Water (Buryoku Book 3)

by Aaron Oster

  That was the largest their divide had ever been, and though they’d already begun attacking and subjugating smaller clans, he was always left behind. It was only after they’d taken down one of the bigger clans that he’d discovered a certain secret, one buried in a book hidden in a panel in the clan’s library.

  It had been titled The Way of the Martial Artist and had contained secrets about cultivation that Hermit had never even imagined. He’d always been interested in learning, as it was his only path forward. No help was forthcoming from his clan because he was weak, and no matter how many times he explained his reasons, no one believed him.

  The Way of the Martial Artist had been written by a Scion of generations past. He had been someone who’d seen fit to pass his knowledge on to others and not just hoard it for himself. After reading that book and gaining a true understanding of himself, Hermit found his Ideal. Back then, though, it had been far different than it was now.

  His old Ideal had been to prove his strength to all those who’d doubted him, and he’d accomplished just that. Within just two years after gleaning the new knowledge, Hermit had advanced to Purple-Belt and gained the title of Grandmaster as soon as he did. Everyone was shocked by his rapid growth, and even though both Geki and Ikari had continued growing, theirs had slowed down.

  He continuously strove to be the best, joining in on ever-bloodier campaigns and striving to show himself. He’d never managed to surpass Ikari, though he had just managed to scrape past Geki before his fallout with his sister. Now, despite his lack of any real training in nearly three-hundred years, Hermit was still only a little behind her.

  He could have lamented the wasted time, but he knew that he never would have taken the test for Gray-Belt, so long as his Core remained so stained with the blood of innocents. He was a different man now. Hakai, the Sage of Ruin, was gone, and in his place was Hermit, the Sovereign of Honor. This would be the legacy he built from now on, and it would be the name that spread far and wide.

  The small group of Martial Artists came into view then. Along with being able to see them came the ability to see the gigantic Cavern Beast for the first time. It was so massive that Hermit had to crane his neck upward to get a good look at it, and if its Core was anything to go by, then this Beast was already close to Brown. The best way to describe the creature would be if one were to mix a mountain lion with an elephant and then give it a head that looked similar to a fox.

  Even as he watched, the creature opened its mouth and roared, the air rippling and distorting as it flexed its power. One of the Martial Artists froze in place, while another disappeared entirely, his Core appearing again some five miles away. Hermit smiled grimly as one of the Martial Artists turned, sensing his approach.

  He sped up, switching from the heavy Charka, which had a density akin to that of honey, to Reiki, which had a consistency that was best described as tar-like. The purer the energy, the denser it became, and the more power it took to control. Hermit didn’t even think someone of Roy’s level would be able to so much as move if he had Reiki in his Core. It had a very heavy feel to it, the likes of which nothing could even come close.

  There was a serious distinction in power between Chakra and Reiki, and Hermit was about to see how it would do in battle, for the first time in his life. The family reunion would have to wait. Right now, there was a fight to win, and millions of people to save.

  23

  Ferry arose fairly late on the morning of Roy and Aika’s training day. She stretched luxuriously on the bed, inhaling deeply and catching Roy’s scent, which was still lingering on the sheets and pillow. She let out a content purr, burying her face into the pillow and inhaling again. Roy smelled really nice, in a way that others just didn’t. The main reason she liked sleeping next to him at night was because his nice scent relaxed her.

  She turned her head, cracking an eye and finding the room completely empty – not that it was a surprise. Roy and Aika had left for training with Hermit’s weird-smelling sister. Something was off about her, though Ferry couldn’t figure out what it was. All she knew was that she didn’t like her.

  She turned the other way, wriggling her back and trying to get as much of Roy’s scent into her as possible before getting up from the bed. It still felt a bit strange to walk on two legs, and even now, she had the urge to drop to all four. The ground was really far away, and it just felt strange to see so much of the world.

