by Aaron Oster
“They probably went further into the forest,” he finally said, turning back to his companions. “Let’s go.”
They all grumbled a bit but reluctantly followed him. Soon, they were lost from sight, the sounds of crashing fading into the distance.
Aika kept them lying there, unmoving and still. More than once, Roy tried to mumble something through her hand, but each time he did, she would merely clamp down harder and shake her head. At a certain point, he had to either give up or have his skull caved in. As it was, Roy began to suffocate.
He began clawing at her fingers, but Aika didn’t even seem to realize. Her eyes were intently fixed on the forest and not paying him any attention.
“Geon! Do something! She’s gonna kill me!” Roy screamed, panicking.
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, she’s not going to…”
Roy’s face began to turn blue.
“Ferry! Get her off him!” Geon yelled, now sounding just as panicked as he felt.
Aika finally turned back when Ferry’s tail whacked her in the back of the head, looking cross. It was then that she noticed Roy’s bulging eyes and purple-tinged skin. Her eyes went wide, and she immediately released her hold on him
“I am so sorry!” she said as he spluttered and coughed, taking in huge gulps of air. “It’s hard for me to remember how weak you are before you get your Core Body. Are you okay?”
Roy simply glared at her as he continued gasping, sucking in huge lungsful of air.
“Was that really necessary?” he finally asked, rubbing at his numbed lips and throbbing nose. “You could have killed me!”
“Sorry!” she squeaked. “I just had to make sure you didn’t make any noise and break the illusion. Otherwise, they would have found us.”
“So that’s what she did. I had no idea this girl was so talented. If I didn’t think I’d die if I left you, I might just go join her.”
“Gee. Thanks for your concern,” Roy sarcastically replied, sitting upright.
“Why did you keep me quiet once they’d gone?” he asked, feeling at his nose to make sure it wasn’t broken.
“I couldn’t be sure if the others would still be coming,” she replied, looking extremely guilty. “Can I…?” she asked, reaching out towards him, but stopped when he flinched back.
“No. I think I’m fine taking care of myself,” he snapped.
He knew Aika was only trying to help, but he didn’t appreciate being manhandled like a child. He was getting sick and tired of being stuck in a world where everyone was so much stronger than him and that no matter what he did, he couldn’t fight back. This was like being in the Waterwood all over again; only this time, no one would be shielding him out of a false sense of pity or honor.
“Oh. Okay then,” Aika replied, getting slowly to her feet.
He could tell he’d hurt her feelings, but he didn’t care. He was too angry and too ashamed to try to care. More than being annoyed at everyone else for being so strong, he was angry with himself for his weakness. His entire life, he’d been weak, and now, given the opportunity to improve, he was doing nothing to do so.
Roy simply grunted, getting to his feet and stalking out ahead of her and Ferry, walking deeper into the swaying rainbow grass. He had no idea where he was going, but he didn’t care. All he wanted to do was get as far away from both of them as he could. Perhaps he could escape the shame, and the feelings of inadequacy that came along with them.
“There’s no need to be so down on yourself.”
“Yeah? And why’s that?” he asked, shoving his way through the tall grass.
“You only started down your Path a few months ago. You can’t expect to be a Master overnight.”
“That’s not what I’m expecting,” he replied, shoving through the tangle as it began to thicken. “I’m just…” he trailed off, throwing his hands in the air, unable to put his frustrations into words.
“Just annoyed that you’re not progressing quickly enough for your peace of mind,” Geon said. “You think that if you don’t make it to Orange-Belt soon, you’ll never make it far enough to attain your goals. But you have to remember that I have goals as well, and mine are far more dangerous than simply destroying a clan full of weaklings.”
“What are you talking about?” Roy asked, now using blasts of Essence to shred the grass before him. “The Shah clan is enormous and chock full of powerful Martial Artists!”
“Not what from I remember. Now, don’t get me wrong,” he quickly continued as Roy opened his mouth once more. “The Shah clan is strong, from your perspective. But from the perspective of the clans in The Crater, they’re quite weak. As I’m sure you noticed, the majority of those chasing us are Orange or higher. Do you know why that is?”
Roy shook his head. He had been curious about that, and he’d just been wondering the same thing. Why was it that everyone out here seemed to be ridiculously strong?
“The answer is quite simple,” Geon answered. “They are merely products of their environment. The creatures and Beasts in The Crater are strong, so the Martial Artists have to be strong as well if they wish to survive. Likewise, there are places where the Martial Artists make the ones here look like weaklings and so on.”
Roy had a hard time believing this. Sure, the Beasts in The Crater were a little stronger than those in the Waterwood, but that didn’t explain why everyone here was so freakishly strong. Even if that was the reason, he had a hard time believing that there were other places where Martial Artists were even stronger than this on a base level.
He knew that there had to be Artists out there that were more powerful than a Red-Belt, but surely, they were few and far between. He’d only ever heard of three Red-Belts. Obviously, there were more, but there couldn’t be that many more. Aika herself had said that her clan leader was over five-hundred years old, which meant reaching such heights would take centuries of work.
