by Aaron Oster
“She’s clearly not human,” Geon supplied.
“This coming from the Core of a Dungeon.”
“Obviously. Who else would be talking to you like this?”
“Ferry,” he shot back.
“Ferry, smart as she is, can only communicate in single words. She is also fast asleep.”
Roy gave up on arguing and instead began to loosen his muscles up.
“Going for a jog?” Aika asked as he began rolling his shoulders.
“Just enough to warm up,” he replied.
Stretching while ‘cold,’ as Hermit put it, wasn’t nearly as effective as doing so once the muscles had warmed up a bit. If he was going to really stretch, it would have to be after he’d built up a bit of a sweat.
“Care if I join you?” she asked, already rising and beginning to loosen up herself.
Roy just grunted in reply, bending at the waist to touch the ground. He only held the position for a few seconds before straightening and starting on his legs. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Aika doing the same, except she could reach way farther than he could with any single stretch.
He’d asked Hermit if he’d be able to do the same once he was a Green-Belt, but Hermit had said it wasn’t likely. Women were just naturally more flexible than men, just as men naturally had more muscle mass. Big muscles didn’t make a difference when it came to the Martial Arts, but the physical differences between the two simply meant that Roy wouldn’t be able to do some of the things Aika could.
That was not to say that Roy didn’t have advantages of his own. More muscle mass might not mean that he was any stronger, but when it came to things like endurance, Hermit said that male Martial Artists seemed to have an edge, if only a slight one, over those of the same advancement.
He had added the stipulation that once they passed Purple-Belt, this all became a moot point. After that, the differences between men and women only had to do with their relative Path, personal power, and ability. Hermit had then demonstrated a stretch that nearly made the both of them sick, which assured Roy that he’d have no trouble in that department, so long as he continued advancing.
Roy straightened, arching his back one last time before taking off at a light jog. He wasn’t concerned that Aika was still stretching. She could catch up to him whenever she felt like it, and if she really ran, he’d have no hope of keeping up. His legs pumped rhythmically as he began to set his breathing into a pattern, cycling his Essence as he ran.
The golden light within his Core began flowing through his body, cycling to his head, arms, and legs, before looping back into his Core. The Essence permeated over him, clearing the last vestiges of sleep from his mind, and allowing him to pick up his pace. Aika soon joined him, her arms crooked slightly at the elbow and hands held in loose fists as she moved them back and forth.
Her form was perfect, very much unlike his own, though that was through no fault of his own. Roy had been a cripple for most of his life, with one of his legs confined to a brace. That had hardly given him the opportunity to practice something like running. Aika, on the other hand, had been training ever since she was a little girl, and although she was a year younger than him, she had a wealth of experience he couldn’t hope to match. At least, not yet.
They ran on in silence, the only sounds being their breathing and the crunching of leaves underfoot. The morning air was pleasantly cool, though Roy knew that in just a few hours, it would be just a memory. Still, he enjoyed it while he could. His body soon began to warm, and when they looped around to head back to camp, Roy increased his pace yet again.
He was pretty much running at a full sprint now, his arms and legs pumping mightily as he ran. It was hard not to lose his cycling rhythm when running like this, but it was something Hermit always insisted on. Cycling was the single most important thing for any Martial Artist if they wished to fight, and ruining your breathing was the fastest way to disrupt your cycling. By the time they finally made it back to camp, Roy’s lungs were on fire, the effort needed to maintain his breathing instead of just sucking in huge lungsful of air having taken a lot of effort.
“That was a good run,” Aika said, her chest rising and falling just a bit faster than normal.
It was nothing compared to him, and while she had a light sheen on her forehead, he was practically dripping. Roy didn’t bother with the feelings of petty jealousy and began to stretch as he recovered his breath. Aika joined him a moment later, and the two of them went through the series of stretches designed to loosen them up for the day of travel ahead.
Twenty minutes later, Roy straightened up with a long sigh. He was a sweaty mess, but all of the stiffness was well and truly gone.
“I’m going to wash up,” he called, already heading for the stream.
“I could use a wash myself,” Aika said, walking over to join him.
As far as he could tell, she didn’t really need it, but Roy was glad to have the company. It wasn’t like the stream was a far walk, but half a mile in the woods was about ten minutes each way, and it was always nice to have someone to talk to.
“What do you think of this city we’ll be going to?” Roy asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” Aika replied. “I mean, they did some pretty horrible things to you, not to mention how they kept me locked up for months. More than anything they did, I hate how they tried to turn us against each other. If they’d just tried to kill me, I could understand. But what they did was just…” Aika trailed off with a sound of disgust, unable to complete her sentence.
“I know,” Roy replied.
He remembered the feelings of anger and betrayal that had overwhelmed him. He’d been so distraught that he had come close to taking his own life after what the Itachi clan had shown him. He’d nearly died out in the woods as well, and again after going back to break Aika out of captivity. His overall impression of the clan as a whole wasn’t all that great, and the fact that Hermit was not only part of their clan, but an important member of their head family, hadn’t been sitting easy with him.
