by Aaron Oster
Kaido craned his head to the side, catching a glimpse of dark hair and burning crimson eyes. In those eyes, he found a kindred spirit, someone who was just like him. He saw the same crushing pain and sorrow, as well as a hint of madness. Kaido felt himself fading once more, and he knew that he had to make his mind up quickly. Either let himself die and allow the pain to end, or live and avenge all those who hadn’t had the choice.
Kaido raised his arm, trembling and shaking, and clasped the man’s hand. The man didn’t say anything, but the corners of his crimson eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled. That was the last thing Kaido saw before finally passing out.
1
“What do you make of this?” Roy asked, seemingly to no one.
“How am I supposed to know?” Geon asked, the Dungeon Core’s voice sounding in his mind. “I don’t have eyes, or have you already forgotten?”
“Can’t you see using mine?”
“Here I can’t, but feel free to keep asking. I’m sure the answer will change.”
Roy ignored the insult and instead cast his eyes ahead once more. He was standing before a massive orange-colored Torii gate – the sign of his upcoming test to advance to Orange-Belt – feeling a mix of trepidation and excitement. Just a few short months ago, he’d been a cripple with no Core and no hope of ever becoming a Martial Artist. Now, thanks to a few massive strokes of good fortune, he was facing his Orange-Belt test at the young age of twenty.
Not even Shah Lynn, the pride of the Shah clan, could boast as much. It had taken Roy a couple of weeks to gather and refine the Essence required to get here. Even as he was standing right at the gate, he could hardly believe it.
Aika had advised him against testing so soon, saying he wasn’t ready. But Roy felt more than ready to take on any challenge. Sure, the Yellow-Belt test had been a harrowing experience, but now that he knew what to expect, he was sure he could pass. He thought so, at least, and he had to hold on to that belief.
Now, Roy stood before the gate. He was surrounded by blackness on all sides, the only exceptions being the orange gate and the glowing golden path stretching into the darkness. He couldn’t see where the path led to from here, so he was leery of stepping out onto it. Then again, he couldn’t exactly afford to stay here forever. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he stepped through the gate.
He kept his breathing steady and even as he began walking, feeling the ground beneath his bare feet give slightly with each step. It felt like he was walking on a very firm cushion. It was an experience to which he was unaccustomed and for the first minute or so, was afraid that the path would give out from under him.
When the path remained firm, he began to relax somewhat. Well, as much as one could relax during one of the most important tests of their lives.
Roy cycled his Essence through his body, feeling the power it bestowed. He still only knew two techniques, the Exploding Fist, which was a Physical technique, and the Void Sphere, a Projected technique. He had yet to learn any Movement or Armorer techniques, let alone Terrain or Containment techniques. Due to his not exactly being well rounded in terms of techniques, he was a bit nervous. He just hoped that whatever the test threw at him, he’d be able to handle it with the skills he’d acquired so far.
Aside from the Essence techniques, Roy was also well versed in the Unaru Kuma, the martial combat fighting style of the Tonde clan. It would increase the power of his strikes, though he would be pretty jerky in some of the more fluid moves, due to his lack of a Movement technique.
“How much longer are you gonna keep brooding? I need entertainment. It’s very boring when I can’t see anything.”
Roy snorted at Geon’s comment. Though the Core had previously told Roy he couldn’t enter the trials with him, it seemed he’d either been lying or mistaken. He dearly missed the peace and quiet of those times, even if he had spent them being beaten to a bloody pulp.
The Dungeon Core could be so fickle at times, not at all like the all-powerful creator of a Dungeon that had once made Martial Artists of immense power quake in fear.
“Yeah? And how exactly do you propose I keep you from being bored, oh wise and powerful Dungeon Core?” Roy asked sarcastically.
“Oh! Well, I’m glad you asked. Thank you for being so considerate. You can start by…”
Roy tuned Geon out as the Core began listing off all the various ways Roy could entertain him, most of which involved going after the Beast King of The Crater or the Supreme of Cloying Darkness.
