Water (Buryoku Book 3)

by Aaron Oster

  “Good night,” she said, her voice drifting to him from the darkness.

  “Good night,” he called back, finally getting Ferry to move her head and getting up himself.

  He never got to sleep alone anymore, and even as he headed for his own mat on the opposite side of the clearing, Ferry followed, her nose bumping against his lower back every other step.

  “Do you really have to do that?” Roy admonished as he sank onto the mat.

  “Yes.”

  Roy snorted out a laugh as he dusted off the bottom of his feet. His feet tended to get dirty a lot, seeing as how they didn’t wear shoes when training. He didn’t even technically need to wear them, and seeing as any attack he used would blow the shoes apart, he’d taken to just walking everywhere barefoot. He still kept a pair of shoes with him at all times just in case he ran into a similar problem as he had a few months ago.

  Hermit had assured him multiple times that now that he’d found his ideal, losing his Core wasn’t likely to happen again. At least, not unless someone physically tore it from his chest, by which point he’d be too dead to care.

  Dismissing that morbid thought, Roy swung his now clean feet onto the mat and laid back, letting out a sigh of relief as he was finally able to fully relax for the first time all day. Ferry sank down next to him, pressing herself into his side and practically smothering him with her thick fur.

  “I don’t know how you can live out here with all that fur,” Roy complained as he shifted sideways to escape.

  It did him no good, as Ferry simply shifted along with him, snuggling even tighter to his side. He blew out a long breath but didn’t try moving again. Ferry’s tail came around his legs then, and her upper body curled around so her head lay right above his, placed on top of her front paws.

  Roy didn’t get an answer from her, though she did shift a bit closer to him over the next few minutes as she got more comfortable. By the time she was done moving about, one of her large paws was sitting on his chest, her lower jaw was pressed to his head, and her tail was half-covering him. Roy might have been annoyed had he not already been used to this.

  As it was, he was glad he was wearing such a light robe, because sleeping with Ferry as a blanket when it was eighty-degrees outside was not pleasant. At all.

  4

  Kai, or Hermit, as he’d come to think of himself over the last three months, sat high in the branches of a Shukka tree some few miles from the camp. It was a sign that they were getting close to civilization, as the tree wasn’t one that was natural to the region. This species of tree had been brought in by the clan from outside the Empire for both its Essence-rich fruit and medicinal properties.

  The wood itself was all but useless for construction, as it was too fibrous and soft, but a tree that provided as much as this one did would never be cut for something so mundane. Hermit took a bite of one of the plump green fruits. This was his second, the pit of the first already tucked away in his robes.

  These were valuable, as they carried with them the potential for another Shukka tree. Though this was only the first he’d spotted, Hermit knew that in just a few days, they’d be walking through entire orchards of the stuff. It was one of the Itachi clan’s main exports, for both the fruit and the Healing Pills crafted from its bark and sap.

  “You seem to be enjoying that fruit an awful lot,” the Core in his chest commented.

  “It’s something I haven’t tasted since I left,” Hermit replied, taking another bite and savoring the flavor.

  Unlike a lot of fruit, the ones that came from the Shukka tree were completely sweet, without a hint of tang or sourness. The flesh on the outside was like that of a grape, but on the inside, the darker green flesh was far softer.

  “You seem ill at ease.”

  “I am,” Hermit said. “I’m going to see my little sister and brother again for the first time in three hundred years. I didn’t exactly say goodbye when I left, and we didn’t part on the best of terms.”

  There was also something else that was bothering him. It wasn’t tangible, but rather, something that he felt in the air, a distinct sense of menace that made him feel both nervous and tense. It was as though there was an unseen predator tracking their every movement, preparing to pounce at any time. The fact that even he could feel nervous about it was what really set him on edge, and though there was no tangible evidence of this, his instincts were rarely wrong.

  “I wonder how the Empire has changed since we’ve been gone,” the Core said, pulsing lightly in his chest. “Do you think your sister is still in charge?”