Surely not many would even have the patience and willpower to continue forging on ahead. When that thought crossed his mind, Roy finally realized the point Geon was trying to make. Advancing took a long time. Even someone like the Tonde clan head, who had achieved the title of Supreme, had taken half a millennia to do so. So, he, a lowly nobody from a clan who’d adopted him, would surely take far longer than that.
He stopped walking when he realized that, and for the first time since he started on his journey, Roy debated simply giving up. What was the point, after all, if he would never reach his goal?
“Geon,” he said in a low voice. “Why did you choose me?”
“I thought it was obvious. I already told you it was because you were available and had no Core.”
Roy felt his heart sink even further.
“So, there was no other reason? Something you saw in me, maybe?”
“Well, you didn’t give up when Ferry was about to eat you. But, no. If you want the truth, I would have joined with you either way. You were there and had no Core. You were a perfect vessel for my revenge.”
“Right,” Roy replied, his shoulders slumping further.
Geon was right. There was nothing special about him. He was just a nobody from nowhere with no hopes or prospects. All he was to the Core was a weapon with which to exact its revenge. To Aika, he was a child that needed protecting and to everyone else, he was a weakling that should be snuffed out.
Roy started to move on, but when he tried to use his Essence to clear a path, it would not respond. He checked within himself to see if he’d somehow run out without realizing it. His Core was still more than half full. He frowned, trying once more to use the technique to push through the tall grass. And once again, it didn’t work.
“Geon, why isn’t my technique working?” Roy asked, feeling a slight tinge of panic.
“What? I don’t see anything wrong. You should be able to use it, no problem.”
Roy tried one more time, but the Essence refused to obey. He tried forming his Void Sphere, but that didn’t work, either. He tried using the Sho
ckwave. Nothing. Now he was really beginning to worry. What was happening? Why weren’t his techniques working?
“Roy, is that you up there?”
Roy turned as he heard Aika’s voice sound from somewhere behind him. He was still annoyed at her, but his worry was starting to overwhelm his anger.
“Yeah,” he called back, wondering why she needed to ask.
Couldn’t she sense him with her Spirit Sense? He wasn’t suppressing his Core.
Aika’s form became visible a moment later, with Ferry pushing through behind her.
“You should really keep your Core at least somewhat unveiled when we’re traveling together,” Aika admonished, though she still seemed hurt by the way he’d treated her earlier.
“But, my Core isn’t…” Roy began, then Aika grabbed him and shoved him behind her.
He stumbled, not understanding what was going on for a few moments. Then, he saw them. There were several Martial Artists, all dressed in blue and gold robes, looking quite hostile.
How had he not sensed them coming? His Spirit Sense had been wide open!
“Who are you, and why are you trespassing here?” one of the Martial Artists, a woman with dark skin and a hard, lined face, asked.
“We were unaware that we were trespassing,” Aika replied, keeping her tone respectful.
Roy could see why. The woman had a 5th Dan Green-Belt around her waist, meaning she was on the brink of advancing to Blue. Not only that, but the Martial Artists surrounding them were all between 3rd and 4th Dan Green. This was nuts! How were there so many strong Martial Artists in the same spot?
“Be that as it may,” the woman said. “You are going to come with us. I don’t know who you are, but the boss lady will likely have some questions for you. Now, are you going to come peacefully, or are we going to have to take you in by force?”
“There’s no need for violence,” Aika said quickly. “We will be more than happy to go along with you.”
The woman nodded, motioning the others back to surround them. Arthur had to soothe Ferry to stop her from attacking, asking Geon to explain what was happening and why they had to go along. He was sure she understood, but as a Beast, Ferry much preferred fighting to rolling over and giving up.
Regardless of that, Roy knew that none of them stood a chance at escape, let alone fighting. He was still a Yellow-Belt, and although Aika was Green, she was still only at Base. The others would easily outclass her in terms of power, so she had little choice but to cave to their demands.
He sighed as they set off, noting the looks of disgust the others were shooting him. He couldn’t blame them. He was weak, and in Buryoku, weakness was a crime. He could only hope that it was a crime he would not have to pay for with his life.
12
Itachi Joan sat straight-backed, her legs tucked under her knees, and her robes folded neatly out to the sides. She was writing a report to send back to her superior, Itachi Gwan, and had to make sure it was as accurate and detailed as she could manage. That wasn’t why she was sitting this way, however.
The reason she sat so stiffly was simple: this was the proper way for one of her station to be seated. Any slouching or creases in her robes would be taken as her disrespecting her station as outpost commander, and she would be stripped of her title as soon as Gwan found out. And she had no doubt that he would.
The Itachi clan, while massive and sprawling, was highly militaristic, adhering to a strict code of conduct. Any deviation on anyone’s part, regardless of position, would be dealt with most severely.
She was especially leery, seeing as she’d only recently been promoted to this position. It wasn’t a particularly glorious job, but one that needed to be done. And when she’d been called before the Council of Seven back in Light City, she had eagerly taken the position when offered.
