by Aaron Oster
Roy hesitated for a moment, looking back to the position of the sun, then mentally shrugged. They’d come this far for answers, why not babysit a cranky old man and do someone a kindness while they were at it?
“You’ve got yourself a deal,” Roy said.
The look of relief on the woman’s face was so extreme that Roy had to wonder what they were getting themselves into. But before he could even think of retracting his offer, the woman was out the door, leaving her shoes behind and rushing toward the market.
Roy and Aika shared a look, then stepped into the house, much to the Elder’s displeasure.
“Damn, she let you in,” he muttered as they closed the door behind them and entered into the main living area.
It smelled of old things and mildew, the area thick with the stench of death. Just by looking at the man, Roy could tell he wasn’t long for this world. In fact, he should have died long ago.
“How in the world are you still alive?” Roy asked before he could stop himself, eliciting a gasp from Aika.
“Spite,” the old man snorted, then tried to spit to the side.
It came out as more of a drooling dribble that dripped down his chin, pooling on top of the piles of blankets.
Disgusting.
“We came here to ask you a few questions—” Roy began, trying to keep his voice pleasant.
“Go stick it where the sun don’t shine, sonny,” the old man snapped. “I’m not telling you anything!”
“Why not?” Roy asked.
“Because I don’t wanna,” the man replied.
Roy ground his teeth together, while Geon cackled in his mind. Apparently, the Dungeon Core found this old bag of bones quite amusing.
“Please,” Aika said, plastering a smile onto her face. “Won’t you consider answering his questions? We’ve traveled a great distance to talk to you.”
“Go try using that pretty face on someone else, missy,” Grendel said. “I’m too old to fall for your tricks.”
Aika blinked, then turned to Roy and gave him a helpless look.
Finally losing his patience, Roy advanced on the old geezer, grabbing him by the front of his robes and dragging him halfway off the ground.
“Listen here…!” he began, but the old man lunged with surprising speed and bit his hand.
Well, he had no teeth, so it wasn’t so much a bite as it was a slimy gumming. It was so disgusting that Roy instantly recoiled, dropping the old man. He cackled as Roy snatched at the corner of one of his blankets to wipe the drool from his fingers, further aggravating him.
“Threats won’t work on me, sonny,” Grendel said as Roy rose back to his full height. “I’m already half-dead, so finishing the job would only be doing me a favor.”
“You really are a horrible old man,” Aika said, the disgust clear in her voice.
“Ha!” the old man barked. “What would you know? I’ve dedicated my life to this damned clan! Married the woman they told me to, had four children who hated me and more grandchildren than I care to know. And what do I get for my service? I get shipped off to this backwater place to live out the rest of my days.”
Whoever had shipped this man here had clearly hated the town. Because no one deserved to have this person’s presence inflicted upon them.
“But guess what?” Grendel continued, whipping a bit of drool from his lips as they curved into an ugly smile. “I’ve outlived them all!”
He started cackling again, which turned into a lung-rattling cough.
“You think that cough will kill him?” Aika muttered.
“If only,” Roy replied.
It seemed there was nothing they could do to get this man to talk because they had no leverage.
“What about the girl who lives with you?” Aika asked as Grendel’s coughing calmed down.
“My great-great-granddaughter,” the old man replied with a dismissive wave of a bony hand. “For some reason, she’s decided to take it upon herself to torture me with her company and endless cheeriness.”
“Use the girl as leverage,” Geon piped up. “Tell him you’ll do horrible things to her if he doesn’t tell you what you want.”
“Bloodthirsty as ever, I see,” Roy replied, but Geon had given him an idea.
“What about her future?” Roy asked.
“What about it?” the old man retorted.
“What will she do once you’re gone? What kind of future will she have after you’ve croaked?”
“Why should I care?” Grendel asked.
Aika stepped forward, but Roy held out a hand to stop her. It was clear that this old man was getting under her skin.
“I’ve sensed her Core. She won’t go much further than where she is now, and seeing as Base-Yellow isn’t exactly considered respectable, there’s no way she’s going to get a good match. If she’s lucky, they’ll marry her off to some nobody and she’ll end up living a life in squalor. Now, I know you hated your children, and apparently, grandchildren as well, but you don’t hate her.”
“Yes, I do,” Grendel said stubbornly. “She’s annoying and never leaves me alone. Constantly singing and humming to herself, always bringing in those blasted flowers, and constantly opening windows. I hate her.”
“No, you don’t,” Roy said, reaching into his new pack and removing a Base Blue Fire Core and holding it up to the old man.
It shone with such brilliance, that it lit up the interior of the darkened house, painting the withered old man in harsh lines.
“Now, I bet that if she used this Core, it would boost her cultivation all the way to Green, so long as she passes the tests. If she does that, then she’ll be able to marry into the head family at the very least and possibly even get a match with the clan’s successor. Or maybe she’ll even be named as the successor herself.”