  “Without a doubt,” Hermit muttered, taking another bite.

  Ikari wouldn’t give up control of the clan without a fight, and as far as he knew, there was no one strong enough in the entire clan to challenge her. In fact, when he’d left, she could probably beat all of the Supremes the clan had without even breaking a sweat. And while he’d slacked over the last few centuries, she’d undoubtedly continued training. He wondered how close she was to achieving the dream of every Martial Artist, or at least, the ones who knew what they were striving for.

  Black Belt was seen as the pinnacle of power for any true Martial Artist. The Scions were the top superpowers on Buryoku, and as far as Hermit knew, there were only four. There were two men and two women who’d reached the heights to transcend this world and leave for another. They’d remained here, though, and everyone else could not fathom as to why. The Scions stayed out of any of the major clans, each preferring to pursue their own interests, which was why the Seven Great clans were able to maintain a balance of power.

  Hermit had met one of them once, Hana the Scion of Tales, and had been awed by her sheer presence. That had been back in his younger years, when he’d been known as the Sage of Ruin. He’d been brash, quick to anger, and killed without thought, but even he had bowed before the power of the Scion. When he’d felt the sheer magnitude of her strength, he’d finally understood just how large a gap there was between them.

  He’d already been a 2nd Dan Brown-Belt by then, and it had been a turning point in his life. She hadn’t said much to him, just a few words, but they were ones that still resonated with him to this day.

  “Ruin leads only to destruction, and destruction leads only to ruin.”

  That was all she’d said, but it had been enough. From that point on, he’d no longer felt the same primal joy during a fight or the same sense of satisfaction in destroying another clan. Every time he went on a rampage in the name of the Itachi clan, Hana’s words echoed in his mind.

  “You haven’t thought of the Scion in quite some time,” the Core said as the silence stretched on.

  Hermit silently berated himself. If the Core was hearing his thoughts, then he’d allowed his control to slip far too much.

  “It’s unimportant,” Hermit said, pushing down the confusing mix of emotions that came up every time the Scion came to mind. “I doubt that Ikari has managed to become a Scion just yet, and if she were close, we’d have heard about it. In all likelihood, she’s stuck somewhere in the middle, trying to break through a wall she cannot breach.”

  “And what makes you so sure of that?”

  “I know my sister,” Hermit answered plainly.

  For all her power, Ikari had one glaring flaw — her pride. So long as she held onto that, she’d never advance to the end.

  Hermit froze, his body going still as he felt something very unusual. Turning on the branch upon which he was seated, he craned his neck upward and narrowed his eyes. All he saw was an empty sky, but that didn’t dissuade him from continuing to look. Something was definitely up there. All he had to do was…There!

  He leaped into the air, kicking off with his Essence – anything more would have damaged the tree – and propelling himself upward. Each step took him a bit higher, until he was finally level with the figure, standing on the air as though it were made of solid ground. This, in and of itself, wasn’t a particularly impressive trick. Hermit himself had a vari
ation of the exact same technique.

  What was impressive was the fact that the only warning he’d gotten of the man’s presence was the slightest hint of a foreign power. From previous experiences with this man, Hermit was surprised he’d gotten even that, though he suspected that his advancement to Gray-Belt and the reiki suffusing his Core had something to do with it.

  “You spotted me,” Azure said, brow furrowing even so slightly. “How unexpected.”

  “What are you doing here?” Hermit asked, though not at all disrespectfully.

  Of the many people Hermit had met in his lifetime, Azure was still the greatest mystery. He’d appeared during his first trial, after he’d defeated the fire golem and chosen his Path. To this day, he had no idea how the man had made it into the trial, but he’d had many visits from this man over the years. The last time he’d seen Azure was a single day before Herald Leroy had appeared in his clearing.

  “Oh, I’m just checking in,” Azure said, affecting a nonchalant air.

