by Jarod Meyer
“Okay, for now let us hone my sensory perception of others,” Katrina replied.
The two continued and Katrina was able to make ten times more advancement than she’d made over the past few weeks. She could now readily see Talisha’s inner energy. It glowed strong and pure white in her mind.
Katrina compared it to her own, and found that Talisha’s wasn’t as strong. She couldn’t help but smile. This is what she wanted to know if she could fight another Archonian and win. After all, looks in this world could be deceiving. Katrina’s skinny arms could hurl a ten ton stone like an apple across a field. And her slim legs could carry her faster than the lightning struck.
She breathed softly and focused on her teacher’s energy, when all of the sudden it hit her like a tidal wave. At first she thought it was the boy again. The power was immense, but there was something familiar yet unfamiliar about it. She reached out towards it. This aura wasn’t coming from the valley. It dawned on her that her mind was reaching out to William again, so she began to focus more. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted.
Hands grabbed her, shaking her. “Katrina, snap out of it. Your friends are in danger!” Talisha hissed.
“My friends!? Where, why, who!?” Katrina asked, shaking her head to clear away the cobwebs and jumping to her feet.
“Can you not sense them?” Talisha asked.
Katrina’s mind searched for a moment and when she found what she was looking for she turned towards the center of the valley. Samuel and Parsa were surrounded by ten other strong energy signatures.
Talisha followed Katrina to a small square, a frightening scene unfolding right in the center. Blue-clad Sentinels led by a single Adjudicator surrounded Samuel and Parsa. They hadn’t been arrested yet, but she guessed that even Parsa’s sly tongue couldn’t get them out of this one.
They approached quietly as to avoid any unnecessary attention.
“We know you are Guardians and we know that you were travelling along the northern mountains,” the Adjudicator said, loudly. His armor was light and delicate looking, much like him. He wasn’t strong. This gave Katrina some reassurance.
“It did take us a while to track you to this place, but this soldier has identified you as a small band of mountain climbers. One is missing however, a female, if I am not mistaken, who attacked this scout,” the Adjudicator said, indicating another soldier.
Katrina immediately recognized him from their scrap many weeks ago.
“Justicar, I am no guardian, and my friends and I are simply seeking refuge in this place,” Parsa said defensively.
The purple-caped officer looked Parsa up and down appraisingly. “If this is the truth then you should have no qualms against coming to the capitol, of your own free will of course, to answer some questions.”
“I am afraid that the capitol is far away from our next destination,” Parsa replied, in full acting mode.
Katrina hoped beyond hope that he could talk his way out of this.
She calmed herself down to see if she could sense the other sentinels energy levels and when she did her worry grew. None of these men were weak. They would have a serious fight on their hands if it came to it.
“Enough of this, Justicar, you have the authority to take them. Let us be done with this,” growled one of the larger looking sentinels. He wore his blue cape wrapped around the front half of his armor, his seal clasping it to his breastplate. She couldn’t make it out at this distance but it looked like he held a high rank.
“Please, Garron, we are not brutes that will garishly misuse our temporary powers,” The Justicar said, looking at him. “My large companion is correct however. If you will not come with us willingly we can take you unwillingly. The aforementioned would appear far more appealing to our associates in the capitol.”
“This seems a gross misuse of your office, Justicar. Is there any proof that we have committed wrong doing? Will we even receive a fair trial?” Parsa demanded assertively, yet politely.
“I am afraid that we are in a period of unrest in the realm and the great Synod has regrettably had to make some difficult decisions. Now let us not waste any more time. Tell us where your female companion is and then kindly surrender and accompany us back to the capitol.”
Samuel looked desperate, and quickly looked to Parsa for an answer.
Parsa sighed and simply said, “Very well, Justicar, we surrender.”
Samuel’s face spoke of fear and surprise. Samuel’s armor appeared around his body, along with a small shield of energy. He tried to burst into the sky, but the sentinels were on him instantly. Two held his arms down like weights while another came down from above with the butt if his spear causing a stream of scarlet to shower the stone below. A Guardian should have put up more of a fight. But he was scared, outnumbered, and unprepared.
Stray energy blasts from Sam’s fingertips seared the ground, the growing crowd of onlookers beginning to flee in fear.
“That is quite enough, rebel,” the Justicar said, pointing a gleaming sword at Samuel’s throat.
Parsa was on his knees with his hands behind his head, a spear point pressed against his neck.
“Now tell us where your companion is,” the man said calmly, as if conducting mundane business.
Katrina had seen enough. Such interrogation wasn’t the Archonian way, but she didn’t want Samuel or Parsa to be needlessly harmed. Not when she could do something about it. There was no point in hiding any longer.
“I’m right here. Come and get me,” she called out, slowly walking up behind the scene. As she spoke her armor flashed brightly over her body. Then she slowly stepped forward into a Kung Fu fighting stance.
“You are foolish to fight us alone, Guardian. Brave, but foolish,” the Adjudicator stated, flatly.
“I do not want to fight you, brothers. Nor do I want to harm you. It is you that have come to this peaceful valley looking for trouble. Dishonoring its inhabitants and stripping good Archonian people of their rights,” Katrina cried loud so everyone could hear.
