by A F Kay
Ruwen wouldn’t argue with that. He’d seen a tiny portion of what Blapy could do. “And the taller ones?”
“Two pinnacle Diamonds that together wield Divine power. They have perfected movement, and it’s said their combined forms whisper the true name of the universe.”
That made Ruwen think of Sift, and the first time they’d met. Sift had scolded Ruwen for thinking Sift was his actual name. Sift had told him names had power, and true names must stay hidden.
“And all the others?” Ruwen asked.
“They’re all Harvesters, unfortunately. They still follow the old ways. The Companion has a colossal structure where she shelters and trains like-minded individuals.”
Blapy stood, the tiny figure barely able to see over the barrier around the field. The entire stadium hushed. She spoke in a normal tone but sounded as if she stood next to Ruwen. “Sisters and brothers of the true path, I am pleased to see you. When the match concludes, I will meet with any who wish it.”
Willow trembled, and gasps and shouts of joy echoed around the stadium. Blapy sat, and a roar of conversation began.
Willow turned and faced Ruwen. “Even if you are a demon, may the true God bless you for bringing this opportunity to us. With The Companion’s insight, I may finally break through to Sapphire. What a blessed day.” The man took a moment to collect himself and then continued. “Stay here while I fetch the Sky Clan representative.”
Willow strode away, and Ruwen turned his attention to Blapy. He couldn’t be sure, but it appeared as if the little centipede stared directly at him. Their arrival couldn’t have been an accident. Willow had mentioned they never came to these, which meant they’d probably come to see if Sift remained okay.
Ruwen would find out soon enough. If everyone else reacted the same way as Willow, they’d want this match over as quickly as possible, so they could each have their talk with Blapy. That meant Peacock would probably go all out and spend his Spirit quickly.
Willow returned with a Sky Clan member. “The Sky Clan honors your strength, Reaper. This is Phoenix, the Sky Clan leader, and he will fight for truth today.”
Ruwen looked up at the man. Phoenix’s Aspect had long feathers covering it, and the helmet looked like a cross between an eagle and a fireball.
“I assumed, because of how vocal he was, that Peacock would fight me,” Ruwen said.
Phoenix spoke. “A change in plans. Many are eager to speak with The Companion.”
Doubt about his plan trickled into Ruwen’s mind, and he fed it to his Core. If Phoenix led the Clan, then he had likely reached Sapphire or Diamond, and that complicated everything.
And another possibility for Blapy’s appearance occurred to Ruwen. Maybe they hadn’t come to see Sift. Instead, could Blapy have come here, offered to council everyone, just to make things more difficult for him?
Phoenix turned to Willow. “We should get started, the winner will get to speak to The Companion first, and my questions are burning a hole in my mind.”
Ruwen looked at Blapy. He couldn’t see her face, but he bet it held a smile.
Chapter 31
Ruwen refocused on his immediate problem. Fighting Phoenix would be riskier than Peacock, and Ruwen hoped there might still be a chance to end this peacefully.
“I don’t wish to fight you, Phoenix,” Ruwen said.
“That is wise,” Phoenix replied. “Allow us to test your Core, and we can avoid this unpleasantness.”
Ruwen sighed. “It pains me I can’t allow that. Is there any other way to prove I’m not the demon? I swear on everything holy that I’m a simple man.”
Phoenix spread his arms. “Alas, this is the only alternative. I also wish to avoid violence.”
Ruwen nodded. “Give me a moment.”
Rami? Sorry to bother you again. I have a problem.
I know. But Blapy asked me not to aid you.
Wait. You’re talking to Blapy.
Yes. I heard the gong.
Anger bubbled through Ruwen’s thoughts, and he fed them to his Core. Why would she do that? It’s like she is making this as hard as possible.
I agree. But if you want my help, I will still give it.
Ruwen thought a few moments. Is this a game for her? Or do you think her actions have a purpose?
With her, it is always both.
Fine, then. Let’s do as she asked. You can keep looking in your indexes for the Iris.
That is our next problem. I can’t find the location, and I have nowhere else to look.
Willow cleared his throat. “Do you wish to proceed?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Ruwen said.