  “Are you finally going to tell me why you’re interested in the boy?”

  “Same reason I’m interested in you,” he replied with a shrug.

  “And that reason would be…?”

  “My reason,” Azure said with a grin. “Don’t you worry about little old me, though. Tell me, how’s he doing?”

  Hermit debated telling the man to get lost. Even after all this time, he was exactly the same. However, he suspected that this man had powers he couldn’t even fathom. The mere fact that there was no Belt around his waist clearly meant that he was more powerful than him. If he were one of the Scions, it would be very unwise to anger him, though Hermit suspected that this man was something else entirely. He just had no idea what the man could be.

  He didn’t give off the impression that he was from around here, and though his accent and dialect were perfect, something about him had always seemed off. Besides, he didn’t know of anyone, Scion or not, who could break into another Martial Artist’s Trial. It was just one of those things that was supposed to be impossible.

  “He’s coming along quite well,” Hermit replied. “Though he’s still quite far behind the curve. Care to tell me how a Herald ended up all the way in the Outer Edge, or why you have me, of all people, training him?”

  “Come now, do you really think I’d tell you that?” Azure said, his grin undiminished. “And as for you being the trainer, well, I thought that would be obvious.”

  Hermit knew that Azure was pointing to his chest, where the Dungeon Core was, but somehow resisted the urge to look.

  “You know that we’re not on great terms with the Herald clan,” he tried again.

  “Oh, I’ll say,” Azure replied. “Your clans are on the brink of outright war, if I’m not mistaken, and I generally am. Anyway, you don’t exactly have a big affiliation with your old clan, and the boy hardly deserves to die. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  Hermit could feel a headache coming on, something that was impressive, seeing as he now had an Immortal-Body, and things like headaches were supposed to be a thing of the past. What Azure had just said was that the clans were on the verge of war if he wasn’t mistaken. He’d then followed that up by saying that he often was.

  “What the hell kind of answer was that?”

  “I believe he’s, as you say, ‘messing with you,’” the core supplied.

  “I am indeed!” Azure said. “Still hasn’t given you a name, I see.”

  “Yes, quite rude of him, especially seeing as we’ve been together for so long.”

  “Can we please get back on track?” Hermit asked, letting out a long sigh.

  “Of course, how rude of me,” Azure said, bowing at the waist.

  Yet another sign that he wasn’t from around here, Hermit noted. No one of superior rank would ever bow to a lesser Martial Artist. Not unless someone superior to them was making them, and even then, it would be with a lot of complaining and protesting, not the sincerity that this man projected.

  “So, how far behind is he?”

  “Years, obviously,” Hermit replied. “But that’s hardly unexpected, seeing as he only started about a year ago. Honestly, I’m surprised he’s so well-grounded, given his lack of experience and temperament.”

  “Well, he did spend quite a bit of time hoping and practicing in his youth,” Azure replied. “Besides, he has ample motivation to keep pushing. I take it that that’s the reason you’re approaching your old home city?”

  “Well, he does need to face something challenging to progress to Green-Belt. Otherwise, he’ll stay stuck where he is. Honestly, he could push all the way to 4th Dan right now, and possibly even beyond that if it were just an issue of power. But the barrier between Orange and Green-Belt isn’t so easily breached, though I’m sure you’re well aware of that.”

  “You’re using the excuse of building his foundation and giving him ample room to grow, instead of allowing him to hit a wall. Very sneaky of you,” Azure said with a conspiratorial wink.

  “I am still building his foundation. I’m just constantly expanding until there’s no more room. Once he hits that limit, he’ll have to push for the next Dan, but once he does that, it won’t be long until he hits that limit as well.”

  “You can only squeeze in so much before the jug is full,” Azure replied. “It is the way of the Martial Arts, after all.”

