by Clayton Wood
“Ready?” Vi inquired. Sukri wiped her sweaty hands on her armor, then nodded.
“Ready.”
Vi lunged at her, thrusting at her chest. Sukri blocked it easily, Dio’s painful drills having been, well, drilled into her. Vi followed up with another attack, which Sukri also blocked. Then another.
“Not bad,” Vi admitted, taking a step back. “You’re not nearly as useless as Hunter was when I started training him.”
“He’s not useless anymore,” Sukri pointed out. Vi smirked.
“That’s because I trained him.”
Vi attacked again, each thrust and slash done with perfect form, each flowing smoothly into the next. Again Sukri blocked the attacks.
“All right,” Vi stated, letting up. “Dio taught you something, I’ll give him that.”
“What’s his story, anyway?” Sukri asked.
“Camilla took him in after his parents were murdered,” Vi explained.
“Why would…?”
“He was strong-willed,” Vi explained. “Born to weak-willed farmers. He absorbed skills very well, like I do. Kid like that can be extremely valuable.”
“As a bodyguard?”
“As anything you want him to be,” Vi replied.
“So she hired him?”
“More like adopted him,” Vi corrected. “Dio’s parents were murdered, and she took him in. Exposed him to all sorts of powerful artifacts and Ossae. She wanted to turn him into the perfect weapon.”
Vi attacked again, this time speeding up with each attack, until they were coming so fast Sukri couldn’t keep up. She took a thrust to her chest, and grunted, backpedaling quickly.
“You’re too stiff,” Vi scolded. “It slows you down.”
Sukri nodded, trying to relax. Vi started in on her again, repeating the same process as last time, and got another thrust past her.
“Damn it,” Sukri swore.
“You stiffen up whenever you get worried you’re gonna get hit,” Vi noted. “So then you get hit. Gotta break you of that habit Puss.”
“Sorry.”
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Vi insisted. She pointed to her weapon, then at Sukri. “Wooden sword, full chain-mail armor.”
“Okay.”
“You can trust me,” Vi insisted. “I’m not Dio.”
Sukri smiled, then nodded, relaxing her shoulders. Vi came in, more slowly at first, attacking almost leisurely.
“Stop thinking so much,” Vi instructed, continuing her gentle assault. “Thinking slows you down. In a real fight, you won’t have much time to think. Trust your training, trust your body. Let it do its thing.”
The continued like this for a while, and then Vi went a little faster. Sukri felt herself stiffening, and tried to relax.
“This isn’t punishment,” Vi lectured, thrusting at Sukri’s chest. Sukri blocked it, and the slash to her neck following it. “This is play. Have fun with it.”
“Tell that to Master Thorius and Dio,” Sukri grumbled. “They’re the ones who taught me.”
“Please,” Vi retorted. “Thorius just threw a medallion at you and had you spar a few times.”
“True.”
“And Dio didn’t teach you, he just beat the crap outta you until you figured out a way to stop him.”
“Also true.”
Sukri realized Vi had sped up even more…and that, distracted by their conversation, Sukri had matched pace easily.
“You distracted me on purpose,” she accused. Vi winked.
“Best way to get you out of your head.”
“Who taught you how to fight?” Sukri inquired. Vi sped up a little more, her attacks coming one after the other now, with little pause in-between.
“I did,” Vi answered. “Along with artifacts and the Ossae I collected. But I didn’t just sleep next to them and hope I was learning something, like the Guild of Seekers does. I exposed myself to them, got into fights, and figured out what reflexes they’d given me. Then I tried to figure out why each reflex mattered, when to use it. That sort of thing.”
“So you reverse-engineered their skills?”
“Right.”
Vi had sped up even more, and to Sukri’s utter amazement, she’d managed to keep up with her teacher. Her body did know what to do…and when she wasn’t stressing out about sparring, it actually felt pretty good.
“Faster!” she cried.
Vi chuckled, picking up the pace. The clack, clack of their weapons echoed through the morning air, picking up pace every minute, until they were going so fast Sukri was amazed she could even keep up with Vi. Eventually they went too fast, and Sukri tensed up…and promptly got hit.
