Wind (Buryoku Book 4)

by Aaron Oster

Ferry lay next to her, tossing and turning fitfully as she tried to get comfortable. Seeing as she normally slept on or next to Roy, she’d been having a hard time sleeping at night. She could tell he was still alive due to her connection with Geon, but aside from that, she had no idea what was happening to him. Of them all, it was affecting her the worst, and Aika was starting to worry about her health.

  A light rustling of leaves caught her attention, and Aika’s eyes snapped to the side, squinting as she tried to look past the glowing ferns and into the shadows beyond. A moment later, they were surrounded. Over a dozen Martial Artists, all Red-Belt or higher, stood around their small clearing. Aika’s eyes flicked from one to another, noting that while most were at the Red stage, a couple were Gold, which was quite impressive.

  Kaeru, the leader of the entire Tonde clan, was just a Base-Red, although, according to Ferry, someone from her clan had shown up in Light City. Of course, Aika could have misunderstood the ferret completely, as her communication skills were highly lacking, and seeing as none of her clan had ever strayed far from the Crater, she was pretty sure she’d misunderstood.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” Hermit asked, dropping out of a nearby tree and landing at the center of their clearing.

  “Don’t play dumb with us,” one of the Gold-Belts – the clear leader of this group – said. “You know why we’re here. Now, hand over the Core and surrender before things get ugly.”

  Aika slowly climbed to her feet as Hermit rubbed at his chin, as though lost in thought. This was bad, very bad. Hermit might be a powerful fighter, but these were all high-level Martial Artists, every one skilled and capable. In fact, a single one of them could probably take out every clan in the Crater singlehandedly! She would be no help in this fight, and neither would Ferry.

  Her eyes flicked to the ferret, who was wide awake and staring at the nearest person, a woman with a 5th Dan Red-Belt around her waist.

  “You know, I don’t really feel like handing it over,” Hermit finally said. “After all, I did most of the work, so I figure it’s my prize to keep.”

  “The Sovereign of your clan commands it!” the man said, taking another step forward.

  “Listen, Koro,” Hermit said, scratching at the back of his head. “You’re hardly my favorite person in the clan, and I pretty much dislike just about everyone with the name Itachi right now. So, I’ll give you one warning. Leave.”

  Koro’s face turned a dark red at the perceived insult, and instead of doing the smart thing and leaving, he chose to attack.

  “Guess we’ll have to do this the hard way!” he yelled. “Your incompetence with the Cavern Beast was an endless source of annoyance when we were dealing with it. So, you better believe that I’m going to enjoy this!”

  “Aika, please lie down,” Hermit said, still in a conversational tone.

  Aika, already knowing that she stood no chance in a fight between these people, did as ordered, dropping to her stomach and throwing an arm over Ferry to keep her from getting up.

  The others ignored them, closing in on Hermit. Power flared all around her as the Martial Artist unveiled their Cores. Aika felt a cold sweat break out across her brow and on her lower back as the tremendous force these fighters contained washed over her.

  She’d faced a lot of challenges in her time, but nothing compared to this. These fighters were on a level she couldn’t even come close to touching. Sure, she was a Blue-Belt, a stage of advancement that not even Kaeru had reached at her age, and, had she been back home in the Crater, she’d likely already have been named as the next clan leader. But out here, in the Chikurin Empire, she was average at best.

  Hermit was still perfectly calm though, standing at the center of what – to her Spirit Sense – looked like an inferno of intense power. It was strange, the way the multicolored light appeared. It was hazy and unclear, but the actual strength made her entire body quake in fear. If they survived this, she would need to ask Hermit what they were using.

  The air grew heavy as light flashed across the Itachi fighter’s bodies, their Armorer techniques cloaking them in their protection. Still, despite their terrifying displays of power, Hermit didn’t so much as budge, watching them all building up with his usual detached and bored expression.

  Koro was the first to strike, letting out a scream and dashing toward him. Or, more aptly, he seemed to simply appear in front of him, his extended fist clasped in Hermit’s hand.

