by Aaron Oster
His hand extended in a punch, sending a Void Sphere right into the Beast’s path, even as he dodged to the side to avoid it. The boar screamed, staggering under the force of the explosion, only to have Roy kick it in the side. The explosion of Qi was not formed into any sort of technique, but the wild expulsion of the volatile energy into the boar’s side was more than enough to tear a nice chunk from its hide.
The Beast squealed once more, spinning in place to face him, blood trailing from its sides. Having predicted this move, Roy had simply gone along with it. The boar was confused for exactly half a second, as that was how long it took Roy’s foot to come crashing down on the top of its head in the form of an ax kick.
Roy’s heel drove right into its broken skull, expelling another explosion of Power Qi right into the Beast’s brain. The explosion of blood and brain matter was almost enough to make Roy gag, but the defeat of yet another boar was more than enough to make up for it.
He stood back, trying to calm his racing heart and keep his cycling rhythm intact. He could feel the pain radiating from his stomach and knew that the cuts were pretty deep. Still, so long as he maintained his breathing and had a bit of time, he should be able to close them up.
“Unbelievable!” the announcer exclaimed. “Choi is victorious once again, defeating the Sand Boar with ease! Is there anything this kid can’t do?”
“Who is this Choi they keep talking about?” Geon asked.
Roy resisted the urge to slap his forehead, and instead just headed back toward the gates. He didn’t need the guards to come get him this time, and he had no inclination to stick around and listen to the crowd’s cheering. That fight could have gone very differently, and he didn’t think they’d be reacting any other way had he been lying in the boar’s place, in a pool of his own blood.
“Where do you think you’re going?” asked one of the guards just as Roy was about to enter the tunnel.
“Back to my cell,” Roy replied, half-turning to glare at the man. “That is, unless you want to carry me.”
“You’re not going back there,” the man replied, a nasty smile curling his lips.
“Oh, yeah? Planning on letting me go now?” Roy asked, already suspecting what was coming next.
“Why would we do that?” the guard asked, his smile not diminishing in the slightest. “Your debts have yet to be paid, and you’ve got another fight on your hands. You know, unless you feel that you’re unable to continue and need some medical care?”
“Not even in your dreams,” Roy replied, his gaze hardening.
“Then get back to the center ring,” the guard said. “We don’t want to keep your audience waiting, after all. That would be rude.”
14
Roy staggered back, his breath coming in ragged gasps despite doing his best to keep his cycling rhythm intact. The woman standing across him – a 3rd Dan Green-Belt – seemed to be on the verge of collapsing, although for the time being, was still on her feet. This had been the toughest fight yet, as this time, he was up against another prisoner. Roy had tried to talk to her at the beginning of their fight in an attempt to convince her that they shouldn’t be fighting.
She’d actually agreed with him, lowering her guard and approaching. However, once she was in striking range, she’d tried to remove his head, and that had been the end of that.
This was a fight to surrender, but it was the toughest one he’d been put through. The woman was stronger than him, which forced him to use more Essence to keep her at bay. He was also injured from his last two fights, which slowed him down. As a result, he’d taken several injuries from the woman’s flashing sword.
One slash had hit him across his thigh, which made moving quite difficult, and he had another gash across his chest, where she’d tried to cut him in two. Roy’s defenses had proved to be superior, though his Armorer technique had been well and truly destroyed after that. He’d taken on several smaller cuts and bruises as well, all of which were adding up to impede his movements.
Still, despite the woman’s higher cultivation rank, his foundation was far stronger. His Essence control was better, and his capacity dwarfed hers. He’d tried to conserve as much as possible at first but soon realized that if he didn’t give this fight his all, he’d be done for.
“What a move from Choi!” the announcer boomed as Roy stepped to the side at an angle, spun around his opponent’s back, and rammed an elbow into the center of her spine, ejecting a burst of Qi into the blow.
There was a loud crack from the impact, and the woman, whose Core was all but depleted, could only put up minimal resistance. She staggered, tried to turn, then fell to the ground in a heap, her chest heaving and eyes unfocused.
“And that’s the match!” the announcer yelled, leading to cheers from the crowd. “Can anyone defeat Choi?”
Roy tried to straighten his back, fighting to bring his Essence back under control. He was starting to run low after so many fights. He hadn’t managed a full recovery after the first, and having two in a row had seriously depleted him. Even with the overabundance of Power Essence in the air now, it would take hours to replenish what he’d lost, and he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be getting that option.
“What an absolute beast of a fighter. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may even have a new contender for the Green-Belt Championships!”
The roar of the crowd grew louder as Roy finally straightened to his full height, turning a tired glare on the stands. He could now make out the man in charge quite clearly. He was a balding, thin man and was wearing ornate Inu robes. The Belt around his waist was a bright Gold, and Roy could clearly see several brown slashes, though he couldn’t tell how many there were. The man, much to his surprise, glared right back.
The two of them remained as they were, even as someone walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. The man nodded, still maintaining eye-contact, then made a dismissive wave.