“Not bad Puss,” Vi admitted, stepping back and nodding at her. “See what happens when you don’t think?”
“Yeah.”
“Now you know why Hunter got as good as he is,” Vi stated with a devilish grin. “Now, there’s one thing I noticed that you’re doing wrong.”
“What’s that?”
“You never attack,” Vi answered. Sukri gave a sour look.
“Yeah, Dio didn’t get that far.”
“That’s because he’s a mediocre teacher,” Vi replied. “Luckily I’m not.” She gestured for Sukri to come at her. “Go on,” she prompted. “You attack, I defend.”
“So just…attack?”
“Yep,” Vi confirmed. “I’m not going to counterattack. You just try to hit me. If you can.” She smirked. “You won’t be able to.”
“Oh yeah?” Sukri shot back. “You sure about that?”
“Give it your best shot Puss.”
* * *
It was a few hours later by the time Vi and Sukri stopped for a break, the sun directly overhead now. Tykus had stopped by, sitting at the base of a tree trunk to watch them as they sparred. After letting Sukri gain confidence in attacking her, Vi had switched up to take turns attacking and defending. To Sukri’s surprise, Vi had proven to be infinitely patient, identifying every one of Sukri’s mistakes, correcting them gently, and encouraging her when she succeeded. It was unlike any training – or teaching, for that matter – that Sukri had ever experienced.
It felt…good.
Most importantly, Vi made Sukri feel safe. Safe to try new things, and safe to fail. In fact, Vi encouraged failure, using it to show Sukri a better way.
When they finished, Tykus stood up, nodding at them both.
“Well done Sukri,” he congratulated. “You’re an apt pupil.”
“Thank you your Highness,” Sukri replied. Tykus chuckled.
“No need for the honorific,” he insisted. “I’m just a warrior, not a king. That was another life.”
“Is that…weird?” Sukri asked. “Knowing that you’re…”
“A copy?” Tykus inquired, raising an eyebrow. Sukri grimaced.
“Well…”
“It is at first,” Tykus confessed. “My many predecessors have written about it, of course. Every Tykus is given a manual that guides us through our feelings, and reassures us that life will go on. And that our lives are worth living.”
“Must be a hell of a mindfuck,” Vi piped in, shaking her head.
“That’s certainly one way to put it.”
“So each one of…you takes a different role?” Vi inquired.
“Correct,” Tykus confirmed. “Some serve as scouts, some as warriors. Some as Seekers, and some as explorers. Some are academics.” He spread his arms out wide, smiling broadly at them. “I get to live many lives, and we all return to write about them, so that the king may know of our journeys…and our insights.”
“Must have a whole library after all these years,” Sukri said.
“Oh I do,” Tykus agreed. “A Royal Library filled solely with books I’ve written, and many more libraries in secret places with copies of them.”
“Secret places?” Sukri asked. Tykus glanced at Vi, then Sukri, then leaned in conspiratorially, his eyes twinkling.
“Do you think this is the only kingdom I
rule?” he inquired.
Sukri stared at him, as did Vi. Both of their jaws were slack. Vi recovered first.
“But your Ossae,” she protested.
“Only a fool puts all of his goats in one pen,” Tykus declared. “The kingdom that bears my name takes great pride that they possess my original bones, embedded in a block of solid crystal. If only they knew that but a few of the bones are actually mine!”
“They’re not?” Sukri blurted out.
“Of course not,” Tykus replied. “My Ossae are scattered throughout the world in different kingdoms. A single bone is enough to recreate me…why would I put them all in one place, risking annihilation?”
“Damn,” Vi breathed. “Wow.”
Everyone was silent for a while. Then Vi shook her head.
“You’re even smarter than I thought,” she admitted. “And I assumed you were smart.”
“And you are an excellent teacher,” Tykus replied. He paused. “If I could be so bold, may I spar with you?”
“Sure,” Vi replied. She tossed him a wooden sword, then grabbed another for herself from a pack on the ground. “Rules?”