  Aika gawked, realizing that the man had moved so quickly that she hadn’t been able to see anything. At all! The only reason she could see now was because Hermit had blocked the attack.

  Koro’s speed was terrifying, but the fact that Hermit had managed to block it said far more about his abilities than those of the people around him.

  “Now,” Hermit said, slowly turning to the others who had yet to attack. “I’m not normally one to give second chances, but I’m feeling generous tonight…”

  Koro let out a scream of rage, his entire body radiating a blazing green light. Hermit’s face moved fractionally to the side, and it took Aika several seconds to realize that he’d just punched him. Once again, the man had moved too quickly for Aika to even see the attack happening, but the other attackers hadn’t missed it.

  “See,” Hermit said, squeezing the hand he still had clutched in his and causing Koro to wince in pain. “Even with his full-body technique, powered by Chakra no less, this moron was unable to even phase me. This entire group wouldn’t dare to stand up to my sister, so why would you think you stand a chance against me?”

  The show of force should have been enough to make anyone back down – Aika knew she would have. However, the mention of their clan head seemed to embolden the Martial Artists instead of having the opposite effect.

  Before Aika knew what was happening, they were all attacking at once, moving in to try to help their comrade and bring in a traitor.

  “Well, I tried,” Hermit said, then twisted in place and tore Koro’s arm off at the shoulder.

  The man went down with a scream of pain, which was silenced as Hermit drove his heel down on the back of his skull, crushing it flat. If their most powerful fighter going down in a second flat discouraged the others, they certainly didn’t let it show.

  Hermit turned, taking a half-dozen attacks that would have toppled a mountain, and slammed his fingers, extended into a blade, right into another man’s chest. Hermit swept it to one side, ripping the man’s chest wide open and sending him to the ground. Another blow struck the back of his head, and he twisted his upper body, leaving his legs planted where they were. His hand flashed out, catching the woman’s throat, and with a simple squeeze of his fingers, he popped her head clean off.

  Light blazed around them, and several of the fighter’s bodies were cloaked in power. They moved in unison, trying to take the man down, but Hermit was like an impenetrable wall. He moved with an almost casual grace, not even bothering to try and avoid attacks, as he doled out death. Each movement was fluid and graceful, and each time he struck, his attacks did serious damage.

  A fighter came at him from his left, their entire body blazing red, while another came from behind, their body cloaked in a rippling shroud of Wind. Four more artists stood back, their bodies shining brightly as they built up for something big. Aika had no idea what they were doing, but she had a feeling that she was about to witness four simultaneous Conqueror techniques, and she was terrified.

  She was way too close to the fight to survive if something that powerful went off, and simply lying on the ground wasn’t going to protect her.

  Hermit finally moved off his spot, one hand lashing out and unleashing a blast of azure-colored fire, incinerating one of the attackers in an instant. His foot caught the other in the chest, shattering their full-body technique as though it weren’t even there. The Itachi’s body was sent spinning away in two pieces, both trailing a stream of blood.

  He turned then, facing the four who seemed to have had enoug
h time to build up their attack, and just shook his head sadly.

  “Such a blatant waste of life,” he said, right before they unleashed their combined attack.

  Aika flinched reflexively, correctly fearing the backwash of such a powerful strike. A regular Essence-based Conqueror technique had destructive capabilities akin to a tidal wave, wildfire, or earthquake, depending on the Path. In other words, the devastation wreaked by a technique that powerful was skin to a natural disaster, only in a contained area. So, four simultaneous techniques using a form of energy many times more powerful, and unleashed by Red-Belts, should have been enough to wipe a city off the face of the world.

  However, instead of the massive explosion of power, followed by her and Ferry’s swift deaths, something else entirely happened. A massive blue-tinged sphere flashed around the Artists, trapping them and their techniques within. Aika’s eyes went wide as she watched the Conqueror techniques rage within the confines of Hermit’s Containment technique, destroying the very people who’d used them.