“Your words are noble, but folly. I am the law and any individual here who stands against me stands against the law of Archonia. And you, my dear, stand as such,” he finished.
“…but not alone,” Talisha stated, walking up beside Katrina and sinking into her own fighting pose.
Heads turned again as another man stepped out from the crowd. He was bald and wore a grim face, and wore the orange robes of a shaolin monk. His seemingly mundane appearance was quickly replaced by a surge of energy, and his robes fell away as if they were on fire, transforming into bright orange trousers. His power was great. Katrina couldn’t help but smile as he fluidly flourished through a series of fighting moves, before settling into his own unique stance.
Well, she thought, three against eleven was better than one.
She would have to get Samuel and Parsa back into the fight as well. Five would make this a winnable contest.
A bead of sweat dripped down her face. And silence filled the area for a moment, the calm before the storm. Katrina wondered if her martial arts training would pay off. She had yet to use any of her forms or techniques in live combat. Her guardian training, though extensive, may be of little use to her in a fight amongst these powerful adversaries. She hoped Talisha and the monk were up to the task.
A slight look of shock and awe still showed on their enemies faces when Katrina sprang into action. Her speed would be her greatest ally still. And she surprised even her new ally’s as she acted first. In an instant she was inside the guard of her first target, and the soldier holding Samuel at sword point fell back, gurgling in agony as Katrina’s elbow thrust into his stomach, cracking his armor and sending him to the building behind him. The wooden wall splintered and gave way like it was made from straw.
“Fight!” she shouted to Samuel, who leapt into action as well.
A shield formed around them just as a salvo of energy blasts exploded at them. She jumped straight into the air and out of his shi
eld to get clear of the cloud of smoke from the blast. She saw that her two friends joined the fight now and they were magnificent.
She spied Parsa, who lay on the ground, apparently unconscious. She wondered if the soldiers acted too fast for him. They could have really used him in this fight, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Adrenaline surged through her body and everything seemed to slow. She didn’t summon her bow. She wouldn’t inflict any mortal wounds upon her fellow Archonian’s, but she could live with pummeling them into the ground.
She fell from the air, twisting to avoid two more energy blasts and landed on a sentinel’s shoulders, wrapping her legs around both his head and outstretched arm. Her weight plus some extra leverage from her inner energy took him to the ground. She had a firm grasp of his arm and twisted until she heard it crack. He howled in agony and stayed on the ground, even as she righted herself with another rush of energy. Then she stomped viciously on his nose, which cracked under her foot, taking him out of the fight.
Katrina didn’t stop to make sure he was still alive. His injuries would be easily healed and would make him think twice before crossing another guardian again. The monk and Talisha weren’t nearly as fierce as Katrina, but they’d already taken three adversaries out of commission. Samuel was no longer trying to flee, but fought with a ferocity he had never displayed.
She watched as a bubble of energy left the shield surrounding him and encased the Adjudicator, freezing him in place. A sentinel’s sword shattered as he struck the powerful energy wall that still surrounded him. He flexed and this energy repulsed in a blast that took three soldiers off their feet. Samuel hadn’t even moved. Katrina was quickly reminded why he was chosen to become a guardian.
A shrill sound issued forth, all heads briefly pointing towards the source. A sentinel blew on some sort of whistle. It had to be a call for assistance.
This didn’t bode well. Nobody had time to stop him. Katrina parried and dodged a spear tip. She let the end pass by her right side and then chopped downward, breaking the metal spear between her forearm and thigh. She twisted closer and did it again until the sentinel held a useless metal stick.
He stared at it in disbelief, which was his final error. Katrina smashed an open palm up into his jaw. His head snapped back violently, and she was worried for a moment that she ended him. She needed to take these men out of the fight so that she was not looking over her shoulder as her and her companions fled, but she quickly decided to be less forceful with her attacks.
Another shrill whistle pierced the air, but this time it was quickly silenced by the Shaolin warrior. The flash of orange overtook the blue clad sentinel and he crumpled to the ground.
Victory was in sight, making Katrina’s heart race. She spun through the air and was about to connect her foot with the face of yet another unfortunate sentinel, but a sharp pain shot through her ankle.
Parsa stood tall and held one arm out, blocking her leg. She was too confused to react, and in that time Parsa had her wrapped in a rear chokehold.
She would be able to hold on for a long time if she could convince herself that she didn’t need air, but her muscles and lungs were already heaving from the fight.
With his free arm Parsa let fly a spear of energy that pierced through Sam’s shield and hit him in the back. He was knocked to the ground and almost instantly the Adjudicator that was frozen in place was free and on Samuel subduing him.
Katrina tried to elbow Parsa in the ribcage, but she didn’t have enough strength to overtake him. He kicked the back of her knee, dropping her to the ground and produced a shining sword, holding it to her throat.
“Enough!” he shouted and everyone stopped.
Kat looked up and saw the purple-clad Adjudicators descending from the sky. . Her heart sank in defeat. Ten more men hit the ground and secured the monk and Talisha. They were brutal with them, but Katrina heard no cries for it to stop from the crowd of onlookers.