  Hermit sighed but nodded all the same. While the analogy wasn’t exactly eloquent, it was accurate. At his stage, Roy still had room to gather more power and expand his foundation. However, at a certain point, there would be no more room. That was when an advancement was necessary, but once that happened, they couldn’t exactly build another foundation on top of the first. There would be a little more room to grow, due to the larger capacity to hold Essence.

  But that jug was a very small one, and Roy would reach it within a week at most. From there, it would only be about two more weeks until he was knocking on the door of Green-Belt and finding that the door wasn’t even there. His body had already been purged of all impurity by an outside force, so it was technically ready, but his soul was not.

  Reaching Green-Belt and attaining the Core-Body took a certain kind of trigger, one that could only be set off following a specific chain of events. It had already been set in motion but was far from reaching its end. The first step was overcoming adversity from an outside force, something that Roy had clearly done. The next step would be facing a challenge that pushed him to the very brink. Then, he’d have to figure out how to turn his Essence into Qi. Finally, he’d have to overcome a personal failing, one that would hold him back from achieving the Core body.

  The step that required him to form Qi wasn’t entirely necessary but would be extremely beneficial to his future growth. It would also strengthen his Core-Body immensely, as it would already have Qi to draw upon, and could focus its energy on him, instead of wasting so much to change the Essence to Qi.

  With each passing stage and each new body attained, it paid to come prepared. The best analogy that he could come up with was building a fire. If you started one with a single stick, you’d constantly need to stand up and fetch more wood to keep the fire going. This would stop you from being able to sit and relax while the fire burned. It would also prevent the fire from growing any larger and it would stay relatively small until it burned out.

  But, if you came prepared, stacking dozens of logs around the fire and continually feeding it, the fire would grow larger and larger, while you could simply sit there, continuing to feed it with minimal effort on your part. Both fires would eventually die out. But one would burn much hotter, larger, and brighter, while the other would be a small, sad thing, barely large enough to boil a cup of water.

  “Well, I can see you’re busy,” Azure said, snapping Hermit from his thoughts. “So, I’ll leave you for now.”

  “Should I be expecting you to visit again soon?” Hermit asked, wondering if Roy had had the pleasure of meeting the man just yet.

  “P
robably,” the Core thought.

  “Well, there’s a smidge of trouble down there, so I think I’ll be steering clear. Don’t want to anger the big man upstairs!”

  With that, Azure stepped into nothingness and vanished into thin air. Hermit caught the barest hint of a ripple in the space where Azure had once stood, and then, it was gone. It barely registered, as he was busy thinking about what had just happened.

  What Azure had just said was something he’d never even eluded to in the past. He was implying that there was a higher power watching over this world, one that he answered to. His lips turned downward ever so slightly, as the feeling of unease that had permeated the air strengthened by several degrees.

  He didn’t know what was going on, but one thing seemed to be sure. His world was about to change, and not in a good way.

  5

  Roy awoke early the next morning, feeling well-rested, if not a bit stiff. He shoved at Ferry’s side until the ferret shifted enough for him to get up. He winced, craning his neck from side to side and hearing a series of crackling pops. Arching his back got the same result, and when he twisted his shoulders, he finally felt his muscles begin to loosen up.

  “For someone who doesn’t need sleep, you sure seem to enjoy it,” he muttered, looking down at Ferry’s prone form.

  If the ferret was awake, she ignored him, though judging by the slow rise and fall of her sides, she was still fast asleep. It was barely light out, but Roy was used to getting up early by now. Besides, today would be a traveling day, so if he didn’t warm up and stretch now, he’d be dealing with sore muscles all day. He could already feel them tightening up again, the small relief that came from loosening them already fading away.

  “Good morning,” Aika said, greeting him with a warm smile as he shuffled into the center of camp.

  She looked as she always did in the mornings: perfect. Her hair was done up in her usual ponytail, falling all the way down her back until it reached her waist. Two strands framed the sides of her face, which was clear of all grogginess, though he had no idea how. He mumbled a greeting as he stumbled forward, not understanding how she could be so chipper at this early hour.