by Aaron Oster
It would be impossible for someone without matching Essence to even lift it. Even if he could steal it, she’d be able to track him by its unique signature. He did, however, find the cultivations scroll, hidden under the low table, slotted into a small compartment at the base. Finally, he moved on to the last room.
“Take. Everything!” Geon shouted as soon as he entered.
Roy had to stop himself from drooling as he stared around wide-eyed. Weapons, armor, robes, elixirs, and all manner of treasures were stacked in neat rows against the walls. Unfortunately, he was nearly out of time and knew he wouldn’t even be able to carry a fraction of the treasures contained here.
Instead of wasting time crying over what he couldn’t have, Roy ran for the nearest shelf, the one containing bags. It took few moments to find theirs, though unfortunately, they’d seemed to have to emptied it.
“Leave that old thing! Take the shiny one over there!” Geon demanded.
Roy turned and saw another bag. It was displayed in a glass case and shone a light green. The leather was a rich emerald in color and stitched through with black and gold. Though it wasn’t that large in comparison to their own, he immediately recognized it as being forged by a Martial Artist with great skill.
Okay, maybe it’s not, he admitted to himself as he ran over and smashed the case. He didn’t recognize it per se, he just assumed. Also, Geon wanted it, and he was a Dungeon Core with a vast knowledge of such things. The bag felt strangely light in his hands as he lifted it, as though it were lighter than air.
“It’s been imbued with Wind Essence,” Geon supplied. “It’ll make anything placed within much lighter. Also, it can carry much more than you might think.”
“Really? Is this one of those bags that are bigger on the inside than the outside?” Roy asked as he dashed about the room, grabbing items off shelves and stuffing it inside.
“Yes. But Essence was used in the forging of this bag, not Qi, so there is a limit to how much can fit in there. I would assume that the limit is probably three or four times as much as the bag’s size would suggest.”
Roy nodded, shoving a bunch of different Pill bottles into the bag, then looking around for Aika’s weapon. He found it, along with the small medallion he’d received after his trial. The small coin contained a weapon, and he could only use it once he reached Green-Belt, due to the massive Essence requirement needed to maintain it for any amount of time.
Then again…
Roy hesitated, staring at the coin for a long second and wondering if his increased Essence capacity would allow him to use it now.
“You know, I don’t mean to rush you, but it’s been more than two minutes.”
Geon snapped Roy from his musings, and he quickly shoved the coin into the bag, keeping Aika’s staff clutched in his hand. He wasn’t sure if they’d need to fight, but if they did, it would be better for her to have access to her weapon.
“I hate leaving all this stuff!” Roy complained as he ran for the door.
“Tell me about it! Had I known there would be so much loot, I would have advised bringing another Core, maybe even two!”
Roy wholeheartedly agreed, feeling like he was leaving a part of his soul behind in that room. There was so much he hadn’t managed to fit into the bag. And, in all truth, he wasn’t even sure what half the stuff he’d taken was. He really hoped that he hadn’t taken all the junk and left the real treasure behind. Now that would be truly painful.
Running out into the night air, Roy dashed around the side of the house. The fire was now nothing but embers, and Roy could see movement out of the corner of his periphery as Martial Artists moved about outside the camp. He still couldn’t sense anything, the world glowing red in all directions to his Spirit Sense.
That was fine. So long as he wasn’t spotted, they could make it out of here without any issues.
“Roy? Is that you?”
Aika’s voice hissed out of the darkness as he approached the pen. The sky was already beginning to lighten in the east, signaling the dawn of a new day. Thankfully, it was still dark enough for them to avoid being seen.
“Yeah, it’s me,” he replied, coming to a stumbling halt outside the fence.
Aika visibly relaxed as he climbed over, landing inside. She looked even worse than she had before. Her bruised face had gone a deathly white, and she was shaking all over. But, as soon as Ferry crashed into him and began trying to lick his face off, he knew she’d succeeded.
“Down! Down, girl!” Roy laughed as he tried to push the massive ferret off.
He heard Aika chuckling as well, despite her exhausted state, and together, they managed to get the ferret off of him.
“My staff!” she exclaimed as soon as he handed it over, cradling it in her arms and practically weeping.
It seemed the weapon was more important to her than he’d realized. There was a shout from somewhere in the camp, and Roy froze, thinking they’d been spotted.
“Don’t worry. We’re still safe. But we really should get going,” Aika said, looking out over the camp.
The two of them quickly clambered onto Ferry’s back, Aika too exhausted to make the run herself and Roy’s technique too loud. Ferry, however, didn’t seem to mind at all, hopping excitedly up and down as they secured themselves on her back.
“Alright. We’re ready,” Roy said, as soon as he felt Aika’s arms wrap around his chest. “Now get us out of here, girl!”
Roy was nearly thrown backward as the ferret took off. Only by desperately clinging with his knees and digging his fingers into her long fur was he able to retain his seat on her back. As they streaked into the woods, Roy felt an immense relief that this was finally over. The massive amount of tension that had been sitting on him the entire time finally lifted as they were swallowed up by the luminescent forest.
