Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  He was right of course and I was being wary for no reason. Even though the events of the last few weeks left me with little desire to trust anyone.

  “You’re right, Zen, sorry. I had a dream or vision, I don’t know. I was speaking with Mael- my weapon.”

  “You mean the dark staff? You were talking to the staff?”

  “No, he, it looked like me, an older more dangerous me.”

  “So you were talking to yourself?” A hint of smile crossed his face.

  “This isn’t funny, Zen. That weapon is dangerous.”

  “I know, D. It’s just you know what they say— one of the signs of insanity, having conversations with yourself.” He chuckled.

  “Okay. Okay. Dante,” he said when I didn’t join in the laughter. “What did it say?”

  “The bottom line is that I’m stuck with it.”

  “Meaning?”

  “That unless I’m dead, it’s going to be a part of me.”

  “Kind of a harsh deal there.”

  “Yes I know. Hey, where’s Meja?”

  “Owl sent me to see if you were awake and to ‘collect you’ as he says. They are in the main training areas.”

  “Areas?”

  “Yeah, this place is extensive. I don’t know how they have been able to stay down here and not be discovered. They have extended the abandoned station into living quarters, training areas, an armory and some other areas I didn’t get to see.”

  After using the bathroom which was interesting without a mirror – it made shaving an adventure – “Okay, let’s go do this,” I said.

  Zen walked ahead of me through the corridors. He was right; the place was a labyrinth of corridors. He led me down several passageways which as I followed the pattern seemed to lead ever inward. Don’t ask me how I knew that, it was the impression I felt from the space, like we were going ever deeper and in. We finally arrived at a large door. It seemed that everything was done in extra-large down here.

  “Here you are, Dante.”

  “You’re not coming in?”

  “Not this way, no. Owl said that this was your way in and your path to walk, only you.”

  “I see.”

  “I trust him, Dante. I don’t know why but I do.”

  “I wish I shared your conviction.”

  He stood back as if deciding something then stepped forward, encasing me in his arms with a tremendous bear hug. “Zen, I need air.” He laughed then turned serious as he released me and my ribs sighed in relief.

  “Dante, do what you need to do but don’t allow them to force you into anything.”

  “Thanks, Zen.”

  He turned and walked down the corridor. Pulling open the door revealed a large training area. Around every wall were racks containing weapons of every type. In the center of the room was a large tré. It was easily twice the size of the one Sylk had. Around the outer ring were symbols inscribed into the floor. Each symbol had a faint golden glow to it. Each ring of the tré was a deep red material that looked like ruby. I couldn’t imagine how difficult or costly it would be to create three ruby circles of that size. And in the center of the tré stood Owl. He was the only other person in the training area. He beckoned to me to enter the tré, of which I was wary, since the last time I entered a tré, my life was in danger shortly thereafter. I crossed the threshold of the outer circle and felt the rush of energy close around me. I looked back and saw that the symbols now flared a brighter gold. I turned to look at Owl, my stomach clenching.

  “Let’s begin,” he said.

  I stepped into the innermost circle of the tré, facing Owl.

  “In the past, you needed to feel threatened or in mortal danger in order to manifest your weapon.”

  “How did you know?”

  “Fear is one of the most powerful emotions involved in chi manipulation. It is also the most dangerous.”

  “Why is it so dangerous? Not that I’m disagreeing.” The memory of what I almost did to Mara flashed in my mind.

  “When a weapon is manifested out of fear, it becomes almost impossible to control.” That sounded about right as I thought back to the control Maelstrom exerted when present.

  “So rather than threaten you with death, let’s pursue a different method,” said Owl.

  Anything that didn’t involve my death —perceived or otherwise—was great in my opinion. I looked around for Meja or Zen or anyone else for that matter. Owl must have sensed my apprehension.

  “We are alone here, and the tré is sequenced to obstruct any curious eyes.”

  I nodded.

  “Now focus, control your breath.”

