by Ryan Kirk
Moriko turned away. She knew if she continued to talk she would strike him down.
She sensed his strike and sidestepped it. He moved in again to strike, and Moriko stepped into him. She grabbed his wrist and twisted it, disarming him while throwing him down. He rolled to his feet and drew his real blade. A silence descended in the courtyard. No one drew blades, not in the monastery.
Moriko held on to the wooden blade. Her blade was by her, as always, but she hoped that by fighting with the wooden one she wouldn't kill him. She wasn't too worried about Goro hitting her. She could sense each of his moves far in advance, and he couldn’t use his own sense to try to block her.
Goro took two cuts. Moriko deflected one and dodged the other. His third cut was a little too hopeful, and he leaned forward slightly following his cut. Moriko used the opening and stepped in with a clean strike to the back of Goro's skull.
Goro tumbled to the ground. It took him a couple of breaths to get back up, but when he did, Moriko could see that he intended to finish it here. He attacked with an energy that sent Moriko back pedaling. She wasn't ready, and with the wooden sword she could only deflect his cuts. She didn't risk a full block for fear of the wood breaking.
Fear and anger started to get the best of her. It was too easy to make a mistake in this situation. She wasn't in control. She tried getting further away from him, but his rage drove him straight into her despite her best efforts.
Goro's blade cut straight into the wooden sword, slicing it in half, leaving a sharpened point where a gentle curve had been. Moriko's conscious mind was no longer in control, just the instincts trained into her over countless cycles. She felt the opening as he came up to strike and drove the wooden sword into his gut, fear and frustration causing her to shove him back as hard as she could.
He fell back to the ground and Moriko could see she had opened a gaping hole in his stomach. It looked like an intestine was trying to leak out, and Moriko knew that Goro was a walking dead man.
Goro hadn’t figured it out yet, and that made it worse. She had never killed before, and this was a slow and torturous death. The mask of Goro dropped, and he became the little boy desperate for attention, not sure what was happening to him. He was trying to put the intestines back into his stomach, asking for the Abbot to come and help. A tear rolled down Moriko's cheek. Goro hadn't been an evil man, he had just been pathetic, without the strength to stand on his own.
Goro was nothing but a puppet and didn't deserve a slow death like this. She bent down and cradled his head while pulling out her short blade. She bowed her head in prayer and in a strong clear voice recited the final prayer for the monk who had stolen her from her family.
Goro stopped his blubbering and was looking up at her serenely. He seemed at peace, which was enough for Moriko. She tilted his head back and thrust the blade in under his chin, a quick and painless death.
Moriko saw the moment his soul left his body when the light behind his eyes went out. She had seen death before, but never so close. It sent a shock down her spine, threatening to root her in place.
She looked up and saw a cluster of monks around her. She recognized all of them and knew many of them had come up to her over the past moon to talk about Goro's behavior. As her eyes scanned the crowd she could see one or two monks slowly nodding to her. Perhaps not condoning the act, but at least accepting it as necessary.
She focused on the moment, just as Orochi had taught her. The Abbot was present, but in the heat of the battle she had lost track of her surroundings. The Abbot was the root of all of this. It began and ended with him.
The Abbot was in his quarters, aware of everything that was happening but not moving. He was waiting for her.
Moriko debated. She could call today complete and wait to see what type of justice came to her. On the other hand, delaying could give the Abbot time to bring everyone at the monastery to his side, reminding them of justice and the rules of the monastery. She had killed one of their own, which was punishable by death, but most of the monks were aware of the extenuating circumstances.
Moriko decided to trust in fate. She had rolled the dice by killing Goro, and now she needed to see where they landed. She didn't want to fight the Abbot one-on-one. She wanted him out in public, in front of everyone.
"Abbot!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
For several breaths there was no movement, but in time Moriko felt the Abbot stir. He released his power, and he burned almost as bright as the sun in the sky. Moriko was prepared. Orochi had taught her how to control herself so the sense of him wouldn't blind her. She focused on Orochi's instructions and stood her ground.
The Abbot came out of his quarters, dressed in the loose fitting robes of the monastery. He walked towards the gathered crowd and paused about a dozen paces away from them. He observed the expressions of the monks, Moriko's stance, and Goro's red blood on the white snow. Moriko could see him taking it all in, calculating his next move. Moriko tried to take it away from him. She knew he hadn't become Abbot because of his strength alone.
"I have killed Goro, sir. I offered advice on his training methods and he struck at me. I disarmed him and he drew his real blade. In the midst of trying to defend myself, I executed a lethal blow. Any of the monks here can attest to the truth of these events."
The Abbot brushed her story aside. "You have killed a monk, and this is punishable by death. Do you wish to take your own life, or shall I do it for you?"
Moriko didn't stoop to his line of thinking. "This incident came about due to Goro's training methods. Methods you knew well about, yet allowed to continue. I attempted to remind Goro the methods of the monastery are as old as this Kingdom and needed to be honored. He attacked me. I defended myself. You foresaw this and yet did nothing to stop it."
The Abbot didn't try to defend himself. He looked among the assembled monks and saw they recognized the truth of Moriko's claim. A malicious impulse twisted the corner of his mouth into a smile.