Sure, it wasn’t much now, but she was only a 1st Dan Blue-Belt – hardly someone of note – and hadn’t expected a promotion like this until at least 4th Dan, the general requirement for this position. However, Gwan had vouched for her, and when a Supreme says you’re worthy, very few would question him.
The light scratching of her quill was interrupted by a knock on her door. Three sharp raps, followed by a split-second’s hesitation, followed by a fourth.
The Itachi clan had many such knocks, each encoded with their own meaning. But this one was one that Joan had never yet heard before in her time here. That series of knocks meant that a patrol had apprehended a group of outsiders and had taken them into custody. Despite her curiosity, Joan continued writing her letter, making the person at the door wait the full seventy-three seconds that protocol demanded, before allowing them to enter.
“Commander,” the Green-Belt said, bowing deeply at the waist as he entered.
“Squad leader,” Joan replied, setting her quill carefully in its holder, making sure not to spill so much as a drop of ink onto the hardwood table. “What brings you here, and at this late hour, no less?”
The squad leader, Jonathan she believed he was called, dropped to one knee and began his report.
“Tonight, at approximately zero two hundred, we came across a group of foreigners encroaching on our borders. There were three in all, two humans and a Beast. One was a female, at Base Green, and the other was male, at 3rd Dan Yellow. We believe the Beast to be just about 1st Dan Orange, if not a little stronger. They surrendered without fighting, and we have them locked up in the outer cells.”
“Hmm. A Yellow-Belt, you say. Is it really necessary to place a child behind bars?” Joan asked.
Though the Itachi were highly militaristic, that didn’t mean they were heartless or didn’t have a code of conduct. The only reason a child would be placed behind bars would be if they were considered to be a danger to themselves or others. Could this child truly be so dangerous?
For the first time, Jonathan’s neutral expression vanished, to be replaced by one of disgust.
“The Yellow-Belt in question is an adult. Approximately twenty years of age and of clearly foreign origins.”
Though it was against protocol, Joan could well understand the man’s disgust. A twenty-year-old still at Yellow? How had his clan even allowed him to live? The shame he would bring to his household was more than enough to call for a death sentence. In fact, if anyone in the Itachi clan were so weak, they would gladly take their own lives for the betterment of the clan. That someone like that would continue to go on was shameful and selfish.
“You mentioned a Beast,” she said, snapping from her thoughts before the look of disgust could be mirrored on her face.
“Yes. It is a ferret or weasel, by what I could ascertain.”
“And the Green-Belt girl, what is her approximate age?”
“I would put her between eighteen and twenty.”
Joan nodded, thinking. The Itachi clan always had use of powerful fighters with promise. The Yellow-Belt would be utterly useless and thus be turned out into the Wilds to die a weakling’s death. The girl, however, could be useful to their cause.
“Very well then,” she said, rising from her seat and smoothing the front of her blue and gold robes. “I shall go see them for myself.”
***
Aika sat in a small four-by-four cell, her back pressed to the far wall, and her eyes locked on the 3rd Dan Green-Belt left to guard her. Though she’d never been out of The Crater, she recognized the robes of the Itachi clan. She’d really been hoping to avoid meeting them until Roy had advanced to Orange.
She knew of their highly militaristic ways and how they viewed Martial Artists who were below standard for their age. And she was afraid of what they’d do to Roy.
Immediately after bringing them into their camp, which consisted of several rows of long, low buildings, they’d been split up and lead to separate cells. She couldn’t even feel Roy with her Spirit Sense from here, so they’d either used some sort of item to interfere with them, or he was so far away that she couldn’t sense him.
She could sen
se Ferry, though, so she had to suspect it was the latter. Where they could have taken Roy was a mystery to her. He’d been very frustrated lately with his progress and his inability to master everything at once. She had a feeling, though he’d never said as much, that he was feeling useless in just about every battle.
Each time she had to intervene and save him, he grew just a little more bitter. And each time that happened, his patience with himself shortened just a bit more. At this point, he was likely so down on himself that he would be actively hindering his own advancement through doubt and worry.
The guard half turned to look at her, but she simply glared back, putting all the malice and contempt she could into that stare. The man had actively ignored all questions about Roy. As soon as she’d been locked up, he’d been placed by the door and had not said so much as a word. She’d tried asking, being polite, even threatening, but the man had remained stoic. Even her glaring seemed to be doing her no good, as the man simply turned away and continued to pretend that she didn’t exist.
Despite how amped up she felt, Aika soon began to nod off. No matter how far she’d advanced, going for over sixteen hours with no food, water, or sleep tended to wear a person out, Core Body or not. She tried to remain awake, just in case something happened, but before she knew it, she’d drifted off.
A loud tramping of boots tore her from an uneasy sleep. She was instantly aware of her surroundings, as the fog of sleep that had once clouded her mind upon waking was no longer a concern. It was one of the many perks given to her by her Core Body, assuring that even if she was caught by surprise while asleep, it wouldn’t hinder her to the point where she couldn’t fight.
A light tinge on the horizon told her it was just past five in the morning, meaning she’d been asleep for roughly three hours. Despite what some would call a short nap, Aika felt well-rested. She knew that a proper night of sleep would have to come soon but for now, she was alright.
