“Hawke, we have to stop them!” I said. I drew my sword, but the intensity of their fight made me pause unwillingly. I had come a long way with my own essence, but before those two, I knew deep down I would just be a leaf in a hurricane. Hawke was the only one who had the power to stop them, and that frustrated me to no end. I tasted blood, and realized I had been biting my lip.
Hawke watched the fight, his face twisted in pain. His hand hovered near Symphony's hilt, trembling.
“I…I can't…” Hawke muttered to himself. He was lost in his own head, not even noticing when I shook his arm and yelled in his ear for him to do something.
“HAWKE!”
The air crackled around us, and on instinct, Hawke and I jumped back a few paces. A surge of energy rocked the area, enough to make the ground tremble. The sounds of fighting stopped, and when I got my bearings back, I saw that Anonce had retreated several feet from Char. The giant stood tall, the epicenter of that small explosion. All eyes were trained on him, save his, which were on my companion.
“It's okay, Hawke,” Char grunted. “Ah got this.”
“But Char,” Hawke said, “this is my fault. I can't let him kill you.”
A few low grunts came from Char, an approximation of a chuckle. “Nah, this is muh fault. Ya jess got caught up in tha mess.”
Anonce cast his own glance at Hawke. “You can't seriously care about its fate, Scholar,” he said. Even with his soft voice, I could hear the rage simmering below it. “Aren't these the monsters that ruined the world? The ones you've been fighting against nearly your whole life?”
Hawke's eyes wandered to his sword. At some point, his fingers had snaked around the hilt. “I do hate the grinel,” he admitted. His eyes turned up to Char. “But Char is as human as anyone I've ever known. He's been my friend for ages. I won't let him die.”
Anonce's lip curled. “You're really going to defend this thing? Maybe I was right about you before, after all.”
“Shaddup!” Char roared. I flinched away, and even Anonce jumped a little. “Hawke won't do nothin'. He'd never raise his weapon 'gainst someone tryin' ta make the world a better place. It ain't in 'im.” Char looked at me. “Micasa, don't go tryin' ta save me, neither. Ah couldn't forgive muhself if ya got hurt cuz o' me.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he gave me such a glare that the words were forced back down. “Ah mean it,” he said. “This is about more'n me bein' part grinel, anyways. Ain't that right, Matthas?”
Anonce stiffened. “You have no right to call me that.”
“An' ah have no right ta ask yer fergiveness,” said Char. “Wha' happened with Jerem was an accident, though, ah swear on muh life.”
Anonce's expression cracked. Even when he had been upset before, there was always placid undertone in his eyes, a softness to his face. That all crumbled away, leaving behind a mask of pure hatred.
“Don't you dare speak his name.” There was a crack like a whip, and the wind roared to life around Anonce. Sparks of electricity danced through the gale, responding to the energy pouring out of the Vagrant Knight in hot, angry waves. “You stand here and use the techniques you stole from him, to defend the life he gave to you. The life you repaid with his death.”
Char looked away guiltily. In the moment he averted his eyes, Anonce bellowed and charged again, faster than the first time. For half a breath, it looked like Char would take the attack head on and let himself be gutted. When Anonce was just a blink from striking range, though, Char locked eyes with Anonce and scowled.
The cane, sharp enough to cleave stone, crashed into my giant friend's chest and stopped. With a beastly roar of his own, Char thrust his hand out, fingers curled towards his palms. Anonce nimbly stepped back and avoided the blow, only to be thrown back as invisible force slammed into him. The knight slid, feet digging into the ground for purchase, until he finally stopped several yards away.
“Ah, I thought there was something familiar about Char's movements,” Hawke murmured under his breath.
“What are you talking about?” I snapped at him. There was another burst of energy as Anonce attacked again, and the two battered against each other. Neither seemed able to hurt the other, with each of their clashes ending in one repelling the other.
“I didn't get it until I saw Anonce attack, but their abilities are remarkably similar. They both fight in the same style as the Disciples.”
