Light (Buryoku Book 2)

by Aaron Oster

  It wasn’t a particularly pleasant process. The entire time he cycled, he felt like he was forcing his channels to the breaking point. It was the spiritual equivalent of an extremely hard workout, where he strained his muscles to make them stronger.

  He also had a bit of difficulty keeping his breathing in the new pattern. Even though the difference was slight, he’d grown used to his regular cycling rhythm, so throwing it off by even a second was very difficult.

  Soon, he was drenched in sweat, fighting hard to keep the technique going as Geon shouted encouragement and tips that were of absolutely no help.

  Roy pulled in a half breath, immediately released it, then pulled in a full breath over the course of five seconds. Then he blew out hard and repeated the process. He pulled Power Essence in from his surroundings in far greater quantity as he had before, telling him that this must be a new cultivation and cycling technique and one that was far more efficient and effective than the last one.

  This made him wonder if he might not have been doing it right up until now. He’d thought he understood the diagram correctly, but it was possible he’d made a mistake somewhere in the process. He’d have to look it over again when he was done in case he’d missed anything else. It would definitely be worth looking into, as he was gathering and refining Essence about half again as fast as before.

  Sure, it was about twice as difficult, but the results would show far sooner. The world glowed gold in his Spirit Sense, and as he breathed, he watched vast swaths of the surrounding Essence be pulled into his Core. The hard contractions would then force the Essence out and he would guide it into the flower-like pattering surrounding it.

  The Essence stretched those channels as well, but not to the same extent as the ones Geon had formed. The golden energy was refined as it ran through the pattern before returning to his Core. And, as soon as it did, he ran it through the pattern again, further refining it. After about six such passes, it was as refined as he could manage at his current cultivation level.

  He wasn’t done, though. After his Essence was further refined, he packed his Core, further compressing the Essence already in there and continuing to strain at the bonds holding him at 3rd Dan Yellow-Belt. When he became exhausted from this exercise, he switched to channeling the Essence through his body, working on widening the channels throughout his body.

  When Roy felt that he could no longer take the strain on his channels, he let his breathing fall into his old cycling rhythm, feeling the strain drop off, though it was no less uncomfortable now that he stopped. He groaned, stretching out on the ground. Despite not having done anything physical, his entire body ached, and he knew he’d been feeling it in the morning.

  He got slowly to his feet and shuffled back toward the spire, using a burst of Essence to get the door open. Shuffling toward the small kitchen, he slumped into one of the chairs. As he did so, a small slip of paper fluttered up into the air, landing on the floor.

  Curious, Roy leaned over and picked it up. He groaned as his sore channels protested the movement. Straightening in his seat, he unfolded the note, seeing a row of neat characters. Though he’d never seen her handwriting before, Roy knew right away that it was from Aika.

  I picked up something that troubled me while we were training today. I’ve gone with Ferry to investigate, and I’ll be back in a few days. Although I know you were frustrated today, I believe that you can succeed on your own. If you’re going to be training outside the spire, just make sure to keep your Spirit Sense open. I’ll see you when I get back.

  ~Aika

  Roy set the note down, now a bit concerned himself. What could Aika have felt that she had to leave, taking Ferry with her, without coming to tell him in person? Surely it would have taken her less time to tell him herself. He winced as his body throbbed once again and decided he could figure it out in the morning. For now, he needed to get some food into his system, then go to sleep.

  ***

  Aika ran alongside the oversized ferret. It had taken a bit of coercing on her part, but after a while, she’d finally gotten the beast to come along with her. Had the ferret not agreed to come along, she didn’t think she’d have been able to do what needed to be done. A small twinge of guilt and uncertainty wracked her as she sprinted between the tall spires, heading west.

  She still wasn’t one hundred percent sure that what she was doing was right. But it was necessary. She hated leaving Roy alone, especially with the war going on, but what she was doing would ultimately benefit him much more than her sticking around would. If she was lucky, she’d be able to find what she was looking for within a couple of days. If not, it could take her as long as a week to get back to him. She just really hoped he would be alright.

