by Nikita Thorn
“Yeah, it seems to be going that way lately.”
Yamura sighed, too dispirited to ask what Seiki meant. “Well, what’s done is done. Better get ourselves prepared.”
He stood aside to avoid two people coming out through the door in succession before going in. The door slid close, making Seiki wonder why there needed to be a door at all with this amount of traffic going in and out the building.
The edge of the door was worn from so many hands touching it and the wood around was smooth as if especially polished. Seiki let himself through and found himself alone in a simple room about ten feet by eight.
Quest completed: Home in Shinshioka! [Level 3]. 25 XP gained.
Achievement earned: First Territory! 15 XP gained.
He had expected it to be a large room full of people, like the ground floor of Ichikeya Inn, and he looked around in surprise. The unpolished wood floor was bare but clean. There was a long tiny window at the top of the wall which let through some light. There was no sign of either Eisuke or Yamura, or anyone else.
The only thing in the room was a black wooden box on the floor against the far wall, just large enough to store a full-grown cat. It turned out to be empty.
From outside, Seiki could hear Yamura shout. “You done yet?”
Seiki emerged from the building and found Yamura leaning against a willow tree. He had donned a few pieces of gear and now had on a +12 defense arm guard that did not match the rest of his attire.
Behind Seiki, the door slid close on its own, before opening again to let Fumiko [Level 5] in a blue kimono out. She seemed to be in a great hurry and paid Seiki no attention.
“It’s instanced,” Yamura said, as he saw Seiki’s slightly puzzled look. “Like dungeons. You just phase into your own terry, so everyone can be in the same place but can’t see each other.”
“I see,” said Seiki, as he watched Ruriko [Level 5] run down the lane and disappear into the door behind him. Almost at the same time, Kira [Level 7] slammed the door open as he came out. From outside, the place seemed very busy. It all made sense, but Seiki could not help feeling rather fascinated by something that to him looked like a trick camera shot.
Yamura sighed as he decided the best way to save time was to explain. “You can leave stuff in the room and no one can take it, unless you stupidly invite them in. The boxes are all connected, so you can put your things there and get them from your box in other territories you own. You have twenty slots right now, but you can upgrade.” He rattled off the points in one breath. “Now hurry up. We’ve got Shogun reps to do.”
Seiki quickly made sense of the explanation. Then, he told Yamura that he was planning to explore the city a bit more. “I just… have a lot of time,” he said, by way of an explanation, not quite sure how to put it.
Yamura groaned. “Fine! Explore. Yeah, go through the door ten times to see how it works. Run around and feed some chickens and get like 10 XP.”
Seiki had a feeling that Yamura was speaking from experience. “Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad.” He laughed.
An idea seemed to flash through Yamura’s head. “Okay, how long do you need?”
“Well, you go ahead.”
“You kidding? What if we run into those guys again? I’ll tell you, man. What you need right now is to ramp up some Shogun reps so we can join a good clan.”
Before Seiki could explain that he had no intention to do so, at least not now, Yamura had made up his mind. “Half an hour? Okay, forty-five minutes max, but I’ll be back. I’ll do other stuff now. You know, those rep quests are impossible to solo.” He then ran past Seiki through the door, still shouting, “Half an hour!”
Seiki opened the door to go after him and found himself alone again in his private Yanagi Alley room.
“Of course,” said Seiki to himself, shaking his head as he imagined this would need a little getting used to.
Following Yamura’s advice, he put everything in the box except for a few gold coins which he left in his cloth pouch. He then looked at the blue ceramic bottle with three servings of healing tonic and the white bottle of healing potion that he got as a free sample, and he decided to keep them on him.
Without any unfinished quests left, Seiki thought it would not hurt to take it easy for the time being and enjoy the scenery. South City was designed to be pleasant and welcoming, most likely to gently ease people into the city life of Shinshioka. The canal trickled gently with crystal clear water, revealing the occasional fish or turtle that was swimming beneath the water lilies that grew near the canal banks.