***
Itachi Joan stood at the center of her ruined outpost, her hands curled into fists as she fought to maintain her composure. Someone was going to pay, and pay dearly for what they’d done to her camp. She’d lost six buildings, including their mess hall where all their food was kept, as well as the armory. Four Martial Artists were killed, and three more were severely injured. She’d lost a valuable Beast and the intolerable prisoner she’d been planning on killing today.
Had these been her only losses, she might not have minded as much. However, the attackers had also seen fit to break into her personal quarters. They’d completely trashed it, stealing vital information about their clan, as well as tens of thousands of Kinka worth of valuable weapons, armor, Pills, and Elixirs, not to mention a big chunk of her personal savings.
When Gwan found out how badly Joan had failed, she was sure to fall out of favor. A demotion would be the best she could hope for, but execution would be the likely outcome. She’d found a priceless artifact in the hands of the weakling she’d left to die, and had told him all about it. She couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but Gwan had seemed quite intrigued, excited even. The fact that she’d lost such a valuable scroll, on top of all that had happened here, would ensure the worst possible outcome.
However, not all was lost. One of her scouts had picked up on a trail just a few minutes old. Despite how hard they tried to hide, their attackers would not get away, not without paying dearly for what they’d done. Joan would still be punished, but at least she’d have the satisfaction of knowing she’d killed the ones responsible as well.
Whirling in place, Joan glared down the group of her gathered elites. These were her most trusted fighters, those at the peak of Green-Belt. Of course, she only had four of them, but along with the other fifteen 4th Dan Greens, they would be more than enough to take an enemy down. Her scout couldn’t place the power of their attackers. All they knew was that they’d used a mix of Fire Essence and Qi to set off an explosion.
“Are you ready?” she asked them, fighting once again to keep her anger in check.
The gathered Martial Artists bowed, and she whirled to face the direc
tion the scout had pointed out. The attackers were only about fifteen minutes ahead of them, and if they moved quickly, they should catch up within the hour.
“Alright. Move out!”
***
Aika slumped on Ferry’s back, clinging tightly to Roy as they barreled through the forest. She wasn’t exactly sure where they were headed and could only trust in Roy’s judgment. She was honestly shocked that he’d come such a long way since their forced split over a month ago. She could also hardly believe he’d come back for her, despite all the risks it entailed.
She knew they weren’t out of the clear yet, but there was little she could do about it. She was exhausted to the point of not being able to move. It had taken every drop of her Qi to break the chains binding Ferry and now she was left with nothing.
She’d spent the night converting her Essence to Qi, and she hadn’t had time to replenish her Core. She now understood why Martial Artists preferred to use Essence over other types of energy, despite its relative weakness in comparison. Her Qi would not automatically restore itself when she refilled her Core.
Rather, she would once again have to refine it down, then pull in more Essence and repeat the process. It was no wonder that advancing to Blue took so long. One needed to push their Cores with Qi, not Essence, to advance past Green-Belt. It was why so many never got that far.
But all this was beside the point. She was sure they would be followed, despite Roy’s attempts to hide himself. Ferry was still exuding a fairly noticeable presence, and they would be sure to follow any path they could find. It also wasn’t helping that Roy had circled around the camp instead of heading away in a straight line, and he seemed to be searching for something.
“Roy, I don’t think we’re moving fast enough. What are you looking for?”
“I stashed a whole bunch of Beast Cores nearby and we can’t leave them,” he replied, much to her surprise. “They’re extremely valuable and will help us both immensely.”
“A few low-level Beast Cores can’t really do much for either of us. We should run now!”
“We can’t!” he snapped back, turning Ferry once again and circling the same spot. “The lowest grade Beast Core I’ve hidden is just below Blue. We need them!”
This shocked Aika even more. Where on Buryoku could he have gotten powerful Beast Cores? He certainly wasn’t strong enough to find them himself.
Before she could ask him, a warning flashed across her Spirit Sense. A group of powerful Martial Artists were approaching, and they would be there any second.
“Roy. We really need to…” she began, but the warning came a second too late.
Ferry skidded to a halt and she felt Roy stiffen up as they were suddenly surrounded on all sides by Martial Artists in blue and gold robes.
“Still alive, I see. I was wondering where the powerful Fire Artist could be, but my scout couldn’t pick up their trail. It makes a lot more sense if you used a powerful Beast Core. I have to commend you. Perhaps you’re not so weak as I first assumed.”
Aika slowly turned in her seat, feeling her heart sink all the way down to her shoes. Itachi Joan stood not ten feet away, in the center of the circle. She no longer looked cool and composed. Instead, her face was twisted in a rictus of anger and hatred.
“And you,” she continued, eyes locking onto Aika’s. “I see you’ve somehow managed to escape your punishment.” Her face twisted into an ugly grin then, as power began blazing around her.
“Not to worry. I’m sure you won’t mind if I crush you here instead!”
28
Roy leaped from Ferry’s back as the Martial Artists all moved in to attack. He already knew that they had no chance of winning. That, once again, he found himself in an impossible situation, surrounded by those more powerful than him. It was ridiculous, really.