  It took a handful of seconds before they were all killed, and when the sphere of light vanished, nothing remained within.

  Hermit turned to the remaining Martial Artists and raised an eyebrow, as though daring any of them to make a move on him. Over half their number was already dead, and it had happened within seconds. Some of the fighting had been so quick that Aika couldn’t even follow it, while other parts had been both brutal and efficient.

  It was hard to believe that Supremes, Martial Artists who’d mastered Conqueror techniques in Essence, Qi, and Chakra, could be so easily defeated. Yet Hermit had made it look easy. As someone who was constantly fighting against Roy, someone weaker than her, Aika understood the differences between the stages better than most. Still, even she was shocked at the ease in which so many powerful fighters were taken down.

  “You won’t get away with this!” one of them shouted.

  Then, as one, the remaining five fighters turned and fled, disappearing into the night.

  Hermit watched them go with an expression of detached indifference, and only once they were gone did he turn to the two of them.

  “Sorry you had to see that,” he said, seeming genuinely upset. “Although I have no love for them, they were still family. The Itachi clan is in desperate need of new leadership, but until I find Roy, I won’t go back.”

  “Does that mean you’ve figured out where he might be?” Aika asked, getting shakily to her feet.

  She didn’t want to think about what had just happened, and changing the subject was always the best way to go about doing something like this.

  “I haven’t figured it out exactly, but I’m pretty sure he isn’t in Mountain Moore or the Chikurin Empire. If I’m correct, he’ll be in the Windblight, and if he is, we’ll need to move faster.”

  “Roy?” Ferry asked, getting to her feet and looking hopeful.

  Hermit nodded, looking back in the direction the others had come from.

  “We’ll need to move fast, so let’s pack up and get moving. There’s something I need to do before entering the Windblight, and it’ll take some time. It’ll be best if we put as much distance between them and us as we can before then.”

  8

  “Do you think this is the wisest course of action?” the Core asked as Hermit watched them pack up camp.

  “It’s not like I have any real choice in the matter,” he replied. “I can’t enter the Windblight just yet. If Pelata comes after me himself, I won’t be strong enough to beat him. Besides, I have a feeling that Roy may have ended up in one of the Inu fighting pits. Those dogs always did enjoy entertainment at other peoples’ expense.”

  “Don’t you think we should be moving even faster then?”

  “Roy can handle himself,” Hermit replied. “He’s been through tougher situations in the past and won’t allow himself to be beaten that easily.”

  “And what about killing more members of your own clan? The Itachi clan was already severely weakened after the attack by the Cavern Beast, and your last fight has further weakened their position in the hierarchy.”

  “They brought it on themselves,” he replied. “I took no pleasure in the deed, but did what needed to be done. This clan is quite far from the one I helped found and build, and after Roy is back with us, I’ll go back to right the wrongs of my past.”

  “What about your sister?”

  Hermit couldn’t answer that. On the one hand, she’d gone too far in attacking her own citizens. She showed a shocking lack of remorse or even a shred of empathy. Her power had gone to her head, and she now believed that everyone who was weaker than she was to be beneath her. On the other hand, she was still his sister. Did he have what it took to take her down for good? Would his Ideal even allow him to do so if he saw the action as abominable?

  Truthfully, he might not even have to do it himself. The Herald Sovereign was close to advancing by all accounts, which meant that soon, he’d have more power than all the Seven clans combined. Once he had the power, subjugating the others to his will wouldn’t be all that hard. However, being close to an advancement for someone at their level could still mean months of work. Time held a different meaning to those who had the power to escape its hold, and he was now squarely in that category.

  “We’re all packed up,” Aika said, breaking him from his contemplations.

  He felt bad for the poor girl. She’d been through so much since he’d left her with Ikari, having to fight through those hellish Trials with Roy and nearly losing him once, only to lose him a second time right after. He knew the bond the two of them shared, and for Roy, it had to be even harder.

