Nightblade

by Ryan Kirk

  He didn't have to follow the old man's directions for very long. Soon after he left the village he began to sense a power unlike anything he had come across before. Someone in the monastery was giving off an incredible power.

  Shigeru had always cautioned him about going anywhere near monasteries. Their purpose was to seek out those who might be sense-gifted. Shigeru also told him they were often above average warriors as well. It was about the worst place for a nightblade to be.

  Ryuu also knew the monks had trouble sensing he was a nightblade. Shigeru had held on to some theory the sense manifested itself in different ways and that monks were only trained in recognizing and working with one manifestation of the sense. Ryuu wasn't sure about the why but he hoped his luck around monks would hold.

  He stopped in his journey and got off the path. There was a small copse of trees a couple of hundred paces off to the side where it looked like he could remain hidden. If he was going to be approaching a monastery, it seemed much more sensible to do it at night.

  Ryuu worked himself into the trees and laid down. The best course was to get some rest. Approaching a monastery seemed like it would take all his energy.

  He awoke in darkness, and as he looked around and took in the moon he determined he had slept into the early evening. The moon would have to go much further across the sky before most people would be asleep. The night was crisp and clear. He approached the monastery with caution and sensed the two guards long before he got to the walls.

  They both seemed to be located close to the center of the compound. Ryuu smiled to himself. Of course they wouldn't need to walk the perimeter, or be anywhere near it. They could sense anyone coming without having to expose themselves at all. It also meant they would be hard to sneak up on.

  Ryuu considered the problem. They hadn't noticed him yet. There was no activity in the compound. He didn't trust that he would be able to sneak up right to the walls though. They might not be able to detect him from here, but they certainly would notice anyone right next door.

  Finally he decided there was nothing for it. If he was going to get into the monastery, he'd have to do it the old-fashioned way. He gathered his cloak around him and pictured himself as a weary traveler. He did his best to allow his sense to settle, to rely only on his eyes and ears.

  He shuffled up to the gate. Ryuu reached up and gave a timid knock, but he sensed the two guards were already coming to the gate. He relaxed. They didn’t approach expecting trouble. They walked casually, talking between themselves. It was clear monasteries were not used to being infiltrated. They unlatched the gate, not even bothering to see who it was.

  Ryuu didn't give them time to ask him a question. The very breath that the gate was open and he could see both of them he struck out with his hands. Within moments they were both on the ground unconscious. He wasn’t interested in killing them if he could help it.

  Ryuu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let his sense expand and fill up the small compound. One building was younger monks all sound asleep in their beds. Training to kill him someday, Ryuu reflected. The thought caused his heart to sink. Another building was full of older monks, more seasoned experts. They too were asleep.

  But the building in front of him was the source of the energy. Ryuu forced himself to finish scanning the monastery. There was a small stable with a few horses and another building whose purpose Ryuu couldn't discern. There was nobody in it though.

  Ryuu's interest was the building in the center. He walked straight towards it and entered through the front door, unprepared for what he was about to encounter.

  His first shock was that there was a girl in the room, about as old as he was. She was gazing at him curiously, and Ryuu returned the gaze. She was gorgeous, but not just because of her looks. Even bound on the floor, Ryuu could see the poise and power she possessed, the willpower and the energy. But the most interesting fact about her was that he hadn’t sensed her there.

  It put Ryuu immediately on his guard. He thought the only person who could do that was Orochi. An accomplice perhaps? If so, he should be grateful. A closer inspection revealed she was in pretty bad shape. She had been beaten and was covered almost from head to toe in bloody welts and cuts.

  Although Ryuu did not step any closer, he spoke to the girl, his tone cautiously neutral.

  "Who are you?"

  "My name is Moriko."

  "What happened to you?"

  "I disobeyed the laws of the monastery," She paused, but then saw Ryuu was waiting for more. "I killed a monk who was abusing a young girl."