  I did as he said. “Now, carefully look. You will see that your weapon lies just beneath the surface, in this case, in your fear or anger. Take a look.”

  It felt like forever before I sensed the energy that was Maelstrom. Once I touched on it, it recoiled at first. Then it embraced me like a lover. I was completely enveloped by this presence that was me and not me.

  “There, Dante, that’s it. Surrender to it, let it fully manifest.”

  I dove headlong into the sensation; it was raw with power, primal, feral. It coursed through my body. I gave myself over to it, but this was different than the last time, I had control. I looked down to my hands as the short staff materialized, a slice of ebony covered in blood red symbols. My voice however was deeper, raspier. Two voices, one overlaid the other. Maelstrom was fully present but I retained control. How was this possible? Then I looked at Owl and saw that sweat covered his brow and I knew he was making it possible. He smiled and spoke with some effort.

  “It is quite the formidable weapon you possess, Dante.”

  He was going to get himself killed! For what? As if reading, my mind, he said. “I’m in no danger from you or your weapon. Dante, banish your fear, it has no place here.” He swept his left arm in a semi-circle in front of his body. As he finished his arc, a faint glow took shape and coalesced into a long sword hovering before him. The hilt was in front of his face, while the blade itself reached almost to the floor. A golden light ran the length of the blade. Maelstrom leapt in my hands, anxious to attack.

  “Unleash it, Dante, I know you want to attack, let it.” In an instant I was on him, driving Maelstrom in what I thought was surely a killing blow: an overhead strike descending directly on his head. His sword angled just enough to deflect the strike. A shield! Owl looked at me and a smile danced in his eyes.

  “Good I see you are serious. Let’s see if we can harness that weapon, Dante.” I had no idea what he was talking about; it was all I could do to not lose rational thought to this thing in my hands. Owl brought his hands together in a universal form of prayer and closed his eyes. Too late for prayer, I thought. Slowly I stepped around him, looking for an opening. Every time I shifted, the sword protecting him shifted. Slowly, imperceptibly, the air quality shifted. The hair on my arms stood on end and the tré felt charged with energy. Owl remained motionless and then I saw them. The orbs. At first it was two slowly rotating around Owl, then four, then eight. each time dividing and multiplying, until Owl was the center of a small universe. They had started out large and gradually gotten smaller with each split and now were the size of small grapes. I couldn’t count how many floated lazily around him. Then he opened his eyes and they stopped moving.

  “These orbs are not explosive; they are what I would call percussive. I suggest you avoid them, if you can.”

  It was like saying I should dodge a bullet.

  A swarm of the small orbs raced towards me as I held Maelstrom before me. This was not going to end well. The first one hit me with the force of a truck. Immediately I was glad the orbs were the size of grapes. It knocked the wind out of me and doubled me over.

  “Dante, you must see with your entire being. Stop relying on your eyes.” Easy for him to say, he didn’t have a mob of mini explosive grapes – sorry non explosive – percussive, grapes flying at him.

  “You’re getting hit because you still ha
ven’t surrendered to the weapon. You are fighting on two fronts, internal and external and it’s costing you,” he said as more orbs came my way.

  The orbs buzzed by my head like angry bees. I was getting a solid peppering and the bruises were starting to show. He wanted me to surrender to Maelstrom but not lose control. How was I supposed to do that?

  “Thinking too much, Dante,” Owl said as a group of five orbs smacked into my left side. It felt like my ribs were cracked as I brought Maelstrom too late, to defend myself. I was getting angry. Angry for being in this situation. Angry at my Sensei for sending me to this school and crazy promotion. What was Sensei Wei thinking? Angry at being hunted like some animal. Angry at the constant tests. I was done. Something in me let go and released.

  “Finally, child,” said the voice in my head.

  I ran to the edge of the tré, orbs in hot pursuit. I stopped short of the edge and turned. Maelstrom glowed in my hand.