  An itch began at her lower back then, and she hissed in annoyance, her long fingers reaching back and scratching at the horribly constricting and very itchy clothes she had to wear. Ferry didn’t understand why her fur wasn’t good enough for the strange humans. Roy didn’t care, so why should anyone else?

  The itching stopped after a few moments of scratching, and Ferry let out another content purr, sitting back down on the bed and swiping her tail across the sheets. She needed to think of something to do today, as Roy wouldn’t be back until later. Maybe she’d go into the city and see if she could sniff out that strong bear-man or see if she could find any new Cores. Ferry was really hoping she’d be able to see the bear-man, and she felt herself grow warm whenever she thought about him.

  She was almost out of Cores anyway, and Roy had given her a few Earth Essence Cores to trade for ones containing Darkness Essence when they reached a city. She had an odd compulsion to chew on a Darkness Core right now, and an urge to create something with her Essence. She assumed it was Qi that she’d be creating, but that would have to wait until she got more Essence.

  Nodding to herself a couple of times, Ferry rose from the bed, stretching out once again to try and get all the tiredness from her muscles. It always took her so long to get going in the morning, and she really hated that. Tilting her head from side to side, the way she’d seen Roy and Aika do dozens of times, Ferry headed to the door. There were bound to be some interesting things in the marketplace, and if she found something really exciting, maybe Roy would come and look at them with her later.

  That thought made her very happy, because she really liked spending time with Roy. He smelled nice, he always gave her the best scratches, and he was her best friend! A wide smile curled Ferry’s lips as she thought of surprising Roy. He would be happy, and she would be happy. Then they would both be happy together!

  Those were the only thoughts occupying Ferry’s mind as she left the room and began bouncing out of the castle, completely oblivious to the shadowy figure stalking her every move.

  ***

  “I feel horrible,” Roy groaned, rolling to one side and wincing in pain.

  “I would imagine so,” Geon said. “After all, you have several lacerations, two fractures in your ribs, and at least a dozen bone-deep bruises.”

  “Are you sure that they’re only fractured and not broken?” Roy asked.

  “As far as I can tell,” Geon replied. “And seeing as I’m inside and have a much better view than you do, I can safely say that nothing is broken.”

  Roy was oddly surprised. He’d been sure the creature had broken at least a few bones. His ribs hurt enough, and the sound of bone cracking had been quite evident.

  “Are you sure?” he asked one more time.

  “Yes.”

  Roy carefully ran his hand over his side, feeling at the ribs he was sure were broken. However, aside from the flare of pain with each probing touch, Roy could feel no breaks. Fractures were still bad, but far better than a full break.

  “I guess I’m tougher than I thought,” he said, sitting up painfully and removing his upper robes.

  “You’ve been training against those more powerful than you since you started,” Geon pointed out. “The only reason you’ve never won a fight is because you’re always so severely outclassed.”

  Roy thought about that as he looked himself over. There were several blotchy bruises that were especially prominent over his ribs where the fractures had happened. His arms were covered in deep scratches, as was his chest, but the bleeding had mostly stopped by now. He f
orced himself to his feet and headed back to the water, though this time, he was far warier.

  He had no way of knowing if another creature might attack, or if that had truly been the last for the night, but he wasn’t taking any chances. His body was already drying, though his pants were still quite drenched, and now, covered in sand. So, after he’d washed his wounds clean, Roy stepped back into the water, body tense the entire time.

  He’d begun to relax by the time he emerged from the water. It seemed that Geon had been right, and the last creature he’d fought would be the final challenge, at least, for tonight. He trudged back up the beach, wiping his sandy feet on the sparse grass, then leaned down and snatched up his robes.

  His sides twinged in discomfort, but Roy ignored them as he tore the shredded sleeves from his robes and used them to bind his aching ribs. The sleeves were mostly useless for protecting his arms by now. Roy had learned a lot about survival before leaving the Shah clan, and had experienced it first-hand when he was banished to the Wilds of the Lighted Fields. He’d learned a lot, and one of those lessons was on how to properly bind wounds.