“Are you having doubts about Hermit now?” Aika asked quietly.
“A few,” Roy admitted. “Though, if I really think about it, he was the one who saved us. He even killed members of his own clan to do so.”
“And that’s what’s bothering me,” Aika said. “I don’t know if I’d ever be able to kill a member of my own clan, no matter what they did.”
“I would,” Roy replied flatly. “If any member of the Shah clan showed themselves, I’d kill them without a second thought.”
Aika shivered lightly at the cold tone but nodded all the same.
“Well, maybe Hermit was doing the same thing? I’m just really not sure.”
“Think about it this way,” Roy said, not sure when he’d become Hermit’s advocator. “At least he’s important enough to keep us safe while we’re there. And if worst comes to worst, he can probably get us out of there.”
“I guess,” Aika replied, still unconvinced.
“Listen, he didn’t specify how long we’d be staying for. Maybe we’re just going for a short visit, and if not, we only have to stay for as long as he’s agreed to teach us.”
This seemed to finally get her to relax, and the tension she’d been carrying with her seemed to fade away.
“Yeah, it’s only temporary,” she said, as though to assure herself more than anything else. “Thanks for that. I needed something to hold onto.”
“How many times have you calmed me down?” Roy asked with a half-smile. “I think we’re well past the point of you needing to thank me for being a friend.”
Aika smiled back, bumping him lightly with her shoulder.
“I really hope that we can train together again once we get to the city,” she said wistfully.
“What, you don’t call knocking me around for hours on end training?” Roy joked.
“You know what I mean,” Aika said, swatting his arm. “Actual training, not me beating you up.”
>
“You seem to enjoy doing that,” Roy said, rubbing at the spot where she’d swatted him.
“Now you’re just being a baby,” Aika said, giving him a pointed look.
“What?” Roy said defensively. “You’re a lot stronger than you seem to realize.”
“Oh, you poor baby,” Aika said, affecting a tone one would use when addressing an infant. “Did Aika hurt you? Do you need her to kiss your boo-boo away?”
Roy snorted out a laugh, dodging out of the way as Aika swiped for his arm – presumably to kiss away his ‘boo-boo,’ as she put it – and smacked his head into a low-hanging branch in the process.
“Ow!” Roy complained as the branch shattered against his head, sending him sprawling.
Aika stared down at him for a few long moments, shock clearly written on her face as Roy rubbed at his forehead. Then she started laughing again, her mirth ringing out in the silent forest and echoing off into the distance.
“I don’t see what’s so funny,” Roy muttered as she helped him back to his feet. “That really hurt.”
“Let me see,” Aika finally said after calming down.
Roy glowered at her, still rubbing at his forehead, but she just rolled her eyes and motioned for him to move his hand. With a sigh, Roy did as he was bade, removing his hand and bending down so that Aika could examine his forehead.
“It doesn’t look too bad,” she said, tracing the small lump with cool fingers.
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t feel too great,” Roy muttered, already moving to step back.
Aika did something very unexpected then. Grabbing the sides of his face, she leaned up, and Roy felt a pair of lips gently press into the center of the throbbing bump on his forehead. He froze, unsure of what to do as Aika released his face and took a step back.
“There,” she said, her face a bit flushed. “Better now?”
Roy didn’t really know what to say. He could feel blood rushing to his face, something that was very foreign to him. Unsure of what to do, he just nodded a few times in lieu of words.
“Good,” Aika said with a smile, before whirling in place and heading for the stream once again.
Roy watched her go, his hand unconsciously drifting up to the spot she’d kissed. He could still basically feel it, and he was sure he’d never forget the way it felt. He’d never been kissed in his entire life, not by anyone. Maybe his mother had kissed him before she’d been killed, but if she had, he couldn’t remember.
The Shah weren’t exactly great caretakers, and he’d received little in the way of affection in their rigid clan. Roy could feel blood pounding in his ears as he watched Aika’s lithe form disappear between the trees. There was an odd fluttering in his stomach, and the burning heat in his cheeks refused to go away.
Though he’d never felt this way before, he knew well what it was, as he’d heard the whispers of the youths in the Shah clan, even if they hadn’t included him in their conversations. The boys would often talk about the women and girls in the clan, discussing which ones were the prettiest and who would marry whom.
As a cripple, he’d never even thought of romance as an option for him. There was no way anyone in the clan would marry him, so it hadn’t even crossed his mind. Now, though, things were different. And who knew? Maybe one day…
Roy gave himself a hard shake, expelling the strange mix of emotions welling up inside him. Aika was a friend. His only friend. He’d been around the clan long enough to see many friendships end over things like this, and he wasn’t going to ruin his only friendship for something that he may very well be imagining.
Aika was likely just having fun at his expense, something that she did often, and he wasn’t going to read into something that wasn’t even there. He could feel the heat receding now and allowed his shoulders to relax.
“That’s it,” he muttered to himself. “She was just messing with me.”
That said, Roy hurried towards the stream. He was still very much in need of a bath, and Hermit was probably already making breakfast. If they didn’t make it back before he was done, neither of them would be eating until lunch.