  Her answers stoked Ryuu’s ever-present curiosity. A girl who was strong enough to kill a monk, whom he couldn't sense, but killed for good reasons? She seemed interesting.

  "Do you know Orochi?"

  The girl's reaction was subtle, but unmistakable. She knew the name. She didn't lie. "Yes, he was my master."

  Some pieces fell into place for Ryuu. His revenge started tonight. He drew his blade and stepped towards her. He had already sealed her fate in his mind.

  "A student of Orochi's does not deserve to live. Be at peace." He rose the sword to strike when two events happened simultaneously.

  The first was Moriko's reaction. She looked at him, smiled gently, and said, "Thank you."

  The second was that the great power source began moving in the building. Ryuu had pushed his thoughts of it aside while the girl was the focus of his attention. Now that it was on the move it came back to the forefront of his awareness.

  He lowered his sword into a defensive stance and turned to look on the source of the energy. It was another monk, but dressed in different robes than the others. If the information of the villagers was to be believed, Ryuu supposed this was the Abbot.

  The energy radiating off his body was incredible, and if what Ryuu had sensed a couple of days ago was any indication, the man was showing only a portion of his strength. Just his normal presence was debilitating. It was so bright it blinded the sense. Ryuu realized even untrained people would recognize the power in front of them.

  Ryuu relaxed the same way Shigeru had taught him when they first went into a city. It was the same lesson. If your sense is about to be overpowered the best thing to do is let it go. It was a tool and nothing more. If it isn't working, you drop it, and focus on all the other training you did.

  Relaxed, his sense suppressed, Ryuu was surprised to note the Abbot no longer had any strong effect on him. His other senses were sharp and clear. He silently thanked Shigeru for training him well.

  The Abbot didn't seem to pay Ryuu any mind, like having a stranger with a sword in your receiving room was as common as the rising and setting of the sun. His only reaction seemed to be disappointment Ryuu hadn't killed Moriko yet.

  "Please, don't stop on my account. I just wanted to watch the end of her life, as well as observe you, my friend. I can only imagine you are the young one Lord Akira wants dead so much."

  Ryuu didn’t respond as he processed the new information. It was Lord Akira that wanted him dead then. It was logical, given he had killed Akira’s top general's only son. Orochi was just a sword for hire then, albeit one with a personal score to settle.

  The Abbot continued. "Please continue. If you kill her, you’d be doing me a great favor. She’ll be dead and you’ll be my present to Lord Akira."

  The Abbot's self-confidence grated on Ryuu. He had come too far in his training and had fought too many strong opponents to be intimidated by a man who only knew one trick. He wouldn't be captured here. Ryuu turned to face the Abbot.

  The Abbot laughed. “Really? I dare you, boy. I'm very curious what has Lord Akira and Orochi so worked up."

  Ryuu moved in to strike. He could feel the Abbot's energy flare, the same way it had felt when he had first sensed it. But with his sense pushed down, it was nothing but an uncomfortable gut-twisting moment, disconcerting but little else.

  Ryuu made his cut. The Abbot, caught in his moment of pride, was much too slow in draw
ing his own blade to block. Ryuu's cut passed through the Abbot unopposed. In an instant, all his energy vanished into oblivion, the Abbot dead before he even had time to be surprised by what had happened.

  Ryuu turned to Moriko and let his sense open up again. She was surprised as well, but managed to control her reactions. She looked at him calmly as he turned to face her. He knew he didn't have long before the entire monastery was up in arms, but he had to know more about Orochi.

  "Who is Orochi to you, and where is he?"

  Moriko examined him. He could tell she was weighing her options, deciding what course to take. To his relief, he saw her shoulders relax, and knew she would tell the truth.

  "Orochi was my master. He taught me how to be a nightblade, but since he left to hunt you and your friends, I do not know where he has gone.”

  Ryuu took a moment to weigh her words. Although she did not have all the information he desired, she was telling the truth.

  "Why are you bound?"

  "I killed a monk."