  “Cesare,” I heard my voice overlaid by another. Everything stopped. The orbs floated a few inches from me, pregnant with the promise of pain. I walked past, careful not to touch any. As I stopped past the last of the group, they sped up and slammed into the edge of the tré. I had dodged them!

  “Very good, Dante.”

  I knew it wasn’t me, but Maelstrom.

  “I know you think that you had nothing to do with that. Remember your weapon can only function within the context of you as its vessel. This is its greatest strength and greatest weakness. It is only as powerful as you allow it to be.”

  I was beginning to understand. Even though the energy of what was Maelstrom existed independently of me, it required my energy, my chi, to manifest. Without me as a conduit, there was no way it could manifest. Once manifest, its expression, power and intent were subject to my level of control. As this realization dawned on me, I felt a shift occur within. Maelstrom glowed and all the red symbols transformed to a deep gold. The anger was gone. In its place there was stillness, a peace.

  “Now you are ready, Dante.” Owl grabbed his sword and stepped towards me, a cloud of orbs trailing him. He was grinning fiercely and I found much to my surprise that so was I. He was a blur. As his sword sliced through the air, I could swear the air itself split and made room for the blade. It was that sharp.

  Barely blocking his first lateral slice, I felt incredibly outclassed.

  “Excellent!” he roared. With a thought, another swarm of orbs raced to pummel me, followed close behind by Owl. How would I evade both?

  “Stop thinking, Dante! Let yourself feel what your weapon wants to do. Listen to it.”

  Easy to say when you aren’t the one being attacked. Wait, he could be. I could use the orbs as a distraction. Rather than run from them, I could run towards them and Owl! I changed tactics and direction and headed towards the impending swarm of pain. At the last second, I rolled forward to come face to face with Owl, who was still smiling. He lunged with his sword and I, with Maelstrom’s help, parried sending him slightly off balance. As we locked weapons, I was conscious of the orbs coming at my back. As I shifted right, I allowed him to step forward into the swarm. He released his sword, which immediately reverted to shield duty and deflected the orbs. That gave me about two seconds.

  It was all I needed. I lunged forward with Maelstrom, hitting Owl in his ribs. For a split second, the thought of consuming him crossed my mind, and then it was gone.

  The word vortejodairo that escaped my lips was unintelligible to me but Owl’s eyes opened wide. He encased himself in what appeared to be a golden sphere and then pulled me in with him. Then he looked up expectantly, sweat beading on his forehead. The orbs all vanished.

  “Owl, what—”

  He silenced me with his hand and began creating symbols in the air that glowed then faded.

  “You summoned a vortex that will devastate this area very shortly.” He shook his head. “You are full of surprises!” I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary and told him so.

  “We are in its eye. Would you like to see what’s happening?”

  “Yes, I would.”

  I was about to step out of the sphere, when the first large block flew by me and slammed into and opposite wall disintegrating into dust.

  “Still want to see?”

  “No,” I said, visibly shaken. “I think it’s safer in here.”

  “In that assessment, you are correct.”

  “What is going on out there? You said there was a vortex.”

  “Yes, but what you created, is something I have not seen in many years, since I was learning my basic skills and my master summoned this. I still don’t know how you knew – Ah yes, it makes sense, your weapon. It is called Maelstrom, is it not?”

  I remained silent; stunned that he had guessed its name.

  “How did you - ?”

  “Dante, never reveal that name to anyone.”

  He looked so serious I took a step back and almost stepped out of sphere.

  “Promise me, Dante, on your life.”

  “On my life?”

  “Yes, you must never reveal this weapon’s name to anyone, ally or enemy.”

  “But some of them know it already.”

  “I will take care of that. Can you give me your word? I realized what he was asking, he was asking for a word of bond.”

  “I promise, Owl, to never reveal the name of this weapon even if it means my life.”

  He visibly relaxed the slightest bit.