“Be kind,” he replied with a smile.
Vi lunged at him, chopping at a forty-five-degree angle at his neck, and he blocked it smoothly, kicking at Vi’s knee at the same time. She stepped back to avoid his kick, countering with a slash to his sword-arm. He blocked it, thrusting at her chest…and missing as she dodged to the side, kicking him in the hip.
He in turned dodged this, slashing at her neck.
Vi blocked the attack, following with a string of attacks, moving at a fraction of the speed Sukri knew she was capable of. Tykus held his own, giving as good as he got. He moved quickly and smoothly, and even had a smile on his face as he fought, seeming to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
Vi stopped, taking a step back.
“All warmed up?” she inquired. He inclined his head.
“Quite,” he agreed. “Shall we up the difficulty?”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Vi shot back with a grin…and lunged at Tykus, moving twice as fast as before. Their swords struck again and again, and to his credit, Tykus managed to keep up with Vi. After a few minutes, they both stepped back.
“I suspect you’re going easy on me,” Tykus stated.
“I don’t wanna kick your ass in front of Puss here,” Vi replied.
“Aha!” Tykus declared, grinning at her. “Protecting an old man’s honor in front of a fair maiden?”
“Sort of,” Vi replied. “I mean, she’s a cat.”
“En guard!” Tykus cried…and lunged at Vi, thrusting viciously at her chest.
Vi blocked the attack, and then it got epic.
She attacked with a speed and ferocity Sukri had never seen, or even imagined, slashing, kicking, spinning, leaping…her sword a blur as she assailed Tykus. She snaked inside the man’s defenses as he struggled to defend himself, striking his armor again and again, not giving him a second to recover. He stumbled backward, and Vi knocked his sword out of his hands, scoring more five hits on him before the weapon even struck the ground.
It was fucking awesome.
Vi stopped then, holding her sword at her side, giving Tykus a small courtesy. Tykus chuckled, shaking his head in wonderment, then retrieving his sword.
“I surrender,” he declared, bowing before Vi.
“Do I get one of your kingdoms?” she inquired.
“You get my respect and admiration,” he replied with a smile. “Will that suffice?”
“That’ll do.”
“I must admit, I’ve never seen your equal,” he stated. “And I’ve seen a great deal in my lifetimes. I will write about you.”
“Wait ‘till you see me in battle,” Vi replied with a wink. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Tykus chuckled, shaking his head.
“I believe you.”
“You’re not bad at all,” Vi admitted. “I threw some pretty tough stuff at you. Who taught you?”
“My father,” Tykus answered, handing her the wooden sword. “He was a warrior himself, and a statesman and philosopher. My mentor and my idol.”
“He did a good job.”
“I believe he did,” Tykus agreed. “He was a great man.” He sighed. “None of my original children showed an interest in my pursuits,” he admitted. “I often wonder if it was my failure as a father, or their failure as children. I suspect my not being able to be near them – for fear of changing them into me – had something to do with it.”
Vi shook her head.
“Man, you lived a rough life,” she murmured. “Probably enjoy being a copy more than a Legend.”
“Without question,” Tykus agreed. He inclined his head at her, then at Sukri. “I think I’ve taken up enough of your time,” he stated. “Thank you for allowing me to watch…and for teaching me my weaknesses,” he added. And with that, he left.
“Huh,” Vi mumbled.
“What?” Sukri asked.
“I think I like him,” Vi admitted. “Spent my whole life thinking he was just another piece of shit like his dukes, but I admit, I was wrong.”
“Yeah.”
“Speaking of liking people,” Vi stated, “…I can’t help but notice Kayla’s not around anymore.”
Sukri grimaced.
“She liked you, didn’t she,” Vi guessed.
“Yeah,” Sukri admitted. “How’d you know?”
“I like women,” Vi answered with a lopsided grin. “I notice these things.”
“Ah.”
“I’m glad you chose Hunter,” Vi ventured. “He’s a good guy, Sukri. And he deserves someone like you.”
Sukri swallowed past a lump in her throat.
