by Aaron Oster
Violet fidgeted for a few moments but eventually nodded as well.
“I’ll join you, too. It’s not like I can go back to the clan now that I’ve basically become a traitor. So, who exactly are we going to rescue?”
“A boy from the Herald clan,” Hermit said without preamble. “His name is Roy.”
17
“Another stunning victory for Choi! What a way to end the day’s fights, ladies and gentlemen, and what an absolute beast! This man has managed five fights in a row! I have never seen anything like this before!”
Roy stood at the center of the arena, blood dripping from dozens of wounds as he gasped for breath. His Core was all but empty, and the world was coming in and out of focus. The cheers of the crowd were oddly muffled, but through all the pain and discomfort, only one thing registered in his mind. He’d done it.
This last fight had been the toughest he’d ever faced, and in truth, he’d won on pure dumb luck. He’d been pitted against a Beast, and had the creature – a hedgehog who was able to spit fire – not stumbled over a crack in the ground, he’d have lost without a doubt. But he had won, and now, here he stood, his so-called debt repaid and his freedom assured.
He looked up, seeing that the box where the thin man had been sitting was now conspicuously empty. It seemed the leader couldn’t stomach the fact that Roy had won. That, more than anything else, made Roy feel victorious.
“We’re alive,” Geon said, his voice laced with disbelief.
Although Roy felt the same, there was no way in hell he was going to admit as much to the pompous Core. So, instead, he gloated.
“I told you so,” he said, swaying on his feet and grinning widely.
“That’s all for today, ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer continued before Geon could retort. “Come back next week if you wish to see more of Choi, the Demon of the arena!”
Roy snorted as he was seized by the guards and forcibly marched back to the cell. No one was going to see ‘Choi’ fight again because he was going free.
“So, when do I get out?” he asked as one of the guards unlocked the cell while the other kept a solid grip on his arm.
Neither of them answered, shoving him in wordlessly before following. The others moved aside quickly as the guard marched past, unlocking the second cell door and standing back. Without a word, the others filed in—all except for Roy.
“When are you letting me out?” he asked again, crossing his arms.
The guards didn’t reply, and when he refused to enter the cell, they just threw him in, slamming the gate shut behind him and locking it. Roy shot to his feet and was about to grab the bars when he remembered that it wouldn’t be a wise course of action. He slumped to the ground, folding his legs and trying to ignore the pain.
“That was amazing!” Xu exclaimed, as he and the others surrounded him, looks of awe in their eyes.
“I’ve never seen anyone pay off their debt before, especially not in one day,” Noko said, her voice sounding awed. “I can’t believe you did it!”
Roy just grunted in reply, trying to concentrate on the Essence in the arena. His Core was severely depleted, and he needed to start replenishing what he’d lost. He’d need to start weaving new Qi as well, as he was completely out. One good thing had come from all the fighting, and it was Roy’s understanding of his new Qi. He’d had a breakthrough when he’d been running for his life from the hedgehog, and Roy was almost certain he could start incorporating Qi into a technique.
Seeing as he was ignoring them, the others eventually dispersed, moving away to chatter amongst themselves as the cell lurched once more. Roy continued pulling Essence from the arena until they were too far away for him to reach it, then began cycling and refining. It was only due to his massive capacity that he’d managed to pull through, so it would be necessary to get all he could before he was turned back out into the Windblight.
His stomach was rumbling, his mouth was parched, and he was in serious need of both food and water. But he knew that if he even had so much as a drop of either, that the Inu clan would enslave him all over again.
“They’re not going to let you go, you know.”
Roy cracked an eye to see the last person he’d expected to be talking to him. Marrie, the only one who hadn’t come to congratulate him, and the one he’d pegged as the least friendly, just by her demeanor, was standing over him with her arms crossed. Up close, she looked just a bit older than he’d originally thought, definitely not twelve, so probably closer to fourteen. Her body just looked so girlish that he’d assumed she was younger.
Her facial features and the look in her eyes told a different story, though. She was just a late bloomer then, nothing out of the ordinary. It was what she said that had grabbed his attention most of all, though.
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said,” she replied, her eyes narrowing even further.
“And how do you know that?” he asked. “After all, I paid off my debt, so by virtue of their own laws, they have to let me go.”
“Because I paid my debt off nearly a year ago, and I’m still here,” she replied, the note of bitter rage clear in her voice.
Roy was now paying close attention to the girl and could feel anger beginning to well up inside him as well.
“How are they going to do it?”
“They’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse,” she replied simply. “If I were you, I’d take it.”
The implications weren’t lost on him, especially due to the way she phrased it.
“Why warn me?” he asked.
Marrie hesitated, her harsh features softening for just a moment.
“You remind me of someone I know,” she replied.
Before he could ask anything else, she spun sharply on her heel and walked to the opposite side of the cell.
Roy remained where he was, going back to cycle the Essence he’d managed to absorb and thinking about what Marrie had said. Why would he remind her of someone she knew when they’d never met? It wasn’t like he looked similar to anyone he knew, especially with his lighter skin complexion and bulky build.
The cell came to a halt then, sending a shudder through its frame and causing a break in his cycling.
