Water (Buryoku Book 3)

by Aaron Oster

  Roy had been wondering how she would manage such a feat, as her arms were laden and there wasn’t really any way for her to climb. His question was answered a second later as Aika simply jumped, turning a perfect back-flip midair before landing in the water with a much smaller splash than he’d been expecting.

  “Are you alright?” Roy asked as she broke the surface a few seconds later, now completely soaked and laughing.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said with a wide grin. “I needed a bath anyway!”

  Roy just shook his head, grabbing her hand and pulling her back onto the raft with him. He had no idea where her endless optimism came from, but wherever she got it, Roy wished he could as well. No matter where they were, how frustrated she became, or how dire their straits, she never stayed angry for long. No matter how down he was, she always brought him back up, and her bright smile was extremely infectious.

  “Look at these,” she said, holding up one of the fruits as she swept her long – and now soaked – hair out of her eyes. “Don’t they look great?”

  “Yeah,” Roy replied, half-distracted with his staring at her.

  She looked so beautiful. The light of the glowing water reflected off her smooth skin, and her smile seemed to light up the night. Everything about her was just perfect.

  “Roy?”

  “What?” Roy asked, giving himself a shake as he realized he’d been staring, and Aika had been talking.

  “Do you want one?” she asked again, a small smirk pulling at the corners of her lips as she held out one of the gleaming blue fruits.

  “Uh, yeah,” Roy said, reaching to take the proffered food.

  His fingers briefly brushed against hers as he took it, and Roy felt an electric tingle run down his spine as he did. Aika gave him another smile, then lifted her own fruit and took a large bite, her teeth sinking into the soft fruit and sending a small spray of blue juice across her chin.

  Roy snorted out a laugh as she removed the fruit, leaving a blue stain across her lower lip and chin, earning him a raised eyebrow. In answer, he tapped his own chin a couple of times, then took a bite, resulting in much the same thing happening to him. Aika grinned as he pulled the fruit from his mouth, revealing blue-stained teeth, which made Roy laugh even more.

  “Your teeth are all blue!” Aika said, laughing now as well.

  “Yours don’t look any better,” Roy replied, taking another bite and still laughing.

  The two of them carried on for the next few minutes, eating, talking, and laughing. They both could feel the stress and anxiety of the last day melting away. About an hour later, they were on the other side of the glowing clearing, both lying on their backs, pressed shoulder to shoulder as they stared up at the night sky.

  Roy had a full belly, though he did feel a bit sick, and was happily dozing as his body relaxed. Aika was pressed close to him, and though they weren’t exactly cuddling, he could feel her fingers intertwined with his. He didn’t know how it had happened, nor when, but at some point, it just had. Nothing had been said aloud, but somehow, Roy felt they’d grown closer, and though he wasn’t the best at reading people, he was certain that Aika felt the same way as he did.

  There was still a lot of uncertainty, as neither of them had any experience in this area, but Roy was content to take things slowly, and holding hands like this was a perfect first step in his opinion. Besides, doing anything more without announcing his intentions first would be wildly improper, going against all the rules of propriety that most in Buryoku lived by.

  He felt Aika’s fingers tighten a bit and smiled to himself as he squeezed back. Though today had been exhausting, right now, Roy didn’t think there was any place he’d rather be.

  ***

  Roy cried out in pain, the air exploding from his lungs as the seven-headed hound slammed into him, cracking one of his ribs and sending him sprawling.

  “Get up! You’re almost there!” Aika yelled, watching from the sidelines and unable to so much as offer him a hand up.

  Groaning, Roy forced himself to his feet, feeling the water sloshing beneath him and the slippery stones trying to steal his balance. The massive watery hound charged him, tendrils of water pulling off its sides and whipping out towards him. It had already shrunk down a good deal, having lost over half its mass already, but Roy had collected several injuries, one of which was severely slowing him down.

  His knee nearly buckled as he rose, wanting to twist and give out, but he forced himself to remain standing and trace the line of his Terrain technique. The golden lines of the Constellation traced a jagged pattern in the air, right as the hound leaped, exploding in a series of loud bursts and showering him in small droplets of water.

  Roy braced himself for the impact, but thankfully, the hound’s body simply fell apart, collapsing into the water and letting him know that the final fight of this section of the Trial had come to its inevitable end. Aika let out a cheer as Roy sagged, appearing at his side in a flash and pulling his arm over her shoulder, heedless of the blood.

  “You did great, Roy! I’m so proud of you!” she exclaimed, pulling him over to the raft and allowing him to sink back onto it.

  “Let’s hope it was worth it,” Roy groaned, wincing as he sat and began immediately cycling.

  “You know, if you could just keep that Armorer technique active for more than just two attacks, this wouldn’t keep happening,” Geon said.

  “It’s not exactly my fault that these creatures are so strong,” Roy replied.

  They’d traveled through the swamps for a full week, just as Roy had feared, and he’d been the only one who’d been able to fight the entire time. And while that was great for his training, it was completely exhausting, both physically and mentally. His advancement was making some great strides, and his Core was nearly bursting with Essence as he neared the 4th and final Dan of Orange-Belt.

