Oyama began to tell me about the combat mantras, partially repeating the descriptions. I was lost in thought. The damage, attack speed, curse and dodge mantras interested me least of all, but the others… I definitely had to take the one that restored spirit. Healing would surely come in handy too. The retribution mantra could make an imba combo with Reflection. My internal hamster Percy emitted a careful whine to remind me that my training points weren’t unlimited, and who knew what moves Oyama might offer next. The hamster had reason for concern, but I’d still have twenty-two points left after buying three mantras — that should be enough. After all, I’d reached my current level practically with just one move.
“I choose the mantras of restoration, healing and retribution.”
Oyama didn’t comment on my choice. My training points went down and the mantras were added to my list of Unarmed Combat moves. They weren’t activated by button, but by pronouncing words, mentally or aloud.
“Many masters of Unarmed Combat choose a protector beast,” my teacher continued in a mentoring tone, reminding me of Mr. Kovac. “The spirit of said beast inhabits the body, combining with the spirit of the master himself.”
Supreme Grand Master Oyama invites you to choose a protector beast.
Attention! You cannot change your protector beast.
Mongoose: increases your dodge chance by 50%.
Monkey: allows you to create a spirit copy. Costs 100 spirit per second.
Bear: doubles your armor stat.
Dragon: your attacks deal instant bonus fire damage (+1% for each point of spirit spent on the move).
Tiger: triples your attack speed in the first 3 seconds of battle.
Snake: your attacks deal extra poison damage over time (+1% for each point of spirit spent on the move).
Owl: doubles your spirit restoration rate.
Cost: 5 training points.
“Choose wisely,” Oyama said, repeating Sagda’s words. “The spirits of the ancestors who send us protectors are fair, so each beast bestows equally valuable powers. But the wrong choice will force you to change your style of combat.”
“Your beast is the monkey?” I asked, remembering how Oyama had left a copy of himself to fight me while he ate.
“Trying to astound me with your powers of observation, apprentice?” Oyama laughed. “Make your choice without looking across at others. Do not hurry. Think…”
I would have gladly skipped this step and gone to the list of moves first, then chosen a beast later, but NPC logic couldn’t be changed. I suspected that Oyama would offer different moves depending on which beast protector I chose. So there was nothing to do but choose. In school, we were told about a certain English Franciscan monk who formulated the principle known as Occam’s Razor. One could simplify choices by casting off the unnecessary. Following this principle, I discounted the mongoose and bear — they were more suited to tanks. The next to leave the list was the tiger — it seemed more important to explosive damage dealers, to kill the target before it knew what hit it. The dragon and snake could potentially strengthen my damage, but not with my supply of spirit. The only ones left were the monkey and the owl.
The ability to create a copy — and a full one, not an illusion like Hinterleaf, — was alluring, but it ate so much spirit that there would be none left for combat moves. The owl… The wise bird simply doubled spirit restoration. My battle skills had no cooldown anymore, they were limited only by my spirit reserves, which meant I’d be able to do twice as much damage with the owl as my protector.
“I choose the owl!”
Oyama closed his eyes for a second. I heard hooting behind me, the flapping of wings. Ghostly talons landed on my shoulder, but when I turned my head, I saw nothing.
Your beast protector is: the owl!
This nocturnal bird and symbol of wisdom will aid you in battle. After all, owls are excellent hunters and silent killers.
Doubles your spirit restoration speed.
“Interesting choice…” Oyama said thoughtfully. “A long time ago when I, as a green boy, chose my beast protector, I refused the owl right away. There seemed no obvious reason to take it; it gives nothing that will help in the first battle! So I thought… I had always had enough spirit to achieve victory over any opponent… in Jiri. The first time I got to Darant, I entered the Arena battles. Vanity is the yoke of the young, and young I was. After easily defeating my first opponent, I met a paladin. Our duel dragged out. None of my attacks dealt the damage I needed, and my opponent kept healing himself with prayers… Once I’d exhausted all my spirit, even what I recovered by mantra, the battle ended. I had no way to withstand the plate-covered paladin’s sharp blade. And so… A wise choice, my apprentice!”
“Thank you, master.”
“Now it is time to choose your patron element. Then I will teach you several moves, after which our lessons for the day will be over. I can hear them making dinner in the village. Don’t believe anyone who tells you to eat it like a pauper. Nobody who says that has ever gone to sleep with an empty belly!”
This important maxim given, my teacher fell silent, leaving me alone with a system window:
Supreme Grand Master Oyama invites you to choose a patron element from the following: air, fire, lightning, water, earth.
The patron element will influence your style of Unarmed Combat.
Attention! You cannot change your patron element!
Cost: 10 training points.
Unfortunately, the system gave me no explanations. Did I have to pick an unknown quantity again, and for ten points this time? Oyama was silent too, but, reading the silent question in my eyes, he answered:
“You can refuse to select a patron element.”
