by Aaron Oster
Roy sighed but repeated what the Core had said aloud.
“Well, that’s good enough for me,” Aika said, swiping an arm across Roy’s forehead and moving to slump against one of the walls.
The cavern was pretty bareboned. It stretched roughly twenty yards across, where another darker entrance marked the continuation of the tunnels. It was wider than the tunnels by a good margin, some forty feet across, which gave them plenty of space to stretch out. And with the ceiling rising to over fifteen feet, it felt far more spacious than the claustrophobic tunnels.
Aside from that, there was nothing but bumpy, hard ground. There was no water, no fresh air, and no real light source. It was just stone as far as they could see. But seeing as it was Beast-free, Roy didn’t mind in the slightest.
“I don’t think we should stay more than an hour,” Roy said, slumping down against one of the walls with a groan. “We’ve still got plenty of ground to cover, and if there’s one safe zone this far in, there should probably be another.”
Aika just waved an arm at him, then forced herself into a cycling position to try and recover. He knew she agreed with him, but right now, all she wanted to do was relax and recuperate. Speaking of which, he should probably do the same.
Groaning softly to himself, Roy closed his eyes and concentrated inward to the center of his Core. After cycling for just a couple of minutes, Roy noticed an odd thread that hadn’t previously been there. Brows furrowing, Roy followed the small thread and, to his surprise, found the construct.
“Geon, can you feel the gold coin?” Roy asked.
The connection was faint, but he could definitely feel it.
“Hmm…Now that you mention it, yes. I don’t have a clear picture like when you actually use it, but I can feel a connection. I think the weapon might be bonding to you.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Roy asked, opening his eyes and looking at the coin.
“That no one will be able to take it from you unless you’re dead,” Geon said. “Also, the tighter the bonds, the easier it will be to use and the less power it will need to function.”
“Is Aika bonded to her weapon?” Roy asked, looking over to her.
“Unlikely,” Geon said. “Her weapon isn’t a construct. It’s solid, present, and doesn’t require any additional power to function. She might have a connection to it and can probably use it better than anyone else can, but unlike you, her weapon can still be turned against her.”
“How long will this process take?” Roy asked, slowly turning the golden coin between his fingers.
“As long as it takes,” Geon replied with a mental shrug. “From what I could tell in my time eating people, it’s different for everyone, dependent on so many different factors that it was impossible to predict.”
“I’m guessing that the more I use it, the stronger the bond will grow,” Roy said, feeding a bit of Essence into the coin.
A shimmering ax appeared in his hand, seeming quite a bit less substantial than when he used Qi. It was translucent, and Roy could still see his palm through the haft. When he brought it down on the ground, it still bit in, though he could sense more resistance than when he’d used Qi to power it.
“Obviously,” Geon said as he cut off the flow and the ax vanished.
Roy grunted, then closed his eyes once again and concentrated on replenishing his lost Essence and purifying the excess he’d pulled in during his battles. By now, there was very little actual Essence left in his Core. It was almost all Qi, which was what he’d need to push his boundaries.
The changing Belt colors were still a mystery to him, but it hadn’t acted up all day, so perhaps it had finally settled? He figured he’d find out as they went.
The hour passed far too quickly, and soon, the two of them were heading back into the narrow tunnels to continue their journey.
“Well, that’s new,” Aika said, the two of them halting as a creature pulled itself from the ceiling, dropping down to the ground before them.
This one looked quite a bit different than the spindly Beasts with long arms and legs. It was squat, bulky, and its body was covered in spiny protrusions. Roy turned, expecting to see another drop behind him, but none came.
“Maybe we’ve caught a break,” he joked, right before the ball of fury unleashed its Core.
It was 4th Dan Blue at the very least, and both of them staggered back under the force of its spirit.
“Okay, maybe not,” Roy said, raising his hands and preparing for yet another tough fight.
