Wind (Buryoku Book 4)

by Aaron Oster

  “How long?” Roy asked, swallowing past the lump in his throat.

  “You cost us three lives,” Granite said, his eyes glinting with malevolence. “Since you only have the one life to give, I think that will suffice.”

  Roy felt his mind recoil at the very notion of serving this man for the remainder of his life. He rebelled against that idea, not only with his mind but with his very soul. It went against everything he stood for, his very Ideal, the Path he was on, and so much more. He refused to be someone’s slave, yet right here and right now, he had little choice but to obey. For now, he was too weak.

  Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t try and scare them a little.

  “Do you have any idea who I am?” he asked, crossing his arms and trying to look intimidating.

  “I don’t care,” Granite replied. “If you don’t give me an answer within the next thirty seconds, I’ll assume you wish to die.”

  “I am Herald Leroy, son of the Sovereign of the Herald clan. If you don’t let me go, you’ll be sorry!”

  “Twenty seconds,” Granite replied, not reacting to his threats in the slightest.

  “I am the student of Hermit, Sovereign in the Itachi clan!” Roy tried again.

  “Ten.”

  Roy ground his teeth together and finally had to admit defeat.

  “Fine. I’ll fight,” he said, hating himself for basically agreeing to be enslaved.

  “Good,” Granite said. “There are a pair of guards waiting for you outside. I hope you won’t cause any more trouble. Oh, and if you tell anyone in your group about our conversation, I’ll kill them all.”

  “What am I supposed to tell them?” he asked, realizing that this had probably happened to Marrie as well.

  “That you were given an offer you couldn’t refuse,” Granite replied. “Get out.”

  Roy ground his teeth but did as he was told. Inwardly, he seethed at the injustice of having to bow his head to a superior power once again. But he wouldn’t have to do so forever. He had a plan. Well, not an entire plan, but the beginnings of one. He was sure the others were coming to look for him, and with Hermit leading the charge, it was only a matter of time.

  Still, he wasn’t just going to sit back and wait. Roy would get himself out of this mess, just as he’d gotten himself into it.

  “Oh, yeah, and how do you plan on doing that?” Geon asked.

  “Well, between the two of us, I’m sure we can think of something.”

  “Why would I help you?” Geon retorted.

  “Because, in case you’ve forgotten, if I die, so do you.”

  There was a moment of silence following that proclamation, in which time the door was closed behind him, and he was once again seized – none too gently – by a new pair of guards.

  “Fine,” Geon finally replied when they were halfway back to their cell. “But if I help, you need to go after the Beast King as soon as we’re free.”

  “You do know that we don’t stand a chance against him, right?” Roy replied.

  “That is the only way I’ll help.”

  Roy ground his teeth together once more, inwardly raging at the Core’s stubbornness. The Beast King of the Crater was a Supreme. Roy was barely a Green-Belt! How was he supposed to beat him? Still, it was either agree to the Core’s outrageous demands or try and figure this out on his own.

  “I’ll figure it out on my own,” he snapped back. “I’m not suicidal!”

  Geon did not reply.

  19

  Inu Granite, the leader of Reign City, also known as the Sage of Dust, sank into his chair as the door was closed. He ignored the two guards' corpses, instead focusing his attention on his subordinate and second cousin, the Grandmaster Zircon.

  “I want you to start asking around about this Herald Leroy,” he said, interlacing his fingers.

  Zircon seemed a bit surprised, which Granite noted down with distaste. He had to teach his cousin to school himself better than that. How else would they be able to enact their plans when the time came, if keeping his expression under control was so difficult?

  “Speak,” he said, wanting to hear the man’s thoughts.

  “If you’ll excuse my asking,” Zircon said. “Why would we even bother looking into what he said? Firstly, his name is Choi. He said so himself. Secondly, the Herald Sovereign doesn’t have any children, and thirdly, there is no Sovereign by the name of Hermit, not in the Itachi clan or any other. Not to mention that the Itachi and Herald clans probably hate each other more than any of the others in the Seven Great Clans. His story is ludicrous on so many levels that it can’t possibly be true!”