“I don’t want to refuse, master, but I don’t understand how to make the choice.”
“Choose with your heart,” he advised.
Easily said. What if I didn’t want to choose without thinking? Seeing my doubts, Oyama murmured:
“Look.”
My teacher suddenly disappeared, replaced by a whirlwind the height of a man. I was pulled right into it, the world turned upside down and flickered, and I came round a hundred paces from the tree. Oyama landed soundlessly on his feet next to me.
“That was the Lashing Wind technique. Long before I became Supreme Grand Master, I could fight an entire army using only Hurricane Ferocity. In a century past, I met a warrior who chose lightning. His Thunder Fists could put down a whole army too.”
“Impressive…” I could find no other words.
“Any element can be deadly, student. If you cannot make your choice, then let them make it for you.”
Oyama moved his index finger, drawing some strange symbols in the air. One by one, the symbols flashed around me: one of burning fire, another flowing like water, a stone rune of earth, another like glass with howling wind sealed within, and the last as if made of crackling lightning itself. They hung in the air for five or six seconds, as if taking time to look at me, then began to move.
The lightning rune bolted into the sky. The stone symbol crashed to the ground, melting into it. The mark of fire spat sparks and blazed toward the sun. The water glyph dripped down into dew on the withered grass. The invisible walls holding back the wind within the air rune disappeared and a gust of wind tousled my hair, slid across my neck, stroked my cheeks and punched me in the chest. I reeled back.
The element of air is now your patron.
Combat abilities that rely on the element of air are far more deadly when you use them.
You allowed the elements to make their own choice! Accept the gratitude of the element of air!
Reward: Clarity ability.
Clarity
A special state within which your speed increases many times, and you can foresee the movements of enemies. Damage dealt with air techniques while in the state of Clarity is doubled.
Cost to use: 100 to activate and an additional 100 spirit for every second spent in Clarity.
O
yama seemed happily surprised that I’d received the same patron element that he once chose, and was suddenly having nostalgic memories.
A single thought echoed in my head: Clarity is imba! And I definitely had to raise my spirit cap — right now I only had enough to activate the skill, after which Clarity would deactivate right away without more spirit.
“Well, apprentice, the time has come to teach you some effective moves,” Oyama interrupted my thoughts, his tone now changed. “But first I will ask you — do you wish to improve what you have?”
Oyama was asking if I wanted to upgrade Stunning Kick and Combo. I couldn’t level up even one of them to the maximum; I only had seven training points left, but it would cost me at least ten for two upgrades to improve anything.
“Can I decide later, master?” I asked.
“As you wish. Then I will show you several moves that work well with your patron element of air. Watch carefully!”
Oyama stepped back and loudly declared:
“Hammerknee! Not a very useful skill for one walking the Path of Spirit, but it is not for me to choose for the student.”
Level 1 Hammerknee
Jumping up high, you drop down on your enemy’s head, striking with your knee. Deals 350% of standard damage. Has a 75% chance to stun the enemy for 3 seconds.
Cost: 1 training point.
Oyama demonstrated the move, crashing knee-first into the ground with such power that he was buried up to his waist in the earth. After climbing out, he moved on to the next technique.
The demonstration of moves took at least an hour. Spirit Flight, Spirit Shock, Gust of Wind, Rising Fist Strike, Lion’s Paw, the already familiar Dragon’s Tail from Sagda’s lessons, Storm Fists, Touch of Death, Maiming Wave, Breakthrough, Explosive Tornado, Storm Scream… Sometimes the names of the techniques spoke for themselves, sometimes they just seemed confusing. The damage varied, but the basics remained the same — one way or another the moves wounded, stunned and killed.
In the end, after thinking a while, I used five points to upgrade Combo, reducing the time between moves in the series by milliseconds and raising the combo chain up to thirty-three. I rarely reached the end of the chain as it was, but this would come in handy on high-level mobs. The move now had a modifier: Fast Combo. I didn’t have enough training points for the final upgrade, Hurricane Combo. I made my choice because of a strategy I had planned: Clarity and Fast Combo. It was simple; the more hits I could dish out while in Clarity, the quicker my enemy would die.
The final two points went on Storm Fists. My ace in the hole, just in case I spent all my spirit and Vindication.
Storm Fists level 1
Passive air ability.
Your standard punches gain power, transforming into Hammerfists at current grade.
This move costs no spirit, but cannot be used at range.
Cost: 2 training points.
The training ended at dusk. Yawning, Oyama rubbed his belly, pulled in air through his nostrils and said dreamily:
“Roast lamb with prairie grass. I better go before those gluttons eat it all. Oh, yeah… Come back when you’re ready to learn new techniques or you want to confirm your next rank. There’ll be someone to fight you in Jiri. Dzigoro, for example — he’s an Unparalleled Master. And we can find a Grand Master, if you manage to go further than two hundred steps along the Path of Spirit. That’s all, apprentice, get going.”