  Despite the fact that he’d snapped at her earlier, she wasn’t angry at him. In fact, it was because of that that she’d been able to see the problem. Before Roy had been found by her grandfather, he’d been pretty much on his own. Well, aside from the Dungeon Core, which was the source of his power. But still, everything he’d learned, he’d learned on his own.

  Granted, her grandfather had taught him some hand to hand fighting techniques and trained him to be fitter and better able to fight. But as far as techniques in Essence, Roy had learned all those himself. His frustration with her was expected. And she understood it quite well.

  As a Martial Artist, it was his job to develop techniques on his own. He could ask for help from time to time, but someone who truly wanted to master the arts would have to develop their own techniques. She’d done much the same. Though she still lacked a Full-body or Full-area technique, she’d mastered six of the required nine to become a Master, even going so far as to increase the power of two of them by two stages, and one of them by one.

  Her Movement and Projected techniques could be improved upon twice, and her Armorer technique could be strengthened once. Now, she was trying to form Qi for the first time in her life and was having a bit of a hard time doing so. She wasn’t all too worried, because she knew that with enough training and cycling, she was sure to get the hang of it.

  Ferry let out a light squeak, snapping her from her thoughts. Casting her Spirit Sense outward, she immediately felt the approaching patrol. There were four of them: three Orange-Belts between Base and 2nd Dan and a Base Green-Belt. She couldn’t tell what Advancement Paths they followed – her senses weren’t that keen just yet – but she could tell that they weren’t from the Tonde clan.

  They probably hadn’t sensed her yet, as they would already be moving to attack if they had. She now had a choice. She could either play it safe and hide, or move in and attack. Hiding would be the smart move. She had no idea how powerful the Green-Belt was, and there was always the chance they could use Qi. If that was the case, then Aika would be at a major disadvantage.

  And that didn’t even take into account the three Orange-Belts. She had Ferry with her, but despite her size and intimidating stature, the Beast was still only a 3rd Dan Yellow. The ferret was close to a breakthrough, and a fight like this might just be what she needed. In the end, it was that that decided it for her. Well, that and the fact that wiping out a Beast clan patrol would hurt them, even in a small way. For the clan that had killed her father, though, Aika was willing to make the extra effort.

  “You circle around that spire and take them from the front. I’ll cloak myself and attack from the rear. I’ll try and get the Green in one shot, but they may have an Armorer technique going. I’ll have to ask you to tie up the three Oranges until then. Think you can manage that?”

  The ferret looked at her in incredulity, as though to say, “are you nuts?”

  “I know it’s a bit of a gamble, but think of all the Essence you’ll get.”

  The ferret’s nose twitched a couple of times. She nodded her head. Darkness Essence then cloaked her form, turning her nearly indistinct as she moved to her position.

  Aika breathed a small sigh of relief, then cloaked herself similarly, bending the light around h
erself to hide her form. She had to keep her eyes visible. That was one downside of the cloaking she was using. Invisibility wasn’t as straightforward as some people thought.

  When one bent light to hide, most didn’t consider that blocking off all light would also block any of it from entering the pupil, effectively blinding them. She’d learned that from an early age and as a Light cultivator, she worked hard to make as little of herself visible when using this trick. It wasn’t a technique per se, simply an application of Essence.

  Ferry, as a Darkness Essence user, would have a similar technique, though it would work a bit differently. That was one of the reasons she’d brought the ferret along. There was also the fact that she had about five times the stamina as her, even at Yellow. Ferry was a Beast, which meant that she was physically superior to a human like her. If they got into a fight, Aika didn’t doubt she’d win, but if they were on the same level, she wasn’t so sure.

  That was why she had confidence in the Beast to hold three Martial Artists at bay, even if they were of a higher cultivation level. She wouldn’t be able to win, but if she could hold them for just a minute, that would be good enough.

