by Aaron Oster
Roy had been missing now for over two days, and none of them knew where he was. All Aika knew was that when she’d come out of her test after Roy, he was gone. She could sense his lingering Essence in the room, as well as that of another. Whoever it was had taken him and left in a hurry. So fast, in fact, that even Hermit couldn’t follow them.
After she’d come to tell him what had happened, he’d been quite calm. He’d even gone so far as to steal something valuable from his sister before taking the two of them through the destroyed city and heading out into the forests surrounding them. Though she’d asked, Hermit had refused to tell either of them where they were going or where he thought Roy might be, and despite her patience thus far, Aika was at her wit’s end with the man and was on the verge of exploding.
Ferry had been handling his disappearance very differently. She’d been very quiet, and while one might contribute this to her inability to speak just yet, Aika knew better. Ferry, even after she’d transformed out of her bestial shape and taken on a more human-looking form, always communicated in short squeaks, even when speaking with her mind. Aika was actually teaching the ferret to talk, although that was supposed to be something Ferry did with Roy, which only made her sadder in their short lessons.
Aika peered back over her shoulder as she heard a rustling sound, but a sweep of her Spirit Sense told her it was just a small woodland creature. It wasn’t even a Beast, just a small animal. It was sometimes hard to remember that not everything in Buryoku was out to kill you, and after the last few days, pretty much everything made her jump. She’d hardly even celebrated her advancement, and Hermit hadn’t so much as said a word about it. Seeing as he hadn’t said much of anything, though, this was hardly a surprise.
“How are you holding up?” Aika asked, placing a hand on the towering ferret’s arm.
Ferry looked down at her, her overly large eyes gleaming with unshed tears.
“Sad,” Ferry said, the word coming out slurred.
She’d only just started learning a few basic words, but this was the one she’d used the most thus far.
Aika couldn’t really do much about that, other than stroking her arm in sympathy. It was still strange seeing this towering and wildly beautiful creature as the same Ferry who’d been traveling with them since she and Roy had first met. Overnight, she’d transformed from a black ferret to a humanoid creature with a very pronounced womanly shape.
Of course, she was over seven feet tall, which was very distinctly not human-like, and covered from head to toe in downy fur of varying shades of deep black to light tan. Her face held the lightest fur and as it traveled down, it darkened in a gradient until it reached her feet. The large, fluffy tail that swished behind her was also very much an indication of her not being a human. It poked from a hole that had been cut in the back of a pair of pants, as they weren’t generally tailored to fit beasts. She could have run around without any clothes, as her fur prevented her from appearing indecent. While the ferret would have preferred it that way, Hermit had insisted she wear clothes as was expected in polite society.
Aika, by contrast to the towering Beast, was about average for a human. Her form was slim and athletic, and her hair, which fell in a long, dark ponytail down her back, seemed to accentuate that. A few strands hung to either side, framing her slim face and accentuating her sharp features, which seemed to have only become more refined since her advancement. It had been hard to tell at first, but as one moved along their Paths, physical imperfections were slowly scrubbed away, and features were enhanced to make the Artist appear more pleasing to the eye.
It wasn’t strictly something that she cared about, but she wasn’t exactly complaining about it either.
Hermit was the odd one out because while his sister, Ikari, had stolen Aika’s breath away, despite her complete lack of interest in women in the slightest, Hermit had no such effect on her. Or anyone else for that matter. This, in her mind, was quite strange. Hermit and Ikari were on the same level – or close enough, anyway. So, he should have had the same impact, if not on a stronger level, on her than his sister had. But the man was as unremarkable as a man could be.
His dark skin was definitely different, although it was not uncommon in this part of the world. His face bore a near-constant expression of boredom, and the way he walked was hardly becoming of a martial Artist of his renown and power. Despite being a 1st Dan Gray-Belt and a Sovereign to boot, Hermit chose to keep a simple length of rope knotted around his waist. And his aura was so tightly bound, that had she not known how powerful he was, she’d have assumed he was completely harmless.
All of this added to the infuriating man that was Hermit. Despite now knowing a bit more about him, like, how he was supposed to be the leader of the Itachi clan, he was still an enigma. And, right now, he was an enigma that she wanted to punch in the face! Not that she’d succeed if she tried. Even if she did, by some miracle, manage to land a hit, she was more likely to break her hand on his face than do any actual damage.
But she could voice her frustrations out loud, and after another five hours of walking, when the sun was beginning to set, causing the bioluminescent trees and grass to begin shining, she finally did.
“Alright, enough!” she said, stopping in place and crossing her arms. “We’ve been going for nearly three days, and you haven’t said a thing. I am not taking another step until you give me some answers.”
Hermit paused in his whistling and half-turned to peer back at her. Ferry, in a show of solidarity, had stopped alongside her and was staring at him as well. Her expression, though, seemed to be less of an angry one, and more of a pleading one. Her face practically begged for answers about Roy and his whereabouts.
“It’s a nice night,” Hermit said with a shrug. “If I were you, I’d consider following me for another hour or two.”
