“Does every warrior need a guardian or vice versa?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s a matter of need but more of complements of each other. Each warrior is considered as such because their talent deems it so. The guardians exist to make sure the warrior fulfills his duty and the same goes from the other side. In the pairing, the roles blend into each other.”
“So the guardian becomes the warrior and the warrior the guardian?” I asked.
“Something like that,” he said.
I still didn’t see why this ritual was so dangerous and said as much.
“A pairing is the forming of a bond. If either of the two being paired is not ready mentally or physically, the outcome can be quite disastrous. Usually it ends in some kind of psychotic break and is almost always fatal.”
“How long does it usually take to get a person ready?” I asked, realizing we had two months.
“Usually a year.” Devin looked at me, as if assessing what he should say next. “You don’t have to do this, Dante. You can always help in another capacity. You know we always need good instructors.”
I sat there for a few moments in silence, giving it thought.
“I feel like this is what I’m supposed to do,” I said.
Devin sighed. “I’m glad that was your answer.”
“Why?” I looked at him.
“Maybe one day I’ll tell you, but right now we have to cram a year’s worth of training into two months, so we have no time to waste!” Devin said with a smile.
TRAINING
THE TRAINING WAS grueling. Each day we awoke at five in the morning, regardless of how late we were training the day before. The first week we drilled basics, relentlessly, and when I thought I could go no further, Devin would find a way to push me even more. The second week, Devin began introducing training partners.
“I know you are used to having partners to spar against,” Devin said. “That is not what we are trying to achieve here. You will learn to use your guardian as a shield, so that together you can be a devastating force.” Together with my partner, Devin would put us through drills. The first was a sense drill, where I had to know where my partner was at all times, especially in the heat of battle. Needless to say I failed this drill repeatedly.
“You can’t just focus on what’s going on in front of you, Dante.” I turned to see my guardian getting swarmed by opponents. Once again I had gone off to fight my own battle, leaving my training partner alone.
“You do this out there and you get to see him die, right before you do,” said Devin. I ran over to my current partner only to find that he had been ‘killed’ by his opponents. “You never leave your guardian alone, Dante. That is the first tactic that will be used on the both of you. It’s the reason for more deaths in the first year of being a warrior, than anything else. Remember, it’s not divide and conquer. It’s divide and destroy.”
After three days of that, I had gone through six training partners and was pretty disgusted with myself. Devin must have seen my look of disgust and woke me extra early on the fourth day.
“Let’s go, Dante. I know you think you are doing horribly, but I hear your fellow students aren’t doing too much better.”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“We are going to the guardians’ training arena. Marcus will be heading the training. Now you will see the other side, where the guardian tries to position him or herself so that the warrior can do what he or she does best.”
We entered a large training arena, very similar to the one I had been training in for the last week and a half. The wooden floors gleamed with sweat.
“You see, Dante. Their job is to keep you alive. If they fail, they know that death is certain. Even though they can withstand immense amounts of damage, they are not invincible. Sooner or later, every guardian falls without a warrior.”
The guardians were being drilled in protecting their respective warriors. At some point, each guardian was making a fatal error, which left their warrior exposed and eventually dead as a result.
I saw Zen fighting off a group of five opponents while his warrior ran off to meet another threat. It was the same trap I fell for several times. While the warrior met the ‘threat’, another group was working its way towards Zen. I looked at Devin, “That guardian is going to get swarmed and killed.”
“You’re probably right —if only he had a warrior who could help him—.” He looked at me. “You know anyone?”
“Yes, I do,” I said as I ran towards Zen.
I noticed Marcus looked towards Devin. Devin’s nod was almost imperceptible.
I fought my way to Zen, dodging blows as best I could and “dispatching” my enemies by attacking the vital points that registered on our uniforms. When we received enough attacks, our uniform would switch color to indicate death. White was undamaged, blue was slightly injured, yellow was moderately injured, and red was dead. If you ‘died’, you were instructed to remain where you fell to create a sense of realism and an obstacle for the remaining fighters. My uniform was white, because I had not trained yet this morning. Zen’s uniform was a light blue indicating he had taken some damage. He saw me and grinned as he evaded one strike and sent another student flying with a side kick.