Roy felt a strong grip seize him by the shoulder then. He’d been too distracted by the man in charge to notice, and he looked over to see that both of the lovely guards were standing next to him.
“Here to threaten me some more?” he asked, giving them a bloody grin.
“We’re here to escort you back to your cell,” the guard replied sourly. “But don’t worry, you’ll be back out right after the main event.”
Roy turned to glare back at the man in charge once more, but he was no longer paying attention, having turned his gaze back to others in his box.
“Will you take treatment now?” the guard asked as the doors were pulled open.
Roy just smirked at him and gave him a little wave. The guard’s frown deepened, showing just a hint of his teeth before he slammed the door shut, leaving Roy locked in with the others once again.
“You should have taken the treatment!” Xu exclaimed as Roy limped over to one of the benches.
“I only have two fights left,” Roy replied, already closing his eyes. “I won’t back down now.”
“But you don’t understand…!” Xu tried.
Roy opened his eyes and fixed the man with a level stare.
“Look, I don’t care what you say. I’ve been through tougher spots than this, and I have a chance at getting out. I refuse to give up now, even if I have to fight this Annihilator. Leave me alone. I need to concentrate.”
With that said, Roy closed his eyes and went right back to cycling and refining. There was now an immense amount of Power Essence drifting around the arena, and with his constantly improving cultivation technique, Roy was able to pull it all in. It came fast, streaming toward him like water down a drain. Of course, with his massive capacity, it would take hours to replenish all he’d lost, but right now, he was just trying to get as much as he could before he’d be forced into his next fight.
However, just as he was getting into his cycling, the ground trembled. Roy’s eyes snapped open as the crowd’s cheering grew to near-deafening proportions, and he was just in time to see the entire stage r
ising into the air.
“For today’s surprise event, Garnet will be facing the ultimate terror of the Pit! The Annihilator!”
Roy noticed a smirk of self-satisfaction on Xu’s face, but he ignored it, keeping his gaze locked on the rotating stage. The bottom was soon revealed to be made of metal, and through the small section of hall, Roy could see another stage rising beneath it. This one was filled with water, and even from here, he could feel the choking blue Essence. Still, the Power Essence was hanging around in the air, still giving him access to the energy his last two fights had generated.
The stage filled with water passed, followed by a grassy one filled with shrubbery from the Lighted Fields, and finally stopping on one made of jagged red stone. The presence of Fire Essence was overwhelming, and the increased heat could be clearly felt. Although Roy was curious to see what this Annihilator could do, it was hard to see much from where he was sitting. Besides, if he’d have to fight again soon, it would be wise to take whatever time he had to recover and close up some of his wounds.
So, despite wanting to watch this fight, Roy closed his eyes once again and went back to cycling. He breathed in deeply, blocking out all sound, and concentrated on running his Essence through the pattern surrounding his Core. The shining golden Essence was purified, then streamed back into the gleaming golden sphere sitting in his chest.
Now that he had a bit of time to concentrate on it, Roy began to piece together the small bits of time when he’d used Qi in his last fights. It had felt different than using Essence. That much was obvious. But he had a feeling that once he figured it out, using techniques powered by the purer form of energy would be within reach. However, if he’d been hoping to figure it out before his next fight, he’d have been sorely disappointed.
The cheers from the crowd, wild and bloodthirsty, pulled Roy from his cycling trance, and he opened his eyes to see something out of a nightmare. Garnet, the man he’d faced not a few hours ago, was suspended in midair, his body riddled with holes and held up by a long red rope. It took Roy several moments to realize that the scene was even more gruesome than he’d already thought, as the rope was actually one of the man’s appendages.
That was made obvious when it constricted around Garnet’s waist and the man’s screams of agony could be heard, even above the crowd.
“They’re worse than animals,” Roy said as he watched the poor man struggle with a mixture of pity and disgust.
“Humans are animals,” Geon said. “But, I understand your meaning.”
Roy’s eyes flicked away from the spectacle for a moment, as he saw a flicker of movement from the far side of their cage. Marrie, who’d spent the entire time so far with her legs folded and eyes closed, was staring at Garnet. Her eyes were hard as stone, and judging by the way her entire body was tensed up, she was suppressing a deep-seated rage.
Roy had no idea if it was the man or monster that was making her so angry. Though, seeing as she was locked up in here with the rest of them, Roy had a feeling it was the latter.
His eyes flicked back as the crowd’s cheering grew to a frenzy. Then, another appendage flicked up, wrapping around the screaming man’s head. Roy watched in sickened horror as Garnet’s head was torn free of his body, blood fountaining from the stump to the cheering of the real monsters, who were gathered to witness this show.
Roy couldn’t get a good feel for the Annihilator from here, but he could definitely tell that it was strong. In fact, it was far stronger than he was. If he were forced to face that monster, he very much doubted he’d be coming out on top. Then again, except for his first fight, all of the following ones had been relatively fair, although, each time, he’d been forced to punch above his weight, so to speak. But it was something he was used to by now.