Then, he simply continued walking.
Aika stared after him, feeling her entire body trembling with suppressed rage. She knew what the cause was, and it wasn’t all directed at the odd man who’d become their teacher. She was worried about Roy, and not having any answers was eating her up on the inside. Still, Hermit had given her a timeline, and she wasn’t so angry that she couldn’t read into what he was saying. Ferry, on the other hand, just sighed, her head dipping even farther.
“Come on,” Aika said, slipping her hand into the ferret’s larger one. “Let’s keep moving.”
They walked on as the last of the light faded from the sky, though the world around them remained quite bright. It was an oddity of the Chikurin Empire, one that Aika found that she quite enjoyed. The glowing trees, leaves, and grass gave off Light Essence, even at night, allowing her the luxury of being able to cycle whenever she wanted. Right now, though, the beauty of their surroundings was lost on her as she counted down the time until she would stop them again.
It proved to be unnecessary, however, as after precisely ninety-two minutes, Hermit came to a sudden halt. He turned, peering back over his shoulder, nodded to himself, then gestured for them to set up camp.
“I’m sorry about the past few days,” he said as Aika dropped her pack to the ground. “My sister has a very long range, and I didn’t want her to hear anything we talked about.”
Aika’s eyes widened at that. They hadn’t traveled an insignificant distance. It had been a couple hundred miles at the very least, as they’d moved quickly on the first day to put some distance between them and Light City.
“Is her reach actually that great?” she asked.
Now that Hermit was willing to talk, Aika found that her temper was beginning to wane, and she started to remove their camping gear from her pack.
“Yes,” Hermit said.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I could still hear her,” Hermit replied.
Aika’s mouth opened in a small circle as Hermit explained. It made a lot more sense why he hadn’t spoken until now then, especially if he didn’t want her overhearing their conversations.
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“Roy?” Ferry asked, interrupting the silence.
“I guess the two of you deserve the truth about him,” Hermit said, sitting down cross-legged and beginning his tale. “To start, I should explain that Roy is not from some backwater clan that was wiped out, but from one of the most powerful clans on the continent of Safaia. The Herald clan is one of the Seven Great Clans, and their leader, Herald Duncan, is close to advancing to Black-Belt and shifting the balance of power.
“I never told Roy any of this because I didn’t think it would make much difference. The Heralds are a massive clan, one just as large as the Itachi, so going back to them wouldn’t have helped him find his family. That was, until he was taken by someone from the clan. This tells me that Roy is far more important than I’d first realized. Important enough that the Heralds risked sending someone into the Itachi clan’s palace to extract him.
“They managed to do so during the attack of a Cavern Beast, which I would either call brilliant planning or the mother of all coincidences. You see, Cavern Beasts are so rare and Buryoku is so large that they almost never appear near large cities. The Scions normally detect them long before they become as powerful as that last one was and take care of them.
“But this one not only managed to escape detection, but also made it all the way to the Itachi homeland and our main seat of power in Light City. The devastation it wreaked was immense, as I’m sure you saw, although the greatest loss of life can be blamed on that sister of mine. She has no respect for human life, and all that matters to her is power.
“If you’re wondering what I stole from her, it was the Core of the Cavern Beast. It has the power to shatter boundaries, such as the ones my sister has come up against. Her Path of Advancement is at its end, and it represents a chance for her to counter the Heralds. By taking the Core, I assured we would be followed, although my sister wouldn’t dare come after me herself, not with the city having just taken such a big hit.
“Doing that would invite catastrophe, one that might cost the entire clan, and while she has no regard for the lives of her clan members, her power is dependent on their continued existence. She’ll be sending people after us, and I expect we’ll be seeing them before long.
“But, back to the topic of Roy. His abduction came at a very opportune time, which tells me that he was being followed for a while now. They also used an extremely powerful artifact to extract him, a Gatestone. It’s an artifact that can take someone from one side of the world to the other, regardless of obstacles in their path. I can still see the light trail lingering in the sky.
“Something went wrong, and I’m pretty sure Roy got away. The only problem is that I have no idea where he escaped from. It can be anywhere between here and Mountain Moore, the homeland of the Heralds. This means that in order to find him, we’re going to have to keep moving along our route and hope we run into him.”
Hermit let out a long sigh as he finished, leaning back against one of the glowing trees and peering up at the moon above.
“Are you telling me that our plans to find Roy consist of ‘let’s just walk and hope we find him?’” Aika exclaimed, still trying to process all Hermit had told her.
For him to have kept such a massive secret, especially from Roy, someone who’d never had a real family, was bad enough. But, for him to have no idea where they even were, was even worse. And that was not to mention the fact that the Itachi clan would now be coming after them in force for what Hermit had stolen.
This night had just gone from bad to worse, and despite now having the answers she’d wanted, Aika wished she’d remained ignorant, even if for just a little bit longer.
5
Roy didn’t bother struggling as he was dragged down the long flight of stairs – it would have been pointless, even if he had – and instead, focused his efforts on trying to get the man dragging him down to give him some answers.