  She slunk forward, her feet not making so much as a sound as she moved to flank the unaware group. As she came around a spire, they came into view and Aika felt, just for a moment, a sudden flare of anger and hatred. They were from the Beast clan, as denoted by their red and white uniforms and the telltale wild hair.

  Those of the Beast clan weren’t actually Beasts. While a few of them, like the Beast King, were actual Beasts who’d grown enough to gain intelligence, most of them were human. She’d heard tell of a kingdom far beyond the Lighted Fields where entire clans of Beasts weren’t uncommon. But here in The Crater, it was completely unheard of.

  Her eyes alighted on the Belts tied around their waists, and she saw that she’d been right. Three were at the Orange level and one was a Base Green. They were silent as they walked, showing that they were at least disciplined enough to stay silent in enemy territory. They were likely an advance group sent out to scout the Tonde’s borders. It would be a decision they would soon come to regret.

  Aika padded silently around the group, keeping her Core completely suppressed and relying only on the excess Essence on her skin to keep her invisible. She reached behind her as she moved to the Green-Belt’s back, drawing her hardwood staff. Her eyes flicked forward as she noticed the shadows around the nearest spire darken almost imperceptibly.

  That meant that Ferry was in position and with the group heading right for her, her window of opportunity was fast approaching. She readied herself, mentally going over her next few moves. She would have to move quickly once Ferry attacked. With a Green-Belt here, she would have perhaps a second, maybe two, before his guard was up.

  She closed the distance to within twenty feet, the group remaining completely unaware of her presence. They passed near the spire, and a blur of fur, claws, and teeth seemed to explode out of the shadows, locking onto the nearest Orange-Belt.

  He cried out in surprise, his body being knocked to the ground by the massive ferret. The others let out surprised shouts as confusion reigned. Aika uncloaked her Core, allowing Essence to blaze across her staff. Like a lot of Martial Artists, she preferred to fight with a weapon, and her bow staff was specially designed for her. It was made out of the backbone of a powerful Beast her father had killed some years ago.

  Her father had had the smiths and artisans forge it into a staff capable of carrying her all the way to Red-Belt. She had yet to unlock the staff’s full properties, as its true power would be brought out with the use of Qi, but it served her just fine in the meanwhile.

  White Essence coated the five-foot staff as she dashed forward using the Light Step. The Green-Belt began to turn around, a technique already forming over his body. But he was just a hair too slow. Aika’s staff slammed into his head, and she used her Physical technique, the Light Saw. The Essence coating her staff suddenly became razor sharp, vibrating at high speeds and cutting viciously into the joint between the man’s shoulder and neck.

  He was fast and somehow managed to twist out of her way, avoiding being cleaved in half. He grunted as her attack carved a line from shoulder to hip, but he avoided a fatal injury. Aika would have been in a bad place had she not already prepared for this contingency. She grinned as the man’s fist closed with her face and just a second too late, he tried to jump back.

  Three spears made of light flashed down from above, skewering him through the shoulder, chest, and back. The man coughed, his eyes going wide as a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. He tried to reach out, his hand shaking as the light began to fade from his eyes. Aika’s staff blurred forward, crushing his skull and finishing him off.

  She spun then, forming three more spears of light using her Projected technique, the Light Lance, and sending them flying towards one of the Orange-Belts. Ferry was already looking pretty rough, the three Martial Artists having managed to open several gashes on her hide in the eight seconds it had taken her to kill the Green-Belt.

  The man was too slow to react to her attack and was skewered through the back, the three lances punching straight through and shattering his Core, killing him instantly. The Base Orange jumped in surprise, and Ferry used the opportunity to latch her jaws around his neck, her multiple rows of needle-like teeth punching into his toughened skin.

  The 2nd Dan Orange tried to help, but he slammed into an invisible wall when he tried to move in. He whirled on Aika, his eyes going wide when he saw his dead commander. He tried to throw up some kind of defense, but her staff caved his head in without her even needing to use a technique to aid her.