Roy placed the Core down on the table before the old man as his eyes widened to the size of saucers. Living in the Waterwood all his life, he’d likely never even seen a Core this powerful. Roy wasn’t worried that the old man would try and use it himself. His Core was far too unstable to handle that influx of Essence and would collapse if he even tried. He knew he was dying. It was only a question of what he wanted for the only family member who seemed to tolerate him once he was gone.
His eyes flicked between the Core and Roy, then the man let out a guttural growl and sat back.
“Fine,” he spat. “Ask your questions. You have until my granddaughter returns. Then, I expect you to leave.”
Roy hid a smile, inwardly cheering at his success. This was a steep price to pay for the information, and he was running quite low on powerful Cores. While he couldn’t really use the Fire Core himself, he could trade for Power, Light, or Darkness Cores. But there was no other way to get what he wanted, so he paid the asked price.
“Fifteen years ago, did a man from the Shah clan named Mordio come here?”
The old man’s face wrinkled in disgust, but to his credit, he did answer the question.
“Yes, Mordio, I remember him. Blasted man showed up here with some other Martial Artist. They wanted me to try and burn out some infection, but there was nothing I could do for him. He left after only a few days.”
“Do you know where he is now?” Roy asked, feeling hope for the first time since coming here.
“He went to live on his own near the center of the Waterwood, in the uncontested lands. If he’s even still alive, that’s where you’ll find him.”
“Wait,” Aika cut in. “Didn’t the Beast clan settle in there?”
Grendel’s face twisted up once again. He puckered his lips to try and spit, then seemed to think better of it.
“Aye, those mangy mutts have moved in there, but as far as I know, they tend to stay away from the Blackwood.”
Roy visibly winced when he heard that. The Blackwood was the only part of the Waterwood that contained little to no life. It was a dark place, filled with blackened and twisted trunks and was thick with Darkness Essence. The land itself was full of
rot and disease. It was a cursed place, and unfortunately, that was exactly where they were going to have to go.
The moment he’d heard it, he’d felt another flash from the thing at the center. If Mordio were still alive, he’d be in the Blackwood, and so would the Dungeon and whatever it was that was calling to him.
“What about this other man?” Roy asked. “You said someone else came here with him?”
If there was another person responsible for his mother’s death, he was going to find out.
“No idea who he was. Didn’t give a name, but he was definitely a creepy one, what with those red eyes and pale skin.”
“Red eyes?” Aika asked, leaping on that detail.
“That’s what I said,” the old man replied with a snort.
“Can you tell me anything else about him? Give me some details on his appearance?”
“It was a long time ago,” Grendel said. “That’s all I remember.”
Aika looked as though she wanted to try and press him harder, but Roy stopped her from doing anything rash. They needed this man alive, after all, if they wanted more information. Thankfully, she settled down and allowed him to continue his line of questioning.
“What else can you tell us about Mordio?” Roy asked, settling into an as comfortable a position as he could.
If he was paying a premium for information, then he was going to do all he could to get his money’s worth.
15
Roy and Aika left about an hour later, when the granddaughter finally returned, now flush with information regarding the Blackwood and surrounding lands. They’d found out a bit more about the Beast clan – none of which was troubling – and some other small tidbits that would help them on their way.
“He had to be talking about Doragon,” Aika said as soon as they left the house.
“I’m sure red eyes can’t be that uncommon,” Roy started, but Aika was quick to cut him off.
“Your friend said that we would all find answers to our questions by coming here. Do you really think that it’s a coincidence that a man with red eyes showed up alongside the man who killed your mother and brought you into the Shah clan?”
“No,” Roy admitted. “But I guess we’ll know more if we can find Mordio. The Blackwood is quite a long way off. It’ll take us over two weeks, even if we run the entire way.”
“Is that going to stop you?” Aika asked.
Roy shook his head. There was no way he was turning back now, even if he had to walk into the cursed part of the Waterwood to do so.
“Looks like we’ve still got a little time before we have to leave,” Roy said, glancing up to the sky to try and change the subject. “Let’s go check out that shop.”
Aika seemed to relax a bit as they headed into the place she’d pointed out earlier, and Roy immediately saw why there were guards at the door. Jewels lined the walls, displayed in glass cases, bigger pieces hanging on the walls behind thick, forged Essence.
“I didn’t know you liked this kind of thing,” Roy said as she rushed over to the closest case and began looking.
“Just because I’m a Martial Artist doesn’t mean I don’t like jewelry,” Aika said, not even bothering to look back.
Roy sighed as a man came over, and he and Aika began chatting animatedly, pointing to several pieces she wanted to try on.
Nearly thirty minutes later, they exited the shop. Only a few sad coins clinked in Roy’s pack, but he didn’t mind since the smile on Aika’s face was worth more than any gold coin ever would be. Plus, he’d wanted to spend the money, and if it made her happy, then he didn’t mind.
“I love it!” Aika said, almost skipping along next to him as she examined the necklace now hanging from a white chain around her neck.
It had cost nearly everything they’d had, but even Roy could admit that the flower-shaped pendant set with five different colored diamonds looked nice.