“Where are you taking me?” Roy demanded.
“To register for the arena,” the man replied, his voice calm and even.
“And what exactly is the arena?” he asked in a heated tone.
“Just as it sounds,” the man replied. “The arena is where you will fight for the entertainment of others, until such a time as you have repaid your debt.”
“You can’t make me fight for other’s entertainment!” Roy exclaimed.
The man shrugged.
“You will either fight for your survival, or you will die.”
Roy felt a chill run down his spine at that, as he noticed a similarity in the way he spoke to that of the twin guards outside. This man didn’t hate or despise him, nor was he dragging him down out of malice. He was indifferent, meaning he viewed Roy as little more than an insect. He simply didn’t care, which was much, much worse. Someone who was angry or carried malicious intent could have those emotions exploited. This man, though, could just as easily have killed him as he could set him free.
Was this how the Inu clan operated?
“Are you going to tell me where I am then?” Roy asked.
If he was stuck here, he may as well try to get some information.
“You are in Reign City, one of the outliers in the Inu clan,” the man replied.
“And who are you exactly?” Roy tried.
“I am Inu Topaz, Supreme of Shifting Sands.”
Roy was dumbstruck.
“Why is a Supreme doing such a menial task a guard duty?” Roy exclaimed.
“To guard is to serve,” Topaz replied. “No duty is too lowly for any of the clan. Where you come from, the powerful may demand the service of the weak. Here, everyone contributes, from the lowliest peasant to the most powerful of nobles.”
“Then why drag me off to fight in some arena? Can’t I just repay my debts by cleaning the streets or something?”
“Outsiders fight,” Topaz said.
This entire experience was almost surreal, and one of the strangest Roy had ever experienced. On the one hand, he was being dragged off to fight for his life. On the other, he was being treated so normally. Well, besides the grip of steel the man had on his arm. Roy could even try and attack if he wanted – not that he was dumb enough to try.
They came to the bottom of the staircase before he could ask any more questions, and Topaz pressed his palm to the solid stone wall. There was a flare of brown light, and the wall shifted, turning to sand and falling to the ground. Roy had to force himself not to gape, as the city was finally revealed to him in all its splendor.
The first thing he noticed was that despite being nearly a quarter-mile underground, it was quite bright. Massive protrusions of crystal dotted the ceiling, seeming to bring sunlight in from the outside, and light the city as though it were on the surface. The streets were full and bustling with people, all dressed in the same white and tan robes.
Banners, all containing the same image, hung from most of the sandstone buildings, showing the depiction of a lean dog, surrounded by the characters for the words ‘strength’ and ‘resilience.’ Despite the city having the same feel as Light City, the architecture was completely different. Where Light City had had towering buildings thronging with people, Reign City’s were much lower and widespread. The ceiling limited the height of buildings to around thirty feet, although the ceiling itself towered nearly ninety feet above them.
The streets were even and flat, set in a neat, grid-like pattern. People didn’t give them a second glance as they walked past, which was odd in and of itself. Topaz was a Supreme! They should have been bowing, scraping, and scurrying to get out of his way, but no one paid him any heed whatsoever.
“What the hell kind of society is this?” Roy asked, so stunned that he was at a loss for words.
“I’ve never seen humans act so cordial to one another,” Geon replied.
He sounded just as shocked – if not more so – than Roy.
“Is this what the world I’ve envisioned can look like?” Roy wondered.
His Ideal, the driving force behind everyt
hing he did, demanded he free the oppressed. But, in this city, there didn’t seem to be any oppression. Perhaps the Inu had already realized his dreams to push toward a future where everyone was equal, no matter the color of their Belts or level of advancement.
Roy was turned off the main street after just a couple of minutes and was almost immediately faced with a heavy steel door. Topaz stepped forward, then hammered his fist on its surface. A moment later, it swung open and Roy was dragged inside. This area was noticeably darker than that of the outside, and far cooler as well.
“Got another wanderer,” Topaz said to the man who’d opened the door for them.
The man, a Blue-Belt, let out a low grunt, hardly even acknowledging the Supreme before closing the door.
Roy was dragged down a long hallway, lit only by small lanterns lining the cold steel walls. There was another, heavier door at the other end, and when Topaz banged on this one, Roy was treated to an entirely new area of the city. The doors opened to reveal a room made completely of metal. It was massive, with multiple cells lining the sprawling room, all made of the same dark steel.
Just the smell of this place set Roy’s teeth on edge, but there was something else about it as well. Something sinister that gave off an underlying sense of foreboding and fear.
“I don’t like this place,” Geon said as they were dragged over to a long metal counter that ran the length of the room. “It reeks of death.”
That was what he’d smelled!
The realization hit Roy like a punch to the gut and it was an extremely unpleasant feeling.
“Got another one for the arena,” Topaz said as he dragged Roy up to the counter.
Another man, this one dressed in finer robes and wearing a Purple-Belt, looked Roy over with something approaching disdain.