dashed across the dojo in long, quick strides and he had to sprint to keep up with her. Shinoto did as well, making use of her Qinggong.
When Olja descended the stairs into the main hall she stopped, scanning the walls.
“By the hells, there they are!” She reached effortlessly for the pair of armored gauntlets pinned high on the wall. She fitted them on her large hands and frowned. “I should really invest in body storage next Dan.”
Kenji looked about the room and thought of what else they could perhaps make use of. The place was filled with weapons, but he didn’t really know how to use any of them. But then his eyes fell upon the armor. He immediately thought of Shinoto and found a small, fur-lined leather vest that would perhaps fit her.
“Shinoto,” he said, removing the armor from off the wall. “You should wear this.”
As he handed it to her, Olja suddenly thrust a thick metal breastplate into his arms. “The same goes for you, tough guy. Put this on.”
Tough guy?
Kenji strained with the weight of the thing as Olja dropped it into his hands. It felt perhaps lighter than it should, but it wasn’t light by any means. Even with his strength, he could not see himself holding it for very long, especially with his wounds. “This will slow me down too much. And we need to travel by river. I wouldn’t want to fall overboard wearing this.”
He was about to set it down and look for something else, when Olja pushed the breastplate back towards him.
“I said, you’re wearing it,” she insisted. “It’s the best armor in here. And I didn’t travel for a month through hostile territory just to have you killed by a random spear. Now put it on!”
He was about to protest, but decided to refrain from arguing with the woman any further—especially since she seemed well capable of simply stuffing him into the armor herself, if she wanted to. He removed his pack and slid the iron breastplate over his robes, fastening it with the strings on its sides. As they pulled taut, the ru
nes upon the armor glowed, perhaps reacting with his leaking Qi. Immediately the armor felt lighter and the wound on his shoulder even began to soothe.
By the fates…
Olja smiled at him, perhaps seeing the look on his face. “See? Told you, right?”
He had heard of such things of course, armor that held potent effects, but to experience it for himself was a new marvel to behold. He stared down at the ornate carvings on the black-iron breastplate with a new sense of awe. “It’s amazing.”
“Let’s get moving.” The giant woman retrieved a rune staff off the wall and tossed it to Shinoto. “You use Soul Mastery, correct?”
Shinoto nodded as she caught it. “Yes, but I haven’t trained with a staff as yet.”
“It’s easier to master than the bangles,” she said and then grabbed a set of those from the wall next before handing them to her as well. “Save these for later.”
“What are you all doing?”
Kenji turned at the voice to see Chet Fai standing within the doorway of the great hall.
The boy’s eyes immediately locked onto his sister. “Shinoto! Are you a complete fool? What have you gotten yourself into?”
Olja furrowed her brows. “Who the hells is this kid?”
Shinoto sighed. “He’s my brother…”
“And he’s also not a kid,” Kenji said, stepping towards him. “Chet Fai, now is not the time. We’re leaving this place.”
“Shinoto!” Chet Fai barked, ignoring him. “Get away from them right now!”
Shinoto bit her lower lip as a look of defiance crossed her face. “I will not.”
Chet Fai blinked. “What did you say?”
“I said, no!” she shouted. “I’m leaving the village with Kenji and Olja. And you are not to follow us, understand?”
Fury lit within Chet Fai’s eyes. With a flash of Qi, he leapt across the great hall to her, gripping Shinoto by her wrists. “I am the head of our family now! You will do as I say! You’re too young and stupid to realize what you’re even—”
A resounding slap echoed throughout the hall.
Chet Fai stared at his sister in shock, a reddening handprint emerging on his face. Time seemed to stand still as the shock turned into what looked like hurt. But as quickly as it appeared it left and was replaced by a scowl of rage. Qi emanated from him as he drew back his hand, his fingers curling into a fist.
“Chet Fai!”
Kenji surged forward with a speed he didn’t think himself capable of. He caught Chet Fai by the wrist, squeezing hard. “Stop it!”
“Let go of me, you cripple!” He threw his arm back, but Kenji’s grip held firm.
The boy’s eyes grew wide with pain and shock. “Argh! What in the hells?”
For once it seemed as if their bodies were behaving as their true proportions should. Against the concentrated strength of his leaking Qi, Chet Fai’s feeble blue tier made him as weak as the young boy he appeared to be.
“You will not strike her,” Kenji said, and then he lifted Chet Fai into the air by his robes. “Your sister is coming with me.”
Chet Fai struggled against him, kicking and reeling. “This is impossible! What have you done?” He then looked down at the breastplate. “That armor…take it off and see if you can face me without it!”
“I’m not as weak as you think, Chet Fai.” He tossed the boy to the ground and he landed shamefully on his rear. “And it’s not the armor either.”
As Chet Fai scrambled to get to his feet, Kenji stared at the boy. He finally had the strength to put Chet Fai in his place, even if it did come with the added price of the sharp pain now emanating from his doma. But he felt beyond that now. Years of childish tormenting seemed insignificant compared to what lay before him—a new life as a cultivator once he finally unlocked his doma—perhaps even the chance to become the great legend he once was.
He once envied and even feared Chet Fai, but now he only pitied him.
The boy stood with his fists clenched, glaring at him, but he didn’t seem willing to attack—perhaps fearful now. Even from across the room, Kenji could sense it—a subtle shift in the balance of power that lay between them.