  “Okay, so what’s going on? What’s out there and how is this vortex with no air?”

  “What you see, or rather don’t see, is an energy vortex swirling around made up of chi that would shred us completely.”

  “But the tré –“

  “Cannot withstand that kind of power, look.” He pointed to the floor and I saw the symbols of the tré were getting dimmer by the second.

  “In seconds, the tré will fail and then we only have this,” he said as he pointed to the sphere.

  I looked around; all of the symbols were not only going out but slowly being erased.

  “Will it hold?”

  “I don’t intend on finding out. Come, help me.” He placed both his hands on the floor beneath us.

  “Focus your chi downwards, through the floor. When I tell you, release it. Understand?” I nodded. With the tré failing, a hum was growing louder and louder outside the sphere.

  “Now!”

  I unleashed my chi that had been gathering like a coiled spring, towards the floor. Owl seemed to have caught it, amplified it and directed it, creating an opening in the center of the tré.

  “In you go.” He pushed me in and I fell for what felt like ten to fifteen feet before landing in something soft. Owl landed beside me and I saw we were in the sunken circle he first greeted us in. I noticed it was roughly the same size as the tré above us.

  “Now what?”

  “Now we wait. That type of vortex is notoriously hard to stop, since it feeds on energy, much like a hurricane needs warm water. Once it exhausts the latent energy in the tré, it should dissipate.”

  “How long will that be?”

  Owl thought for a moment. “Well, it’s a practice tré, so not too much energy is stored in it. So I would guess four or five.”

  “Hours?” I asked hopeful.

  Owl looked at me and then sealed the opening we had created through six feet of concrete with what looked like a golden bubble.

  “Days.”

  I sat on the floor – stunned.

  “How? I’m sorry.”

  “Nonsense!” He sat down next to me and got comfortable. “You have been given a great gift, or curse. It all depends on your point of view. Your weapon is one of the weapons thought lost, one of the three wielded by Lucius and his two guardians.”

  I didn’t want to ask, but I had to, even though I knew the answer before I asked the question.

  “Which weapon did Lucius wield?”

  Owl looked at me and the staff in my hand. “W
ell, in his day it had a blade on the end and it was considerably longer, but I will never forget that vortex. The name of his weapon was Maelstrom.”

  BIRD IN HAND

  THE DAYS PASSED and the vortex dissipated. Owl, to facilitate my control of Maelstrom, trained me in chi control.

  “You won’t be able to stay here long, Dante. Eventually they will come here for you. You pose too great a threat.”

  I knew he was referring to the Black Lotus.

  “At some point, you will take a life.” He raised his hand as I started to protest.

  “It will happen and when it does, you will need this.” Suspended on a silver and gold chain hung what looked like a mini tré.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s called a soul catcher. If you are wearing this when you take a life, the essence flows into this.”

  I looked at the pendant. The outer ring was red, the middle ring, a deep blue, the center ring was a deep gold and in the center was a clear gem like quartz. They seemed to hang suspended without any form of attachment or structure to hold them in place.

  “If the center ring ever turns black, touch it to Maelstrom. It will do the rest.”

  “What happens if I take a life—”

  “Not if, but when, Dante.”

  “Okay, what happens when I take a life and I don’t have this on?”

  “Then you must decide what kind of bond you will have with your weapon. This will allow you some time before having to make that choice. Mind you, the choice will have to be made, Dante, eventually. Do you understand this?”

  “I do.”

  “You must travel to the Akashic records to find a syllabist. You need one to help you master the words of power so you don’t repeat the vortex, unintentionally.”

  “Where do I find the records?”

  “The entrance is rumored to be on the lowest level of the South Watch.” Owl was nodding his head. It was Meja.

  “So it would seem, but first you must navigate the defenses there and I only know of one warrior who has been able to bypass them and survive.”

  Meja turned away, her jaw clenched. By this time, Zen had joined us. I looked from Owl to Meja.