Willow nodded. “The rules are simple. Combat ends when one of you submits or fifteen minutes have passed. Reaper, if you submit, you agree to remove your Aspect and be tested.” Willow looked at Phoenix briefly and then back at Ruwen. “If you are incapacitated, vaporized, or in some other way rendered unable to fight, this triggers an automatic submission on your part. Agreed?”
Ruwen could tell Willow didn’t think Ruwen had any chance against Phoenix.
Willow turned to Phoenix. “If you submit or fifteen minutes pass, you agree to leave Reaper and his group in peace, and stop any others who wish him harm while in our lands.”
“Agreed,” Phoenix said.
Willow nodded. “Stand in front of your sections. When the Spirit ward forms, you may begin. The ward will pulse blue when five minutes remain and red to mark the last minute.”
Ruwen didn’t know what a Spirit ward was, but Willow and Phoenix were already moving away. He shrugged and decided he’d know soon enough. He walked back toward his group and waited.
Willow stopped near the side with Blapy, and his voice filled the stadium. “Fellow travelers of the true path, today we bear witness to a battle for truth. Reaper, wearing the Aspect of the Scarecrow, is the accused. Phoenix of the Sky Clan is the accuser. The truth of Reaper’s claim that he is human, and not responsible for our missing brothers, is at stake.”
Willow bowed deeply toward Blapy, Padda, and Madda. “We are awed and humbled that such esteemed guests have joined us.” Willow strode off the field and then looked back at Ruwen and Phoenix. He raised his hands. “Let truth show itself.”
A translucent wall emerged from the borders of the field, warping the air as it climbed into the sky. In a blink, it had merged a hundred feet above them. Ruwen guessed it must be the Spirit ward since it looked like a barrier to keep everyone safe from the battle.
The ward triggered the start of the duel, and Ruwen looked across the field to locate Phoenix. A cylinder of fire struck Ruwen in the chest and slammed him against the Spirit ward.
The Aspect armor pulled Spirit from Ruwen’s Core as it shielded him from the flames. Even with the armor’s protection, the heat burned his skin, and he felt blisters rise across his body. As the heat’s intensity increased, an island appeared in his mind, rising from the sea of pain, and his thoughts took refuge there.
Ruwen cast a level ten Blooming Trunk on himself, and the blisters faded. The flames kept him pinned to the Spirit ward, and they blinded him. With a thought, Ruwen created a Spirit clone at the far end of the stadium near Blapy and immediately dropped it to the ground to avoid discovery.
From the clone, Ruwen watched Phoenix march across the field. Phoenix’s Aspect had turned into pure flame, and the air sizzled and popped around him. Ruwen had thought the fire would end, but Phoenix didn’t look like he planned on stopping.
Ruwen let the clone dissolve and, back in his body, cast level ten Blooming Trunk again. From the brief time he’d experimented with his Fire, Air, and Chaos Meridians, he could tell Phoenix had spent his life learning how to control them. Ruwen, bathed in flames for so long, felt the different essence concentrations in the spell. He took this information and altered his fire recipes to make them better.
This attack had likely consumed a vast amount of Phoenix’s Spirit, but Ruwen had also used significant Spirit in powering hi
s armor for protection. Without the armor, he would have vaporized immediately. He needed to take away Phoenix’s advantage.
Unfortunately, Ruwen didn’t have the centuries of experience Phoenix had. Ruwen had to be a little more straightforward with his attacks.
Ruwen created a level twenty-six essence rod, touched it to his Stone Meridian in the thigh of his right leg, and pulled upward on the dirt floor of the field. The flames stopped, and he could finally see.
A pillar of dirt began one-hundred feet in front of Ruwen, stretched two hundred feet toward the Sky Clan’s seats, and reached the top of the Spirit ward a hundred feet above. Hopefully, the stone pillar had crushed Phoenix against the Spirit ward, and he would now submit.
The dirt wall exploded as Air essence filled the stadium, slamming Ruwen against the Spirit ward again. Hundreds of vortexes appeared, picking up dirt and rocks and rotating them until they became columns of spinning death. Air and soil fought for space under the dome, and it became difficult to breathe. It reminded him of the Suffocation Bracer, and he ignored the discomfort.