He followed the road along the canal bank into a particularly quiet area, where a tiny picturesque wooden bridge crossed the stream to the other side. A red dragonfly stopped and perched on the bridge railing, and he stopped to look at it in amazement. Suddenly, from somewhere ahead, he heard faint, disciplined voices shouting in unison.
Wondering if it was what he thought it was, Seiki tried to work out the direction it was coming from. The South City was a maze of little alleys closed off with bamboo fences. Soon, after zigzagging through it, he found a small doorway that led to a courtyard, beyond which was a large open wooden building with a raised floor. Inside, students in white shirts and black hakama were standing in line, practicing their moves with bamboo swords.
An old man, who appeared to be their master, walked around and occasionally fixed the students’ posture. “Loosen your left hand grip, Koji,” the old man was saying to one of them. “You need to be able to change your grip in an instant.”
It reminded Seiki of a life he missed so sorely, and he sat down under one of the trees in the courtyard and watched them practice with interest.
The class was already drawing to an end, and the students soon bowed and slowly left. Seiki sighed heavily as he imagined they might go for a meal afterward, or maybe just hang out in the clearing by the river, or walk home late at night when the city was quiet and the ground was wet with rain: memories that were forever going to become more and more distant. The thought plunged him into a sea of nauseous despair and he fought to push it away.
“Young man, are you lost?”
The question startled Seiki. It was the Master, who had walked out to the edge of the raised practice hall. He was dressed in a simple gray kimono, with a sheathed sword thrust through his obi, his eyes deep and kind. Seiki did not know how to answer and could only look at him.
“Interested in the way of the sword, then?” said the old master.
Still staring at the old man, Seiki nodded. It did not have to be a sword. It could be anything, and he would have said yes.
The master swordsman motioned for him to approach. “Come here, young man.”
As Seiki got up to his feet, one of the students came running through the main door at the end of the practice hall. That was when Seiki realized he must have come through the back courtyard door, which would explain the lack of signs. Quickly glancing around, he found a large sign above the practice hall that read ‘Nansei Dojo’.
The student approached them. “Master Tsujihara! I forgot to tell you…” The student noticed Seiki and stopped short.
Master Tsujihara turned to look at him. “What is it, Sato?”
Sato, a thin young man, eyed Seiki curiously. “Master Tsujihara, is this a new student?”
Master Tsujihara smiled as he looked at Seiki. “Well, that depends on him.”
Before Seiki could reply, another student rushed in, crying in alarm. “Master Tsujihara! It’s the Umezawa clan!” He tripped and fell on the floor. “They’ve brought people!”
At the same moment, a group of people burst through the door into the practice hall, heavily armed with swords and sticks. One of the invaders caught up with the newcomer and swung a staff at him, knocking him unconscious. Sato cried “Maeda!” and grabbed his bamboo sword as he rushed to defend his friend.
The Master was also there in a flash and, with a sharp swing of his sword, he
fell two attackers in one blow. More men rushed in with shouts. Seiki counted almost twenty of them, and they filled almost half the practice hall.
The Umezawa men proved overwhelming for Sato who soon let out a cry as a sword cut through his arm. The Master was still fighting four or five of them and could not yet come to his aid. One man from Umezawa cackled as he raised his staff to incapacitate Sato with a finishing blow. At that moment, Seiki ran forward, leapt onto the raised floor of the practice hall, and landed a punch on the attacker’s cheek. The man fell over and went still. Another Umezawa man tried to hit him with a stick, but Seiki spun around and kicked him backward.
The Master had also managed to knock three men to the ground.
Sato cried, “Maeda!”
Everyone paused and turned to look.
One of the attackers, who appeared to be their leader, was holding a knife to Maeda’s throat. “Drop your swords!” the man shouted. He was a rugged man with a loose shirt, its long open sleeves barely hiding his ringed copper arm guards.
His nose bleeding and his cheek swollen, Maeda seemed only half-conscious. He struggled weakly as he was held up by two men, one on each side.
All eyes were now on Master Tsujihara in anticipation.
The Master’s voice was calm. “Let the boy go, Umezawa.” He slowly put down his sword on the floor. Sato had been looking at his master for instructions, and put down his bamboo sword as well.
