The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1)

by Payne, Parker

  For her, modern civilization was the myth, the veil from the real world. Hidden behind a curtain where intelligence was praised and emotion mere excrement of the mind. But perhaps people needed the illusion of technology to hide from the ugly truths of themselves.

  Mankind was a derelict creature masquerading as human.

  She turned away from her morose thoughts and headed out of her room. The passageways that lined the cave were numerous. At intervals, fire torches lined the way. The closer one came to the center meeting place where Rhychard—sama’s juusha came, the fire torches were replaced with lighting. A modern use, but then she’d be the last to say electricity was an invention of evil.

  She continued angling the labyrinthine course, and passed by a small inlet that led to the Elder’s compartments. Alderic came out of it.

  “Good morning, Uchida-san. You are looking well today.” From the pleasantness on his face, it seemed he’d forgotten last night’s hostilities. But then, that was Alderic.

  She decided to meet him on the same footing. “Domo,” she responded to his greeting. “Is the Elder well?”

  He flexed his fingers. “Hai.”

  Rin nodded. From the state of his hair she knew he’d been with one of the women in the community. The braid had unraveled, and that was a typical sign he liked to use to show off his prowess. Which, more likely than not, was the cause of his good humor. Some of the women among the juusha were more than willing to share his bed in whatever capacity he wanted. Alderic knew this and used them as they gave themselves to him.

  He saw her looking at his hair and gave a smirk. “Well, Uchida—chan,” using the intimate honorific as his father would, “anytime you want to unbraid my hair, you have but to say the word.”

  A laughed erupted from her mouth. “I’d rather eat dirt.”

  Alderic shrugged nonchalantly, but she knew it was a farce. Had she assented he would have taken her then and there. Although a good friend, he couldn’t stand the fact that she had no desire for him. “Where are you off to?” He fell in step with her.

  “Senpai has asked me to train the Descendant.”

  He stopped her with a large, meaty hand on her shoulder. “You? Otousan asked you to train him?”

  “He suggested I do.”

  Alderic’s brow came forward into a V. “Are you sure you did not request this task because of your interest in this man?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Of course I’ve taken an interest in this man. He’s the Descendant. Any woman among the juusha would. For that matter, even Ludovicus’ juusha would do the same.” She shrugged his hand off her shoulder. “If you are referring to a romantic inclination, you speak nonsense.”

  “Don’t you think I would have been a better choice to train the Descendant than you?”

  Rin suppressed a groan. Alderic was an able warrior, strong. What he lacked was emotional distance from his actions. Often, he started more fights due to his child-like propensity to prove something.

  “Otousan always had a soft spot for you. As do I,” Alderic murmured as he yanked affectionately on her hair.

  “Perhaps,” she acknowledged with a nod. The Elder treated her like a daughter. She attributed that to the fact she was an orphan he’d cared for since her childhood. So perhaps his affection was more fatherly than what one expected. “But in this case, he wanted the best warrior of his people to train the Descendant, not the one with the biggest—”

  “I am aware of your skill, Uchida-san.” Alderic stepped back, hand outstretched in a gesture of acquiescence. “Very well. I’ll speak no more of this matter unless I need to.”

  At his tone of graciousness, Rin arched a brow. “As if I care.’

  She continued on her way, leaving Alderic behind. She felt his eyes watching, but she dismissed him.

  Entering the main meeting area, she saw the Descendant standing there, staring at the mouth of one of the sub-exits. His back was toward her but he turned when he heard her entrance. “Good morning.”

  She nodded, walking to him. “Kenzo—sama. We’ll begin training.”

  Rin led him toward the entrance to the sub-exits. The cave system in the mountain was massive, with hundreds of meters of explored territory, and many more still unpopulated. As she started down the passageway, hearing his footsteps clop behind her on the gravelly way, she turned her mind to the steps she’d initiate to begin.

  Rin wondered if he’d be up for the task.