  “And yet, he, a Green-Belt, has such fine control over his Core that even I can’t sense a thing from him. Not only that, but he managed to defeat five different opponents, all of whom were more powerful than him, showing a level of training far beyond what he should possess at his level. And, on top of all that, did you see him run out of Essence even once?”

  There were also other troubling signs that Granite had noticed, none of which had made sense until the boy had blatantly stated his identity. He didn’t know if any of this would hold up, though. As Zircon had pointed out, there was no Sovereign by the name of Hermit from the Itachi clan, and the Herald Sovereign had no children, as far as they all knew.

  Someone as powerful as that could have easily hidden away a son, especially one who seemed to be so weak. But then again, what sort of Green-Belt had that sort of power and those insane reserves of Essence and Qi? Granite knew Purple-Belts who didn’t have as much Essence as that boy had displayed, and for all he knew, ‘Choi’ still had plenty in reserve.

  Right now, without the boy’s claims, the only logical explanation was that the boy was actually a Martial Artist of such astonishing power that he could hide it from even a Sage. That was a truly terrifying thought, as only people of higher power could hide from him, and in Reign City, no one was more powerful than he.

  “I see your point,” Zircon said, going a bit pale as he realized the implications.

  He’d thought it over and had come to the same conclusions as the Sage.

  “This is your top priority,” Granite said, clicking his fingers on the desk. “I want you to reach out to every contact you have. Call in every single favor owed, and if necessary, make the appropriate promises using my name.”

  Judging by the way Zircon’s eyes widened again, it was clear that he understood the gravity of their situation. He gave a quick bow, then all but ran from the room, likely already going through a mental checklist of all the people he could contact.

  Only once the door closed, leaving him completely alone, did Granite let out the sigh he’d been holding in. If this was even half as bad as he thought it was, they were in a lot of trouble. He rose and nearly tripped over one of the corpses still lying at his feet. With a growl of annoyance, he kicked it, the body disintegrating into a cloud of dust as he did.

  For his sake, and for the sake of the entire city, he hoped that he was wrong and that the man named Choi really was the son of a Sovereign. Because if he wasn’t, they’d just let a monster into the very heart of their city.

  ***

  Roy stumbled as he was shoved back into the cell, the door clanging shut behind him. The others were resting — everyone except Marrie, who was busy cycling.

  “You’re back?” Xu said, looking up from where he was lying in confusion.

  “What can I say?” Roy replied, pretending to be in a good mood. “They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

  “Lucky,” Xu snorted before lying back down. “I wish I could get paid for fighting.”

  Marrie cracked an eye, and Roy gave her the slightest shake of his head. Right now, of all the people in here, he trusted her the most. Sure, she’d barely said a thing to him, but she’d trusted him enough to tell him what would be happening. She was stuck in the same situation as him and seeing as none of the others had paid off their debts just yet, she was the only one who knew what w
as really going on.

  He headed over to his bed, which was nothing more than a thin sack to separate him from the cold steel ground, and sat down. There was a small bowl of porridge with a very unappetizing skin over the top, but he was so hungry that he didn’t care. Besides, seeing as he was now stuck here until he found a way out or Hermit came to save him, there was no debt he needed to worry about incurring over food and water.

  Just as he’d suspected, the rice porridge was disgusting — cold, slimy, and unseasoned. Despite its terrible taste, he was too hungry to care. After polishing off every last grain, he got into his cycling position and began refining his Essence. As soon as he’d gotten it as pure as he could, Roy began the process of weaving it into Qi.

  It wasn’t all that different than refining, requiring him to run his Essence with a different sequence through the channels around his Core. That wasn’t all he needed to do, though, as weaving Qi required more effort. As he ran the Essence through the pattern, he applied pressure with his mind, squeezing down on the golden power as he cycled. With each pass, he would constrict just a bit more, and after nearly an hour of repeating the process, the gaseous Essence had transformed into a shining golden liquid.