I knew very little about the Disciples, but most people knew even less. Nobody knew where they lived or what they worked for, not even Hawke or Uraj. Occasionally, someone claiming to be one would show up in Astra and provide services in exchange for raw goods. Aside from that, their lives were shrouded in mystery. I had only met one in my life, and that was one more than many could say they'd met.
“It looks like they're just using those basic reinforcement techniques you taught me,” I said. Char and Anonce exploded together again, each with enough power to shatter a regular person, and once more they both didn't suffer so much as a scratch.
“Where do you think I figured out how to do that?” asked Hawke. His eyes never wavered from the fight, and his irises had begun to consume the whites of his eyes. His pupils contracted, and I knew that his own power was beginning to awaken. “It's true anyone can learn them, but the Disciples have perfected them. I've only been privileged to watch a Disciple fight once, and it was over in the space of a breath. Their martial art is without peer in this world. To see two people who know that art against each other is something else.”
Certainly, they were fighting at a level that surpassed anything I could do. I was good enough to stop a blade with my bare skin, but it took an absurd amount of concentration and effort. The power those two were throwing against one another was enough to tear me apart like wet tissue.
They clashed a handful more times in the space of a minute, neither one yielding to the other, and I gained a whole new perspective into the danger the grinel presented. I'd seen so many people with strength and powers beyond my wildest dreams, people who could stand like gods among men, and yet still humanity struggled to carve out a niche for ourselves in this world. Did we stand a chance against those who towered over those gods? Could we ever make peace with such unfathomable creatures?
Would they want to make peace?
Char and Anonce separated again, moonlight casting a sheen over the sweat that had coated their skin. Their breathing had grown more labored, but neither seemed to be terribly winded. At this rate, they probably could have gone on for hours.
“You fraud!” Anonce spat. “Death is the least you deserve, yet you keep clinging so desperately to life! No decent person would do that after what you've done.”
Char squinted at him. “Aye, mebbe ah've done things ah should've been killed fer. But ah think jess dyin' after all the chances ah've been givin' would be an insult ta those who gave 'em to me.” He stole a glance at Hawke, a smile flitting across his face.
Anonce's breath slowed. His stance loosened, his shoulders squared, and he twisted his neck a couple of times, making it pop.
“Well, you certainly put up more of a fight than those other demons did. I'll give you that much,” he said. “I didn't expect your skills to match mine. At this rate, I might actually be in danger.”
Then he began to laugh. It bubbled up in a chuckle, growing louder and louder, his shoulders heaving. He threw his head back and opened his mouth as it crescendoed to a maniacal cackle. For the briefest instant, I caught a glimpse of Bojangles in him. My shudder had nothing to do with the cold.
“I never thought I'd have to resort to this,” he managed to choke out as his laughter died. “I suppose Jerem would be proud, knowing that the skills you stole from him pushed me this far.” He leveled his cane towards Char. “Be honored, beast. I was saving this power for the demon lands, but you'll be the first to taste the wrath I'll unleash on your kind!”
The air around him grew eerily still. His essence had been flowing around him freely, throwing things
into constant tumult, but I could feel as his power started to recede back into him.
No, not recede. It was collecting.
Anonce's body began to shimmer. I thought for a moment that it was just his sweat again, until the glow started to effuse his clothing as well. It grew in brightness, casting a pale light over the clearing. The glow flowed down his arm onto his cane, and still it became more and more brilliant until I almost had to look away.
Then all at once the glow hardened and shaped around his body. Where he had once only worn a threadbare tunic and breeches, Anonce now bore a suit of plate mail similar to Uraj's own, from neck to toe and bright as a torch. The cane he had been pointing at Char had transformed into a sword of shimmering moonlight, a crackle of energy rippling through it every few seconds.
“Damned and Almighty,” Hawke swore, “he's made his essence tangible.”