The Beast – perhaps three feet in height – jumped at Aika, springing much higher than either could have expected from something so short. She swept out with her staff, slamming the airborne Beast into one of the walls. Instead of smashing into it and remaining stuck there, the Beast merely bounced off, its body flexing and compacting before rebounding twice as fast. Worse, as it slammed into the opposite wall, it split, its body turning from one to two.
“Oh, that is not good,” Roy said as the Beasts began bouncing off the walls at greater and greater speeds, once again, using the narrow confines and low ceilings to their advantage.
Aika spun, trying to knock one of the creatures away and grunting as her staff made impact, the force of the Beast driving her all the way into the wall. The Beast let out a loud screech that sounded like a cackle, then slammed into the wall and rebounded, splitting again.
In the meantime, Roy was facing his own problems, the Beast speeding back and forth between the walls, catching him at odd angles and trying to overwhelm his Armorer technique.
He lashed out with an Exploding Fist, trying to make impact and missed, catching an unexpected blow in the back of the head. Whirling, Roy saw two more of the Beasts, bouncing off the walls and making the same odd half-shriek, half-laugh that set his teeth on edge.
Aika was trying to battle on five fronts now, not daring to strike the Beasts again for fear of causing another split.
“How the hell are we supposed to beat these things?” she exclaimed as Roy finally managed to land a hit, only for the Beast to rebound and split.
Her Armorer technique was active now as well, as she ducked and dodged her way through the barrage of spiky screaming balls of laughter.
Roy’s body flared as he used his Containment technique, trying to force the Beasts to slow down, and, to his complete surprise, they froze. Golden power exploded out of him in waves, putting immense strain on his Core, more so because these Beasts felt slippery. They weren’t powerful like the last Beasts they’d faced, so they couldn’t break free. But they were hard to hold.
“Try cutting them,” Roy said, his voice strained.
He’d made sure to exclude Aika from the effects of his technique, so she was still free to move around. The last Beasts didn’t seem to take much damage from blunt physical attacks, so perhaps these were the same.
Aika’s staff lit up with Qi, a loud whining sound starting up as she used her Light Saw. The Qi oscillated so quickly that it appeared to shimmer around the staff, when, in actuality, Roy knew that there were thousands of tiny blades now covering its surface. Aika’s staff blurred through the air, slicing clean through the nearest ball, and, with a loud shriek, the Beast exploded, showering them in a mix of mud and water.
There was no Core, though.
There’s only one, Roy realized.
“Find the real one!” he yelled, but Aika was already on it, her Spirit Sense washing over all of the Beasts still trapped in Roy’s technique.
As though knowing what was to come, the Beasts began to struggle and spin, turning slowly at first but picking up speed with each passing second. Although Roy still had them suspended in midair, it was considerably harder to keep hold of them now and growing harder still.
“Hurry,” he growled as the Beasts started sinking to the ground.
It was like trying to hold a fish while his hands were coated in oil. Aika swung again, her staff slicing through another Beast, but like the last one, it explod
ed, showering them in mud.
A bead of sweat trickled down Roy’s back as the Beasts began drifting toward the ground, and he redoubled his efforts, digging deep to try and hold them in place just a little longer.
“I can’t tell them apart,” Aika growled, swinging at another and blowing it to pieces.
“Destroy them all then,” Roy growled, veins standing out in his temples as the mental and physical strain threatened to overwhelm him.
It was difficult to breathe as he tried to keep these Beasts still. He didn’t dare let go because he knew that as soon as he did, he would be unable to hold them again. He could feel the strain increasing rapidly as the Beasts continued to struggle and scream, trying to break free.
Aika blurred, her body turning into a streak of light as she dashed between the Beasts, slicing down with her staff and blowing each to muddy pieces. There had been nine in all when he’d managed to trap them, and now, there were only four left, but Roy knew that his hold on them wouldn’t last. Aika was moving fast, but not fast enough.
He needed more. More power. More control. He needed more.