“Choi!” barked a harsh voice, preventing him from going back to it.
Looking over his shoulder, Roy saw a pair of guards standing by the cell door. Neither of them looked happy, and Roy wondered if perhaps Marrie might be wrong. He stood, heading to the door as they opened it and feeling a sense of trepidation. As he passed, Marrie gave him a covert look and shook her head.
He took this action as a sign to keep their conversation to himself, which he’d been planning on doing anyway.
“Do you mind not being so rough?” Roy asked as they seized him by his arms. “I did just spend the entire day beating people up.”
“Oh, we’re sorry,” one of the guards said sarcastically. “Here, how’s this?”
Roy hid a wince as they both squeezed even harder, grinding the bones in his forearms so hard that he feared they might break. He’d taken some heavy injuries throughout the day, and although the pain was muted, it would take several days of cycling to heal himself back into fighting shape. Having these two goons injure him now would only cause complications down the line.
“So, do you mind telling me where we’re going?” he asked as they marched him down the corridor. “Because if you’re going to let me out since I’ve paid my debts and all, I can just find my own way.”
One of them whacked him over the back of his head, causing his vision to fuzz over for a moment. The man was a 5th Dan Blue-Belt, so the blow hurt, especially seeing as Roy had almost nothing left in his Core.
“Hell of a way to treat a free man,” Roy said sarcastically. “The honor of the Inu is well-earned.”
This time, the guard aimed lower, striking the center of his back. Roy’s body jerked forward, pain flaring from his spine at the point of impact.
; “You know, you should really stop provoking them,” Geon said. “You’re only hurting yourself.”
“I can’t help it,” Roy replied, feeling his anger growing. “These people are just as bad as the Shah!”
“Wow, aren’t you two a brave pair?” Roy said, ignoring Geon’s advice. “Two big, strong Blue-Belts, striking an unarmed and injured Green-Belt who can’t even defend himself. Why, you must be the pride of your clan!”
This time, they didn’t hold back.
“Oh, you little rat!” one of them screamed, punching him in the jaw.
Roy had been expecting the blow and had reinforced himself with Essence. It still hurt, but seeing as the angle wasn’t ideal for a powerful punch, it didn’t really do much damage.
“By all means, keep going,” Roy said, working his jaw from side to side. “I’ve met White-Belts who could hit harder than you.”
That was when the man seriously lost it. With a howl of rage, he released his grip on Roy’s arm, then wound up for a powerful attack. Roy felt the other guard seize his arm and pull it behind his back. It seemed the man was going to hold Roy in place while his friend taught him a lesson. Having been in multiple situations like this, Roy already knew what to do.
Back when he’d been powerless, this trick would only work about ten percent of the time. Now that he had power, this was a guaranteed success. Roy waited until the last moment when the guard had committed fully to the attack. Then, right when the blow was about to land, he twisted his body violently to one side, throwing a leg back and catching the other guard off-balance.
This wasn’t a technique and didn’t require even the smallest spec of Essence to use. When he’d had no power, he simply hadn’t had the strength to pull this off. Breaking the grip of a Yellow-Belt or even pulling them off-balance was all but impossible if they were expecting it. Now, though, he had plenty of Essence to spare.
The guard, taken by surprise, was thrown off his feet, Roy’s move putting his face right in the path of the other man’s oncoming fist. There was a meaty thud as the man’s attack landed, followed by a crunching noise. Roy felt something hot and wet spatter across his cheek, even as the guard’s grip was broken.
There was a howl of pain as the two of them crashed to the ground together, leaving Roy to stagger back free of their grip.
“As much as I’d love to stick around,” Roy said, “I’ve really gotta be going.”
“Come now, that would hardly be polite,” a cold voice said as a heavy hand landed on Roy’s shoulder. “After all, you’re our honored guest. We wouldn’t want you to leave before showing you all the hospitality the Inu clan has to offer.”
18
Roy half-turned and saw a man in his middle years standing right behind him. He was thin, his cheeks sunken and his eyes burning with malevolence. Around his waist was a Purple-Belt, complete with six red slashes along one side. This man signified the end of Roy’s very short-lived escape attempt.
“On your feet,” the man said, addressing the two guards who were still untangling themselves.
Roy could now see that one of them had very clearly broken his nose, the appendage twisted at an odd angle. He had blood covering his face and clothes. It had gotten on the other guard’s uniform as well, and despite their obvious rage at the stunt Roy had pulled, as soon as they heard the man’s voice, their rage was replaced by terror. Both guards shot to their feet, their backs quivering and eyes downcast, not daring to meet his gaze.
“Now, how about you explain what happened here?” the man said, his voice hissing out like that of a snake’s.
“The prisoner was acting unruly, sir,” one of them said.
“We tried to calm him down, but he managed to break free and attack us.”
Roy felt his anger flare once more at the blatant lies these two were spouting. But, before he could say anything in his defense, the man spoke.
“Do you really expect me to believe that a single, injured Green-Belt got the better of both of you?”
The guards both gulped audibly but didn’t say anything to defend themselves.
“Go to my office and wait for me there. We’ll discuss your punishment when we’re done with this one.”