6
Roy noticed the tension between them as they headed back to camp but chose to ignore it. Aika clearly felt strange over what she’d done earlier, and it was manifesting itself in the form of silence. Thankfully, Hermit was already done making breakfast by the time they returned, and the awkwardness seemed to fade with a third person being there.
“How far is Light City from here?” Aika asked as she dug into the rice porridge that Hermit had prepared.
“A few days by foot, but if we run, we can make it there by nightfall.”
Roy let out a sigh. So much for having a peaceful day of walking.
He made sure to finish everything in his bowl, as he was sure he’d need the energy. If Hermit had said they could make it faster by running, then they’d definitely be running. Ferry, by contrast, seemed thrilled at the idea of running all day. She continuously bounded about the clearing, stopping every so often to whack her head into his back or shoulder, all while practically yelling in his mind,
“Run! Run! Run…!”
“She’s excited about the —”
“I know!” Roy snapped, cutting Geon off mid-sentence.
It was hard enough to try and eat with the oversized ferret whacking into him every other minute, and he didn’t need Geon’s insulting commentary on top of that.
“No need to be rude,” Geon huffed.
Roy debated snapping back, but decided that it ultimately wasn’t worth the hassle. He and Geon were stuck inhabiting the same body. Aggravating someone who could literally make sure he didn’t have a moment of peace wasn’t a good idea.
“So, how exactly are you related to the head of the Itachi clan?” Aika asked.
Roy looked up from his porridge, definitely interested in this topic of conversation.
“When I left, it was my parents who ruled the clan,” Hermit answered. “I very much doubt they’re still alive now, as they weren’t exactly strong Martial Artists to begin with. If I were to guess, it would be my younger sister who holds that title.”
“Why did you leave if you were supposed to take over?” Aika asked.
“I told you I wasn’t going to answer that question,” Hermit answered, eliciting a frown of annoyance from the girl.
“What was your life like, growing up in the head family of such a large clan?” Roy quickly asked, afraid that Hermit would stop answering questions if Aika said anything else.
“The Itachi clan was nothing more than our namesakes back when I was a child,” Hermit answered. “We became strong through force. So, if you really want to know, my youth was filled with blood, violence, and death.”
Roy snapped his mouth shut at that, and both he and Aika finished eating in silence. As soon as he set his bowl down, Hermit was on his feet.
“Pack up. We leave in five minutes.”
There was no time to talk to Aika about the discovery of the Itachi clan’s founding. He’d been sure they were a clan at least as old as Aika’s own, if not more so. The fact that they’d only really come to power because of Hermit and his family was entirely a surprise to him.
“Wait, just how old is Hermit anyway?” Roy wondered as he packed up his bedroll.
“Oh, so now you want my opinion?” Geon asked.
“I almost never want your opinion,” Roy replied. “But, you seem to give it regardless.”
“Yes, that I do,” Geon said as Roy rolled his mat into a bundle and tied it off. “One must always be willing to aid those of lesser intelligence and means. It’s my duty, after all.”
Roy ground his teeth together, wondering if Geon had just purposely insulted him or not. If he were human, then he would have to say yes, but Geon had a different way of thinking, and it didn’t always mesh with human norms. However, the Core had been around him long enough to know how to push his buttons and was very good at doing so when the mood struck him.
<
br /> “Well, then…Enlighten me, oh wise Dungeon Core,” Roy said before he could stop himself.
“Damn it!” he yelled, but Geon had already jumped on the opening.
“Gladly! If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say that our friend Hermit is somewhere around seven or eight hundred years old.”
“Oh, really? And on what merit do you base this guess of yours?” Roy responded.
“Well, if you recall, Aika once told us that Kaeru, the leader of the Tonde clan, was a Supreme at Base Red, and that he was around five-hundred years old. Now, going up from there would only take more time, and seeing as Hermit would have had to gain another two belts in-between – Gold and Brown – it only stands to reason that he’s around that age.”
Roy thought it over for a few moments, wondering when the Dungeon Core had gotten so smart. When he thought about it, Geon was several hundred years old himself. He’d only lost a big chunk of his knowledge due to their bonding, so it was easy to forget that he had had a wealth of knowledge. Roy could see a flaw in his logic, though, and was eager to point it out.
“That would be assuming that people in the Crater advance at the same pace as those outside. Seeing as they seem to be a lot stronger, I would say that Hermit is younger than you think. Probably only six hundred,” Roy said smugly.
“If you’re quite done arguing about my age,” Hermit said, startling the both of them. “We really should get going.”
Roy shot Geon the mental equivalent of a glare as Hermit turned his back, while Geon did the mental version of turning his nose up at him.
“And for the record,” Hermit said as he continued heading away. “You’re both wrong. I’m only five-hundred and forty-six.”
Before Roy could say anything else, Ferry came bounding up behind him and began nudging him forward with her head.
“We’re really gonna have to have a talk about boundaries,” Roy said as he began walking, the ferret willfully ignoring his complaints.