"I see there are many here who agree with this girl's claims. My answer is thus: I am the power here, with knowledge and understanding which surpasses your own. My path may not be understood by all, but it is the path we must follow, or be lost forever. If any of you disagree, then step forward now!"
At the conclusion of his speech the Abbot let forth a sense-blast like Moriko had never experienced before. Every monk in the courtyard fell to their knees, overpowered by the force of energy emanating from the Abbot.
Moriko just barely stood her ground. Orochi's training had been effective, but she'd never had any practice, just the theory of it. Her first encounter with the Abbot's power was still enough to disorient her.
The Abbot moved in, blade in hand. Moriko fought, but her sense was overpowered by the sheer energy radiating from the Abbot. She was forced to fight by sight alone, and while she was well trained, the Abbot was in charge of the fight.
Moriko fought against overwhelming waves of helplessness. This battle was for her own life, but she couldn't focus enough to take control. She was left blocking by reflex the movements of the Abbot's blade, and she knew it would only be moments before the strategy failed.
She succeeded in putting some distance between her and the Abbot, and they each took a moment to appraise each other. The Abbot was still confident in his powers and had good reason to be. She hadn't done anything against him.
Moriko took a breath and focused herself. The Abbot's power was blinding, but she knew it could be worked around. She pushed the sense out of her mind, focusing on the present moment, dropping into a waiting stance. The Abbot didn't give her long to wait.
He sprinted forward, confident in his position. Moriko moved out of the way and cut at him. It was a hesitant cut, and the Abbot was able to deflect it, it had been a true counter attack. Moriko wasn't as helpless as she seemed. He gathered himself, and they began in earnest.
In three moves Moriko found an opening and struck, cutting deep into the Abbot's left arm. It wasn't
a fatal cut, but it was painful, and the Abbot hadn't been cut in a very long time. He howled with rage and frustration, and without warning the full power of his energy struck Moriko.
She had thought she had seen everything the Abbot could do, but she had never seen him in a true rage. The waves of energy she had been able to push aside redoubled and filled her mind with fire. The other monks, already prostate on the ground, groaned and started having seizures. It took all her focus just to remain standing. She tried to advance, to step forward, to end it all, but it was hopeless. She couldn't think well enough to move.
The Abbot stepped near her, and with one move brought the hilt of his sword down hard on her head. Moriko's world, which had been filled with light and energy, abruptly went dark.
She was surprised when she awoke. She hadn't expected to be alive at all, but a small part of her knew being alive wasn't necessarily a good thing. Her belief was reinforced as she took a mental inventory of her body.
Overall, she wasn't in too bad of shape. Her head felt like it was ready to split open any moment, like her mind was too large for the skull it inhabited. But that wasn't going away anytime soon, so she'd have to deal with that.
One leather strap had been tied tightly in her mouth, gagging her. Her arms were tied behind her, tight enough she couldn’t move at all. Not just her wrists either, but they had also tied her elbows close together. She tried flexing her muscles, but was completely incapacitated by the leather straps. The Abbot wasn't taking any chances. He knew she was stronger than before. Likewise, her legs had been tied both at the ankles and above the knees. Bearing the pain of looking down, she saw that the straps around her ankles were tied to a ring on the monastery wall.
It appeared running away wasn't going to be an option.
Glancing around, she saw that she was also under guard. Two of the monks stood a couple of paces away, watching her. There was hesitation in their eyes. The gag indicated she wasn't supposed to be speaking to them. The Abbot must have been worried about her inciting a bit of rebellion.
Moriko resigned herself to her situation, at least for a time. There was nothing to be done, and her head was ringing too much to be of any real use. Best to recover as much as she could for whatever was coming next. She knew it wouldn’t be pleasant. He’d kept her alive to kill her in his own time, make her a symbol.
She didn't have long to wait. The next day the Abbot came forth and with the help of several monks, placed her up against the wall. They didn't even untie her legs, just her arms to tie her to the wall again. Her robe was ripped off, exposing the mass of scar tissue on her back, and the Abbot went to work.
The pain came over Moriko in waves, fire lashing up her back with the caress of the Abbot's work. Her scars re-opened, trickling blood down into the white snow. He never went in to finish the job. He just stood there, methodically tearing her back into shreds until her world went black yet again.
When she awoke she was in the Abbot's quarters. She was not gagged, but tied the same way she had been when she awoke the time previous. Her back was on fire, a situation not helped by the way her arms were tied behind her. They hadn’t bothered redressing her. When she looked around, she knew why she wasn't gagged. The only person nearby was the Abbot who was bringing her stew and water.
He knelt in front of her and brought her mouth to the bowl. Moriko wasn't sure what the Abbot was up to, but she was so hungry and her mouth so dry she didn't care. She accepted without question.
The Abbot fed her the entire bowl and gave her plenty of water to drink. When she was done there was only one question. "Why?"
"Because, my dear, I want you to get better, to heal. Once you do, I will do it again, and heal you again, until some part of you breaks. Maybe it will be your body, maybe your mind, but you will break, and then I will have my satisfaction."