A Supreme was a title given to a Martial Artist who had mastered all eight techniques in Essence, Qi and Chakra, creating the ninth and most powerful- the Conqueror technique. Just creating one of Essence required a massive amount of power and insight into one’s Path. So much so, that the title of Master was bestowed on anyone who managed it.
And a Supreme was someone who’d managed to do it three times. That was not to mention, that to even use Qi, one had to be at least a Green-Belt. To use Chakra, one would have to advance to Red-Belt. So, if Roy were to face a Supreme right now, he would be squashed flat. The only way he could hope of defeating a Red-Belt, was to become one himself, higher than even that if he wanted a real chance at victory.
“…And then after you’ve killed him, we can go after the other Supremes, maybe even a Sovereign or Sage…”
“Wait…A Sage?” Roy asked, interrupting Geon’s rambling.
He’d heard the Dungeon Core mention Sovereigns before, though he had no idea what they were. If he had to guess, they were the Martial Artists above Supremes, but the term ‘Sage’ was new to him.
“Yeah. The Sages are very powerful. If we kill them, then we’ll really be legends,” the murder-happy Dungeon said.
“You’ve never mentioned Sages before.”
“Well. Can’t exactly mention what I don’t remember, now could I?”
“Does that mean that you know what a Sovereign is?” Roy asked excitedly.
Geon had lost a good portion of his accrued knowledge when they’d merged, but the Core would regain some insight every time Roy advanced and expanded his mind.
“Hmm. I feel like I know what they are…It’s right on the tip of my…well, not tongue, but you understand. Maybe your advancement to Orange will give me the push I need.”
It was only then that Roy remembered that he was taking a test and that chatting with Geon probably wasn’t a smart move right now. Thankfully, nothing seemed to have changed during the time he’d spaced out, but he did notice that the path seemed to be widening off in the distance.
Picking up his pace, Roy began jogging to try and speed things up. He felt a thrill as his body responded, his legs pumping mightily as he turned the jog into a full-on sprint. He’d been crippled by a wild boar when he’d been very young and had spent most of his life with his leg in a brace. When he’d merged with Geon and gained a Core, his body had been repaired.
The path began to widen as he ran, the golden light seeming to grow more substantial, until he saw the path open ahead into a wide circular stage. He was still surrounded by darkness but had no trouble seeing. He could also sense the ever-increasing density of Power Essence and worked to pull it into his Core.
Sure, it wouldn’t do much for his advancement now, seeing as he was at 3rd Dan Yellow and couldn’t force a breakthrough no matter how hard he tried. But it would do wonders for his future growth. The more Essence he packed into his Core now, the better his foundation would be for future advancements. Along with allowing him to make it farther along his Advancement Path, it would increase the density and capacity within his Core, giving him access to far more power than anyone of his Stage would have.
Roy felt his heart sink a bit as he remembered who’d taught him that particular lesson. Aika’s grandfather, Tonde Irusaru, was a powerful Martial Artist and had taken Roy under his wing, training him and teaching him all he knew of the Path of Power. But the man reacted poorly when he’d found out how Roy had obtained his Core and had banished him fr
om the clan, vowing to have him killed.
Judging by the old man’s fury, he’d expected to be practically drowning in attackers, but so far, they’d seen hide nor hair of any Tonde clan members. This made him extremely nervous, and the longer they went without being attacked, the jumpier he became. Aika seemed troubled as well and had moved them several times, moving ever closer to the Beast clan’s territory and the border with the Lighted Fields.
She thought that the war between the two clans might be why they’d been left alone, but she couldn’t be entirely sure. They’d had to dodge several Beast and Kyofu patrols and now more than ever, Roy was glad he’d learned to suppress his Core. Back when he’d had no power, he’d been able to hide pretty well, and animals and Beasts would only have been able to find him by scent alone.
