by Ko, John
“It is fine. We accept you and your odd ways, Wave. Besides it is actually a lofty goal to not want to be a waste on a Team such as this,” the Fate assures him. “It just means you want to be useful.”
Wake shrugs. “Whatever, and it’s Wade, I mean Wake … W A K E, Wake.”
“What kind of goal is that? Not wanting to be a waste,” Riser mutters.
“I thought so too at first, but he is different. And he looks at things differently. He is like half-babo, half-mad, half-genius,” says the Fate.
“That’s three things. You can’t have three halves,” Wake says, feeling two-thirds offended, one-third complimented.
“Whatever.” Riser reaches over and pats Shine on the shoulder. “It must have been difficult looking after him all these years.”
Wake has always been different. Rachel has always known this, but not that different. He’s about the sweetest brother any girl could ask for. He just worries …
“I can hear you guys,” Wake says.
The Fate moves on. “Riser, now, is a good time for you to share your Will with us.”
“My Will … well, mine is a bit more complicated. To understand it, you must know a little of Enyo.” Riser faces them and looks at each in turn. This is a rarity. Daughters do not talk of such things openly. “In life she bore no children of her own, but still, she is our mother. All I am and everything I ever will be is thanks to her. She was our founder, our sister, our mother and our Champion, true and sure. And as quickly as she brought us together, she was gone. As all the other great ones of her age, she answered the Call of Champions and was never heard from again after the Clash.
“On that day, a statue in her likeness appeared in her gardens. It is a marvelous work, exactly what you picture when you hear of tales of her beauty and might. She stands there still, strong and proud, with a joyous expression upon her face, and eyes full of resolve and kindness both.
“But also, full of tears, for her statue weeps. Day and night her statue cries, though no Daughter knows why.
“It’s the duty of my family to take care of her gardens. I’ve tended her flowers for as long as I can remember. And every time I see her statue, I get a really sad feeling here.” She pounds her heart. “I want to learn why her statue cries and how to stop her tears. My Will is to stop Enyo’s Weeping.”
“How can you do that? How can we help?” Rachel asks.
“I don’t know for sure, but I believe it has to do something with the Pilgrimage. And the first step to that is making it past Wysteria.” Only the Fate stares back at her without question. The others know only what they have been told. Stories of how if you beat a Daughter in battle, she is yours.
“Enyo was born to the Han before there was even a kingdom, let alone three. The Age of Beasts was at an end, but a handful still remained behind. The Han befriended such Beasts and soon each village had one for a Guardian. The Beasts protected the Han, nurtured and taught them all they knew—even the arts of war. Women, however, were not allowed training in the martial arts. For them the marital ones were deemed enough.
“Not so for Enyo. No man would teach her the ways of battle, but there was a Beast that would. A winged serpent spurned by all others. He trained her and then she challenged the world.
“She traveled village to village and attacked them. This is how she became known as the Champion of the Fight. After beating the best they had to offer, she would take the village’s sign. She also took their daughters, at least those that would follow. This is how she became known as the Delighter of Discord.”
Monster growls. Low and from his gut, he speaks. “That’s horrible. All of it, how could she do such things? She was a …”
“You don’t know anything! Those were different times.” Riser’s eyes are the storm, her voice thunder. “Every man, every woman is born to do something. Enyo was born to fight, but was forbidden her destiny. It was the world that was wrong, not her! A coward like you would never understand such things.”
“Still, she attacked people for no other reason than to prove that she could? She took their daughters?”
“She attacked because they would not fight her otherwise. The women she took were young and old, slaves or near-slaves, those beaten and used. Three hundred in total and ‘til this day each is remembered and honored in Silla. She did not fight out of anger or hatred, but to show the world that anyone, anywhere is capable of any path.”
The Pacifist grows silent and mumbles what may be taken as an apology.
“As I was saying, she would take a village’s sign … to help them remember. It is said that once she defeated all in this corner of the world, she created a ship out of those signs. Dubbed Glorious Defeat, she then set sail to challenge the rest of the world.