I stood out like a white splash of paint in a rainbow. This made me an immediate target. I sidestepped a kick aimed for my chest and responded with three rapid short fist strikes, which effectively disabled my attacker.
Zen sidled up beside me. We were one of the few remaining pairs left.
“Think sword and shield, Dante. Remember I’m here to make sure you stay in one piece.”
“If you fall then we both die, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve seen so far. I can take more damage than you pretty-boy warriors.” He laughed.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Okay big guy. What’s the objective?”
“Take a look over there.” He motioned with his head. I turned in the direction only to see a lone monitor dressed in blue. She was surrounded by an impressive group of students. It looked more like a wall than a group of students.
“You mean the great wall of students around the monitor?”
“Yep, we are to liberate and deliver the monitor over there.” He pointed to an archway and a circle on the far side of the arena. In the doorway, stood one figure, waiting.
“Who’s that?” Somehow the one figure seemed more intimidating than the human wall guarding the monitor. He was dressed in black looked like a shadow.
“Oh, that’s just Michael.” He grinned. Knowing the answer before I asked, I asked anyway.
“Are we delivering to Michael, or through him?”
“Look around and tell me what you think.”
“I’m guessing through. It’s through, right?
“Got it in one, D.”
We were getting more attention as we dispatched several more groups. Two pairs had made a run at the ‘wall’ only to be crushed mercilessly. There were only eight to ten pairs left. A group of five attackers came at us. I stood in front of Zen.
“Let’s change this up Zen, you be the sword. I’ll be the shield.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to pick your body up from the ground, cold and lifeless.”
I laughed. “They won’t kill me if they can’t touch me. Besides I’m the one protecting you.”
“Okay, I’m with you, this should be fun.”
“We use them to get through the wall. Follow me!” We both ran towards the protected monitor with five attackers behind us. Two of the other pairs were free and were running ahead of us. As I got closer to the wall, I stopped in my tracks and dropped into pushup position, creating a horizontal obstacle. Two of the attackers tripped over me and because I was so close to the wall, into the students protecting the monitor. This created the opening we needed. Zen rushed in and kicked one student into another causing a confusion, which I was able to exploit. I leapfrogged over another student and reached
the monitor. Getting her out would be much harder.
Zen grabbed another student and flung him away from us.
“Over here!” he yelled. I ran for the opening he created with the monitor in tow. The good thing was that she was fighting alongside us, the bad was that we would soon be overrun by the other attackers. I needed time and a distraction.
“Zen we need a diversion! Get me one of the women from the other teams!” Zen whistled a high piercing sound that filled the arena. I thought, Great, so he can whistle. How is that going to help us?
No sooner did I have that thought did I hear a commotion in front of us on my right. Attackers were dropping at a rapid pace. In the center of it all were two diminutive women who looked like dancers. One had jet black hair, the other shockingly white, so much so that her hair almost glowed. They stood barely five feet tall; their thin bodies barely filling their uniforms which I noticed were white as well. What really made me pause was their speed. I could barely follow their hands and legs as they struck. One moment they were in front of an attacker, the next, the attacker went flying or crumpled to the ground. They ran over to Zen, who towered over the two.
“This is Kalysta and Valeria. I call them Kal and Val,” said Zen. They both smiled at me, and it was then I saw that they were indeed twins. Aside from the hair, they had the same tan skin and subtle Asian features, though it was apparent they weren’t entirely Asian. I took off the monitor’s blue robe and gave it to Kal or Val – I wasn’t sure. “I need you to go in any direction that isn’t near us.”
They both laughed. “We can do that,” said Kal.
“This will be fun,” said Val.