  Ryuu raised an eyebrow to invite further explanation.

  "He had no honor and was abusing a young girl new to the monastery."

  Despite himself, Ryuu was beginning to like Moriko. She was strong and honest, qualities he found himself attracted to.

  “Who is Orochi to you?” He had to know more.

  “My way out.”

  Ryuu could sense the monastery waking up. To live for cycles upon cycles in the presence of the power of the Abbot, waking up without that presence would be disconcerting, like waking up to discover your right arm had detached itself while you slept. It would take them some time to orient themselves and decide on a course of action, but it wouldn't be long.

  He studied Moriko carefully. She had been beaten severely, close to the edge of her life, but she lay there, open to whatever happened next. Despite his opinion of Orochi, he seemed to have trained her well. Ryuu decided to trust her, hopefully not just because he found her attractive, he thought to himself.

  "What would you have me do?"

  The question clearly surprised her. She must have been expecting death. "Well, cutting these bonds would be a good start."

  "Will you continue the mission your master started, to kill me and those close to me?"

  She looked at him venomously. "Orochi may have trained me, but I am my own. I am not his lapdog."

  Ryuu shrugged. It was good enough for him. With a quick flick of the wrist, he cut through her bonds. She took a moment to rub her wrists and ankles and then slowly moved to her feet. She was strong, but just as clearly injured. Ryuu wasn't sure how well she would fare on her own.

  "Come with me. I can take you to where I am hiding. You can recuperate and decide what you wish to do."

  Moriko didn't appear to be in a place to say no to a gift. "Thank you."

  The words had barely escaped her lips when the first of the monks came rushing in. Moriko seemed to surprise them, but Ryuu had to remind himself they couldn't sense her either.

  As Ryuu stepped forward to meet them, he was surprised to be joined by Moriko. She grabbed the Abbot's sword and stood next to him. He glanced at her dubiously, but her return glance stifled any warnings he may have given.

  The monks were strong. They were fast and well trained, but they weren’t nightblades. The sense provided just the smallest of openings which made him stronger and faster. They did not fall easily, but they did fall, either by his blade or by Moriko's.

  Ryuu glanced over at Moriko again. Many of her cuts had opened and blood was oozing from old wounds, but it didn't look like she had been cut. She was exhausted though, rocking back and forth on her feet in her efforts to remain standing. Ryuu felt a wave of admiration for the girl, fighting despite the suffering she had experienced.

  The second wave of monks came in, this group less experienced than the ones before them. They halted when they saw their comrades on the ground. Then they saw Moriko, covered in blood, looking like a demon set forth on the monastery. They were ready to bolt.

  Ryuu seized the moment. "I do not wish to kill you all. I only wish to leave in peace."

  One of the younger monks pointed at Moriko. "With her?"

  "Yes."

  "She has killed one of our leaders! She must pay with her life."

  Ryuu tried to think of a diplomatic solution and failed. He was too tired from travel and from combat. "She is under my protection. If you wish to fight her and kill her, you must come through me first." He tilted his blade so all could see the blood along its edge.

  The monks scampered back a step or two, looking around the room and seeing the bodies of their elders scattered over the floor. They looked at Ryuu, who still hadn't been cut, and none of them stepped forward to challenge him, but they didn't get out of the way either.

  Ryuu decided to keep moving forward. He wasn’t going to be able to talk his way out of this. He watched the monks. None of them stepped forward to challenge him, and almost all of them moved back in response to his movement. He held his sense out, focused on them, but though one or two were hesitant, none intended to move forward to strike them.

  Ryuu and Moriko stepped out of the Abbot's quarters. He was worried about her. Although an outside observer might think she was fine he could see her steps were uncertain. She wasn't going to last long before she passed out from her injuries. He looked to the stables.

  Decision made, he led them there and started saddling two horses. Not being experienced, it took him longer than he would have liked, and in the time he was saddling them the entire monastery came out to watch. He did not sense an attack from any of them. Their emotions ran from angry to confused to upset and sad.