“Enyo brought her lesson to each and every known land, until there was only one left to teach. Sadly, she did not reach it before the Call of Champions. It is thought that if a Daughter completes this journey, her soul may rest in peace.”
“What land did she not reach?”
“Ascecia the Twin Isles, Homeland of the Orcs.”
The Fate leaps to his feet. “Impressive.”
He starts off by pointing at the gaunt Half-Orc. “Monster wants to show the world how strong his way is—the hard way. Shine desires to become the most awe-inspiring figure in history. Sensei wants to blaze a trail ahead for all of mankind. Riser seeks to fulfill the true wishes of a Champion. And Wake wants to not be a waste on a team with Wills such as these … the key to it all.”
That’s not exactly what they said, but there is no use in correcting him.
“Things could not be more perfect. I was not sure our Wills would be compatible,” the Fate says. “As for me, I have a pretty simple wish. I want the team I captain to win its next match.”
“That sounds easy enough,” Rachel says.
“Yes, I think so too,” the Fate says. “The thing is that my Will is a hundredfold strong. I want to do it 100 times in a row.”
For a moment there is silence, and then the reality of it sets in.
“But that’s crazy! There’s even that old saying, 100 Victories in 100 Battles is simply ridiculous,” Wake says. He’s right. And the more Rachel thinks about it, the more impossible it seems. More than impossible; that would mean …
“You would have to continue onto the World Circuit, the true Tournament of Tears,” she says quietly. No matter how much you wish it, you can’t just do something like that. We’re a banned nation and have been for over a decade.
“Yes, to do the ridiculous. Why not? Besides, I cannot lose. The day I do, I have to give up Tear Fighting forever.”
Chapter 16
RISER
[Stewards & Raiders Inn, Greenwood]
Lunch is pink-scaled fish, burnt black at the edges, a salad of flowers that the innkeeper makes them pick themselves out back, two types of cheeses, and black bread. There is no crumb remaining by the time they are done. Riser would’ve preferred the addition of some sausages like the ones they had for breakfast, but … at least it’s not nuts and berries.
After lunch, the team makes their way back to the little field behind the Clerk’s Dorm that has become their temporary training grounds. As they pass the Office, Sensei bids them farewell to return to work. Riser notices Rachel lagging behind and joins her. The older girl is a mystery, obviously dominant on the Light Course but humble in all other things. She’s faster than anyone I have ever met and stronger than she looks. She reminds me of someone. But the Daughter can’t quite place a finger on it. Either way, Riser likes her.
Who she doesn’t is the coward. Just the sight of him trudging along, slumped and meek, makes her want to smash something.
“We will not begin training in earnest until after tomorrow’s match,” announces the Fate as they arrive at the clearing. “I do not want you all tired out before our first match. Besides, we still have to get to know each other’s fighting styles.” Great, more talking … Riser can�
�t help but sigh.
“Monster, can you explain to us how your healing works?” the Fate asks the Half-Orc. “Next will be Wade. I have been waiting to learn how your Pure Water Techs work.”
“Wake.”
The Half-Orc gives Wake a sympathetic look as he stands. “I am a touch Healer, meaning I have to be close enough to place a hand on you in order to heal. My main heal is in fact called Lay Hands.”
“Please show us,” the Captain asks as he activates his Tear. “Riser, if you would …”
The Daughter activates her Air Tearstone and is instantly surrounded by light blue. The Fate strikes her three times in quick succession, causing her Spectral Armor to dim to half-glow.
The Healer takes his position behind her. He raises his hand and presses it between the blades of her shoulder. “Lay Hands.” Instantly, the glow of her armor is restored to full. Not bad for a wimp. But, still unimpressive.
“My Lay Hands should be sufficient to always heal you to full. But I cannot cast it often. I need sufficient time to recover between uses,” Brother Monster explains. “I also have a small regenerative heal and one that absorbs minor damage.”