For nearly his entire time as a Martial Artist, Roy had been fighting opponents who were stronger than him. It had forced him to grow up quickly, to advance faster than anyone back in the Shah clan thought possible. And here, locked up and forced to fight for his life in the middle of the Windblight, Roy was still facing opponents who should have been able to bury him with little to no trouble.
He refused to die here, and after just two more fights, they would have no choice but to free him. At least, if they wanted to keep up the charade of being honorable and fair.
“What an incredible show!” the announcer said, his voice echoing off the walls. “Now, you might think that today’s fights are over, but we have a returning favorite coming back in just a few minutes! The stage needs to be reset, so go grab yourself some concessions and place your bets!”
“You know, you might want to consider asking for a healing when those guards show up,” Xu said as the stage began moving.
“And I’m beginning to wonder if you’re somehow on their side,” Roy said as he continued cycling his Essence.
His wounds were no longer bleeding, though the cuts were still very much there. He was in a great deal of pain, and just about every part of his body hurt. Still, so long as he could move and had Essence or Qi in his Core, he could fight.
“Hey, I’m just looking out for you,” Xu said, holding his hands up. “I’m sure you’ve noticed how many times you’ve fought today and how many we have. You need to ask for healing, or else you’ll die!”
“Here’s a bit of advice,” Roy said, slowly uncurling his legs. “Everyone dies. It’s just a matter of when and how. I can either die in this cage after spending months or years locked away. Or I can die out there in the arena, fighting for my freedom. I’ve spent my entire life as a slave, forced to do other people’s work, and got punished constantly. I refuse to be shackled again. So, if you tell me to take their help again, I might just be inclined to ask the guards to partner us up to make for a more interesting show.”
“Hey, calm down. I was just trying to help,” Xu said, chuckling nervously.
“Don’t,” Roy said, then closed his eyes to continue cycling.
15
Kaeru was glad he’d made it in time. Even if Aika was a bit beat up, and the man floating in the middle of a chaotic pool of energy looked to be getting the same, neither of them were dead yet. The ferret he’d saved back in Light City seemed to be the least damaged, which was good because he quite liked her. She had a beautiful spirit, one that he’d rarely come across in anyone, be they human or Beast.
“Cutting it pretty close there, aren’t you?” he asked, half-turning to see Violet stepping back from her deceased clan member.
Though he wouldn’t say so out loud, Kaeru was impressed. For someone of her age to be so advanced was nothing short of incredible, and everyone in the Crater had thought he was a prodigy.
“What are you doing here?”
Kaeru looked down as Aika, the girl he’d come out here to save, grabbed his attention. He was a bit surprised when he noticed the color of her Belt.
Blue already. It looks like the future of the Tonde clan may very well be in her hands, he thought as he extended a hand to help her up.
“Oh, I was just in the neighborhood and happened to notice this group attacking you. Shame on them, by the way, attacking people so far below their own advancement. They should be ashamed.”
It was clear that Aika wasn’t satisfied with his answer, but seeing as the others were moving in on him, he didn’t really have much time to explain.
“We’ll talk more when these lovely people leave,” he said. “After all, we can’t have them butting in on family business.”
Violet moved to stand beside him, pulling her sword from its sheath and glaring at her clanmates.
“Leave,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “This is your only warning.”
There were still a dozen fighters remaining to oppose them, all of them between the high Purples and low Golds, meaning that Kaeru and Violet were horribly outmatched. Still, after seeing the brutal murder of their comrades, as well as one of the clan heads, they hesitated.
“What are you doing here, Violet?” one of them demand
ed, taking a step forward.
He was a burly man with a 7th Dan Red-Belt around his waist and a line of white streaking his gray hair.
“You should be back in Light City, along with the other clan heads.”
Despite his higher rank, the man was still being respectful, and Kaeru could understand why. He was an older man, already showing signs of age, which meant that he was at the end of his Path despite his lofty rank. Violet, however, was only eighteen and was already on the cusp of advancing to Red. In just a few years, she could outstrip him by an entire Belt, if not more.
“Well, I’m not,” Violet replied. “I’m out here to make sure no one hurts him.”
They all turned to see Hermit’s body. He was covered in small cuts and bruises by now, which was all the twelve of them had managed in the last thirty seconds of going all out.
“But we have orders from the clan leader…” the man began.
“Orders to kill her older brother, the only other Sovereign we have?”
The implications were not lost on any of them. Sure, Ikari had been the leader of the clan for as long as they could remember, but her brother was technically the leader by birthright. And now that he had the strength to back it up, the position should fall to him. Besides, it wasn’t like Ikari was a very popular leader, especially after the disaster with the Cavern Beast. Even so, the people sent here were not so easily swayed.
“Back off,” the man warned. “We’ve been given orders, and we won’t disobey them.”
“Well, we tried diplomacy,” Kaeru said with a shrug. “Now, we do things my way.”
He dashed forward, both hands flashing out and slamming into the center of the man’s chest. He ran his Chakra through the new form, injecting his will and power into the man’s body. It resisted at first, far more than the last fighter’s had, and only proved a partial success for his skill.