  If he was in the Inu fighting pits, then his life was going to be a living hell until they managed to get him out. The Inu were ruthless and loved their spectacles, and for Roy, someone who tended to buck against authority, it was going to be doubly as hard. If they found out he was a Herald, things might become even harder, so he hoped Roy had the sense to keep his family name to himself, even if he didn’t yet know the significance of it.

  “Hold on tight,” he said, placing an arm on her shoulder and taking Ferry’s forearm in a tight grip.

  “What are we…?” Aika began but quickly shut her mouth as he took off running.

  Reiki flooded his channels as he used his 3rd Stage Movement technique, not daring to move any faster for fear of injuring his passengers. The world blurred around him, falling into a kaleidoscope of color. He might not be able to move at the speed of a Gatestone, but his abilities had grown by leaps and bounds, and seeing as what he was about to attempt, he’d need to put all the space between him and the Itachi clan as he possibly could.

  They would catch up eventually, but by then, he’d hopefully be done and be able to drive off their assault once more. The only thing he really feared was that Ikari would come out herself. His sister was clearly unhinged, and while no sane Sovereign would leave their seat of power, she might do just that for a prize as rare and valuable as the Core of a Cavern Beast.

  “I think I’m gonna be sick,” Aika groaned as he came to a skidding halt, right at the edge of the glowing forest.

  The poor girl staggered away, leaning over and heaving as he took in the scenery. Before him, the lush grass and glowing trees grew sparser, while the ground underfoot turned sandy and harsh. The border of the Windblight was just a few hundred yards away, and the quick method of travel had hopefully given him a few extra hours.

  He felt a light touch on his shoulder and looked up to see the ferret, looking down at him with those big black eyes of hers.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, placing a reassuring hand over her own. “We’re going to find him. I promise. But I’m going to need you to do something for me.”

  The ferret cocked her head to the side, letting out a questioning sound.

  “I’m going to need you to be strong, not only for yourself but for Roy. He’s in trouble, and he’s going to need your help. So, I need you to concentrate on gett
ing as strong as you possibly can. No more moping around, okay?”

  The ferret released his shoulder, her eyes hardening along with her resolve, and gave him a nod. He smiled at her, then began preparing for what was to come.

  Sitting down in a cross-legged position, he pulled the Core of the Cavern Beast from his pack and set it into his lap. The Core thrummed with the power it contained — wild, chaotic, and housing unlimited potential. Like the Cavern Beast, this Core had the ability to shatter boundaries and instill a level of power that one might not be able to reach on their own.

  As someone who’d worked on his foundation for as long as he had, Hermit knew that unlike Ikari, he could reach the levels of the Scions, or perhaps, even surpass them. But that wasn’t to say that he could do so overnight. For years, he hadn’t allowed himself to truly grow as a Martial Artist, and while he had changed in the sense of who he was as a person, this was going to be his first real attempt at pushing for more power.

  He placed both palms on the Core, then ran a thread of Reiki through it, allowing them to meet at the center and connecting his power to that of the Core’s. Now came the hard part and the one he was dreading most. He wasn’t apprehensive because of how much it would hurt, but rather because of how vulnerable it would leave him, and by extension, the others in their small group.

  “Are you done emptying the contents of your stomach?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.

  “Just about,” Aika replied, wiping her lips with a grimace.

  Hermit hid a smile as a thought came to his mind, unbidden about her probably being glad Roy hadn’t been around to see her like this.

  “Good. Because you’ve got an important job to do.”

  “Oh?” she asked, taking note of his position and the Core clutched in his hands.

  “I’m going to absorb this Core,” Hermit said without preamble. “And while I’m doing so, I’ll be unable to so much as move, which will leave me vulnerable to attacks. I’ve put as much distance as I can between us and the others without actually entering enemy territory, so hopefully, I’ll be done before they reach us. But, if they do, it’ll be up to you and Ferry to keep them off me.”