by Aaron Oster
Before Roy could ask what he meant, Azure vanished, and the world faded into blackness.
***
Roy came back to himself with a gasp of pain, feeling the burning in his muscles and the horrific clenching that came with each heartbeat.
“Did you do it?” Geon asked, sensing that he was finally lucid once again.
“Yes,” Roy replied. “I did.”
“Then you know what you have to do, right?”
Roy grunted in the affirmative and began to concentrate. He could hear the fight much more clearly now, as Aika collided with the Elemental. He couldn’t focus on that, nor the agonizing pain from his bleeding body. The strength was seeping from him quickly as blood continued to flow from the holes the Elemental had punched through his body, and he knew he had to act fast.
His senses spread out to his surroundings, latching onto the Power Essence generated by Aika and the Elemental’s fight. There was a substantial amount now, and Roy pulled on it for all he was worth. His lungs painfully pulled in air, forcing his ribcage to expand and exacerbating the pain in his body. His arms and legs both remained limp, his body unable to move due to the severed tendons. His eyes, likewise, stayed closed as he fought through the agony and pulled the Essence into himself.
He’d already been close to the 4th Dan, but now, he really pushed, pulling as much Essence as he could into his Core and forcing it to expand. The pain was horrific as the Core, which was made to stretch and expand slowly, was forced to move far faster than intended. His chest was on fire now, and Roy found that he was having trouble breathing. Yet he persisted, pushing for all he was worth to force himself forward.
So many times, he’d been too weak to do anything, but this time would be different. He would fight, no matter how much it pained him, and no matter the suffering he would have to endure. Roy had never had much in his life and now that he had a friend, someone who had the potential to be something more, he didn’t want to lose them.
A ragged cry tore itself from his lips as he forced his Core onward. The Core contracted then, forcing the air from his lungs and making him feel as though he were suffocating. For several long moments, Roy lay there, his body locked in place and lungs seized up. Then, his Core expanded, sending waves of Power Essence flooding through him as he advanced to the 4th Dan.
The pain immediately lessened, though the bleeding still had not stopped, and his muscles had not completely healed. That was fine, though. Roy hadn’t thought a single advancement would heal severed tendons and close the literal hole in his heart. What it had done was bring some of the connections back, which was all he needed to enact the second part of his plan. This was going to hurt, and on a level he had only recently recalled.
“Are you ready?” Geon asked as Roy took several deep breaths.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Roy replied.
“Good. Let’s begin.”
39
Roy concentrated on his Core, on the thrumming golden sphere of power, and, more importantly, on the gaseous Essence floating within. Gathering himself, he began to press down on the Essence with his will, forcing it to compress down even further. At first, it was quite easy, as the small area of Essence he was concentrating on began to contract, packing into a tighter space at the center of his Core. However, as he continued pushing, he began to feel some resistance.
That wasn’t about to stop him, and Roy continued to push. Sweat beaded his brow as he concentrated on further compressing the Essence, but when he reached a certain point, the Essence would no longer give, no matter how hard he pushed.
“Try using more Essence instead of just your will,” Geon suggested, sounding a bit exasperated.
Roy, not really having the time or patience to argue, did as he was told. Snagging more Essence with his will, he layered that over the denser sphere of Essence and began pushing down on that. Much to his surprise, it actually worked, the Essence in the center beginning to glow a bit brighter as he pushed.
Eventually, the Essence he was using to press could not be forced down any more, so Roy simply layered on more Essence and continued to press down. He wondered if the process would be this difficult and lengthy every time, but quickly remembered that while he was forming Qi, he wasn’t yet a Green-Belt. Once he had the requisite body – and strengthened Core – he should have less trouble getting it done.
For the next few minutes, Roy continued to work, trying to blank out the noise of combat in the background. Twice, he felt water surge up around him and had to hold his breath until it receded, but aside from that, he was undisturbed. Finally, Roy began to see some results, as the small shining spot began to grow more solid.
He quickly layered more Essence over the sphere and pressed down with all his might, and then, finally, it clicked! A shining golden droplet formed in the very center of his Core. Roy let out a long breath as it finally formed, feeling the power contained within that small point. He took quick stock of his Core, noting that that tiny drop of Qi, had taken nearly five times as much Essence to form, and that was after he’d already refined it.
“I can see why Aika is so sparing in her Qi usage,” Roy said as he examined the tiny droplet from all sides.
“You should have less trouble after taking that Pill,” Geon said. “In fact, you already are having less trouble. Do you have any idea how long it would have taken you to form this Qi at your level otherwise?”
“No idea,” Roy replied, bracing himself for what was to come.
“A lot more.”
“Not exactly a real answer,” Roy said, taking a few quick breaths.
Then, he tapped into the small drop of Qi and channeled it through his body. Roy had been expecting many things to happen, horrific pain being the foremost among them, but with the addition of three more Dan and the Pill to strengthen his channels, he was hoping the damage would be less than it had been.