The guards didn’t say a thing, bowing quickly to the man before scampering off in terror, presumably to wait for punishment.
“Now, as for you…” the man said, his grip on Roy’s shoulder tightening. “Granite is waiting, and he hates people who are late.”
Roy hid a wince as the man’s fingers dug into his shoulder blade and had little choice but to walk as the man shoved him forward.
“Well, it was worth a try.”
“You’re still too weak,” Geon said. “Why aren’t you stronger?”
“It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose,” he shot back.
“You have me now. You shouldn’t be weak.”
“Oh yeah? And tell me, almighty Dungeon. How am I, a Green-Belt, supposed to defeat a Purple-Belt?”
“How am I supposed to know? I’m not the one running this meat bag, you are!”
Seeing that he was going to get nowhere with the Core, Roy just did what he always did in situations like this. He ignored Geon. That always seemed to work.
They came to the end of the long steel corridor, and the man halted, pulling open a door and shoving him inside. Roy staggered, barely managing to keep himself from crashing into the corner of a desk by catching himself – painfully – instead.
“Finally arrived, have you? What took you so long, Zircon? You know I hate waiting.”
Roy looked up and came face to face with the man from the top box, who was now standing on the other side of the desk. His face was thin and sallow, just like the man who’d escorted him here. He looked a bit younger, although his long black hair was streaked with gray, and there were several deep lines on his forehead.
“I apologize for my lateness, Granite, sir,” Zircon said, closing the door behind him. “There was some trouble with the guards escorting him here, and I had to intervene.”
The lines around Granite’s eyes hardened for a moment before turning his gaze back to Roy.
“I assume they will be dealt with accordingly.”
It was a statement, not a question. Now that Roy was closer to the man, he could clearly see nine brown slashes, meaning that he was on the verge of advancing to the next Belt. Despite that knowledge, Roy stared back at the man evenly. He wasn’t sure where he was getting the courage from. Perhaps it was because he’d already faced down Martial Artists who would chew this man up and spit him out, or maybe it was because he was simply too tired to care. Either way, this man wouldn’t be receiving even a shred of respect from him.
Zircon, though, seemed to take offense at his rude behavior.
“Bow before the Sage, worm! Show him the respect he is due!”
“He’s a Sage?” Roy thought. “I thought Sages were Brown-Belts!”
“Well, technically speaking, Sages are just titles given to Supremes who’ve managed to pass a certain threshold of raw power or talent. The title is generally held anywhere from high Red-Belt, all the way to Gray when someone who achieves mastery over the next form of energy gains the title of Sovereign. However, if one becomes a Sage, the chances of them making it to Sovereign are pretty much a guarantee. There aren’t all that many Sages around, even fewer than the current Sovereigns if I’m not mistaken. So, this guy is probably not someone you want to make mad.”
“I think I’m a bit too late on that front,” Roy replied.
Despite what he now knew about this man, Roy refused to back down or show him even an ounce of respect. Granite had imprisoned him here against his will and made him fight against opponents who should have killed him. It was only due to Hermit’s relentless training and a little bit of dumb luck that he’d even survived.
“Your sheer impudence is astounding,” Granite said when Roy refused to bow. “Had you not earned us so much money today, I would strike you dead where y
ou stand.”
“You’re too generous,” Roy said. “So, I’m assuming you’re going to let me go now? I’ve paid off my debts, so I owe you nothing.”
“Really?” Granite asked, placing his arms behind his back. “Because, the way I see it, you cost us the lives of three of our own.”
Roy cocked an eyebrow, refusing to take the bait.
“Our dear cousin Garnet was fed to the Annihilator, and those two guards who failed to keep you in line,” he paused here for a moment. “Those lives were lost because of you. So, the way I see it, you have one of two choices. You can either pay for their lives with your own or remain alive and keep fighting until you’ve repaid your debts.”
“Wow. Convenient of you to blame those deaths on me,” Roy said, lacing his voice with as much scorn as he could. “You killed Garnet, not me. And last I checked, those two guards were still alive.”
“Ah, I see your point,” Granite said, nodding as though in agreement.
There was a blast of wind, causing Roy to stagger back, holding his hands up to shield his eyes. When he lowered them, Granite was still standing behind the desk, only now, he held the two guards by their necks. They struggled and kicked in vain, unable to free themselves from the Sage’s powerful grip. Tendrils of wind spiraled around their heads, forming a tight seal and not allowing any air in or out.
“Now, as I was saying,” Granite continued, talking as though he weren’t currently smothering two of his own clan members to death. “Three of my clan members were killed because of you. You can either make up those losses by fighting for us. Or…”
He trailed off as the two struggling men went slack in his grip, their bodies twitching spasmodically as he choked the last of the life out of them. Their bodies hit the floor with twin thuds that sounded far too loud in the confined space. The show of force, combined with the corpses lying at his feet, was more than enough to convince Roy that this man would follow through with his threat.
It was the look of complete and utter disdain, the disregard he held for members of his own clan, that really scared Roy. This man was a monster, one who wouldn’t think twice about butchering anyone who got in his way.