The monitor stood in a white uniform and blended in with the rest of us. Kal and Val ran away from us, drawing a large group with them, including most of the wall. Zen and I headed towards Michael. The monitor was a young woman with piercing blue eyes and long blonde hair, tied into a ponytail. She was about my height and I could tell from her physique she trained often. She had a strong jaw line and high cheekbones.
“What’s your name?” I didn’t want to keep referring to her as the victim or monitor.
“My name is Anna,” she answered as we ran to where Michael stood. I thought I caught a slight Russian or Eastern European accent.
“Okay Anna, I’m Dante and this is Zen. Can you tell us anything about this Michael?”
“Very dangerous warrior. It’s a good thing he is alone.” Then she cursed under her breath, in a language I didn’t need to understand, to get the sentiment. In the archway where Michael stood, a figure emerged. I stopped short. This figure loomed over Michael and stood behind him. He had to be around seven feet tall and he filled most of the archway.
“Who or what is that?” I asked incredulously.
“That is Mouro. He is Michael’s guardian,” Zen answered.
“Can he even move? The guy is so huge.”
As if to answer my question, a pair of the surviving “Liberators” made it to the archway. Before I could blink, Mouro was on them, having had produced a staff as if from thin air and batted away the pair with what seemed little or no effort.
“This mission just became much harder, Dante,” Zen said.
“As long as I make it through the archway alive and to the circle, your mission is a success,” said Anna.
“What we need are weapons,” I said.
“Conventional weapons will not work for long against those two,” said Anna. “Both their weapons are chi weapons.”
My face must have held a look of “What?” I was about to say as much when Zen spoke.
“If I create a chi shield can we get close enough to get you through?”
Chi weapons and chi shields, I felt like I had stepped into some kind of martial arts fantasy.
“How long can you hold it intact?” Anna asked.
“On a good day, about ten seconds. This is not a good day, so I’m going to say five seconds max.”
“Will this shield stop every attack?” I needed to know how effective it would be.
“Yeah, it will. But once it’s down so am I, D. You will be on your own.”
“Can you guarantee me five seconds, Zen?”
“Yeah, no more though. I just learned this technique.”
“Fine, we can do this.” I turned to Anna. “Our only criteria is to get you through the archway and to the circle alive, right?”
“Correct.”
“Okay, let’s go. Zen, when Mouro attacks, you hit the shield, got it?”
“Then what?”
“I’ll take care of the rest. Anna, you stay close to me, got it?”
“Got it.”
My plan was simple. We would rush Michael and Mouro, use Zen’s shield to get us to the end of the archway and make sure Anna got through somehow. Hell of a plan. As we approached Michael and Mouro it seemed as if we had crossed a threshold. The other students were no longer intent on attacking us. I felt we had a breather.
“Be wary of Michael, he is the more dangerous of the two,” Anna whispered as we made our way towards the archway. In the distance, I could see Devin and Marcus standing side by side focused on us. I took a deep breath and signaled to Zen and Anna.
“Go!”
We broke into a dead run, moving fast, faster than I had ever moved. Adrenaline coursing through my veins made my vision tight. Zen ran beside me, his face drawn in concentration. Anna kept pace with us. It felt like we were flying. The archway loomed ahead. Mouro, standing in it and filling the space, faced us. A smile crossed his lips. He readied his staff, as it slowly hummed with his chi. An orange glow faintly enveloped the staff and travelled up his arms, as if connected to him. In a strict sense it was, since it was a weapon created of chi energy. I wondered what would happen if that circuit was broken. As we got closer I could hear them speaking to each other.
“These are mine, Michael,” Mouro rumbled.
“I don’t know Mo.” Michael used the nickname that usually resulted in something being broken for anyone else but him. “They got past everyone and they have the monitor.” Mouro’s eyes narrowed, as realization crept in.
He laughed and it filled the arena.
“Yes they do. I didn’t recognize her.”
“It doesn’t matter, Michael. They may be clever, but now they are mine.”
“Are you ready, Zen?” I asked as we headed straight for Mouro. “They know we have the monitor.”