The pain was most definitely felt, Roy’s entire body lighting on fire from the inside. He only kept the Qi going for a single instant, not even close to how much he’d used last time, but it was enough. Despite the horrific and burning pain in his channels, Roy’s body reacted to the Qi, his severed muscles knitting mostly together and the holes in his body sealing up. The patches weren’t pretty, but they were enough to put him out of immediate danger.
“Damn, this hurts,” Roy groaned as he pushed himself back to his feet.
“You’re up, though,” Geon said. “You should be glad that your weak squishy body was strong enough to withstand that.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Roy replied sourly.
His body felt like it had been burned from the inside, his channels were all raw and painful, and the areas where he’d been bleeding smoked slightly. All in all, he was not a pretty sight, but Roy sincerely hoped there would be healers to fix him once they got out of here.
A roar from the Elemental brought Roy back to the present, and he turned to see it pushing Aika back. She looked to be in bad shape, blood dripping from her right arm and from her temple. She was also favoring her left leg, and Roy could see a dark patch spreading along the side of that pant leg. She was badly injured and though Roy knew there was little he could do to hurt the Elemental with Essence, he probably could with Qi.
He didn’t know any techniques, so it would all come down to him basically summoning the Qi and blasting the Elemental until he ran out. All he could do was hope that his body was tough enough to survive the experience.
***
Aika dashed around the Elemental’s side, trying to hit a blind spot, but the creature reacted with lightning speed, belying its massive bulk. Its arm transformed into a massive blade, and only a hasty block on her part saved her from being cut in half. Aika’s injured knee flared in pain as she skidded back through the water, sending droplets high into the air as she fought to maintain her balance.
She’d been attacking this creature for nearly ten minutes on her own and hadn’t made any headway. If the Elemen
tal had a limited supply of water, she could perhaps have worn it down, but in here, where the supply was limitless, or at least, so great that it might as well be, there was only one way for her to win. The problem was that the Elemental knew that and guarded the Core zealously.
She swung her staff as the creature charged after her, its bulk gliding over the surface of the water. It was much faster than it had been before, the Elemental finally showing its real speed instead of toying with her. A barrage of Light Lances flew at the creature, slamming into its upraised arms but not really doing any damage.
Aika used the opportunity to pull around the creature’s side and tried to cut it off using the Light Saw. A massive fist intercepted, the whirling blades of the saw slicing it neatly in two but being slowed before they could hit the Elemental’s main body. For her attack, she suffered a hard blow to the side of her head that sent her reeling, followed by a spike of pain in her side as the Elemental attacked with another shower of water droplets.
The only thing that saved her from being punched full of holes was the fact that the Elemental had pushed her back too far with its last attack and had misjudged the difference. She skidded to a halt, breathing hard as blood dripped down her side. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a difficult fight, and never before without some sort of backup. Even when she trained in dangerous Dungeons in the Tonde clan, she was always accompanied by someone who could save her, should the need arise. She was currently on her own, facing down an enemy that was many times stronger than she was.
She had little choice, as Roy was out of commission.
A flare of power from where Roy was lying caught her attention, and she turned, briefly, to see his body practically burning with golden light. The intensity was far too great for it to be Essence, so there was only one thing it could be.
Aika felt a spike of fear as she remembered what had happened the last time and tried to make a run for him, to try and stop whatever he was doing. But the Elemental had different ideas. Even as she tried to run past, it moved to block her path, throwing an arm out and sending a hail of water drops that she was forced to try and bat away. Her staff blurred into motion, spinning in a circle of light as she knocked all the attacks aside, then countered by thrusting the staff forward and using the second stage of her Light Lance, Spear.
She’d been holding off on using this one as a final trump card, as it was the only real piercing attack she had with some serious power behind it. Light flashed across the distance, slamming into the Elemental’s exposed chest and boring straight through. However, her aim was thrown off as the Elemental, sensing what was about to happen, shifted to the side. The lance of Light Essence burned through the area where the Core had been an instant before, shaving the corner as it passed and dissipating into nothingness.
Aika cursed, thrusting the staff again and trying to hit her mark. However, now that it knew what to expect, the Elemental could simply move out of the way by following the line of her staff. Because of this, the second attack missed entirely, going wide, and the Elemental retaliated, whipping both arms towards her in a scissor movement.
She vaulted into the air, twisting her body back and over as she avoided the scything blades of water. One of them came a little too close, cutting a painful line across her scalp and causing blood to begin running down her face, obscuring her vision. Aika landed in a crouch, her legs nearly buckling as her injured knee flared in pain, and tried using another Rainbow Halo.
The Light Essence bunched up around the Elemental, squeezing down as it tried to cut it, but to no avail. Aika was on her last legs, and she knew it. She only had a single Qi technique for Movement and a single technique for attacking. Unfortunately, her Qi version of her Light Saw, being a Physical technique, demanded that she make actual physical contact, and thus far, she’d had no luck.
The only thing she’d been using it for was speed, not that it was really helping her all that much. Her leg was pretty badly hurt, slowing her down a great deal, and each step shot painful spikes up through her legs and into her hip. She wasn’t sure if her hip had been damaged as well, but the swiping blow that had buckled her knee may have done more damage than she’d initially thought.