Ruwen lost sight of Phoenix and knew better than to stay in one place too long, so he dashed down the wall away from Blapy’s side. The tornados clumped in the middle of the field, and he realized the slope of the dome kept them from reaching the edges. If he stayed near the wall, he could avoid them.
The situation wasn’t great. Phoenix was a Cultivator of incredible strength. Ruwen had survived the initial onslaught, but it had cost a lot of Spirit. He didn’t want to trade Spirit like that and needed to exhaust Phoenix another way.
The lack of vision gave Ruwen an idea. He stopped and used a level ten Stone Meridian essence rod on the ground in front of him, gently scooping the earth to the side. He lay down in the hole and then pulled the dirt back over him with another essence rod.
Buried, Ruwen willed a clone into existence above him. A heartbeat later, through his clone, Ruwen looked down at the ground where he lay covered. The soil bulged slightly, but with all the dirt flying around and settling, it didn’t look out of place. He turned and dashed for the center of the field, and away from his body.
The rock, dirt, and grass tornados spun violently and made a whistling sound as they tore the air apart. Ruwen dashed around the field, and every time Phoenix caught sight of him, multiple vortexes would converge. Ruwen dodged between them, immediately creating a new clone when one died.
To anyone watching, it appeared as if Ruwen had somehow survived. For five minutes, Phoenix continued to increase the size and number of vortexes. When these hadn’t ripped Ruwen apart, Phoenix added blades made of condensed air. They bounced between the tornados, shredding the ground as they moved. Ruwen prayed he’d buried himself deep enough and did his best to keep the fight away from his body. Another five minutes passed, and the tornados and air blades had become too numerous to survive without revealing his clone trick, forcing Ruwen to flee toward the Sky Clan’s seats.
The air went still, and the columns of spinning debris collapsed, filling the field with mounds of dirt like small hills. Air must be Phoenix’s strongest Meridian for him to spend so long using it.
Ruwen looked up in time to throw himself to the side. Phoenix crashed into the ground, leaving a furrow through the soil. The Sky Clan leader stood and faced Ruwen.
Phoenix hooked his left hand out as if blocking a punch. He stepped forward with his right leg, aiming his right elbow at Ruwen’s head. Ruwen dodged to the side, but Phoenix snapped his arm open and swung it backward, almost catching Ruwen in the head.
Three things occurred to Ruwen as he stumbled backward. His clone’s form didn’t react as quickly as his body did, Phoenix had the reflexes of a gem-level Cultivator, and the Sky Clan leader had increased this incredible speed using his Air Meridian.
Ruwen dashed behind the nearest hill. As soon as Phoenix disappeared from view, Ruwen let the clone dissolve, and created a new clone on the opposite hill. He wondered if he could cast spells through his clone and mentally placed a level forty Stone Meridian essence rod in his clone’s right hand, which was enough energy to move a thousand feet of stone.
The Spirit ward pulsed blue. Only five minutes remained in the match.
Chapter 32
Ruwen, worried that Phoenix might launch himself into the sky to search, silently sprinted at Phoenix from behind and then punched him in the back.
He felt guilty for the sucker punch, but since his clone didn’t have the greatest reflexes, a frontal attack would be difficult. Plus, Phoenix had tried to vaporize Ruwen at the very beginning of the duel. He decided to worry about the sportsmanship of his attack later.
Phoenix buckled from the Stone Meridian-enhanced punch, but Ruwen didn’t hear anything crack. If Ruwen had been fighting in his own body, he would have waited a moment to absorb the details of Phoenix’s reaction so he could counter them. But his clone’s body lacked that speed. He would need to guess Phoenix’s next attacks to have any hope of avoiding them.
Ruwen ducked as Phoenix used his arching back to bring his right arm backward in a powerful blow. Phoenix twisted around using his right leg as a pivot and swung his left leg down in a mighty kick. Ruwen had planned for this and thrown himself out of reach. Phoenix brought his arms apart in a flourish, and the air roiled at the speed of the movement.
While Ruwen admired the beauty of whatever bird form Phoenix practiced, some movements were unnecessary, and they would provide opportunities for Ruwen to exploit. It would help to balance the speed and durability advantage Phoenix had.
