Light (Buryoku Book 2)

by Aaron Oster

  “Come on, we really should get going,” Aika said, rising to her feet and offering him a hand.

  Roy accepted it, allowing her to haul him to his feet without complaint. They had a Dungeon to complete and would only see their reward once they got out of here.

  They climbed back over the pile of rubble and headed deeper into the ruin. Oddly enough, they didn’t encounter any more trouble. It seemed that the stone tablet had been responsible for running all the creatures here. Taking it out had been the smart thing to do, even if it had taken a lot of effort to accomplish.

  Roy managed to recover some Essence in their time walking, though his wounds still pained him. His left arm throbbed horribly, and the dozens of shallow cuts he’d taken stung and burned. He didn’t utter a single word of complaint, taking the pain with his usual stoicism. Pain wasn’t something that was new to him and he’d dealt with far worse over the course of his life.

  Two hours of wandering later, the two of them found themselves facing the final room, the only structure still fully intact in this entire ruin. The building stood roughly twenty feet tall and had a domed ceiling. The entrance was relatively small, only about five feet, forcing Roy to stoop in order to enter. The interior, however, was nothing like he’d expected.

  “Oh, wow!” Aika said as she entered the room behind him, her eyes going wide in amazement.

  Roy didn’t blame her. The room was richly furnished, with polished wooden floors, rich maroon carpets, and tapestries adorning the walls. A raised dais stood in the center of the room, upon which stood a single glorious throne. The throne was made entirely of black marble, with veins of white and blue throughout. Standing next to the throne, seemingly very out of place in this majestic room, was a small, withered tree.

  A single beam of light came down from above, illuminating the tree and revealing that it was not dead as Roy had first thought. A single dark gray fruit hung from one of its branches. It looked old, rotten, and would likely squish uncomfortably in their hands the moment it was touched. But it did glow with a strange aura to his Spirit Sense. Just to be sure, he decided to ask Aika what she thought of it.

  “Is that what we’re looking for?” Roy asked, pointing to the tree.

  “I…think so?” Aika replied, sounding unsure herself. “I mean, the fruit has this strange aura. Something I’ve never quite felt before. It must be what Hermit is after.”

  “Are you sure? What about that sword?” Roy asked, his eyes moving over to the throne, against which leaned a magnificent sword.

  He’d never seen a weapon of such beauty and craftsmanship in all his life. The pommel was made of solid gold and was encrusted with precious gems. The hilt sparkled as it caught the light, revealing the wire wrap to be made of silver or some other precious metal, and the crossguard was completely see-through. If Roy had to wager a guess, he’d say it was made of solid diamond.

  The blade itself was spectacular, as well. It was blazing with Power Essence, with runes carved along its length, each inset with silver and standing out against the blade. Perhaps this was what Hermit was looking for?

  “You know what,” Aika said, her voice taking on a dream-like quality. “I believe you may be right. But should we even give him such an amazing weapon? I mean, why don’t we just keep it for ourselves? Think of things I can do with that!”

  Roy’s head snapped toward her, his eyes blazing in anger.

  “What you could do? I found it first. That weapon belongs to me! Besides, what can you even do with a sword that uses Power Essence!?”

  Aika turned on him, her face twisting into a sneer.

  “You clearly don’t deserve such a magnificent weapon, especially if you think it was made for Power Essence! It’s clearly suited for me! I can feel the Light Essence pouring off it. And with a weapon like this, I won’t even have to worry about anything ever again!”

  “Um, Roy. You two aren’t exactly acting rationally here,” Geon tried to cut in.

  But Roy wasn’t listening.

  “Think you can steal my weapon, huh? Well, I won’t stand for it! And if you stand in my way, I’ll kill you!”

  “Ha! That’s rich coming from you!” Aika retorted, raising her staff. “I could kill you without even lifting a finger. That sword will be mine, and if you insist on fighting me for it, this will be your final resting place!”

  The two of them glared at each other, then began slowly circling until they’d formed a triangle between the two of them and the sword.

  Neither of them noticed the man now sitting on the throne, a skeletal grin on his face as they faced each other. The sword at his side blazed with power, warping their perception and turning them against one another. This was the power of the Cursed Sword of Ages, the blade which had brought this kingdom to ruin thousands of years ago.

  There was a reason no one came to this Dungeon and why it had been abandoned for so long. And that was because no one who entered ever left. The sword was a test, and whoever killed a comrade to claim it, would have their souls ripped free and swallowed by the blade. That was the curse that had broken this kingdom and claimed so many lives. And now, he knew it was going to claim another two.

  Roy charged forward, Power Essence sparking across his skin as he prepared to launch all his Essence at once. The overload would likely cause permanent damage to both his body and Core, but he didn’t care. So long as the sword thief ended up dead, he would be happy.

  “I really hate to do this to you, but I guess I have no choice.”

  Roy heard a strange voice in his mind, right before a massive pain seemed to explode out from the base of his skull. Roy staggered, falling to the ground as an empowered strike flashed by over his head. He could taste blood and guessed that he’d bitten his tongue, and his head rang as if someone had struck it.

  “You come back to your senses yet?”