  There were a few strips remaining when he was done, and Roy wound them around his arms as best he could. The cuts on his chest were partially covered by the rib-bindings, so despite not having enough to completely cover them, Roy was happy enough with the outcome. He yawned as he tightened the last knot, looking back towards the water and wondering if it would be safe for him to sleep.

  The beach was completely empty. Roy blinked a few times, rubbed at his eyes, then blinked again.

  “Um…Geon. Where did all the corpses go?”

  “Haven’t you ever been in a Dungeon before?” Geon asked.

  Roy felt a bit embarrassed at not having realized that immediately. It had been so long since he’d stepped into a dungeon that he’d sort of forgotten. When he looked a bit closer, he noticed a few small specs lying along the shoreline, and what seemed to be a miniature blue chest where the last creature’s body had previously been lying.

  Excited at the prospect of rewards, Roy forced himself to rise once more, biting back a groan as his muscles, which had already begun to tighten, were forcibly loosened. He’d neglected to stretch after his fight due to the pain, and knew he would have to do at least some stretching if he didn’t want to be an aching mess in the morning.

  “What do you think the rewards will be?” he wondered as he moved down to the waterline first.

  “How should I know?” Geon asked.

  “Because you were a Dungeon?” Roy said, stooping to retrieve the first item.

  It appeared to be some sort of seashell, though it was clearly flush with Essence. It glowed a dull blue to his Spirit Sense, but other than that, Roy couldn’t make any sense of it. Shrugging to himself, he continued down the beach.

  “Just because I’m a Dungeon Core doesn’t mean I know what other Dungeons will give you,” Geon said with a snort. “Besides, Dungeons and Trials are different. We create Beasts who have Cores. Those are the rewards. Sure, we also happen to have some rare resources, but that’s only a byproduct of the Essence-rich environments we cultivate.”

  “So, I’m guessing you have no idea what these are then,” Roy said, lifting yet another shell.

  “Nope.”

  “Great,” Roy muttered out loud.

  “Why would me not knowing something be great?”

  “Never mind,” he said, too tired to have yet another conversation with Geon about the concept of sarcasm.

  Even though he didn’t know what the armful of shells were, he wasn’t just going to throw them out. He didn’t exactly have a pack to use, but he was quite hungry, so he’d probably crack open one of the strange fruits. He could store the shells in there when he was done with its contents. Roy then headed up the beach to the spot where the small chest lay.

  He’d purposely skipped it at first, because he thought that it would probably be the best reward and he’d wanted to save it for last. Crouching down, he scooped the oddly heavy chest from the sand and headed back up the beach to his makeshift camp. Slumping down with his back to one of the trees, Roy flipped the latch and stared inside.

  A single shining blue key lay within, with the number 1 embossed on the handle. His brows furrowed as he lifted the key, examining it from all sides to see if he might have missed anything. But no, the key was just that- a key. It seemed to be forged of pure Water Essence, which meant it began to dissipate, albeit slowly, as soon as he lifted it. He found that putting it back in the small chest stopped that from happening.

  “Any idea what this is for?” he asked, closing the latch and placing the box on the ground next to him.

  “I would assume that it opens something,” Geon said dryly. “Or can you not figure even that out on your own?”

  “You know, your constant condescension is really starting to get old,” Roy replied, leaning forward with a groan to begin stretching his legs.

  “If I’m not condescending, you’ll never learn,” Geon said. “Although, seeing as you’re still stupid after all our time together, it makes me wonder if you are simply a lost cause.”

  Roy chose not to answer that, and instead just went through as many stretches as he could. He’d taken worse injuries during his training over the last few months, but there had always been a Recovery or Healing Pill to go along with them. Now, he was forced not only to bear the pain but the discomfort of trying to sleep with them. Worse, his channels were still very sore from his earlier expenditure of Essence and his chest was still tight, so he couldn’t even soothe the pain by cycling.