They circled each other, and Ruwen relaxed as he prepared to fight. He wanted to avoid giving away his Bamboo Viper Clan moves, not wanting to implicate Padda and Madda with the Scarecrow or give people a way to figure out his identity.
But that likely wouldn’t be possible as he’d spent years making them muscle memory. The two forms were opposites of each other and even practiced that way. But he suspected they hid a third form, and he’d discovered a handful of moves in his fourth year with Rami that he thought might belong to this merged form.
Phoenix moved his arms back and forth in some strange motion, the pattern hypnotizing, and Ruwen barely dodged a kick to his head. He needed to be careful, as some of Phoenix’s movements had a powerful distracting component.
“You strike from behind like a coward,” Phoenix said.
Ruwen didn’t respond. He’d learned many painful lessons from Rami about getting suckered into talking during a fight. Phoenix thought this was Ruwen’s actual body. But as soon as he struck it, the truth would be revealed. He just needed to make it another five minutes, but his clone's fragileness was a real disadvantage, and he wondered if he could make it more durable.
“I’ll melt you into such tiny particles that a millennium will pass before you can form a thought,” Phoenix said.
Again, Ruwen didn’t respond and dodged a punch and two kicks. The most obvious way to strengthen the clone would be to funnel Spirit to it, but he didn’t have a connection to it, at least not one he could feel. The Aspect pulled Spirit from Ruwen when it needed to protect him, so maybe he just needed to give the Aspect Spirit voluntarily.
Phoenix moved his hands in a circle, and his feet seemed to float across the ground. “I will find your Clan in the Infernal Realm and destroy them.”
The Plague Siren had literally been on fire already, so he didn’t think Phoenix would be effective against her Clan, and then cursed himself for getting distracted. Rami would have made him pay for that.
Ruwen refocused on how to get Spirit to his Aspect. He decided to use the same method he’d constructed for his spells: essence rods. He created a level twenty rod, and instead of touching it to the essence in one of his Meridians, he touched his Core. Then he mentally smeared the rod across the Aspect.
Phoenix whimpered and stumbled away from Ruwen. Screams from the stands made him glance at them, wondering if someone had attacked the spectators. The Spirit ward pulsed brightly, and the screaming
stopped. Those that had stood sat back down.
“What a vile attack,” Phoenix said. “But your fear won’t work on me.”
Phoenix had regained his stance, but Ruwen could see a difference. The Bird Clan leader no longer had the confidence he did before. It appeared feeding the Aspect Spirit didn’t make the clone stronger, but triggered some type of fear attack. And judging by the crowd, it must be powerful to seep through the Spirit ward, when the flames and explosions hadn’t.
Phoenix flicked his wrists, and curved flaming swords appeared in each hand like burning talons. The swords were each three feet long, and Ruwen could feel their heat from where he stood.
The swords seemed to give Phoenix his confidence back, and he advanced on Ruwen. Phoenix brought both blades down at an angle, and Ruwen leaned out of the way. Phoenix let the momentum of his attack spin him around, and when he faced Ruwen again, he screeched, like an eagle swooping in to snatch a rabbit.
Ruwen’s mental shield shrugged off the stun, but it delayed his control of the clone, and Phoenix sliced both swords downward in a “v” shape, cutting off the clone’s arms and severing its body at the waist. The clone turned into smoke and dissipated.
“A double!” Phoenix screamed and then jumped into the air.
Ruwen created another clone and ran it along the wall toward Blapy’s side.
Phoenix ignored the clone and circled upward until he reached the apex of the Spirit ward. He floated there and studied the field below. Ruwen’s anxiety increased, and he fed the useless emotion to his Core. If Phoenix’s Aspect had some ability like Sift’s did, it might help him find hidden objects.
Hundreds of fire spears struck the field, sinking into the ground. Phoenix didn’t have much time left, and Ruwen knew he would saturate the soil with these spears until he struck Ruwen.
Ruwen triggered another level twenty fear attack, and Phoenix fell ten feet before regaining his balance. Still ninety feet in the air, he turned in a slow circle before focusing on the area where Ruwen lay buried. A moment later, Ruwen realized his mistake, as spears of fire fell from above, engulfing the area with flames. He had given away his general location with the attack. Probably because the fear felt stronger when looking at its source.