However, when he’d gained a bit of power, he’d soon discovered that his Essence was a magnet for all sorts of nasty creatures. Unless he actively worked to keep it suppressed, he’d have constant fighting on his hands. And, while that was good for advancement, it was extremely exhausting, not to mention life-threatening for someone as weak as him.
“Ooo, what’s going on up ahead? I can feel something big!” Geon excitedly said.
“Yeah, looks like some sort of stage. Maybe this will be the test?”
“Could be. Still can’t see anything, but the amount of Essence in the air is astounding!”
Geon was right, and as he drew ever closer to the round stage, the quality and density of Essence increased. It was so dense now that The Crater paled in comparison. Perhaps all the ambient Essence would help fuel his advancement to Orange?
The distance to the stage was deceiving, as it grew ever larger as he ran, so by the time he finally got there, the stage stretched several hundred yards in all directions. There was a pedestal set at the center of the stage, and not seeing anything else, Roy warily approached.
He could feel the same unfathomable presence he’d felt during his last test bearing down on him. Judging him. He knew this to be the spiritual manifestation of Power. Aika had explained that much once he’d come out, telling him that your Path needed to deem you worthy before allowing you to advance.
Doing his best to shake off the feeling of vastness cast over him by the Essence, Roy approached the pedestal. It was made of pure golden Essence, forged much in the same way as the Belt around his waist. Floating atop the pedestal was a golden gemstone, pulsing with Power Essence.
He ran his Spirit Sense over the object and had been sent staggering back from the sheer amount of power packed into that small gem. His heart sped up, making it difficult to keep his cycling rhythm. Reaching out a shaky hand, Roy placed it on the pulsing gem. Almost instantly, Roy felt a massive portion of his Essence being siphoned straight from his Core.
Roy staggered back, his body going suddenly weak from the lack of Essence.
“What just happened!? You just lost about eighty percent of your power!”
Roy didn’t need Geon’s panicked voice to tell him how much he’d lost. He could feel how much Essence he’d lost, and it was extremely worrying. He panted hard, his cycling rhythm interrupted by the shock. And then things got even worse.
All around him, at the edges of the stage, familiar Constructs of Power Essence rose. Black stone cracked along their bodies as twelve golems rose out of the ground. All of them were unarmed, but that didn’t make Roy feel particularly good. Now that he could feel the power of others to a certain extent, he knew these golems wouldn’t be pushovers.
Each one of them was at least as strong as him, if not more so. He locked his knees in place, forcing his breathing back into his cycling pattern and began pulling Essence from his surroundings as quickly as he was able. It wasn’t nearly as potent as it would have been, had he been in the proper position, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.
His Core hadn’t physically shrunken from the loss of Essence, but he had lost almost all his available power. Even if he managed to restore all the lost Essence, he would still need to refine it to be used, and in the middle of a battle, he doubted he’d be able to do it.
The pedestal suddenly shot into the air with a loud boom. As though that were a signal, which it may very well have been, the golems all turned their glowing eyes on him and charged.
2
Roy didn’t wait for all the golems to reach him. He knew if he stayed put, he’d be surrounded and quickly defeated. No, he knew the key in this fight was to defeat the golems one at a time. Speed would be his ally in this test, so he would have to do all he could to not lose his mobility.
As he ran, Roy held his hand out to one side, concentrating on gathering Essence and sending it spinning. The Void Sphere formed over the course of five seconds, the many layers spinning and whirling as they expanded.
The golems might have been large and bulky, but they were surprisingly fast. By the time his technique was fully formed, three of them had closed within twenty yards. They weren’t bunched together as Roy had hoped, but he shrugged to himself. There was nothing he could do about that.
With a shout, he threw the Sphere at the centermost golem, swerving left to buy himself a few more seconds. He really hoped it would give him enough time to take the construct down before the next arrived. The Void Sphere slammed into the centermost golem, just as he closed with the one on the right, expanding with a shrieking, tearing sound.