Realizing the greater threat came from Michael. We would create a diversion with Mouro and use the ensuing chaos to get Anna across. Like I said, hell of a plan and the best I could come up with on the fly. We were ten feet from Mouro when I signaled Zen.
“Now!” I yelled.
Zen uttered a word under his breath and time shifted into slow motion. There was an audible whoosh and it felt as if the air had been sucked out and away from us. We were surrounded by a violet blue sphere as we slammed into Mouro. Despite his size, he was not prepared for the sudden impact of the chi shield.
“What the—a chi shield? He said as he was launched to the side by the impact. His smile was gone. I looked at Zen, who was drenched in sweat. There was a collective gasp from the bystanders as they saw Mouro flying sideways. He recovered quickly, landing on his feet on the far side of the floor, without a sound, which surprised me considering his size. I turned to Michael who was now smiling. “Very clever: separating us.” I nodded, conscious of the fact that Mouro was heading back. Then I realized he couldn’t cross the threshold without the monitor; now that she had passed the designated area, it was sealed off. I sighed a breath of relief, which was short lived when Zen collapsed to one knee.
“Zen!”
“I… think… I’m about done, D,” he panted. Each step he took, harder than the last. Michael simply stepped back, giving the shield a wide berth. I don’t know why it had launched Mouro as if he were a feather but I sort of wished it would do the same to Michael. Michael, clearly impressed, examined the dwindling chi shield…
“Not only a chi shield,” he said admiringly, “but one with a repulsor component interlaced? Quite advanced.” Michael gave the shield some extra space.
Zen had stopped walking, falling to the floor. “Who is your senior, Guardian?” Zen almost unconscious, muttered, “Marcus” then passed out. We were about four feet from where we needed to be. I cursed silently under my breath. “Well, that makes sense,” said Michael.
“Don’t be disappointed, Dante, is it?” He knew my name? “No one has gotten this far, ever. And no junior has ever passed the archway with the monitor to complete the objective.”
That’s when it hit me, like a rush.
“You may be right, Michael,” I said, checking my anger at being spoken down to. I felt the adrenaline surge mix with my anger. It coalesced in my hands and when I looked down I held a short staff. It looked and felt real enough. When I moved it, it felt unnaturally light. I didn’t know how I was doing it, only that I needed some kind of weapon.
“You are full of surprises.” He smiled but his eyes were serious.
I really didn’t like where this was going. I had no extensive experience using a short staff or jo. The last time I held one I ended up unconscious myself.
“How long do you think you can keep it intact, I wonder?” He was goading me.
“Long enough,” I hissed. Even as I said the words, I felt my strength ebbing from me. I had only one chance. Anna was next to me as I inched closer to Michael, a new respect in his eyes as the staff gleamed a dark red. I had no clue what I was doing, I only knew Anna had to get across and to the circle, and Michael was in the way. This was falling apart fast and the floor began to tilt beneath me.
“Let’s go, Anna,” I said.
“I don’t think so.” He stood to block our path just as I expected.
With my remaining strength, I lunged at him, which he parried effortlessly. The clash of our weapons sent jolts of electricity up my arm. Almost dropping my short staff, I brought my right leg up in a circular round house kick, but as I kicked in an effort to remove his head, he simply ducked. I smiled. Since I had not connected, I kept my leg going, which increased my momentum. I continued turning into a back kick. My foot landed squarely on Anna’s back. She had anticipated the kick and was moving forward, my kick adding the push she needed to cross the threshold. She flew the remaining two feet past Michael. Michael yelled as he slashed at me. His blow broke through my staff and into my side. The pain was excruciating as I crashed to the floor, momentarily losing consciousness. As I lay on the floor, I turned my head to see Anna safe on the other side in the circle. The room was in an uproar as students ran towards us, now that the threshold barrier had dropped. Michael, sword now gone, looked down at me with a smile that held something more— respect, maybe?
Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy Page 4