Umezawa seemed pleased. “Destroy the place!” cried Umezawa.
“You dare!” the Master barked. It was a voice of authority, and Umezawa’s men shrunk back in fear. “If you are here to challenge my dojo, then adhere to challenge rules.”
“Is your dojo more important than this boy’s life?” Umezawa asked. “Tsujihara, your time is over. Your old creed is dead.”
Seiki glanced at them, unsure what he was supposed to do. As he caught the Master’s eye, he realized the old man was looking at him intently. His eyes glanced slowly toward the rack of bamboo swords on the wall beside him, before looking back at Seiki.
Seiki understood. He was standing closest to Umezawa. He glanced at the Master again, whose gaze was now on the man holding Maeda’s left shoulder.
Umezawa continued to gloat. “If you and your students just walk away, no one would need to get hurt.”
“And if you walk away right now, no one would need to get hurt,” said the Master.
At that moment, the Master met Seiki’s eyes and nodded very slightly.
That was the signal. Seiki rushed forward, aiming at the man on Maeda’s left. Umezawa had not been expecting this and, in alarm, he got ready to push the blade into Maeda’s throat. Thankfully, Seiki had already reached them, his full momentum knocking the man on the left backward, forcing him to drop Maeda to the floor as he lost his balance. The knife missed Maeda by an inch.
Umezawa let out a furious roar at this unexpected development and lifted his knife to stab down at Seiki. In a split second, the Master had thrown one of the bamboo swords toward them, which Seiki caught as he turned around to face Uezawa. With the bamboo sword in his right hand, he instinctively used his Focused Strike. He could feel his energy shooting forward from his hand through to the bamboo sword in a low, direct pierce to the man’s torso.
Umezawa staggered backward and his men dropped what they were doing as they rushed to his aid. Sato quickly ran across the floor and dragged Maeda to safety.
Congratulations! You have learned how to use Focused Strike with a weapon!
Seiki for a moment had completely forgotten it was all a scripted event. He glanced at the men he had knocked to the floor.
Thug [Level 3]. HP 1/60. Thug [Level 3]. HP 1/60.
Thug [Level 4]. HP 1/75.
Sato was tending to Maeda, HP 5/60.
He realized then why it had been so easy. Seiki looked back at the leader.
Umezawa [Level Unknown] had been helped onto his feet again by his men, and was taking a calculating look at Seiki.
Now that he had no hostage, Umezawa changed his tone. “Who is this, Tsujihara?” He scowled. “I don’t recall him as one of your students, and I don’t want to waste my time killing random youths who happen to wander by.”
He then pointed the knife at Master Tsujihara. “I’m here to challenge your dojo. So send one of your students to fight me.”
The Master smiled. With his eyes still on Umezawa, he asked, “Young man, what is your name?”
Seiki realized the old man was talking to him. “Seiki,” he said, sounding more confident than he thought he was.
“All right, Seiki,” said the Master. “Watch.”
Master Tsujihara held his unsheathed sword in his right hand and he adopted a low stance with his knees bent. His right leg then stepped to the side as his torso spun around. And his sword arm swung out in a wide circular sweep, finishing with the sword held high.
“Focus your energy on the tip of the sword,” said the Master. “You saw that, Seiki?”
Seiki nodded. “Yes, Master Tsujihara.”
He copied the move and, as he concentrated on the tip of the sword, he felt a bout of energy traveling from the middle of his body down his arm to the end of the bamboo weapon. The sweep felt powerful and cut through the air with a loud swish in a wide, open stroke that felt completely different from the more concentrated Focused Strike. Seiki’s heart leapt with joy at the exhilaration.
Congratulations! You have learned a new ability: Sweeping Blade. Range: 0.5. Damage: 70. Energy required: 48.
“Now you wouldn’t say he is not one of my students, would you?” Master Tsujihara asked the challenger.
Umezawa had been watching with disinterest. He snorted, and tossed his knife aside, which landed on the wood floor. The man then held out his right hand and one of his men placed a long sword in it. With the hilt in his grip, Umezawa cast off the loose wooden sheath with a flick of his wrist, revealing a straight gleaming double-edge blade.