“Stop you bastards!” Katrina shouted with rage.
She tried to knock the sword away from her throat, but felt a sharp pain split through her calves. The pain bombarded her mind, dizziness and nausea overtaking her.
Parsa projected, shooting thick metal stakes through her legs, pinning them to the ground. She fell to her hands, screaming in agony, two more stakes shooting into her wrists. She tried to jerk them away, but they were staked between the bones in her arm and it was far too painful to move.
She lay completely immobilized and saw Parsa’s armor for the first time. It was gold and steel colored not extremely intricate and only covered his torso like a tunic. Then everything clicked into place as she saw his flowing purple cape.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
KARMA
For William, the sensation of falling was no big deal. He could steady himself, or even stop in mid-air if he wanted to. For the others in the group it was a different story. They couldn’t fly.
William had followed shortly after Kavin, who was a tiny spec in the darkness below by now. He twisted and looked back in time to see Leopoldo leap. There wasn’t fear in the man’s look, but a grimace of determination. His strange invulnerability must have given him such courage.
The weak link in this trial was Shou, who came over the edge moments later, flailing and kicking his arms. His screams filled their ears and bounced around the stone walls.
William decided that this was a good time to start working as a team, and as if a parachute had been deployed he stopped in mid-air. His arms and legs still thought that his body was falling and flared outwards. Leo sped past him. Shou did as well, but William caught up with him in a second, and grabbed him.
The Japanese man looked back as he felt the slight change in gravity provided by William’s energy. He stopped screaming and did his best to appear unafraid, but William felt his hands gripping like vices to whatever parts of his armor they could latch onto. The Archonian simply winked at the samurai warrior, and continued downward.
The small amount of light had faded completely by now. William began to count the seconds as they fell and stopped after a minute passed. They were incredibly deep underground by now and still descending.
William’s eyes tried to adjust to the darkness, but it was no use. He ignited his hand with grey energy, the light bouncing off the stone walls. He let a ball of energy fly downwards to check what lay ahead, and the ball shimmered, flickering off what looked to be different metals coursing through the rock.
After a moment a second ball of light appeared, and then both disappeared. Water, William thought. A few moments later Kavin and Leopoldo plunged in, splashing loudly. William slowed his descent, and floated just above the dark pool. A moment later, his two companions emerged.
William’s hand was still ablaze. Even his dark grey energy lit the place like a miniature sun. It stretched out, reaching the vast cavern walls. It was uncomfortably quiet in this deep recess.
“Over there, solid ground,” he whispered, pointing with his glowing hand. Then he swooped over and set Shou down.
Kavin and Leo swam the distance swiftly. They scrambled up on the rocks, found a footing and stood. William held out a hand for Kavin, sure that he would need assistance, but he was half-mutated into his larger, stronger form. As soon as his feet were on solid ground he shrunk down again, the old decrepit man hobbling forward. This time he used no cane, vigor in his step that William could only assume came from the fight which lay ahead.
“It’s your show now, old man,” William said.
The tiny figure hustled off down the sliver of solid ground, before disappearing into the darkness without hesitation. William exchanged glances with the others, who shared his apprehension openly, but they all fell in line.
William kept the light strong. Projecting used to be so difficult for him. Now it took almost no effort to maintain. Not only this, but he remembered the advice he’d been given. Don’t trust your eyes. He stretched out with his aura, letting it echo off the area around him. He could feel
every surface.
William spotted Shou, rubbing his shoulder and turning it over to stretch it out. At the same time he felt a throbbing pain in his back. He dismissed it as sore and tried muscles from the cold, damp Dichonian weather.
“It is not your imagination, young ones. It has begun already. Karma has felt our presence, and he reaches out for your mind. The pain will only get worse from here,” Kavin said, cackling maniacally.
This made the William stop for a moment, and contemplate, but with no other choice he continued on along the narrow path.
“There will be no backing out once we reach the beast. I hope that you are all prepared,” Kavin said to the group. He appeared to almost giddy.
“Why the optimism, old man?” William asked.
Kavin’s cackle ceased and he turned to look at William. His eyes had changed. Now they were pitch black, without even a hint of the whites. William recoiled slightly.
“Because, young William, I believe we can kill it,” he said, softly.
Finally some good news, he thought.
The path along the still water widened, and narrowed as it followed the flat rock walls, dwarfing the group. They traveled cautiously, listening with a keen ear for anything unusual. At some spots his companions were forced to wade through water. William simply floated above it.
William paused as he ran a hand over the rock. It was strange. There were no natural formations in the stone. In fact, they all seemed to be cleanly cut, and purposeful. Like this place was created.
Then William saw him and he froze. He had to look twice to be sure he wasn’t imaging things. It was a young boy with dark skin. William could barely see him standing in the dark corner.
His heart began to beat wildly, his mind insisting that adrenaline was pumping through his veins. William had seen this boy on many sleepless nights. But now the boy wasn’t in his nightmares, but right before him. The same boy whose life he took so long ago, killed in a firefight, by William’s rifle. The boy had barely been old enough to hold his own gun.
“No!” Shou cried out, breaking William from his stupor.