Aika landed beside him, facing the other way. Roy noticed that her knees buckled as soon as she hit the ground. This was not good. She was too exhausted to fight, and he was too weak. And even if she could fight, none of them would stand a chance against such a large force of powerful Martial Artists.
Roy whirled, striking out with his Exploding fist and connecting with the Blue-Belt as she reached for Aika’s throat. There was a massive explosion, and the woman was hurled back with a cry of surprise. Ferry was beside him in an instant as one of the other attackers tried to move in, lashing out with her teeth and claws.
“Roy, we can’t…we have to run,” Aika said, trying to get them moving.
But he knew it was futile. There were just too many people who wanted them dead for them to be able to make an escape. Even if they all scattered, there would be more than enough of them to capture them with ease. All they could do was fight a pointless battle.
“I don’t feel like running anymore,” Roy said with a half-grin, then placed his back to hers, facing his opponents.
Ferry growled, moving closer to the two of them and joining their small outward-facing circle. Roy felt Aika’s shoulders slump before her back straightened.
“Well. If we’re going down, at least we’ll take some of them with us, right?”
“Right!” Roy said, injecting as much false cheer as he could into his voice.
They both knew they were about to die and that the chances of them taking even one of the others down with them was unlikely at best.
The Martial Artists suddenly flashed forward, and Roy tensed up to attack. Then, a ringing voice halted them in their tracks.
“Stop!”
Itachi Joan came stalking out of the forest, her face livid with fury. She was completely unharmed, showing Roy just how effective his attack had been, but that hadn’t stopped him from pissing her off.
“Hold them all down!” she commanded. “These weaklings cost me everything, so I’m going to shatter their Cores, then kill them myself!”
Roy tried to fight, but it was pointless. In less than a handful of seconds, he found himself standing upright, his arms pulled painfully behind his back alongside Aika and Ferry. It had taken two of them to subdue her, where it had only taken a single one for both him and Aika. In fact, she was so exhausted that she likely would have collapsed without the support.
Joan stalked up and down before them, her fingers twitching, and her gaze flicking between the two of them. It seemed like she was trying to decide who to kill first. A punch caught Roy in the stomach hard enough to crack bones and force him to double over. Instead, held in the iron grip of the Green-Belt, the contents of his stomach were forced up, along with a whole lot of blood.
For a moment, through the agony, Roy feared that she had indeed shattered his Core. But then he heard Geon in his mind.
“Can you please ask her not to shatter me? I very much want to live.”
All Roy could do was cough and gasp as blood ran down his tattered front, his stomach oddly concave. A scream of pain told him Aika had received a similar strike, though she seemed to have taken it better than he.
“You’re still alive. Good,” Joan said, walking up to him and pinching his chin between her fingers. “I was afraid I might have hit you too hard.”
Roy’s head rang like a bell, his vision blurring and blacking out momentarily as Joan backhanded him. He knew she hadn’t put much power behind the blow, though it was enough to cause a skull fracture and a severe concussion. He knew this because the world immediately began swimming around him, and odd and colorful shapes started floating before his eyes.
“Don’t you think you’ve gone far enough?” one of her men dared to ask as she slammed a closed fist into Aika’s nose.
“Do I sense pity from you, Ross?” Joan hissed as she whirled on the man.
“Not at all, Commander. I only have your honor in mind. Is it not your ideal to not kill or attack those weaker than yourself?”
Joan seemed to hesitate for a moment, allowing Roy to somewhat regain his senses, though his head still ached and spun, and every breath was agony. Then, her features twisted once more, and she tu
rned on them.
“Normally, I would never do such a thing. But these two are special. This time, I’ll make an exception. I’m sure my ideal won’t mind!”
Roy groaned as he was struck once again, this time in the liver. The pain was excruciating, and Joan seemed to know just how hard to hit him to ensure he would stay alive. By the time she stopped, he and Aika were covered in bruises, had multiple broken bones, and likely a ruptured organ or two.
The Martial Artists holding them in place hadn’t allowed them to sag or drop, holding them upright so Joan could attack without them being able to defend themselves. Once more, the man named Ross had tried to intervene, but Joan had simply ignored him. Ferry had struggled against her captors, trying to get to Roy and Aika, but though she was strong, she wasn’t strong enough.
Joan was leaving the Ferret to stay there, and not doing any damage to her. Apparently, Beasts were valuable enough that they wouldn’t harm her, though Roy couldn’t be sure what they would be using Ferry for once he and Aika were dead.
“Alright,” Joan finally said, taking a step back and eyeing the two of them. “I believe I’ve beaten these two enough for now. I know I said I’d shatter their Cores and kill them, but now that I’ve blown off some steam, I’ve decided to keep them alive a bit longer. This way, I can see to it personally that their lives are a living nightmare until the day I finally decide to kill them!”
Roy couldn’t say he was surprised. It seemed that those with power always went a bit mad when no one was around to keep them in check. This woman didn’t look too much older than Shah Lynn, perhaps in her late twenties. And she was clearly unhinged, despite how she’d been acting before, when she managed to keep some semblance of composure.
“Tie them up on long ropes,” she ordered her men. “I want them dragged back to camp on their stomachs. Let’s make this trip as uncomfortable as possible.”