The Elemental advanced, its arms pulling back into the massive limbs they were before. Its body shone with bright blue light, the Core in its chest glowing brighter and brighter. Aika could feel the Qi forming there and knew that at any second, this creature would be able to attack her with far more force. Aika tested her leg, feeling how numb it felt, and realized that she wouldn’t be moving at any great speeds until she got it healed up.
There was no avoiding the incoming attack. Aika squared her shoulders and pulled the staff tighter to her body. She gathered what little Qi she had remaining into her staff as a wildly improbable plan took shape. Her staff was made from the bones of a Beast, and thus, could channel both Essence and Qi. If she were to hurl the staff while it was charged, she might just have a chance. The problem with that was that there was no way the Elemental wouldn’t dodge.
Luckily for her, it seemed that Roy was finally back on his feet, though judging by the way his legs were shaking and his Core was fluctuating wildly, he might not be for long. She could sense the buildup of Qi, even before it really registered in her mind. Aika only had an instant to cry out, to try and get him to stop, before Roy did something really stupid.
But as Roy’s body was engulfed in golden Qi and he exploded forward, she realized that it was too late. Whether Roy would survive or not was entirely up to him, and all she could do was try and take advantage of any opening he might give her. There was no more room for half-measures. Their lives were both on the line here, and if they didn’t give this last attack everything they had and more, neither of them would be leaving this place alive.
40
Oddly enough, the hardest part about channeling Qi was the actual act of channeling. Having used the gaseous Essence since he’d started out on his Path, Roy was unused to the slow speed at which the much heavier Qi moved. Worse than that was the agonizing burning pain from his channels, as he forced something down them that was not meant to be there, at least not yet. But that didn’t deter him. Aika was on her last legs, and he was little better. If they didn’t act now, they were both as good as dead.
“Your control will be shaky at best,” Geon said. “Make sure you’re within striking distance before calling it out.”
Roy nodded, feeling the burning intensify as he gathered himself. He bounded forward, his feet sending up sprays of water as he dashed towards the Elemental. It was focused entirely on Aika, not even bothering to look back at him, which gave Roy the chance he’d need to attack undeterred.
His breathing sped up as the pain increased. He was pulling the slow-moving Qi up to his right arm and could feel his body burning from within. It was horribly painful, but it wasn’t going to stop him. At least not yet. Aika’s staff flashed out as she sent a barrage of Light Lances at the Elemental, only for the massive creature to sweep them away like driftwood before a flood.
The Elemental was clearly charging up for a big attack. Even if Roy hadn’t been able to sense as much, it would’ve been obvious, given the fact that its Core was glowing ever brighter.
“You only have one shot, so make it count!” Geon said as Roy dove forward, summoning the golden Qi into his open palm.
His skin immediately began to boil and blacken, the overwhelming power of the small sphere of Qi burning his unprepared body. Then, the Elemental whirled, its hand sweeping out to catch him in a powerful backhand. Roy’s hand snapped down, ejecting the small sphere of Qi, even as he was hurled back, the feeling of grinding bones prevalent in his chest.
He hit the ground, sending a wave of water up behind him and letting out a wheeze as blood bubbled up around his lips. His body was well and truly trashed, leaving him limp and dying. But he’d accomplished what he’d set out to do, and even though he couldn’t see it, he could sense Aika’s
attack land home.
“I have to admit,” Geon said, his voice sounding oddly sober. “After all the disappointments, I never thought you’d make it this far. Even if you die now, you’ve accomplished something that should have been impossible, and for that, you have my respect.”
Roy grinned at that, a bloody grin that showed red-stained teeth. He’d finally done it. He’d gotten the Dungeon Core to admit that he was impressed. By this point, though, Roy knew he was beyond saving by normal means. There was only one way in which he could recover. So, despite wanting to do nothing more than lie back and fall into the warm embrace of slumber and eventual death, he forced himself to remain awake.
He could still breathe, albeit painfully, and if he could breathe, he could think. If he could think, he could channel, and if he could channel, he could create Qi.
***
Aika watched Roy’s approach with bated breath. It was clear by the way he was running that he was all but done. She could see the damage he was doing to himself and could sense the roiling Qi inside as he pushed it through his body. The damage was immense, but not so much that it would do irreparable damage. The Elemental had its eyes locked on her, and she knew she needed to keep it that way.
As Roy closed the distance, she unleashed a series of quick attacks, sweeping her staff in an arc to send several Light Lances towards its Core. The creature defended, obviously, and all while continuing to charge its attack. Roy was almost upon it, summoning a brilliant spec of gold in his open palm and leaping towards the creature’s unprotected back.
Then, the worst happened. The Elemental spun, arm blurring as it slammed into Roy’s unprotected side. The crunching of bone was so loud that Aika was sure his internal organs had suffered as well. She felt her breath catch as the moment seemed to stretch on forever. Then, Roy’s hand snapped down, likely whipped that way by the momentum of his charge and sudden stop, and slammed into the Elemental’s arm.