I had never before seen a power even close to this, and by the way Hawke's mirrored eyes drank it in, neither had he. He had taught me long ago that the energy of the soul was invisible to the naked eye, yet now Anonce's essence was lighting up the entire clearing.
The Vagrant Knight smirked when he saw the look of surprise on Char's face. His blade still held at the giant, Anonce took four great strides and swung. Char's arms snapped up to block, but the sword bit into his flesh this time, accompanied by a flash of light. With a cry of pain, Char jumped back. He looked at where he was struck in disbelief as fresh blood trickled down his forearms, but Anonce didn't give him time to recover. Another great step, and he was on his foe again, his sword now raining blows.
Char grunted with each impact, the strain obvious on his face. Each slash was accompanied by a flash, and each one left a red weeping wound on Char. I could only assume that the reason he'd yet to lose a limb was his own essence managing to blunt the attacks, hence the light displays.
Hawke averted his gaze, closing his silver eyes. “It's over,” he said solemnly.
“That's all you have to say?” I said. “I don't care what Char says, we can't just let him get killed! I'm going!” I stepped forward and started drawing my short-sword.
Hawke grabbed my arm and stopped me. I tried to pull free, but his fingers were as good as an iron vise.
“Just watch, Micasa,” he said. His head pivoted back to observe again, and I noticed his eyes had returned to normal. I fumed, but I knew I couldn't break free even if I wanted to. My hand still clutching my sword's pommel, I did as he told.
I'll give Char this much; he was impossibly spry for someone of his magnitude. He had apparently understood the futility of trying to block the ephemeral blade, and chosen instead to retreat from Anonce's onslaught. I could feel the burst of energy he gave off as he empowered his speed at the last possible second, skipping awkwardly out of harm's way. Each time, he would flick out his fist and land a few quick jabs. They bounced harmlessly off of Anonce's spectral armor, though, without even slowing the knight down.
“Stop playing around,” said Anonce as he pressed forward. He smiled ghoulishly, and the light cast from his armor added shadows to his face that only further enhanced the illusion. “If you're waiting for me to burn out my power, I assure you that you'll tire long before I do.”
“Aye, then tire meh already!” Char taunted. He brought his left fist up again, throwing out another pair of punches to screen himself. Anonce, in turn, brought his blade up and knocked the blows aside, each one scoring a gash across Char's knuckles.
For some reason, though, Char kept attacking. I noticed that he kept his right fist coiled in next to his body. I also noticed that the surge of energy I'd felt from Char's footwork had yet to subside. Curious, I reached out with my senses to get a better feel.
Power. An absurd amount of power. All of it channelling straight into his balled fist.
His lefts were a feint. Char was banking on the haymaker to end all haymakers. It was enough power to rival an explosion. Would Anonce notice what he was doing?
As if sensing my thoughts, the Vagrant Knight lowered his weapon and stopped. “You think you can penetrate my armor? You are a fool indeed.” Anonce spread his arms in invitation. “Go ahead, I'll give you a taste of this ultimate power, the one that will bring an end to demonkind.”
Char obliged. His right arm pulled back and snapped forward. It was a slow punch, much slower than his others had been. Even a child could have moved out of the way in time.
“The fool,” Hawke breathed.
Anonce could have stepped out of the way if he wanted, but I understood why he didn't. As much essence as Char had gathered, the energy radiating from Anonce's armor was still much greater. He didn't move because he didn't have to.
Char's knuckles rapped on the cuirass, forged from Anonce's very soul, and in that moment, there was a radical change in pressure. I felt as the energy stored in Char's fist tightened, and tightened, and tightened, to a degree that should have been impossible. The energy was no less, but he'd forced his essence into a point like a stake.
All of that power, focused into such an absurdly small point, exploded into the soul armor. Anonce barely rocked back, and I let out a groan; the attack had failed. Sensing his victory, Anonce let his smile widen.
Then his armor cracked.