  Ken faced Uchida-san. The sun brought out the beauty of her features, casting brilliance on the dark sandy skin and the stark contrast of her dark red hair. The amber gold of her eyes had lightened to honey under the light. In the leather pants and vest over a short sleeved shirt, her figure was lithe and slender.

  “Kenzo—sama?”

  Her voice startled him out of his survey of her. “Hai?”

  “I would want you to tie my right arm behind my back.”

  Ken took a step back, rubbing the watch on his wrist. “Why?”

  Her eyes held his, a strong glance of authority in them “Because I said so. Your training begins now.”

  “Look, I don’t want to do this. I don’t hit women.”

  Rin’s eyebrow arched. “Indeed? I’m glad to hear that. However, do as I ask.”

  She pulled out a fair sized length of rope and he went about the task of tying her right arm to the back loop of her pants.

  Once completed, he faced her again.

  She tugged at the restraint. “Good.”

  Ken heard something behind him and turned. The gorilla stood behind him, the dark brown marble eyes staring at him with a strange gleam.

  A wild, impossible thought made him swallow. “Tambo is not going to…join in our training, will he?” Ken asked.

  “Not yet. But later. Tambo, go sit over by the rocks.”

  The animal rose and lumbered over to the spot. The hair on his back shimmered in the sunlight.

  “I’m looking forward to that,” Ken quipped as he turned back to Rin.

  She didn’t crack a smile.

  “Now, Kenzo—sama, I want you to hit me.”

  Ken backed up. “Iie. I already told you I don’t hit women. I don’t want to hurt you.’

  “Omoshiroi,” she muttered. He wondered what she found so interesting about his refusal. She backed away from him until she stood about ten feet way. “I want you to hit me.”

  Ken stared at the woman. She sounded like the representative for women who thought getting hit by their men was for their own good.

  “Fine. But you asked for this.”

  He went to stand in front of her. When he reached her, he balled his fist and struck her.

  The next moment, he was on the ground, the prickly grass stinging the side of his face.

  He didn’t even remember how he got there.

  “What just happened?”

  Uchida-san stood over him, her hair falling forward in front of her face. “I asked you to hit me. Get up and try again.”

  Ken got up, wincing from pain.

  “What did you do? I didn’t even see you raise your other hand.”

  “I swept your feet with my leg. Now, try again.”

  He balled his fist to once more hit her but she bent, sidestepped him and whacked him on the back of his head.

  “Ow!”

  This was starting to get irritating.

  “Kenzo—sama, hit me.”

  He whirled around, coming at her from the side. Easily she sidestepped him, and with her free hand, grabbed his arm and twisted it around to his back. He yelped at the pain. Then he found himself on the ground again, the grass against his back, the blue sky before him.

  “Get up.”

  He didn’t want to get mad. But he couldn’t help it. How could this slip of a woman get the best of him? With her hand tied behind her back, no less?

  He pulled himself to his feet but before he rose fully, he sent a short jab to her stomach.

  “Ah!” she groaned, bent over.
/>
  Something rumbled, vibrating the ground. For a moment, Ken thought it was an earthquake. Then he looked up and saw the giant gorilla loping fast toward him. The face was a mask of beastly rage.

  “Tambo, get back. I can handle this!” Uchida-san called to the gorilla.

  Ken watched with wonder as the giant gorilla stopped mere feet from him. The hair along its body trembled, the lips snarled. Those hands could tear him from limb to limb.

  “Go on. I got this, Tambo.”

  Tambo snorted, but made his way back to the rock where he sat, watching Ken in a glare of anger.

  “Yoshi, Kenzo—sama. You finally hit me.”

  “Well, I didn’t want to but—“

  Her fist landed into his jaw, rattling it. His teeth cut into the inside of his cheek and he tasted blood. Then she jumped in the air with the gracefulness of a crane, whirled, and kicked him in the gut with her leg. He doubled over, almost afraid he’d vomit from the force of the impact. Then a sharp jab to the back of his neck sent him tumbling to the ground. A fluid line of blood and saliva dribbled from his mouth and landed on the bright green grass, like a macabre scene from Christmas.