  The only problem was that he still had no idea how to form Qi, nor how to advance to Green once he reached that point. Roy thought he’d be more worried about this, but he’d been far too busy staying alive to even think about advancement.

  “I’m sure it was,” Aika said, prodding at his side and feeling for broken bones.

  Though Roy didn’t really feel like letting her fuss, he was far too worn out to argue, and besides, he really did need someone to check him over, especially his knee. The hound had barreled into his leg pretty hard at the beginning of the fight and had caused it to bend inward. There hadn’t been a break as far as he could tell, but hyperextension was still quite painful.

  As Aika was feeling around his knee, checking for torn muscles, there was a light rumbling sound. Both turned, just in time to see a large chest rise from the water where the hound had fallen. It looked the same as the last one, with the exception of a clearly defined latch and no lock.

  “Looks like we’ve found our last key,” Aika said, after rummaging around for a few moments.

  “Anything else?” Roy asked, hopeful that he might be rewarded after going through all that on his own.

  “Yeah,” Aika said, digging around in the chest for a few more moments. “Looks like a couple of small boxes, but nothing besides that.”

  She rose, the glowing blue key in one hand and two small wooden boxes clutched in the other. Judging by the boxes’ size, they could only contain one thing, and when Aika flipped the latches to reveal two Pills, he was hardly surprised. The first was familiar to him, the light, fresh smell of the Healing Pill almost making him cry, but the second glowing golden Pill was a complete mystery.

  “What is it?” he asked, popping the Healing Pill into his mouth and immediately beginning to cycle.

  “I don’t know,” Aika admitted, staring at the Pill for a few long seconds before handing him the box.

  “Geon?” Roy asked.

  “No idea,” the Dungeon Core replied. “But go right ahead and take it. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  “I think I’ll put this thing away until I can get it ap
praised,” Roy said, wisely closing the lid and stashing the box inside his robes.

  “So, what now?” Aika wondered, looking around for some way out.

  “Well, now,” Roy said, pulling his legs up onto the raft, “we can get some sleep.”

  “But it’s not even six,” Aika said, her brows furrowing.

  “If the same holds true as the last time, the path should be clear in the morning. Besides, I’m exhausted and could actually use the extra time to rest.”

  Aika’s expression softened at that, and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

  “You go to sleep, then. You’ve earned it. I’m going to stay up for a bit, so if you wake up and need anything, just let me know. Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay,” Roy replied, giving her a smile.

  He could feel the sincerity in her voice and knew that she meant it. This week had been as much of a challenge for her as it had been for him. He could hardly imagine being forced to watch her fight dangerous creatures without being able to do anything to help. Even with the knowledge that he’d only get in the way, Roy would want to do something, and the fact that Aika had handled it as well as she had was a testament to her character.

  The last thing he saw before closing his eyes was her smiling face, and the last thing he felt were her fingers, curling around his hand and squeezing lightly. He felt oddly safe, and coupled with his exhaustion, Roy was soon fast asleep, dreaming of finally escaping from their watery prison and back into the real world.

  35

  A gentle but persistent shaking woke Roy from a peaceful slumber – the first he’d had since entering the second Trial. He opened his eyes, blinking blearily up at Aika, who looked to be wide awake and ready for the day. She was always up before him, though he had no idea how she always looked so chipper in the morning. The sky was overcast and gray, making Roy feel even more lethargic than he already was.

  “Good morning,” Aika said, her beaming smile making Roy feel just a little better about having to wake up, though not by much.

  “She can’t be human,” Geon grumbled. “No one is that happy in the morning.”

  “This coming from a Dungeon Core who used to eat humans,” Roy replied, though secretly agreeing with him.

  “I’ve eaten enough humans to know that this isn’t normal,” Geon retorted, having to have the last word.

  Not wanting to start his day by arguing with the Dungeon Core and getting annoyed as a result, Roy simply let it go. He sat up slowly, near blissful at the lack of pain, and stretched his arms out to the sides, yawning widely.

  “Notice anything different?” Aika asked, her voice carrying a hint of a teasing quality to it.

  “Did you change your hair?” Roy asked, still rubbing at his eyes.

  “Well, yes, thank you for noticing, but that’s not what I was talking about,” Aika replied, though, by the sound of it, she was quite pleased he’d mentioned it.

  It was kind of hard not to notice, as she normally wore her hair in a long pony with perhaps a few loose strands framing her face. Today, she’d done it differently. The pony was higher, and her hair, instead of falling down her back, hung over one of her shoulders. Some might have thought that it had just fallen there, but Aika was very meticulous about how she kept herself, and this was a noticeable change.

  Roy blinked a few more times – for some reason, the fogginess just refused to leave – and finally saw what Aika had been alluding to.

  “Land!” he said excitedly, noting that the swamp had cleared up.

  Before them stretched the same path as before, but this time, Roy knew where it would lead.

  “Yup!” Aika said, holding out a hand to help him up. “And you know what that means.”

  “We can finally see what’s on the other side of that door,” Roy said, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet and arching his back.