  “Geon, what’s going on?” he asked, his head feeling like it was stuffed full of cotton.

  “Roll to your left! Now!”

  Roy did as he was told, and Aika’s glowing staff slammed into the ground not an inch away, shattering the polished wood and sending splinters driving deep into his skin. That finally cleared the last cobwebs from his mind and his eyes widened in shock.

  “Why is she attacking me?!” he asked, using Shockwave to get some distance between them.

  Aika screamed, running after him and brandishing her staff again. She didn’t seem to be in her right mind. Her eyes were wild and unfocused, her teeth bared in a snarl. She didn’t seem to have her usual control either, instead, allowing a massive amount of Essence to flow into her weapon, as though she were trying to empty her Core all at once.

  “No idea. But you were acting nearly as insane before I…um, helped.”

  Roy jumped back once more, dodging the wild swings of her staff, easily managing to avoid the attacks that would snap him like a twig.

  “Well, something has to be causing her to act like this!” he exclaimed, using Shockwave to get some distance.

  The massive boom threw her off course, and every time he moved, she seemed confused for a few moments before her eyes would lock back on him once again. Roy led her in a circle around the room, ducking and dodging her attacks, but he knew it couldn’t last forever. He was tired, his Essence depleted once again, and he was nearing his wit’s end.

  Then, as he turned to avoid another swing from Aika’s weapon, his eyes alighted on something that definitely had not been there when they had entered. A ghostly remnant of a man sat in the throne, his face twisted in sadistic glee as Aika moved in to attack again. A gleaming sword rested on his lap, and when he looked at it, Roy felt his mind begin to go numb once again.

  “Hey! Keep your head in the game! Don’t go letting shiny things distract you!”

  “That’s rich coming from you!” Roy snapped, avoiding yet another attack.

  But seeing that blade had sparked a memory in him, something he was sure he’d never experienced before.

&
nbsp; A battlefield filled with soldiers butchering one another, the sword shining as it was held overhead. The sword owner being butchered, stabbed in the back by his best friend. He watched, in an instant, as the blade was passed from one person to the next, war following wherever it went.

  Then, it was here, in the hands of a powerful king. His advisor stabbed him in the back for the weapon, but this time, the man’s eyes burned a fiery red. He screamed as something was sucked from his mouth and his body collapsed to the ground, a burned husk of its former self.

  Soldiers rushing in and beginning to slaughter one another, then citizens. The day and night cycles flashed before him, spinning so quickly he feared he would throw up. Then, it suddenly stopped, revealing a lone man standing at the center of the room. The place was in ruins, and the corpses of thousands lay strewn about.

  From the pile, rose a single withered tree bearing a very familiar-looking gray fruit. The man sobbed, falling to his knees. He lay there for weeks until something tore free of his body, a remnant of what had once been a proud and noble man. Twisted and mangled, it sat upon the throne, preparing to eternally guard this cursed weapon.

  Roy staggered, falling back on his rear as Aika’s staff whistled before his face.

  “What the hell just happened?” he yelled, feeling sweat practically pouring from his body.

  “Looks like you got some backstory to this place. That’s really rare! I’m actually kind of jealous,” Geon said, sounding a bit pouty.

  “Not helpful! How do I win?” he yelled again, diving to one side as Aika’s blazing staff shattered the ground.

  “Oh. Right. You’ll need to destroy that remnant. It should be pretty easy. Just destroy the throne and it should vanish.”

  “Is that all?” Roy asked, feeling suddenly disheartened.

  He didn’t have the strength needed to shatter a throne like that, not with the meager amount of Essence still in his Core. In fact, he was just about finished, and in one more attack, Aika would…

  Roy turned and ran.

  “Finally! Taking my advice and running. Good for you, Roy! It may be seen as a coward’s way out, but…Oh, you’re running towards the specter and not away from it. I take back the nice thing I just said about you.”

  Roy sped up, trying to use his Shockwave. He managed to run all of five feet before the technique guttered out. His Core was completely empty, and he could feel Aika practically on his heels. The specter was cackling madly, brandishing the sword, its face a twisted mask of horror.

  Aika screamed right behind him, and Roy stopped, whirling in place and faced her down. She came barreling in, her eyes blazing in fury with not a shred of humanity remaining.

  “Um, you might want to move,” Geon said.

  But Roy wasn’t listening. He faced his friend down, squaring his shoulders, with not a shred of Essence in his Core. He was calm, his breathing even, and his heart rate was carefully controlled. Then, Aika was on top of him, her staff glowing so brightly that he feared he might go blind. The arc of light streaked towards him, the mad cackling of the specter sounding behind him.

  Roy dove to the side, and Aika’s staff passed straight through the laughing ghost, slamming into the throne and shattering it into thousands of pieces, like everything else they’d defeated in this terrible Dungeon.

  38

  Roy felt a pulse in his chest as the throne shattered. His Core throbbed a single time, pushing out painfully against his ribcage, before settling back into place. He gasped as something burned through his body, and suddenly, a single green slash appeared at the tip of his Belt. He was so astonished that he didn’t see Aika coming until she was right on top of him, her staff poised to strike.