Oyama jumped up and his figure melded into the darkening sky. He landed back in the village.
As I watched him go, I wondered how long I’d have to grind to reach his level.
Chapter 25. Between Dreams and Reality
MY SLEEP DEBT and Oyama’s exhausting training led me doze off right at the table while eating dinner. Maria helped me stagger over to the bed on disobedient legs, dimmed the light panels and left me to rest. I pulled off my shoes, fell back without taking off my clothes and fell asleep, probably in the same second my head hit the pillow.
I managed to sleep only three hours, which I found out later while on the windswept roof — Roj had dragged me from my bed and taken me to exercise. He said it was Hairo’s orders and I could address all my complaints to him any time I liked. I would have liked to right then, but Hairo was busy.
“Exercise on the roof? At night? Why?”
“Breathe, Alex,” the bodyguard suggested. “Breathe. Fresh air and all that…”
“Have you been talking to Oyama?”
“I don’t know who that is, but he sounds like a wise man!” Roj chuckled. “Alright, stand in front of me and repeat after me…”
Shivering and yawning, I started to warm up without enthusiasm: squatting, lunging, waving my arms. At the same time, at the other end of the roof, armed people in camouflage uniforms were loading onto our Shark. I nodded in that direction and asked:
“Who are they?”
“Wild ones,” Roj explained. “Keep going, don’t get distracted.”
I kept going, now glancing from side to side with interest.
In the opposite corner of the roof, there was a little tent village flickering with flashlights. People wandered within it, ragtag and disheveled. Those same wild ones who hadn’t yet moved into the apartments.
The Shark, under Willy’s control, took off. Hairo soon found us. He lit a cigarette, watching as I trained. Letting out a cloud of smoke, he gave a crisp report:
“We found some reliable people among Diego Aranzabal’s servants. He rarely leaves the base, but, according to them, he’s meeting someone from the Cartel tonight. If everything goes to plan, he won’t make it there.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then he’ll meet with the Cartel’s people, but he won’t come back. That’s our plan B. We got plans C and D too, just in case. The wild ones’ leader Fletcher is managing the operation. You can meet him when he gets back, if you want… Alright, enough warming up!”
Hairo had gotten the idea of teaching me self-defense, and asked Roj to do it in his place — his own bionic prosthetic legs made teaching difficult.
“Today we’re going to try escaping from holds,” Hairo declared. “Alex, watch us. I hope you won’t need this, but it’s important for you to be ready. Roj?”
Van Garderen nodded and approached the security officer. He turned his back and Hairo grabbed him in a headlock. Roj stepped back, putting his leg behind Hairo’s, then fell back on the security officer, pulling him to the floor.
“No, no, he doesn’t have the weight for that, or the strength,” Morales griped, getting up. “Arm grip this time. Only slowly and carefully, so the kid gets to see it.”
Hairo repeated the grip, only this time he grabbed Roj’s arms tight. Roj lunged forward and parted his arms sharply, freeing himself and elbowing his boss in the ribs. Hairo groaned.
“I could have stamped on his foot,” Roj told me and smiled widely. “But that doesn’t work on him. Hairo’s a damn cyborg.”
They repeated the demonstration a few more times for me to memorize the sequence of moves.
“Let’s continue.”
Hairo walked over to me and grabbed my wrist.
“Well, what do you do now?”
I tried to pull my arm in, raise it, lower it.
“Nothing.”
“It’s easy if you think a little. Look.”
He released me and grabbed Roj just the same way. The other man smiled, somehow twisted his wrist and freed himself. Hairo commented:
“The weak point is here — the thumb. Just rotate your wrist around it, no strength needed. Let’s try.”
He grabbed my now reddened wrist again. I repeated Roj’s movement exactly and freed myself, although not without effort. My wrist burned. Next we worked on a two-handed forearm hold. This time I had to lift my thumb sharply, grab it with my free hand and quickly pull upwards.
Smiling, I shook myself and went to work on my first technique. Unlike Dis, I couldn’t learn anything instantly here…
“Sto
p!” Hairo commanded after half an hour of training.
Freeing myself from his ‘gentle’ grip, I gasped to get my breath back and heard the measured hum of turrets activating.
Hairo raised his comm to his mouth and quietly asked:
“Yoshi, who’s that hanging around by the flyers? A wild one..? Who? Furtado? Trixie? Got it. Switch off the turrets, I’ll handle it.”
He ended the call and walked toward the hangar, gesturing us to follow him.
“Let’s see what he’s up to.”
Path of Spirit (Disgardium Book #6): LitRPG Series Page 24
