by Aaron Oster
Roy closed with the man, slower this time, as he didn’t use his Movement technique. He threw a testing punch at Doragon’s head, the blow blurringly fast, even without the use of his Shockwave. Doragon slipped the blow, then drove a fist into Roy’s stomach. He tried to block but found that he wasn’t fast enough.
His Armorer technique buckled, and a second blow to the side of his head as he doubled over shattered it completely. Roy barely had time to react before a series of crushing blows landed, slamming into his ribs and temple in quick succession. Roy staggered, pain flaring all across his body as the attacks landed.
When Doragon’s fist slammed into his nose, he was laid out flat. Roy heard the distinct snap as it broke before the back of his head slammed into the ground.
“Do you want to keep going?” Doragon asked, appearing above him as a hazy outline. “You can start listening at any time. Or I can keep beating you up. If you’d like, I can restrict myself to a Blue-Belt to make it easier, though the result would still be the same.”
Roy’s vision cleared slowly, and he let out a low groan as he pushed himself up. He was breathing heavily through his mouth, his broken nose making it impossible for him to do so normally. Though he glared at the man, he didn’t get up to try fighting him. He knew a pointless battle when he saw one, and trying to beat Doragon as he was now was going to be impossible.
“Good,” Doragon said, seeing that Roy didn’t rise to the bait. “The reason I was able to hit you without using any techniques was simple. Your attacks are too linear and predictable. All I have to do is watch your starting position, and from there, I can see where you’re going to strike.”
“My Path is Power,” Roy said, his voice sounding strange, thanks to his broken nose. “I don’t do tricks and deceptions. That’s for other Martial Artists. Like you.”
“Your base Path is power,” Doragon corrected. “By this point, you should barely even be using it. You should be focusing on developing your unique Path. Instead, you’re trying to use half-baked Qi techniques that wouldn’t work on a four-year-old.”
“I’ve won plenty of fights,” Roy defended himself.
“And you might still win a few more,” Doragon said. “But the moment you start fighting people on your level, you’re going to see a difference really fast. Before Red-Belt, you might have been able to get away with this slopping fighting style and weak techniques. But now, I highly doubt you’d last a minute with a real fighter.”
“Ha!” Geon said, making Roy’s temper flare even further.
He didn’t know what his mother had been thinking when she sent him to this man. It was true that Doragon had found a way to prevent the Cavern Beast from killing them all, but as a trainer, he left much to be desired.
“I think I’d do much better with a trainer who actually knows what he’s doing,” Roy said, shoving himself to his feet. “Aika had the right idea when leaving.”
“Do you know why I was able to hurt you as a Purple-Belt, despite you having a Perfect-Body?” Doragon asked as Roy turned to leave.
“By spiking your power for an instant when you hit me,” Roy replied.
“Because I’m a Beast,” Doragon said, looking at him evenly. “Your greatest advantage over humans is your overwhelming strength. Beasts have far more of it than they do. As a Power Artist, your strength should be monstrous, but from what I’ve seen, it’s pitiful at best.”
“If Beasts are so much better than humans, why aren’t they ruling the world?” Roy snapped, whirling on the man.
“Because we don’t have the same growth potential as humans do,” Doragon answered simply.
This brought Roy up short, having not expected an actual answer.
“Yes, Beasts have overwhelming physical might, more than any human could hope to match, but we need to work much harder to attain each successive Belt. Additionally, we start with the disadvantage of a lagging intellect, while humans have it basically from birth. With the exception of Cavern Beasts, any creature who starts off other than human needs to work nearly a third again as hard to attain the same level of power.”
“But before my Core was taken from me, I was growing much faster than any human, let alone Beast,” Roy said, trying to find a flaw in his logic.
“When you breed a horse and a donkey, you end up with an animal that’s many times better than either. The same happened with you. Except, just as with mules, your positive traits were enhanced. You have the potential for massive growth and the overwhelming power of a Beast. And yet, for some reason, you’re weaker than either.”
Roy glared at the man, wondering if he was just concocting some lie. The throbbing in his ribs and head probably wasn’t helping his mood.
“You could be making all of this up,” Roy said.
Doragon crossed his arms, staring at him levelly.
“One day,” Doragon said.
“What?”
“Give me one day. No questions, no complaints. Do everything I say for one day, and if at the end you’re still not convinced, feel free to leave and train on your own.”
Roy stared at the man, trying to find the trick, but he’d been as straightforward as one could be. Roy was tempted, even if only for a moment, to refuse the man outright. Then an image of his mother flashed in his mind.
If she believed Doragon could help, then he owed her at least this much.
“Fine,” Roy agreed, pinching his nose to try and stop the bleeding. “I’ll give you a day.”
“Excellent,” Doragon said, tossing him a Pill. “Then follow me. We have a lot of work to do.”
32
“Wow. He really did a number on you,” Geon said as Roy followed behind Doragon, doing his best to cycle the Pill to recover from the heavy blows he’d taken during their fight.
“Can I go be his Core instead?”
“Feel free to leave anytime,” Roy grumbled.