“You think you can simply teach him a few tricks and he’ll be able to survive fighting me?” said the man.
As he turned toward Seiki with a menacing grin, Seiki found out he now had a level. Umezawa [Level 7 - Elite]. HP 250/250.
Chapter 08
Even with his experience as a professional fighter, using a sword was ultimately different. Seiki had to make a few conscious adjustments to his approach. Umezawa’s sword had a longer reach than his bamboo sword, so he needed a way to get close while avoiding the blade.
He carefully studied his new ability.
Sweeping Blade [Seiki – Level 7]: strike up to 4 enemies with a horizontal sweeping slice, dealing up to 70 damage split between targets struck, with the first target taking the most damage. Requires a weapon to use. 8 second lockout. Required energy: 52. Ability modification: none. Enhancement: none.
Seiki knew how to brace himself for punches and kicks, but against weapons he had no idea what to expect. Umezawa was holding the sword forward in a neutral stance. Seiki realized he had to attack first.
Feigning dashing at the man, Seiki abruptly stopped right out of range as Umezawa swung his sword at him. Both hands gripping the bamboo sword, Seiki dived low and used a Focused Strike, hitting the man on his leg. Not daring to take the blade, he rolled to one side.
Umezawa kicked out his left foot, and Seiki blocked it with his arm. But that was apparently not what the man was trying to do. Umezawa quickly closed in and stomped down on Seiki’s shoulder, both his hands gripping the hilt of his sword as he prepared to pierce down at Seiki’s back.
Seiki twisted his body and the man’s foot slipped off his shoulder. Seiki’s right hand shot toward the back of Umezawa’s knee and sent him staggering forward. Seiki then leapt to his feet, and rushed in with another Focused Strike with his bamboo sword, which connected on the man’s lower spine.
Umezawa [Level 7 - Elite]. HP 111/250.
Suddenly, something struck Seiki in his back. It was
one of Umezawa’s men, who had snuck up from behind. Another blade swept and cut him on the leg, leaving a long trail of blood, and a feeling like an ice-cold needle dragged across his skin. Seiki drew a short breath in surprise at the sensation. But he would not let that unsettle him. Quickly, he spun around in the stance he had just learned, and he used the Sweeping Blade to knock both men backward. For some reason, he could not complete the full swing and the move seemed a little off.
Umezawa was already behind him. Seiki dropped low, just in time to avoid a direct slash across his arm. The blade left a shallow cut on his shoulder. Out of energy, Seiki could only swing his sword at Umezawa, which the man blocked with his arm. The bamboo blade clanged against the arm guard, dealing barely any damage.
Umezawa’s cut was not significant. Unfortunately, he was still an elite, meaning the cut had brought down a fifth of Seiki’s health. The earlier damage from his two men was slightly less significant.
Coming to the conclusion that he did not really know what he was doing with a sword, Seiki decided to stick to what he knew best and rushed in for the close game. His left palm blocked Umezawa’s sword arm and he struck the man with the bamboo sword on the body. His leg then kicked out to trip his adversary. From behind, he could sense Umezawa’s men closing in.
Ducking under and around Umezawa’s sword as the man fell forward, Seiki struck out in the same manner as the Sweeping Blade. Without energy to spend, the move was much weaker. Still, it managed to knock one man backward.
Umezawa [Level 7 - Elite] HP 84/250, had already recovered. He was running in with a long yell, his sword held diagonally in front of him, ready for a slash. Seiki stepped aside at the last second. With both hands, he brought the bamboo sword down on the man’s side, and followed by a kick that sent the man tumbling on the floor.
Another man stabbed Seiki from behind, sending freezing chills down his back. Slightly surprised that his health barely dipped, Seiki wasted no time. He rushed in at Umezawa, his full Sweeping Blade catching the man in the jaw, then following through to another who was coming up behind him, and a third man who was running in with a stick, sending them all flying backward. This one was a full move and felt much steadier.