“Amazing. Only the best Healers on the World Circuit are capable of healing that much in one shot,” Rachel says, her voice full of admiration.
“It has to do with the essence of healing. To truly heal another you must first understand their pain. Others heal from afar. Which is more convenient in many ways, but the connection between souls is weak. There is only so much you can feel at a distance.”
“Fate, please attack Riser.” The Half-Orc is ready behind her.
The Fate swipes the air with his Stick and nods.
“Don’t move,” Brother Monster tells the Daughter. She fidgets. Like I would ever listen to you.
The Fate attacks without mercy, landing three strikes in a matter of moments. “Fluttering Blade.”
Just as her armor looks to fade out of existence, the Healer says, “Lay Hands,” restoring the Life of her Armor to full. Riser claps her hands with glee. The Fate tries again, but with the Half-Orc’s combination of heals, the outcome is the same. The coward knows how to heal. I’ll give him that much.
“Ha, I don’t have to even lift a finger and you still can’t take me down,” she lets the Captain know, who slumps low in failure.
“May I?” Wake asks. “It’s a good time for me to show you how my Pure Water Weaponization works.”
The dismayed Captain nods in approval.
“Water Grab: Falchion,” Wake commands. He strikes Riser several times with no effect. His sister has promise, but this one … I don’t know, she thinks, barely feeling a tickle from each blow.
“You haven’t damaged my Spec Armor a shred. I’m still at full.”
“That’s true, you are,” he says with a knowing smile. He swings once more. The attack seems no different than the last, but this time the Daughter’s Armor shatters.
“What the hail was that?” Riser yells from inside the Loser’s Ball. She really doesn’t like being in there.
“Please don’t use that type of language” the Half-Orc beseeches the Daughter, who pinches him in return. I know he felt that one. If he did, he doesn’t show it. Instead, he turns to Wake. “I don’t understand. Her Armor was at full. How did your last attack do so much damage?”
“The attack was no different from any of my previous ones. My Pure Water attacks don’t actually do any damage.” Wake gestures to the Captain, who still has his Spectral Armor activated. “May I?”
The Fate nods eagerly.
“Water is the Physical, Dark Aspect of Blue. Anyone unlucky enough to be born Dark Blue usually becomes a Healer or freezes Water. As Ice it is at least useful to attack with, acting like any other physical weapon,” Wake says.
“Freeze,” he commands, and his sword of liquid hardens into clear ice. He strikes the Captain, whose armor dims slightly at the blow. “But that never seemed right for me. It’s just turning Water into a plain old weapon, a fragile one at that. It took me a little while, but I was able to figure out a different way to utilize Water.
“And patience is exactly what I needed, because Water is not like the other Physical Aspects. It is slow and methodical like a canyon formed by a trickling river, a hillside covered in small rifts and gullies from the rain. Even the rust on my Gauntlet itself is a sign of how Pure Water works.
“Erosion, corrosion and even rot are how Pure Water does its damage. You really have to concentrate on it to achieve any noticeable effects, but watch.
“Thaw,” Wake commands, and his sword returns to its liquid form. He strikes the Captain once again. Somehow, instead of dimming, the Fate’s Tear Armor glows more brightly.
“How is my Armor at full? Did you just heal me?” the Fate wonders aloud.
“No,” Wake replies.
“I think I understand,” Monster says. “Your Pure Water attacks do no actual damage; instead, they reduce the maximum hits your target’s Spectral Armor can take.”
“Exactly! Spectral Armor represents one’s Life. The amount of damage that any one person may take differs, but let us say someone’s Spec Armor is able to take 100 points of damage, or in other words has 100 points of Life. An average Crier will fall to approximately five clean blows. From this we can assume an average hit does about 20 damage. So after one blow, their Armor will be at around 80.