  Roy breathed out slowly, feeling sweat dripping down his forehead and back as he funneled the Qi into his Core, where it flowed to its center as though drawn there by a magnet. It was a difficult process and one that he’d need to repeat many times before he was done, but it would give him something to do and help him improve while he was trapped in here. For now, though, he needed rest. He was exhausted, injured, and in desperate need of sleep.

  So, after untangling himself from his cycling position, Roy merely lay down on top of the sack. Within seconds, he was out cold.

  ***

  “Well, it seems you’ve gotten yourself into yet another bind.”

  Roy’s awareness came back, and he opened his eyes. However, he was no longer lying in the dark cell. Instead, he was standing in the void of empty space, a glowing golden sphere floating next to him. A man, dressed in non-distinct clothing, stood before him. Small pinpricks of light dotted the sky all around, but aside from those details, everything else was black.

  “Azure,” Roy said, recognizing the man. “How is it that you keep getting into my head? And what exactly is it that you want from me?”

  “Yeah, he’s not that special,” Geon said, the golden Core flickering and dimming as he spoke.

  “I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything just yet,” Azure said, seeming genuinely sorry. “I don’t have the authority to act independently, you see. Everything has a purpose and a place, and yours is, shall we say, unique.”

  “Can you at least tell me why you wanted me to avoid going back to the Herald clan? I literally just found out that they’re my family, the ones I’ve been looking for my entire life!”

  Roy couldn’t hide the anger in his voice, not inside his own head, and he didn’t try to. Had he just gone with the man who’d grabbed him, he’d be safe and sound right now…probably.

  “Because had you gone back there, the Sovereign in charge would not have let you leave, and you’re needed back in the Waterwood.”

  Roy froze at hearing that. The Waterwood. Home of the Shah clan. The place he’d spent most of his life. A place he’d sworn never to go back to. His goals for revenge had long since been abandoned. He was a different person now, and the very last thing he wanted was to return to the site of all the pain and misery of his youth.

  “Why?” Roy asked, crossing his arms. “The Waterwood is months away, and I don’t much feel like going back there.”

  “Yeah,” Geon said, coming to his aid. “We can go to the Crater to kill the Beast King, but the Waterwood? I don’t wanna return to that dump.”

  “The Beast King of the Crater is dead,” Azure said, surprising them both. “And the leader of the Tonde clan has left his home. He believed this would create balance, but it seems that in his absence, the Beast Clan has decided to occupy part of the Waterwood.”

  “Well, if the Beast King is dead, then I have even less reason to head back that way,” Roy replied.

  “Yeah,” Geon said. “If he’s dead, then we should go after the Supreme of Cloying Darkness.”

  “The Sovereign of Cloying Darkness is not a man you can defeat, Dungeon Core. Roy is not nearly strong enough, nor is it the time for revenge. Let me make one thing perfectly clear. Everything happens for a reason. You have ended up in a place where you were most needed. Not only to grow and thrive on your own without the guidance and help of your peers but also because there is someone here who needs you.

  “When the time comes, and you are faced with a decision that seems impossible, I trust you to make the right call and take the plunge. Your future is in your own hands, Herald Leroy. It is up to you to decide how it plays out.”

  Roy didn’t even get a chance to reply as Azure faded from view, leaving him alone in the vastness of space, floating next to the disembodied Core.

  20

  “What do you think he meant by all that?” Roy asked.

  It was the next morning, and Roy was sitting with his back to the cell wall, cycling what little he could. Roy and Geon both remembered everything that had happened in the void, unlike the last time Azure had visited.

  “I have no idea,” Geon replied. “I’m very happy and also very mad.”