  He didn’t move for a long moment, the pain wracking his body. A dull sense of rage encapsulated him. He’d seen the movies, but real life took a different perspective to it.

  Having a woman who was less than half your size kick your butt was humiliating.

  Finally, he stood tall and stared at her. Uchida-san had somehow untied the rope from behind and it lay on the ground. How long had he been dazed? She slapped her hands against her thighs and then cracked her neck.

  “Don’t underestimate your opponent because she has breasts.”

  The spy filed in with the rest of Rhychard’s juusha as everyone made their way into the meal chamber for the afternoon meal. Firelight lined the wall in the form of torches. A wild boar turned on a spit toward the back of the room. The table laden with various wild game and dressed with vegetables, breads, and other foods sat on the floor in the center. Pillows sheathed in fabric and animal furs ran up both sides of the table. On everyone’s lips was news of the Descendant as they sat on the floor, talking excitedly.

  Soon, Uchida-san entered with Tambo. Her hair was in disarray, a sign she’d begun training with the Descendant. Streaks of sweat had dried on her face. Despite her disheveled appearance, she managed to still look calm and collected. Returning the bows of those she passed, she made her way to the Elder. After a bow in his direction, she sat on the ground, legs crossed and hands resting on her knees. Tambo sat behind her, and someone placed a large bowl of various fruits in front of him. Social conduct of waiting for the Elder to eat first completely went over the animal’s head.

  Everyone looked expectantly at the Elder. When he didn’t move, Alderic, sitting across from Uchida-san, shifted. “Otousan, are you not going to eat?”

  The Elder didn’t speak and everyone looked around in confusion.

  Yet the spy had a different notion. He knew exactly where this was going.

  Sure enough, the Descendant limped into the room seconds later and made his way to the far edge of the table. Many of the juusha bowed in respect at his entrance.

  “Kenzo—sama, please sit here. Alderic has been saving your space for you.” The Elder spoke.

  Alderic’s eyebrows escaped into his hair. “Nani?”

  Stopped in his tracks, the Descendant looked down the line of the people, all of whom had turned to face him.

  The spy dropped his head, lest his glee at Alderic—kun’s surprise be seen. An earlier memory from that day flashed in his mind. He’d witnessed the man come out of Uchida-san’s quarters looking pleased with himself. Before the spy opened his mouth, those massive hands had snatched him up. The man proceeded to threaten him with bodily harm if he so much as uttered a word about the incident. Then flinging him to the floor, Alderic—kun strutted away.

  “Move aside.” The Elder’s voice broke into the spy’s train of thought.

  A flush crawled over Alderic’s face as he shifted over, causing the line to do the same. He almost wished Lord Ludovicus didn’t have to kill the Descendant. Watching his enemy be humiliated over and over again was worth keeping him alive.

  For a moment, the Descendant stood there, locked in indecision. Then, he made his way over and sat down gingerly, wincing.

  “I take Uchida-san’s training is the cause of your affliction?”

  The man nodded. He reached for the bowl steaming with a beef stew and rest of the juusha dug in.

  Alderic remained stoically silent and barely touched the food on his plate. The spy listened as the Elder conversed with the Descendant, asking questions about the training and his overall health. Uchida-san didn’t join in the conversation but simply ate as she talked with members of her team as they hollered up and down the table.

  His ears perked up when he heard, “When are you going to give the information I’ve asked you for? What’s the big deal about the blood gem?”

  The Elder set his chopsticks down gently. “I’ll tell you as soon as the time is right.”

  Kenzo exhaled noisily. “The time is right now. Why are you being so elusive?”

  “If it seems that way, I apologize. However, there is much to tell you. But I will tell you when I can.”

  “But—”

  The Elder called his name, and the spy stood from his kneeled position behind the Elder.