  There was a loud series of pops as the stiffness he’d accumulated overnight was forced out, and he let a sigh of relief slip past his lips. His injuries were all gone, but muscle stiffness was still something he had to deal with regardless.

  “Do we have any food left over?” he asked, just as Aika held out a fruit for him as if she’d known he’d ask.

  “It’s the last one, so you’d better enjoy it.”

  “If we’re stuck here for another week-long challenge, we can expect to find more food,” he said, giving her a nod of thanks.

  The two of them set off walking, leaving behind the grassy raft that had kept them mostly dry for the past week. Roy munched on the blue fruit – which he still could not recognize – as they walked, wondering what could possibly be behind the stone door. He hoped it was a way out, but in all likelihood, it would probably be another week of Trials.

  “So, how close are you to 4th Dan?” Aika asked.

  “Another couple of days,” Roy replied. “Unless we get into another fight, in which case I could probably be there today.”

  “And much longer until Green after that?”

  Roy shrugged.

  “With the way things have been going, I’d say that it won’t be long. Each time I move up, there’s only so much I can do. My Core is as big as it will get right now, and advancing has never been easier. If I were to go back to the Shah clan, they’d probably welcome me with open arms. They’d probably even let me adopt their name and perhaps even name me as Shah Korgo’s successor.”

  “What are you going to do when you return?” Aika asked.

  She knew how he felt about his old clan, and though she didn’t like the idea of vengeance to the degree he wanted, she would still support him. That was the way of the world. If someone wronged you, you just had to become stronger to be able to wrong them back.

  “I honestly don’t know anymore,” Roy replied, taking another bite and chewing thoughtfully. “There was a time when I wanted to see them all burn and to raze the clan to the ground and stamp the Shah name from history. Now, though, I’m not so sure. I still want revenge, but I don’t think wiping them out will really make me feel better.”

  “Killing the Beast King and Supreme of Cloying Darkness will make me feel better,” Geon said. “How about we go do that?”

  “When do you think you’ll go back?” Aika asked, oblivious to the Dungeon Core’s complaining.

  “Definitely not anytime soon,” Roy answered. “I’m not strong enough to take the whole clan if I have to. The clan head is a Green-Belt, so I’d probably lose any physical confrontation.”

  While Aika didn’t entirely agree with that assessment, she just nodded in agreement. Roy was far stronger than he realized. The fact that he hadn’t really fought any Martial Artists at his level in quite some time meant that he constantly underestimated himself. But it was always good to err on the side of caution, and thinking you were weaker than you actually were was a great way of staying out of trouble.

  They walked for the next couple of hours, the clouds vanishing and the sun finally breaking through. It was warm and muggy, but Roy was content. No monsters attacked, no Martial Artists were demanding respect, and he was in good company. The only thing bothering him was Ferry’s absence. He was sure she must be going sick with worry by now and hoped that she hadn’t gotten into any trouble.

  Geon had assured him several times that she was fine. Though he couldn’t directly communicate with her, he could sense her Core, though it felt sluggish for reasons that he couldn’t explain. This only worried Roy more, as images of a drugged and unconscious Ferry continuously flitted through his mind. Aika was doing a good job of keeping his mind elsewhere, chatting about possibilities of advancement and how he might start forming his own Qi.

  This was another thing that bothered Roy, as every time Qi was mentioned, he felt a small tickle in the back of his mind, as though he should know what to do, but couldn’t quite access the information. The entire incident where he’d used Qi was still a total blank, but he was confident he would regain those memories at some point. Whether that was today
or next month or even next year, he couldn’t say.

  Roy knew that he wouldn’t be content with just sitting around and waiting, and as a result, had spent a lot of time trying to find some way to form his own Qi. He hadn’t been successful thus far, and his frustration with the subject was beginning to mount. Aika had also hinted that there were other requirements to qualify for the Green-Belt test, though she refused to say what they were, claiming that he had to figure this part out on his own. Otherwise, the Green Torii gate would not appear.

  “There it is!” Aika said, snapping Roy from his wandering thoughts.

  The two of them had been silent for the last fifteen minutes while Roy reflected on different ways he might be able to form the gaseous Essence packed into his Core into Qi. He hadn’t been paying much attention to the path ahead, allowing Aika to guide them. In hindsight, he realized that it hadn’t been a very smart move on his part. When in enemy territory, one should always be aware of their surroundings, no matter how safe they felt.

  He gave her a sheepish smile as the massive stone door, still shining with two of the three keys needed, stood in the middle of the path. They approached warily, Aika pulling the key from her robes and pausing for a moment, before handing it over to him.

  “You earned the key, so you should unlock the door.”

  It didn’t really matter all that much to him who unlocked it, but seeing as she’d made the gesture, it would be rude of him not to take it.

  “Here goes nothing,” Roy said, taking the key and holding it up to the door.

  When the key was roughly a foot from the stone surface, it flew from Roy’s hand, sinking into the third empty slot. Both he and Aika stepped back as the doors began to shine, blue light tracing from all three keys and lighting up previously hidden seams. A wide circle was formed around the three keys, as a single line traced down the center of the door.