He hid a wince as he set his nose, then cycled the healing properties of the Pill to fuse the broken cartilage back together.
“You know, ever since getting your old Core back, you’ve been very ungrateful,” Geon said.
“Maybe because your endless ridicule doesn’t exactly lend itself to loads of gratitude,” Roy snapped back.
“Hey. I only state the facts,” Geon said with the mental equivalent of a shrug. “It’s not my fault if you take things the wrong way.”
“How is your constantly asking to leave every time we come across a Martial Artist who’s stronger than me ‘taking things the wrong way?’” Roy asked.
“Your weird human emotions keep getting in the way,” Geon said. “If you only used logic, you would see how much sense it made.”
Roy’s brows came down as he followed Doragon into a clearing, where a shimmering dome of rainbow-colored light stood.
“Is that the entrance to a Dungeon?” Roy asked.
“You see. It’s questions like these that make me want to leave,” Geon said.
“If you want me to stop talking to you for the next year, keep insulting me,” Roy said.
“Yes, it’s a Dungeon,” Geon replied, suddenly a lot more helpful. “Though it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
Doragon walked straight in without looking back, vanishing into the dome. The surface rippled momentarily as he passed through, becoming still a moment later. Roy debated turning around and leaving, but in the end, curiosity won out, and he followed the man in.
He emerged on the other side to find himself in the strangest Dungeon he’d ever seen. All around him, the rainbow-colored dome shimmered, though it was much larger than it had appeared on the other side. Three short stone steps led down to a flat, open area made completely of stone.
A single pedestal with a glowing green gem stood at the center of the area, which must have been one hundred yards across and half again as wide. A small lip ran along the perimeter of the area, where small plants grew. Aside from that, Roy could see nothing else.
“What is this pl
ace?” Roy asked, following Doragon down.
“A training Dungeon,” Doragon replied. “I happened to have it with me when I came over.”
“You had a Dungeon with you?” Roy asked, very confused.
“That is what I said,” Doragon said, walking over to the pedestal and placing a hand on it.
Immediately, the crystal lit up silver as he allowed some Essence to flow into it, and a moment later, five humanoid shapes rose from the ground on the opposite side of the Dungeon, all made of the same silvery substance.
“I’ve never heard of a Dungeon like this,” Roy said, staring at the figures in confusion, trying as hard as he could to not look impressed.
“That’s because they’re mostly man-made. Fakes, designed to train new Martial Artists without the limitations or hazards of the real world. Back home, these were used all the time, as we were constantly at war, but it should serve the same function here.”
He turned to Roy, taking his hand off the pedestal and crossing his arms.
“As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, my base Path is Weakness, so the constructs you’ll be fighting will be made of Weakness Essence.” He gestured behind him. “Destroy them.”
Roy opened his mouth to ask why or what the point of this was, but Doragon held up a hand to stop him.
“No questions, remember?” he said, then gestured to the five humanoid constructs again. “Now destroy them.”
This time when he spoke, the constructs all sprang into action, all flaring with power equal to that of a mid-ranked Purple-Belt. They didn’t rush him as a clumped group, instead spreading out to block any route he might try and use to escape. Seeing as the pedestal was in the very center of the area, they were all some fifty yards away and none were using any techniques that Roy could see.
Wondering if this was a colossal waste of time, Roy turned to face the oncoming constructs and tried to concoct some sort of strategy. In the end, he decided he would just stand here and wait for them to come to him. No need to go rushing into their midst to destroy them.
He raised his hands as the first approached, sliding back into a fighting stance and cycling his Essence through himself. Doragon hadn’t told him not to use any techniques, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t conserve power for now. He wanted to test these constructs first, to see what they were made of.
As it turned out, that was a big mistake, as the first construct’s attack was far faster and more ferocious than he would have expected from a faceless blob of Essence. As soon as the centermost construct came within twenty feet, its speed abruptly increased, and it closed the remaining distance in the blink of an eye.
One of its legs flashed up, aiming to take his head off, and when Roy raised an arm to block, he felt the construct’s Essence eating away at his own as the force of the impact pushed him back a step.
Once more, this shouldn’t have been possible, given Roy’s rank as a Red-Belt, but by now, he suspected that whatever strengths Doragon possessed these constructs would possess as well. The construct pulled back from the kick and immediately spun into another, its silver leg flashing through the air and nearly catching him in the ribs.
Roy dropped his arms to block, once more feeling the strain on his muscles and Core as he cycled Essence to strengthen his limbs. He let out a low grunt as he blocked, taking another step back, only to have to duck as another sweeping kick came at the back of his head from another of the constructs.
Dropping had been a mistake, as it put him right at eye-level with the first construct’s foot. Roy had no choice but to cross his arms and take the full force of the blow but crouched as he was, there was no way to brace himself. Roy was sent tumbling end over end, slamming into the far wall with such force that he felt it should have buckled or cracked. However, the stone remained intact, forcing Roy to take the full brunt of the impact.