  They mounted in silence and moved to ride off, but despite the crowd's uncertainty about attacking, there seemed to be an unspoken consensus not to let them through. Ryuu drew his sword and spoke in a low voice that carried in the winter's night.

  "I came here because the power of your Abbot drew me here. But when I arrived I found dishonor and threats. I am not proud of the violence done here tonight, nor do I regret it. Those who seek to do harm will be duly rewarded. Your Abbot was killed in one cut, and your elders’ blades never even kissed my skin. Despite your training, those who draw their blades against me will die."

  A monk near the back of the milling assembly spoke up. “But you are a nightblade. We must stop you.”

  Ryuu shook his head. “I am a nightblade. And you are dayblades. Know, brothers and sisters, we all walk the same path. You are welcome to visit me at any time.”

  Ryuu took a moment to let his statement and claim sink in. It felt right to let the world know he was a nightblade. For so long he had hidden. His had been a life of shadows and deception. Honesty was refreshing, like letting sunlight into a part of his soul he hadn't dusted in a long time.

  Ryuu didn't wait for the monks to rationalize his argument. He started their horses forward, and the crowd parted. Once he sensed a monk almost draw his blade, but fear overtook him at the last moment and he faltered.

  As they made it out the gates of the monastery, Ryuu released a deep breath he didn't even realize he had been holding. He looked over at Moriko, who was struggling to stay upright in her saddle. Ryuu shook his head. This was going to be a long journey.

  They rode the horses back as far as they could, but Ryuu made them get off a fair distance from the edges of the forest. He didn't want to be leaving tracks.

  Ryuu tried a couple of times to get Moriko to open up, but she was deep within herself dealing with the pain and exhaustion. Ryuu also noticed that as Moriko grew more and more exhausted he was able to sense her. Even her presence was beautiful. She exuded the sense in the same manner he did, tendrils of awareness flitting to and fro all around her. It was a beautiful, intricate pattern, invisible to all but him in this world.

  When she became too tired to walk on her own he supported her. When she couldn't even stand on her two feet, he carried her. Ryuu had predicted correctly, the journey
was long. It was only because of their time on the horses that they made it back to Ryuu and Takako's campsite by the rendezvous time.

  When they reached the camp, Takako was unhappy about the situation. Ryuu didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say much. He said he had rescued the girl. He settled the senseless nightblade into their tree. Then he sat in his customary spot, asleep the moment he was still.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The forest was a terrifying place without the company of another. Takako had never been in the woods alone. Ryuu had been right. These woods were alive. One didn’t recognize it at first, but the variety of sounds was astounding. After Ryuu left she found a dead branch on the ground light enough she could pick it up and swing it with ease, heavy enough she could convince herself it was a weapon.

  During the day she managed to keep herself busy, ranging as far from their tree as she felt comfortable to find food. Ryuu had left her with an ample supply of meat, but she enjoyed the variety of berries to break up the monotony of dried meat.

  The nights were difficult. With nothing to do but hide in the tree it was too easy to jump at every sound, to imagine that every twig that snapped was an assassin. She wished she lived in a world where that was as ridiculous as it sounded. The sounds of the forest kept her awake each night.

  Takako could feel her shoulders relax when she saw him return. But now that she was safe her anger blossomed. He had taken her from all she cared for and left her in the forest alone. He owed her better treatment.

  The girl didn’t make her feel better. At first Takako had thought it was a body. There was so much blood. But the girl was alive and Ryuu wasn’t willing to say much about her. He just laid her down and went to sleep himself, not even asking how she was. Men.

  Takako looked over the new arrival scornfully. She reminded Takako of Ryuu. She was of average size but there wasn’t any fat on her. She was strong. She had shoulder length dark hair, and an incredible set of cuts and bruises over her entire body. Takako was surprised she was still alive. It was no wonder Ryuu had been covered in blood.