Roy could see his Core in his mind’s eye, a massive pool swimming with Qi. It was clearly straining as it forced power out of all his channels and into the world around him to maintain the technique. The pressure was immense, but it wasn’t just physical. Never before had he had to work so hard to keep something from moving.
The pressure on his Core increased even more, as did the weight on his mind. It was only when the small spec of gleaming gold formed at the center of his Core that Roy realized what was happening. In a panic, he released his hold, sagging to his knees and gasping for air.
With a loud shriek, the Beasts broke free, one of them rocketing right at his head. There was a blur of white and the spiny creature was hurled away, smashing into the wall with dark green blood oozing from the open wound.
Instead of bouncing this time, the force of the blow shattered the spines on the Beast’s body. Then, it slid to the ground, still twitching. However, as soon as Aika’s staff made contact, the other Beasts simply fell apart, their bodies losing cohesion and splattering against the walls and ceiling.
“Thanks,” Roy panted, dropping to his back and ignoring the thick coating of mud he’d picked up.
“Are you okay?” Aika asked, quickly crouching by his side.
He knew that keeping anything from her would be pointless. She would have noticed that the Beasts hadn’t broken free of his technique; he’d let go. Roy looked inward to the small spec of gleaming gold at the center of his Core. It should have been impossible, but then again, Roy seemed to be a walking impossibility. He licked his lips a few times, then voiced aloud what had made him abandon his technique.
“I think…I think I almost just used Chakra.”
27
Hermit entered the room that had been set up for this specific meeting. In all honesty, it was less a room and more of a grand hall, with ten thrones flanking an open area where someone would stand when they were addressing the others.
“When was the last time this many Sovereigns were gathered in the same place?” the Core asked as Hermit watched the line of people file in from their separate entrances behind each throne.
“When the Great Clans were formed,” Hermit said, his eyes flicking around the room as he mentally counted off which known Sovereigns were missing.
The fact that only ten seats had been set meant that four hadn’t shown up, and he’d be finding out who they were shortly. To his left, Inu Pelata, the host of this meeting, already sat, with his daughter Pearl standing to his right. In a meeting like this, the Sovereigns would be allowed to bring a single other person along with them to either take notes or simply be an observer.
To his right stood Sanshoo Kumo, nervously fidgeting as the Sovereigns trickled in. The open seat across from Hermit was where his mother would have sat, but seeing as he wasn’t a Sovereign, Kumo would not be allowed a seat. However, since he did represent his clan, he would be allowed to speak, unlike the others who came along with their Sovereigns.
Hermit felt a familiar presence enter the room but didn’t look as his sister Ikari took a seat next to him. She came alone, not that he was surprised. After the attack on her city and the deaths of so many powerful fighters, there was only a single person she could leave in charge when she left, and that was their youngest brother, Itachi Geki.
The rest of the Sovereigns filed in then, one after another. Hermit was surprised to see Herald Duncan accompanied by a short girl with brown hair and a 1st Dan Blue-Belt. She looked young, maybe fourteen at the most, which meant she was clearly someone who would hold an important place in their clan once she was a bit older.
As he’d expected, none of the other Sovereigns seemed to be surprised by his presence. After all, he’d all but announced himself when he’d come into the Windblight. What did surprise them, though, was the noticeably empty seat of Sanshoo Greta.
“I can’t help but notice that one of our number is missing,” said a woman with stark white hair and bright, golden eyes. “Does Sanshoo Greta think so little of us that she refuses to make an appearance?”
“I can assure you, Kuren Nami, that the Sanshoo mean no disrespect by the absence of their Sovereign,” Inu Pelata said. “In fact, her absence is one of the main reasons we’ve gathered here.”
“I thought that we gathered to discuss the rising of an Ancient World Beast,” said a man dressed all in black and looking as though he hadn’t slept in months.
“They are one and the same,” Pelata replied. “Although you were not obligated to come, we appreciate your presence, Itami Ha.”