“You were always a coward, Chet Fai. Only able to prey on those you found weaker than yourself. Even if it’s your own sister.”
He didn’t say anything to that, his recent actions perhaps causing him shame. But as much of a coward and brute as he was, Chet Fai was still Shinoto’s only remaining family and kin. And this would perhaps be the last time he and Shinoto would ever see him again.
In that sense, there was still something that remained undone.
“I’m also not an honorless thief like you,” Kenji said as he undid his pack and withdrew three books from within. “There is something I now owe you, Chet Fai.”
Chet Fai stared, confused, as Kenji dropped to one knee and placed the three tomes of the Sacred Han Arts on the floor. “These are my birthright. My true possessions handed down to me by my father. You never had the right to claim them for your own or to give them away.” He then slid them across the wooden floor to the boy. “But I will honor your family by gifting them to you now, as a dowry price.”
Shinoto gripped his shoulder. “Kenji, you can’t… Those are yours!”
“It’s only right, Shinoto,” he said. “And besides, my father has already taught me everything there is to learn within them. They are my only true possessions, yes, but for the sake of your family, it’s a price I’m more than willing to pay.” He looked to Chet Fai. “There must be peace between us now, Chet Fai. Although you may despise me, we can no longer afford to be enemies. In time, I will seek to call you my brother…when I marry your sister one day.”
“Marry her?” Anger flashed in his eyes. “You’re not worthy of her! And she’s still just a child, you—”
“I am not a child!” Shinoto shouted. “I may be stuck in this body, but I’m not the stupid, dullard girl you think me to be, Chet Fai!” Tears formed in her eyes as her voice cracked. “Kenji is more worthy than you know. And one day he’ll be more powerful than you could ever imagine. He brings no shame to our family…” She then paused. “…I’m the only one who ever did that. And you always hated me for it!”
Chet Fai looked at Shinoto as if she had struck him again, her words wounding him far more than a fist ever could.
“You hound Kenji because you see myself in him: the dullard girl who barely reached 8th tier at 17. But like it or not, I am that girl, Chet Fai. And Kenji loves me despite it.” Shinoto took hold of Kenji’s hand then, squeezing it. “I was never talented like you, brother. You belong at this school, but I don’t. And that’s all right, because I’ve found my own path now.”
Chet Fai looked at their clasped hands and blinked back what looked like tears. “I’ve… I’ve never hated you, Shinoto…I only wanted to protect you!”
“Yes,” she said, “because you only thought of me as weak.”
Chet Fai’s throat flexed in a swallow, but he didn’t appear to have any words to refute what she had said.
“As my elder brother, I love and respect you for your concern,” Shinoto said with a small bow. “But I’m not the weak little girl who still needs your protecting. You must respect my wishes now, Chet Fai. I’m leaving with Kenji to make a life with him. Please make a life of your own here…without me.”
Chet Fai’s mouth fell open as he sunk to his knees. “Shinoto… please… don’t do this…you’re my family!”
“I must,” she said. “It’s where the fates have taken me. We’ve lost our parents and our home. It’s time we decide our futures now. I’ve found my way…please seek yours.”
Silence reigned for an eternity as Chet Fai only stared, his eyes unsteady.
“We need to go,” Olja said.
Kenji looked up her and nodded.
“You are the chief of what’s left of our clan now, Chet Fai,” Kenji said as he stood. “Those books should remain with you always. Cherish and guard them th
is time—the same as I will your sister.”
The boy looked down at the books, despondently. He then looked up at Kenji as if wanting to say something to him, but no words came from his mouth.
There was no more time to wait for him to react or respond. They had to leave.
“When we see each other again, I pray it will be in peace.” Kenji bowed with a palm wrapped around his fist. “May the fates be kind to you, Chet Fai.”
As they walked by him, Shinoto gave her brother a quick embrace that he seemed too beside himself to return. As she left him, he suddenly turned and called out.
“Shinoto, wait! Shinoto!”
She looked back at him with a frown and a shimmer of tears in her eyes. “I love you, brother!”
They left him then, Chet Fai remaining on his knees in stunned silence, as they ran out of the great hall.
Chapter 41 - Turmoil
Kenji raced across the dusty ground of the school courtyard, Shinoto at his side and Olja leading the charge. The dozen or so students herded outside the school recoiled with shock upon seeing the large Xjian woman, now running like a raging bull. A few of the younger students even screamed.
Two 2nd-Dan students of perhaps 14, boldly dashed forward, attempting to block their path, but a savage shout from Olja stopped them in their tracks.
“Don’t even think about it!” she bellowed in her coarse foreign tone.
It was enough to make even Kenji fear her for a moment. They left the schoolyard, passing through the paifang and headed towards the steps. Kenji feared at any moment that he’d see Hu Dong and the general dashing up the steps towards them, but surprisingly, despite how long they took inside the great hall, there was no one else in sight.
Perhaps the fates were with them indeed.
Olja ventured towards the edge of the cliff face, peering over the side and down at the village below. “Perfect. This is just what we need to get away. Where is this boat you were talking about?”
“It’s past the main gate, to the west,” Kenji said as he sidled up next to her to show her from above. “If we get down the steps fast enough, we can…”