  He tried to shuffle back, but he knew it was already too late. He was in a bad position, on his back, with no Essence in his Core and no way to escape. Then, she froze, her staff pulled back halfway and an inhuman snarl on her face. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed backward, hitting the ground and the light around her staff going out.

  He sat there for a few long moments, expecting at any second for something to happen. But nothing did. His eyes swiveled over to what remained of the throne, just in time to see the last wisps of the specter fading into thin air, along with the apparently cursed sword.

  “I think we won,” Geon said, taking Roy by surprise.

  That got Roy going, and he immediately moved to check on Aika. She seemed to be alright, though she was out cold. Roy figured it probably had something to do with Essence deficiency. She’d used so much in such a short time that her body simply couldn’t handle the strain. Once the driving force was gone, she’d simply collapsed in exhaustion.

  “Can you sense the Dungeon Core nearby?” he asked, getting shakily to his feet.

  “Yes. But I’ll ask you to leave it alone. It seems to be highly intelligent and one of the survivors of an ancient civilization.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “Didn’t you see this Dungeon’s backstory?”

  “I did, but isn’t it all just made up?” Roy asked.

  “Of course not! Sure, Dungeons are on separate planes of existence, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t real places. There is more than one Empire on Buryoku that has set itself up inside a Dungeon. This one just happens to be one of the older ones. And it just so happened to be destroyed.”

  Now, this was news to him. Roy had never even suspected that an entire Empire would, or even could, make their homes inside a Dungeon. But if the Dungeon allowed it, it did make sense. Dungeons were alive and wanted to protect themselves while growing strong and if powerful Martial Artists were around all the time, they could offer it protection and help it grow.

  “Why didn’t you do that with the Shah clan?” Roy wondered as he approached the dais and the withered tree.

  “Never liked them much,” he responded. “And besides, that clan is full of ignorant idiots. They wouldn’t have even known it was a possibility.”

  Roy stopped before the sad tree, eyeing the gray fruit in trepidation. He now knew the source of this tree and how many bodies had been piled up for this fruit to grow. So, he had to ask himself. Did he even want to take such an evil thing? And, come to think of it, what use could Hermit have for something like this?

  He looked down, thinking, and his eyes once again alighted on his Belt. The single slash of green on his Orange-Belt troubled him, as he’d advanced an entire Dan without a single drop of Essence in his Core.

  “Any idea of how this could have happened?” he asked Geon.

  “Can’t say that I do, though I feel like it’s something I should know,” Geon replied. “Having your memories stripped away is so frustrating! I know that I should know certain things, yet when I try to draw on them, all I get is a blank!”

  “Don’t you worry about that. I’ll continue to grow, and the more I do, the more you’ll be able to remember, right?”

  Geon sighed, but answered all the same.

  “I suppose. I’m just growing sick and tired of not knowing anything. Ask that strange man when we leave this place. Maybe he can give you some answers.”

  Roy nodded, then turned his attention back to the tree. The gray fruit sat there, looking much the same as ever. He could still feel the strange energy it exuded, pulsing and throbbing, touching something within him that he couldn’t quite place. A light groan from behind him snapped him from his musings, and he turned to see Aika slowly getting to her feet.

  “What happened?” she asked, clutching at her head and looking at him blearily. “The last thing I remember was looking at a sword, then…” She trailed off, and her eyes went wide.

  Then, she let out a breath, as though someone had punched her in the gut and collapsed onto her back. Roy was by her in an instant, watching her worriedly.

  “Aika, what’s wrong?” he asked, not being able to see any obvious signs of what could’ve made her fall.

  Had she strained herself too much during that fight and d
amaged her spirit? Then, shockingly, her Belt began to glow and a moment later, a second slash of blue appeared above the first. She gasped, taking deep, shuddering breaths and staring up at the ceiling.

  “But…how?” she whispered. “I’m weeks, if not months, away from the next Dan. There isn’t a speck of Qi in my Core, and my Essence is nearly depleted as well.”

  “Beats me,” Roy replied. “But the same thing happened to me.”

  Aika looked up at that, noting the slash of green on his Belt. Then her expression became serious.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  Roy recounted all that had happened. How they’d both gone berserk and attacked one another. How Geon had freed him and of what he’d seen while they were fighting. Of how he’d gotten her to smash the throne and of his advancement afterward. When he was finally finished, Aika was looking at him with a mix of guilt and curiosity.

  “I’m sorry…for what I did,” she said, looking down in shame. “I honestly don’t remember a thing. And I tried to kill you?”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” he immediately replied.

  He already knew he wasn’t going to blame her for her actions. She couldn’t help herself, just as he hadn’t been able to. It was all thanks to Geon that he’d even snapped out of whatever had possessed them both.

  “But still…” she began again, but Roy cut her off.

  “It’s only thanks to you that we managed to win at all. We’re even, in my book.”

  Aika looked up then and gave him a hesitant smile, one which he returned.

  “The question still remains. Do we take that fruit out of here or not?”

  “We don’t really have much choice, do we?” she replied, getting back to her feet. “We need that item for Hermit to take us on as students. We can ask him about this item before we give it to him, and we’ll refuse to hand it over until we get some answers!”