  The Base Orange was still fighting, Ferry’s lower cultivation not quite allowing her to kill him. She should have been able to, in theory, but the man must have had an Armorer technique active, as her teeth only sank in a half inch or so.

  Not a problem.

  Aika came up behind him and struck out with the butt of her staff, ramming it into his spine. There was an audible crack, and the man screamed as his legs went suddenly limp. Then Ferry’s teeth tore through his neck, permanently silencing him.

  “Well, that was fun,” Aika said without much humor as she slung her staff over her back.

  She never enjoyed killing, especially if those she killed were weaker than her. But she couldn’t deny some small sense of satisfaction at having rid the world of these Beast clan scum.

  Ferry just shook her head from side to side and her body was enveloped in darkness. Aika watched with interest as the Darkness Essence formed into a sphere, whirling and twisting around her body. She’d never seen a Beast advance before, so she was fascinated by the process. In just a few seconds, the Essence was pulled in, as though being sucked into the ferret’s body.

  When she became visible once more, she’d gone through a noticeable change. Her fur was just a shade darker, her claws longer and her body broader. She’d gained at least a foot in length and several inches in height. But the most notable change was in her eyes.

  They gleamed with intelligence that had been lacking before. Sure, she understood a lot of what was said but only in a vague sort of way. The small glittering orbs fixed on her, and the ferret cocked her head to one side. Then, the corners of her mouth pulled up in a grin, revealing the rows of teeth.

  “Congratulations on advancing!” Aika said with a wide grin.

  The ferret nodded, letting out a squeak. It seemed she still couldn’t speak. That wasn’t unexpected, though. Beast could begin learning, at around Green level, how to use their mouths to speak. But advancing meant more power, more strength, and a higher level of intelligence. Even if she couldn’t speak yet, she would understand pretty much anything Aika said.

  “Are you ready to get going? I’m sure we’ve attracted some attention with that fight.”

  The ferret nodded and turned back in the direction of their objective. Aika grinned once more, then took off running,
the ferret easily keeping pace with her. With Ferry now at Base Orange, doing what needed to be done would be much easier.

  6

  Roy awoke the next morning feeling very sore but well-rested. He groaned, stretching in hopes of alleviating some of the pain, but it didn’t do much. The pain was from his strained channels, so muscle stretches wouldn’t do much.

  Rubbing his eyes, Roy quickly donned his newly-patched robes and tied his Belt firmly around his waist. No matter how many times he did this, it gave him immense pleasure. For someone who’d thought he’d never even get a White-Belt, tying a 3rd Dan Yellow-Belt on was a dream come true.

  Even though he’d failed his last test to advance, he was still quite happy. He went through his morning stretches – just because they wouldn’t help his channels, didn’t mean they wouldn’t help his muscles – ate a small breakfast, and headed outside. He opened his Spirit Sense wide as he did, making sure there was nothing in the surrounding area.

  Once he was sure no one was nearby, he removed his outer robe, then took off running around the perimeter of the spire.

  “What’s the plane for today?” Geon asked, speaking up for the first time that day.

  The Dungeon Core sounded kind of sleepy in his mind, so Roy decided he would ask about that now that he had the time.

  “Probably just training all day,” he said, using his mind. It would be hard to talk and run at the same time. “When did you start needing sleep?”

  “Hmm, I’d say it’s definitely a recent development,” Geon replied as he picked up his pace. “I have a theory as to why I now need it. As a Dungeon Core, I didn’t have a body. I was just a hardened sphere of Essence. Now, although I don’t have a body of my own, I am a part of one. And you squishy humans always seem to need sleep.”

  “Why didn’t you need it before now, then?” he asked, pumping his legs even faster. He was trying to beat his previous time, even if just by a few seconds. It would ensure that he was constantly working to improve himself. Even if he didn’t beat his last time, he would at least know that he worked as hard as he could to make it happen.