Confident that the golem couldn’t survive that attack, Roy channeled Essence to his fists and down to his feet, forming his Exploding Fist. He skidded to a halt, throwing off the golem’s timing so that its attack went wide. Then, he darted forward and slammed both fists into its chest in a double punch, releasing the Essence outward in a bubble of force that rocked the construct with an explosion.
He then pivoted on his back leg, snapping it up in a shortened roundhouse kick, aiming for where the ribs would be on a human. Seeing as the golem was nearly nine feet tall, the explosive power of his technique slammed into its leg, shattering the stone and sending the golem toppling to the ground.
Spinning in place, Roy found himself confronted by two golems, one with a gaping hole in its chest and another whole and undamaged. It seemed that his Void Sphere hadn’t hurt the golem quite as badly as he’d hoped.
“Hey. Don’t mean to rush you or anything,” Geon said as Roy ducked a blow aimed at his head. “But, I think you’ve got more incoming.”
“Thanks!” Roy grunted sarcastically as he took a glancing blow on the ribs. “I never would have guessed they were coming without you!”
“You’re welcome. It’s good to be appreciated.”
If Roy could have strangled the Dungeon Core, he would have. Geon’s latest answer to sarcasm was to act as though he simply didn’t understand it. This stunt grated on Roy’s nerves immensely, especially when the Core pointed out very obvious things to him as though he were a child and couldn’t think for himself.
Roy slid aside, avoiding another attack and struck back, sending a series of cracks across the golem’s arm. As soon as it hit, he could tell that the blow didn’t carry with it the usual power he would expect from the Exploding Fist.
He cried out as something heavy crashed into the back of his skull, sending his vision spinning and his ears ringing. He turned the stumble into a roll, trying to avoid taking further damage. It seemed the other Golems had finally caught up, and due to Geon’s distraction, he hadn’t been able to react in time.
Regaining his feet, Roy was forced to immediately jump back as a golem swung at him. Unfortunately, his back slammed into yet another golem. His spine would not thank him later for the blow he suffered.
The air was knocked from his lungs as he staggered forward, his momentum carrying him into yet another golem. He tried to turn the momentum to his advantage, striking out at the incoming fist with a technique, but a blow caught him in the side of the head from one of the other golems, throwing his aim off.
His nose broke with a sickening c
runch as the other attack impacted. Roy was sent sprawling, his eyes tearing up as pain burned through him. He rolled desperately to the side, throwing a ball of Power Essence to his right. It wasn’t an actual technique, but seeing as it was unstable, it would explode, though it wouldn’t have nearly the same devastating power.
The explosion told him that it had hit something, and he managed to jump to his feet, swaying a bit as blood rushed away from his head. His gut warned him, and he ducked as a fist sailed over his head. Though he managed to avoid the fist, a kick caught the back of his knee, and Roy’s worst fears were realized.
With a popping and tearing sound, Roy’s leg twisted the wrong way and he found himself flat on his back, with no less than six golems standing over him. Fear prickled his entire body, every follicle of hair was sticking up straight, and his heart pounded. His leg was broken, just like it had been before. Suddenly, he wasn’t the Martial Artist facing down the trial to gain his Orange-Belt, but the powerless cripple he had been his entire life.
Roy froze in place, staring up at the golems in terror. His Core was all but empty, his leg was broken, and he was about to die. Worst of all, he wouldn’t die as a Martial Artist on his feet and fighting to the last breath, but as a cripple on his back, trying desperately to cling to his pathetic existence.
An overwhelming feeling of disappointment and disgust pressed down on him from all sides. Then, the golems all pointed their fists at him and blasted him with condensed beams of Essence.
Roy cried out, expecting his body to be destroyed completely. Instead, he watched as the golems simply vanished from sight, and he found himself lying on his back, staring up at the stormy sky of The Crater. He blinked several times, his mind trying to comprehend the sudden change in the landscape surrounding him. The abrupt shift between life-threatening combat and the calm and quiet Crater were wreaking havoc on his senses.