“My Pure Water attacks affect the total Life of your Armor, but they are weaker in comparison. After one of my hits, you will still be at full. Your full will just be less, something along the lines of 90 out of 90. And then 80 out of 80 until finally you have a maximum of zero, at which point your Spectral Armor will disappear altogether.”
“That would make heals useless against you,” The Half-Orc realizes.
“Yes, exactly. It may take me almost twice as long to bring down an opponent. But it doesn’t matter if they are by themselves or with a hundred Healers. As long as I am able to attack, my target will always go down. And my Water is hard to block. You have a chance of dodging, but if I concentrate hard enough, even indirect splashes add up over time,” Wake explains. Impressive; I’ve never heard of anything like that before. Oppa was right, Riser thinks. I should’ve known his judgment wasn’t all that bad. He did pick me. He must have seen something in each of them, as well.
“Daebak! You really figured out how to do that all by yourself?” the Fate asks.
“Yes, it’s my … our little secret. I’ve never told anyone but my sister how it works. Even our old team doesn’t know,” Wake tells them. “To be honest, they were never really interested.”
“I knew you were like him; you think different,” the Fate says. “No one else has ever figured out how to get Pure Water attacks to work, not even the original creators of the Water Gauntlet.”
“That’s just because they went straight to Ice attacks. They had no need to delve deeper. Not many are interested in studying iron rusting away or observing rotting wood decay back into Earth and Water,” Wake answers.
“Still, that is hundreds of years that no one has figured it out until you found the way.” The Fate grows wide-eyed. “Wood decomposes back into Earth and Water …
“Earth and Water, two of the Physical Aspects from wood,” the Fate mumbles to himself. He looks down at his Earth Gauntlet and draws his Stick. “I wonder …”
“Unleash: Switch Fate, Water Style!”
Slowly, his Stick breaks apart. It crumbles into smaller and smaller fragments that fly towards his gauntlet. What is left behind is a thin rod of liquid predominantly composed of Pure Water with a thick red channel running through it: a blood groove. The Earth extracted from the wood forms three orbs, which revolve around his gauntlet.
Riser doesn’t like what she is seeing one bit. No, this is not happening. He did not just learn an Unleash before me.
“This is Monstrous!” the Fate declares, swinging around his liquid stick. “I wonder just what it does …”
/> It’s not every day you see someone learn an Unleash Technique. Unleashes are Power Moves on a tier all by themselves, second only to Techs that could Defy reality itself. There are Criers who train a lifetime without achieving an Unleash. People do not just suddenly perform one. And now, he’s learned one before me, Riser thinks angrily.
“Fail, Fail, Fail! How did you just do that?” Riser bares her fangs. She’s been watching him try to learn one for as long as she’s known him. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she would learn hers first. It’s his fault. It was something he said. The Daughter stares holes into Wake Avenoy. Still, it’s not very impressive for a Power Move. Mine will be better.
“Congratulations, Oppa.”
He thanks her. “I gave up on learning one anytime soon. My Old Man tried to teach me so many times, but I could never get any of them down.”
The Fate turns to Wake. “You really are a First Master.”
“What?” Wake says.
“You have heard of Unleash Masters, right? My Old Man is one. He has taught dozens their Unleashes over the years, but he could not teach me. We tried everything: burying me under a dune for three days with only a long straw for air, sleeping on rocks for a year, breaking rocks, carrying rocks, lifting boulders. Why, I once had to shovel enough gravel to pave half the South Road with my bare hands. The worst was staring at pebbles, though. That was no fun at all and that was only the Earth stuff. I tried other colors, as well.
“Eventually, he said that teaching me an Unleash was beyond him. And, since I am hopeless by myself, that if it was beyond him, then only a true First Master could help me,” the Fate says. “You see, given enough time, most people can learn the basics from another who has already mastered a skill, art or craft; enough to even eventually become a Master themselves. But who taught the first person to master a field? No one did. They figured it out all by themselves. They looked for a new way, a different way—just as you have with your Pure Water Techs.