He winced as he got back to his feet, feeling his entire body throbbing, especially his back and arms. He now understood why there was a raised lip around this open fighting area and that it would offer no cushioning when he slammed into it. Had the stone buckled, it would have hurt less, as the stone would have absorbed some part of his momentum. As it was, he was pretty sure he might have bruised a bone or two.
Roy had no time to rest as three more constructs came rushing at him. This time, instead of Essence, Roy reinforced his body with Qi, feeling the stronger energy flowing through him and flooding his body with strength.
When the first construct approached, kicking for his legs this time, Roy was already moving, stepping into the construct’s guard and flexing his leg muscle to take the blow. This close in, the attack didn’t have nearly the same force behind it, and with Qi flowing through him, Roy barely felt the blow.
The construct, on the other hand, was sent sailing across the fighting grounds as Roy’s fist slammed into its featureless face. Roy frowned as the construct tumbled a few times then sprang back to its feet, apparently unharmed. The punch hadn’t felt right at all. It felt like he’d punched a soft cushion instead of making a satisfying impact.
He had no time to wonder about that though, as the other two were attacking him, one going high and the other low. Roy managed to block both, but once again, he felt the dull ache radiating from the impact points. As soon as the constructs pulled back, trying to recover from their attacks, Roy struck back, this time with his Physical technique.
The Exploding Fist slammed into one of the constructs, center mass, the small bubble of force expanding with a massive explosion before Power Qi was sent coursing through its body. The construct was blasted off its feet, slamming into the far wall so fast that someone watching could have blinked and missed it.
Once again, Roy felt as though the force of the impact had been less than satisfying. Additionally, the construct only seemed to be slightly damaged as it pulled itself up from the ground on the other side. However, he couldn’t wait or watch, as the four remaining ones came at him all at once from all sides.
Two kicked and the other two punched, all trying to hit various vitals, and having no choice, Roy triggered his Containment technique. Qi blasted out from him in a whirling, golden sphere, halting all of the constructs in their paths.
He could feel them slipping, their Essence weakening the bonds holding them in place. He whirled, lashing out with a powerful punch at the closest one, followed by another and then another. His Exploding Fist slammed into the construct an astonishing eight times before the creature finally broke, shattering into a thousand motes of silver light.
However, even as he managed to destroy one, two of them slipped from the confines of his Containment technique, and although he managed to avoid one, the second faceless creature managed to nail him in his nose, exactly where Doragon had just a few minutes before.
It didn’t break this time, but tears flooded Roy’s eyes as pain exploded in his face. He managed to regain his feet quickly, remembering the last time, and managed to block an incoming blow from another construct.
They were merciless, attacking from all sides without regard for their own safety. Finally, Roy was forced to call on his Armorer technique as well and just let a couple of them hammer on that while he blew a second and third construct to motes of sparkling light. Taking that many hits was draining, as he had to keep feeding the technique Qi to stop it from breaking.
After destroying the third construct, it finally gave way, and the side kick aimed for his chest slammed into him full force. Once more, Roy was tossed across the fighting area, already being pursued by the other two constructs. When his back impacted with the wall again, Roy finally lost his patience and tapped into his Full-body technique.
With a roar of Qi, his body exploded with golden light. In a flash, he was across the area, one of the construct’s necks clutched in a crushing grip. He slammed it into the far wall with enough force to shatter it the moment it hit. The other construct didn’t stand a chance as he turned to face it, and within another few seconds, the last con
struct was vanishing in glittering motes of light.
“There,” Roy said, breathing more heavily than intended. “I destroyed them all.”
Roy didn’t need to see the look on Doragon’s face to know that he’d utterly failed that test. Doragon didn’t even need to say the obvious because Roy himself was thinking the same thing. He’d been forced to use one of his most powerful techniques against a bunch of Purple-Belts who did nothing more than punch and kick.
Yes, they’d fought as a group, but that shouldn’t have made a difference.
Without a word, Doragon walked over to the central pedestal and placed his hand on it again.
“Go stand on the side and watch,” he said as the five faceless constructs rose. “Pay close attention.”
Roy, still not saying anything, did as he was told, walking up the short steps and turning to watch. He very blatantly ignored the throbbing pain from the attacks he’d taken, crossing his arms and watching the man silently as he turned to face the oncoming constructs.
He had no idea what Doragon was going to do, but he suspected the man would have a much easier time against these creatures, suppressed power or not.
33
While Roy’s fight must have lasted nearly four minutes, Doragon’s was over in less than forty seconds, and that was only because he didn’t use a single technique. The first construct lunged at him, throwing the same kick as it had at Roy, but instead of trying to block, Doragon stepped forward, driving a fist into the construct’s head.
Roy could feel the force of that attack, even from where he stood, as Doragon’s fist connected. The construct’s head was blasted to pieces, its body sent spinning and tumbling end over end until it smashed into the far wall, shattering into motes of silver light.
The second and third came at him at the same time. Doragon’s hand shot out, catching one of the feet, and his knee lifted to catch the low kick on his shin. He kicked out, staggering the second construct, then yanked the first forward. It surged into the air, trying to spin and kick with the foot that wasn’t trapped.