  “I’m tired.”

  The spy helped the Elder up, feeling the old man’s bony frame shaking under his fingers. Everyone knew the man was old, but they had no idea how weak the Elder was. Uchida-san and Alderic—kun stood and bowed as they made their way from the table. He heard the leader’s labored breathing and the pounding of his heart through the wiry frame. All were signs of weakness he hid from his son and the other juusha.

  Suddenly the man stumbled, and it was all the spy could do to keep him upright.

  “What are you doing, pebble? Are you trying to kill him?” Alderic roared as he rushed to his father’s side. A single push sent the spy sprawling to the rocky ground, shards of the stone cutting into his hands. He got back up.

  “Leave him be. It is an old man’s foolishness,” the Elder admonished.

  “Or a pebble’s lack of strength.” A sneer accompanied the words. The spy’s hands fisted.

  “Why do you continue to—”

  The spy shook his head at Uchida-san, willing her with his eyes to not say another word. She must have read the message in them because she nodded in his direction. Kenzo glanced between them but didn’t say anything.

  The spy followed behind them, his vow to Lord Ludovicus more than affirmed. He’d hand these people over without a second glance.

  All he had to do was find the blood gem. That would entail a rummage through the Descendant’s allocated chambers. If he waited, the opportunity would come.

  Soon.

  Ken wiped at the sweat on his forehead and tried to still his breath. He didn’t know if he could take another dream of blood-soaked flowers and John’s corpse watching him.

  Tears once more burned a path down his face. After his breakdown in front of Uchida-san he’d made a promise to keep his grief and guilt to himself. Yet the sight of those mutilated bodies in the apartment building had imprinted onto his skull.

  The creature’s eyes had also followed in his dreams.

  All because of a rock.

  Scowling, he went over to its hiding place along the wall and pulled it out, looking at it anew. Nothing about it seemed significant. Calling it a geode was giving it a silk robe. It was just a rock.

  Nine people had died because of this rock. He’d been almost killed for it. Why?

  The Elder was tight-lipped and evasive. Uchida-san refused to say anything until the Elder did. From the dark glances he’d been getting from Alderic, the man disliked him. Why that should be the case when they only met each other three weeks ago made little sense. The other juusha were in awe
of him, bowing out of deep respect and courtesy. The only one who seemed unimpressed by him was Tambo.

  He slipped into shoes made from a leather-like material and walked out the room. Down the various corridors, he made his way, hearing sleeping noises and other sounds as he went from the curtained off rooms. He didn’t have a direct idea of where he was going, but he glanced up and saw he had made it into the meeting room with the large chandelier shaped stalagmite formation.

  Low light illuminated the area, but in the dimness he saw something move.

  “Kenzo—sama?” came a muffled voice.

  The voice was Uchida-san’s, but the hunched over figure didn’t resemble her.

  “Uchida-san?”

  “Why are you here?”

  He stepped closer and then came to a sudden halt. From the look of it, she appeared to be covered in something.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” he replied slowly, eyes squinting into the darkness. “What are you—?”

  She shifted ever so slightly and it was then that he saw what was wrong.

  Spiders. Big, grayish spiders covered her from head to toe.

  “What the—”

  “Don’t be frightened.”

  Was she speaking to him? Spiders, in general, didn’t bother him much but seeing as they covered her body like a macabre blanket definitely changed his idea on them. His skin crawled.

  “What are you doing? What’s going on?”

  Ken watched as the spiders moved like a wave and expose Uchida-san’s head. “Talking to my friends. They can get a little annoying.” She spoke clearly, since the spiders had graciously uncovered her mouth. “But we were talking.”

  She resembled a spider goddess as they continued to swarm over her, a collective of long spindly legs and groupings of black eyes.

  “Can you tell them to go away?”

  “Why? Are we disturbing you?” Her head cocked to the side in query.

  Ken gazed at her. Was this a trick question? “What do you think?”