“The Sovereign of Cloying Darkness,” the Core said. “I definitely wasn’t expecting him to show up.”
“Neither was I,” Hermit replied, eyeing the man.
He never was sure what the unaffiliated Sovereigns wanted, and because of that, he didn’t trust them.
“Aren’t you technically an unaffiliated Sovereign?” the Core asked.
Hermit let out a light snort, which didn’t go unnoticed by Ikari, who all but glared at him. It seemed that the end of the world wasn’t enough for her to let go of her grudge, not that he was surprised.
“Well then, get on with it,” said an overtly muscular woman, who was lounging in her throne and picking at her nails. “We’re all busy people here. Honestly, I didn’t even want to show up, especially since the meeting was called by you.”
Inu Pelata cleared his throat, and Hermit noticed how his muscles tensed unconsciously.
“Right, then I will allow Itachi Hermit to take the floor and explain what the current situation is.”
“Hermit?” the woman asked.
“That would be me,” Hermit said, rising from his seat and striding to the center of the floor.
For once, he allowed his Belt to show, the gleaming 10th Dan Gray-Belt standing out against his plain blue robes. After all, wearing his preferred knotted rope would have been an insult in a meeting like this.
He turned, slowly taking note of all the Sovereigns gathered here. All of the Seven Great Clan heads were present, Itachi, Herald, Inu, Sanshoo, Kuren, Sora, and Mizumi. The last time all of them had been in a room together, they had been making peace and divvying up lands. Now, they were all gathered again, preparing for a disaster that could wipe them all from the face of the world.
“We,” he began, turning and looking to each of the clan heads in turn, “are on the brink of extinction. The Sanshoo clan has all but been wiped out. Greta is dead, and the Burning Hills are under the control of the Ancient Cavern Beast, Furea - the Bringer of Fire.
“Contrary to what we believe, this Beast isn’t alone. He has an army of powerful fighters. Greta fell to one of their Sovereigns, and I myself faced two Sages while escaping the Burning Hills with what few members were left of the Sanshoo clan.
“Facing this threat alone is not an option, and trying to ignore it until it reaches you would be the
height of folly. The Beast’s influence has already consumed the Burning Hills and is washing into the Windblight. It won’t be long before it reaches the first settlement and the conjured creatures of fire tear it apart.
“I ask that we all agree on an alliance without any bickering. We need to band together if we wish to survive. Otherwise, we will all end up like the Sanshoo.”
Hermit bowed then and walked back to take his seat. Sanshoo Kumo spoke next, talking of the horrors he and his clan had faced in the Beast’s invasion, the destruction it had wrought, and how quickly his clan had fallen.
“The power of this Beast is unmistakable, and when he finally decides to leave the Dreadpit and come for us in person, we will need every fighter we can get.”
He bowed, then moved back to stand by Hermit.
“We will now open for discussion,” Pelata said.
“This all seems way too convenient,” the muscular woman said. “You claim that your neighbors were wiped out and a Sovereign was killed. Something like that hasn’t happened in…”
“In nearly four-hundred years,” Pelata said. “But, in case you’ve forgotten, Sora Ame, a Scion was killed just a few hundred years back and another was badly injured by a regular Cavern Beast. What do you think an Ancient would do to us? We, who have not reached the ranks of the Scions. If you have another idea, by all means, tell me.”
Ame just glared at him but didn’t reply.
“If this creature is so dangerous, then why have we not contacted the Scions yet?” Makura Amber asked.
She, unlike most the others, had no actual stake in this battle. As a Sovereign who was unbound, she could simply travel to another continent and resettle. In fact, she could probably go and start her own clan or conquer new lands and claim them for herself. The fact that she was here meant that she saw this as a serious threat, just like the Sovereign of Cloying Darkness.
“We’ve tried,” Pelata said, “but we’ve had little success.”
“Didn’t one of them show up here about a month ago?” asked a small woman with eyes that seemed to be just a bit too large.