  He’d need to do something to replenish his lost power come morning, but for now, he just needed to sleep. Placing his back to the tree once more, Roy closed his eyes. He was worried that he’d have a hard time falling asleep, especially with all that had happened and where he was right now. However, the gentle breeze and the sounds of the lapping waves soon had him drifting off to sleep.

  24

  “Hey! Wake up!”

  Roy was suddenly awoken as his internal alarm – Geon – rudely jolted him from a very peaceful sleep.

  “What is it?” Roy asked, already pushing himself to his feet. “Are we under attack?!”

  “No. You’ve just been sleeping for too long, and I was getting bored.”

  Though Roy was still half-asleep, he was still awake enough to curse the Dungeon Core for all he was worth. He winced as the pains that had vanished with sleep came coursing back, though not nearly as bad as they would have had he neglected stretching the night before.

  He slumped back to the ground, closing his eyes once more and allowing himself to wake more slowly. The sun was rising in the east, painting the water in a rosy hue that he would have enjoyed, had he been here in any other circumstance. Even if he were in these circumstances, if Aika was here with him, the experience would have been much more bearable.

  Instead, Roy simply took the time to continue cursing at the Dungeon Core, who’d woken him from his much-needed sleep.

  “Hey, if a monster had attacked, you’d be thanking me,” Geon huffed.

  “But a monster wasn’t attacking,” Roy said, anger tinging his voice. “You just woke me up because you were bored!”

  “Well, yeah,” Geon said. “I was bored. Also, that key thing you got last night is shining really brightly inside the box.”

  Roy’s eyes immediately snapped open, and he scrabbled around for the box in question. Of course, Geon would fail to mention the important thing right away, instead, spending his efforts on annoying him and instigating pointless fights. His fingers finally brushed up against the box, and, flipping the lid open, he could see that the key was indeed shining very brightly.

  He opened his Spirit Sense then, lifting the small key from the box and trying to see if there was some sort of hidden message or something like it, somewhere on its surface. What happened instead, at least in Roy’s opinion, was even better. As soon as the light of the early-morning sun was
hed over it, a beam of light flashed out from the key’s tip, tracing quickly over the water and vanishing into the distance.

  “Woah!” Roy exclaimed, nearly dropping the key in surprise.

  “Well, what do you see?” Geon asked.

  “Can’t you see?”

  “If I could, do you think I’d be asking?”

  Roy thought for a moment before deciding that, yes, that was definitely something Geon would do if it meant messing with him.

  “The key isn’t doing anything,” Roy replied. “I think I’ll just throw it away.”

  Roy pulled his arm back, as though preparing to hurl the key into the water.

  “Wait!” Geon yelled. “You idiot! The key is obviously pointing west! It’s giving you directions! Don’t throw it away!”

  “So,” Roy said, placing the key back into the box. “You could see where the key was pointing. Would you look at that?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Geon replied. “What key?”

  “You know, at the point when you’ve been caught, it’s kind of pointless to pretend ignorance,” Roy said flatly.

  “Caught? What does that even mean? I think you might be losing it in here, Roy. You should really…”

  “…Get my brain checked?” Roy asked dryly.

  “See! You can learn!” Geon said.

  Roy just let out a snort of amusement, then went about packing up what little he had. His clothes were all dry, and his wounds had all scabbed over. The only thing that was really hurting him now were his ribs, and to a lesser extent, his Core and channels. He broke the top off one of the fruits and downed its contents, then scraped out the insides with the other shells.

  The blue shells made a light tinkling sound as they fell into the empty fruit shell, and Roy placed it on the ground next to the others. Then, stretching his arms overhead, he got to work. Walking over to the first tree, Roy pulled his fist back, cycling his Essence through his channels, and struck out with a powerful punch.