“You mean that?”
“You ever hear me say something I don’t mean?” Vi retorted. “Just remember, Hunter’s the kind of guy that will never give up on you. Ever. He’s one of the best human beings I’ve ever met. But if you tell him that, I’ll kill you.”
Sukri smiled despite herself.
“Be good to him, alright?” Vi pressed.
“I will,” she promised. “Thanks, Vi.”
Vi leaned in, giving Sukri a hug, then pushed her away.
“All right, time for a break,” she announced. “I’m getting hungry. Go fetch me some meat.”
Sukri blinked.
“Huh?”
“Hunt something and kill it,” Vi explained. “Then dress it, make a fire, cook it, and we’ll eat it.”
“I can’t…I don’t know how to.”
“Here we go again,” Vi grumbled, rolling her eyes theatrically. “Had to put up with the same shit with Hunter. Come on, I’ll show you how to, you know, not die.”
“I kinda gotta go to the bathroom first,” Sukri admitted. Vi smirked.
“Guess I’ll have to show you how to wipe your ass too.”
“I got that one down pat,” Sukri assured her.
“Go on,” Vi prompted, gesturing toward the woods. Sukri did so, walking out of the clearing and weaving through the trees. “Use leaves,” Vi shouted after her. “No licking!”
“Ha ha,” Sukri grumbled, continuing through the woods until she was far away from her teacher. Still, she found herself smiling, and for the first time in a very long time, she felt utterly at ease. No, she was having fun. This was exactly how she’d imagined training to become a Seeker would be when she was a kid. Having a mentor, learning to fight and hunt and be generally awesome. The Guild of Seekers had promised her that, but ended up being nothing more than a cult. She could only become a Seeker their way if she agreed to lose what made her her.
But with Vi, she didn’t have to give up anything.
Vi was everything Sukri wanted to be. Strong, self-assured, a master of her body and mind. And all she asked in return was that Sukri try. That she try to be the best version of herself she could be.
Sukri found a spot to do her business, then cleaned up, walking back toward Vi. A sh
adow passed by overhead, and she looked up, spotting something flying past her over the trees. It landed in the clearing beyond, and Sukri broke out into a jog, making it back to the clearing. Her heart soared; there, standing next to Vi, was Hunter, Dominus beside him.
“Hunter!” Sukri cried, rushing up to him and giving him a hug. He hugged her back, then pushed her away gently.
“I need to get back to Mom,” he stated, turning to Vi. “We have a problem.”
Chapter 35
Zac opened his eyes, seeing the stars twinkling down from a velvety night sky.
He blinked, realizing that the terrible pain that had gripped his body, as if his bones were being crushed into dust, was gone. There was not a hint of discomfort anymore.
He sat up, finding himself perched on a small ledge a few hundred feet below the lip of the Deep. He looked down at himself, getting his bearings.
His breath caught in his throat.
For he was utterly nude…and that wasn’t all. His skin was as black as night, his limbs longer than they’d been before. There was not a hint of fat on his body, his veins and muscles bulging under his skin. Long black claws extended from each fingertip.
It worked.
Zac smiled, turning his hands over, studying them. He closed them into fists, then opened them.
Then he stood.
The movement was surprisingly easy, so much so that Zac almost lost his balance. But he righted himself easily, turning to the thick rope he’d used to climb down here. It swayed ever-so-slowly in a slight breeze.
He grabbed it, hauling himself up the sheer wall of the Deep. Again, he moved with ease, lifting his own body weight without any struggle whatsoever. A far cry from his journey down.
It worked!
Zac was stronger now. Like a young man again. No, better.
He reached the top, standing at the edge and gazing at the magnificent pit of the Deep, giving it a silent thanks. Then he turned the way he’d come, starting the long journey back to the crypt. His army was still hard at work completing it…though it might now be all for naught.
He waded forward through the corpses of failed combinations of creatures, piled all the way up to his knees. The Deep was a blind tinkerer, without aim or purpose. Most of its experiments were doomed to failure. But Zac was not blind. He had not failed.