Especially on her…
Roy dismissed the thought with a shake of his head, turning his attention back on the road.
“I’m glad you like it. We’re going to have to run once we get off the road, otherwise, Ferry will come looking.”
“Before we go,” Aika said, reaching out to snag his arm. “I got you something as well.”
“You did?” Roy asked. He didn’t remember her buying anything he’d want.
As he turned, though, Aika leaned up, pressing her lips to his cheek. She lingered for a moment before pulling back, her cheeks tinged red.
“Thank you,” she said, giving him a shy smile.
“You already thanked me,” Roy said, feeling his face becoming quite warm.
“Not for the necklace,” she said. “For giving me such a normal day, even if it was just for a few hours. Don’t get me wrong, I love the necklace, but getting to spend some time with you without having to fight for our lives was nice.”
“We hid our Cores, came into the town under false pretenses and spent an hour questioning a sack of bones,” Roy said wryly.
“Like I said,” Aika repeated with a smile. “Normal.”
She snagged his hand then, squeezing it tightly in hers, then turned to lead him out of town. Since Ferry did this almost all the time, he couldn’t exactly complain, nor was he going to. He liked it far too much.
“Roy!” Ferry shouted, all but tackling him as soon as they returned.
Thankfully, Aika dragged her off him before she could really get going, for which he was grateful.
“I told you we would be back before noon,” Roy said, rising and dusting himself off. “And we even got you something while we were in town.”
He pulled some meat from his pack and handed it over, much to her delight. Ferry wouldn’t have appreciated clothing or other types of trinkets, so that was what they came up with. The three of them then took an early lunch as they planned out their trip over the following two weeks.
The fastest way to the Blackwood was straight through Felrin territory and would skirt that of the Diadei. But, so long as they were careful, they shouldn’t have any issues making good time.
Once they finished eating, changed into their new armored robes, and got all packed up, they headed out, running through the forest and avoiding any established paths.
In this case, Roy had no choice but to use his Movement technique — the Qi version. The Shockwave Airstep surrounded him in a halo of golden light, allowing him to move at greater speeds than he’d normally be able to manage. Aika ran alongside him, white light trailing from her lithe form.
As a user of Light Essence, her Path gave her the distinct advantage of being the fastest when it came to Movement, but she kept herself to a pace that he could manage. Ferry, having finally figured out a Qi Movement technique of her own, was streaking alongside without any problems. She was a Beast, and as such, had a naturally stronger body.
Despite her still being in the Green stage, she had no trouble keeping up. In fact, out of all of them, Roy was the one who still had the hardest time, which was a bit irritating after all the work he’d put in. Still, he knew that with time, he would grow stronger still, and once he figured out what was going on with his Core, he would hopefully be able to travel alongside his friends without feeling like dead weight.
That night, Roy sat, cycling once again. The tugging from the center of the Waterwood was growing stronger, as though it knew he was approaching. The same red light entered his Core when he cycled, burned away by Geon as soon as it did. He couldn’t help thinking about the corrupted Essence the Core had told him about and worried that his might end up the same, no matter Geon’s assurances.
He sighed, opening his eyes and staring up at the starry sky through the waving leaves above his head. He wondered what was happening in the outside world while the three of them were here, all chasing down answers to the questions they had.
Whatever it was, he hoped it wasn’t too bad. He knew that Hermit’s sister, Ikari, had been there when he’d been fighting the Scion. That was not to men
tion his father, his real father, had shown up as well.
Roy had given up his chance to meet the man to come here. He had no idea whether it would be worth it or not, but now that he’d started down this path, he would see it through to the very end.
16
Herald Marrie stood with her hands clasped behind her back, dressed in a set of pristine red and silver robes, colors she’d never thought to wear again. Her Belt, now a solid Blue, sat shining proudly around her waist. She’d just passed her test last week, after a private training session with her new “father,” Herald Duncan.
She felt a nervous fluttering in her chest as people began filing in. Important people.
There were seven chairs in this rounded room, six for the main family heads, and the seventh – and largest – for the clan head, Duncan.
Three men and three women, all of varying strengths, filed in, followed by their seconds – those who would take over, should they perish. Each one gave Marrie a long, hard glance before taking their seats.
She hadn’t been expecting anything different. She was standing behind Duncan’s seat, which was, as of yet, unoccupied. No one had ever stood there, as far as she knew, and the woman she’d expected to see, the one who’d been in line to take over the clan, was noticeably absent.
None of the family heads made a sound as they sat, their majestic robes billowing out around them as they did.
Marrie’s eyes traveled over the group, taking note of each of them. She recognized them all from the portraits that had been hanging in old Reginald’s house. The fact that his family was missing and that a new one had come in its place was something that everyone had taken note of, but no one had mentioned.
In the place where Reginald – or another of his household – would normally sit, sat a young man with flowing black hair and slightly curved eyes, which was uncommon in their clan. It meant that at some point, their family had married an outsider and passed down some of their genes to future generations. He had a 1st Dan Gold-Belt around his waist, which made him the weakest there.