Moriko wanted to throw up, wanted to rid herself of the food, to starve herself instead of partaking in the torture, but she couldn't. The food was warm in her belly, and for a moment at least, she was somewhat content. The Abbot went back to his daily duties, taking one last look at Moriko. She could feel his eyes crawling up her skin.
The Abbot smiled. "It's a shame really, to destroy you. You are a rather beautiful girl. Perhaps I would have taken you for a wife someday."
Anger and despair washed over Moriko. The Abbot was a careful man. Escape was going to be next to impossible, and there was nothing she could think of. She missed the woods, and she missed her father. She didn't want to let the Abbot see her tears, but she couldn't hold them back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
They had been fortunate to find a large tree rotted out near its core. With some digging, Ryuu had been able to create a space just large enough for Takako to lie down and Ryuu to sleep sitting up. It wasn’t as comfortable as the places they were used to, but it was warm and kept them dry while it snowed around them.
A full moon of peace and quiet gave them enough time to get into a routine. Ryuu spent a lot of time hunting, collecting as much food as he could before the winter made it more difficult to find. Takako spent her days preparing the food, preserving as much as she could. When she had spare time she made small improvements to their tree, such as making herself a bed of twigs and needles that was almost comfortable. Ryuu was amazed by her ability to dedicate herself to creating a home given how transient they were.
They were both in the tree, watching a heavy snow fall around them, when Ryuu sensed something he had never before experienced. It felt like the sun had exploded on the horizon. Someone had released an incredible amount of energy, energy like Ryuu had never experienced before. Even more perplexing, it was at least a day’s journey away. There was no way he should be able to sense anything at that distance.
Takako had seen his face go pale when it occurred and asked him what the matter was. Ryuu tried to explain it to her, but he didn’t have the words to describe it. Every living thing gave off energy, but not like that.
That night he didn’t sleep well. He spent much of the evening attempting to sense anything else that would give him some clue as to what had happened. Whatever it was, it seemed important that Ryuu figure out what had caused it. The past few moons had made it obvious there was still too much he didn’t know. If he was going to live he needed more knowledge. He would have to get closer to find out more.
He debated his course of action through the night, but when the sun rose he had a plan.
When Takako awoke he had already made breakfast for her.
As she ate he broke the news of his plan.
“I need to leave for a few days.”
She looked at him, shock on her face.
“You’re leaving?”
“Just for a few days, but I need to find out what happened yesterday. If I don’t know what it is, someday it may be dangerous to us. I’d like to leave you here, where it’s safe, and come back in a few days.”
Takako had some strong objections.
“Why would I be safe here? Orochi can sense me. It doesn’t much matter if I’m in a tree.”
Ryuu shook his head. “Not here. This forest can hide people even from the sense.”
Takako didn’t have to ask for clarification. Her expression was obvious enough.
“I don’t know if you can tell, but this forest is alive with energy. I’m very strong in the sense and I know your aura well. I could recognize it in a city hundreds of paces away. But here, in the forest, there is so much life I would have to be almost on top of you to notice you. I promise you, hiding here is going to be much safer than coming with me. It could be dangerous."
Takako did not want to be left alone. Ryuu insisted. He didn’t want the responsibility of watching Takako. She slowed him down. He gave her instructions if he wasn’t back in a few days, but he wasn’t worried. She could take care of herself.
He packed light, bringing just enough dried food for a couple of days on the road. He did everything he could to reassure Takako, but he re
cognized in the end he'd just have to move forward.
With a tight embrace he was off. He didn't look back.
Ryuu moved towards the source of the disturbance. He kept up a trot that lasted throughout the day, eating up the leagues between him and his destination.
As he drew closer, Ryuu sensed he was approaching a small village. He drew a cloak over himself to hide his sword and entered the village as a wandering traveler. He traded some of his skins for food, and the friendly street merchant was happy to tell him more about the area. The piece of information that Ryuu found most interesting was the piece about the monastery nearby.
Although Ryuu didn't dare press the merchant with direct questions, it seemed as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred in the village. People were going about their business as they would any other day. No one seemed nervous or fearful. Whatever had happened hadn't happened here. His stomach dropped a bit. The event had to have come from the monastery.
Ryuu went to another merchant to purchase more goods and acquire more information. He found what he was looking for in an elderly gentleman selling trinkets of the Faith.
"Good morning, sir."
"Morning, lad. Come to see some of my relics?"
Ryuu tried to give him a genuine smile, as he hoped a believer would. The old man had as many relics as Ryuu had wives, but it didn't hurt to humor him. "Yes, actually, I was hoping to visit the monastery."
The old man furrowed his eyebrows. "What would a young man like you want up at Perseverance?"
"Well, sir. I'm the son of a scribe, and my father asked me to travel this way to copy some of the sacred texts they keep there."
The old man's suspicions dissipated. "I see. Well, be careful. The Abbot up there is hungry for power and has the strength to match."
Ryuu digested all of this information. Perhaps the Abbot was the source of the event he had sensed. He thanked the man for his information and directions, traded a few of his remaining skins for a trinket and went on his way.