It was only a tiny fissure, no longer than my little finger. I hoped for it to continue spider-webbing out, shattering the armor totally perhaps, but that was all the damage that Char's greatest blow could muster. I'd seen armor used for years that bore worse scars.
“That's it,” Hawke said. His eyes had taken on their pure silver luster again. Before I could ask, there came a heart-wrenching scream that broke through the night, like steel cracking under duress.
Anonce fell away from Char, his back arched in a rictus of pain. His face froze in a silent wail, his breath all spent and unable to be regained. His sword slipped from his grip as his hands scrabbled at the innocent-looking crack as if to buffer it away. The spectral weapon and armor began to flicker like a candle, sputtering as they wheezed their last gasp before collapsing completely. Even then, he shuddered in the throes of agony, helpless.
Char drew a few ragged breaths, his fist still hanging extended. Blood dripped from the end of his arm, and bright red blotches were still growing on his poncho, but he didn't seem to care. Slowly, Char approached the grounded knight and appraised him. Anonce managed to work his eyes open, looking up at the giant man with a mix of fear and resignation.
“I don't get it,” I said.
“Really? I thought you, of all people, would understand,” said Hawke. “The soul is a difficult thing to damage; it's intangible by nature, and normally yields to anything that might cause it harm. It's why the gypsies are so feared, because nobody else can break a soul. Usually.” He gestured towards Anonce. “That fool went and hardened his soul, so much that it became an object. A ridiculously tough object, sure, but even the toughest armor can be broken.”
Then Anonce had been subject to the same experience Hawke had been through. The gypsy leader Mirth had told me long ago that there was no pain as great as that caused by a damaged soul. Thinking about it like that, the damage from Char's attack was far worse than any broken bone or torn flesh.
“Yer a real piece o' work, ya know that?” Char said to his fallen foe. Anonce tried to spit at him, but only managed to slaver over his own jaw.
“Be done with it then, beast,” the Vagrant Knight panted. His eyes closed “Do to me as you did to Jerem.”
“Aye, if that's what ya wish,” said Char. He raised a fist again, a surge of essence pouring power into it. In the blink of an eye, it descended towards Anonce's face and crashed with a thunderous boom.
Chapter 20: Old Memories
The ground tremored, nearly knocking Hawke and me from our feet. The trees bowed away from Char's display of power, and birds alighted to the night sky to escape, shrieking danger and dismay. Fissures rent the earth as they spiraled away from the devastating blow.
The impact
kicked up a cloud of dust that washed over everyone and blinded me. I shielded my face with my arms, waiting for the area to clear, and dreading what I'd see when everything finally settled.
Slowly, the earth returned to where it belonged. Hawke was the first one who appeared from the detritus. He had moved forward expectantly, his eyes still a radiant silver as they scanned in earnest for the results of the explosion. As more of the dust settled, Char's form loomed into view, a grim mountain in the wake of his own outburst. His fist was still buried into the ground, and I fought back the urge to look away from the carnage waiting underneath that judgment.
As the last remnants of the shockwave faded, I gasped. Anonce's head, and the rest of his body, emerged from the smokescreen in their entirety. Char's hand rested next to the knight, a small but deep crater embedded where all of the giant's energy had been disgorged.
Anonce looked at a loss for words. His eyes remained fixed on his target, following as Char slowly drew himself up and drew a deep breath. It was only when Char started to walk towards us that the knight managed to find his voice.
“You're toying with me,” he said. Char stopped, sparing a glance over his shoulder.
“That's what ya asked fer,” he said plainly. Anonce's breath came in ragged gasps as his rage flared again.
“I told you to kill me!”
“Ya told meh ta give ya the same as Jerem,” Char corrected him. “He…wasn' supposed ta take the hit that killed 'im.” His eyes glossed over, the moonlight dancing across them. A single tear streaked down his face. “Ah dunno why he stepped in th' way. Ah never will. Ya may not believe meh, but that's wha' happened.”
Savants of Humanity (The Scholar's Legacy Book 2) Page 22