  Roy already knew why. He was happy that the Beast King was dead, but he was mad that he hadn’t gotten to kill him. He was also mad that the Supreme of Cloying Darkness was now a Sovereign and way out of their league. Even Geon wasn’t foolish enough to demand Roy go after someone who was potentially as powerful as Hermit or Ikari.

  “Why do you think we’re here, though? Do you believe what he had to say about our need to be here?”

  “Look, all I know is that you’ve never really been on your own as far as challenges are concerned. Here, you have no backup, no help, and no one who will step in if you fail. It’s time to push, Roy, and push hard. We’re surrounded by enemies, especially that scary Sage guy, so unless you start to seriously push yourself, there’s a good chance we end up like Garnet.”

  Roy suppressed a shudder as he remembered what had happened to the first man he’d faced in the arena. That man had been torn limb from limb for the pleasure of a crowd. There was no way he was going to allow that to happen to him.

  The cell suddenly lurched, and Roy’s eyes flew open. It was quite early, so he wasn’t sure what was going on. The others were still asleep. Again, everyone except Marrie, who was also busy cycling.

  “Do you know what’s going on?” Roy asked, making sure not to raise his voice too much and risk waking the others.

  “On days we don’t fight, we’re let out in the arena with the others. We can talk more then,” Marrie replied, not even opening her eyes.

  Seeing as there wasn’t going to be another event until next week, Roy had thought that they’d be confined to their cells until then, not that he was complaining. Being able to get out and do some exercise, perhaps even cycle or generate some more Power Essence, would definitely alleviate his boredom. Perhaps it would even give him the time he needed to develop the Qi techniques to make it out of here.

  Besides, he needed to talk to Marrie, to see if there might be some way they could get out of there. If she really was from one of the Seven Great Clans, maybe revealing who he was could help convince her to join him.

  Then again, if she were part of a clan who hated his, she might be just as inclined to attack him. Seeing as he didn’t know the girl all that well, Roy decided to hold off on any big revelations. At least for now.

  The cell came to a grinding halt, revealing the open sands of the arena once more. Only this time, there was no roaring crowd. The same two guards who’d treated him so nicely the day before moved to open both doors, then simply left, leaving the way to the arena open. Roy noticed that the weapons that had occupied the walls of the second cell were conspicuously
missing, not that he was surprised. After all, why would they just leave a bunch of weapons lying around?

  To his surprise, none of the others even stirred, remaining in their thin sleeping rolls. Even Marrie stayed where she was, continuing to cycle in silence. Marrie was a Wind cultivator and could cycle pretty much anywhere, but for Roy, getting the Essence he needed was a matter of generating enough force to cause it to form. Standing up and suppressing a wince, Roy headed through the open gates, walking into the open arena once more.

  Although he could see plenty of other openings, no one else was out there. Looking around, Roy briefly wondered if he would be able to make a run for it. However, a flicker of movement from the stands revealed that there were several guards watching the perimeter, meaning that an escape attempt would be sad and short-lived.

  Still, being out here meant that Roy now had an opportunity to move around, stretch his sore muscles, and do a bit of exercise. He’d need to keep it light so as not to reopen any of his wounds, but he should be able to exert himself enough to work up a sweat. He began with a simple walk, moving his arms in circular motions to loosen up, before beginning one of the basic forms of the Unaru Kuma.

  Seeing as he hadn’t had much time to analyze the changes since his advancement, having been too busy surviving, Roy knew that now was as good a time as any. As he walked, he tested his speed, reflexes, and how the wind resistance affected his movements. His body felt the same, yet at the same time, it felt different as well. It was a strange feeling, and one that he could not quite explain.

  In the end, his assessment of himself was that he was definitely stronger and faster than before. His reaction speed had increased noticeably, and the resistance of wind on his skin was far greater than it had been before, meaning his strikes would be landing a good deal harder. It had been impossible for him to tell during his actual fights, but the mere fact that he’d beaten five opponents in a row – all of whom were Green-Belts – was more than enough proof of his increased strength.