In Dorian’s case, he was a weak Absorber. Ian was also an Absorber just like Dorian, but he had less talent for Vito. Both of them were completely incapable of Self-generating and Parasitic Absorbing. Those who lacked the Self-generating ability altogether normally struggled with synchronization in general, so even though Dorian was a better Absorber than Ian, his synchronization was about at the same level as Ian’s. This meant that Dorian had as much trouble using Vito as Ian, despite his better range of absorption.
Master Boone was a versatile Vito user and he liked to switch up his type for different moves. This made him an excellent teacher.
While Ian was watching, Dorian’s match began. As soon as the match started, Dorian drew in all the Vito he could get in his range, about a foot away from all around his body, but at that instant, Master Boone also drew in the Vito in his range, which interfered with Dorian’s range. Master Boone didn’t have to absorb Vito from the outside because he could Self-generate but he wanted to put Dorian in various situations where Dorian was pushed to his limit.
This meant that whoever had a faster rate of absorption would take more Vito. Of course, Master Boone’s rate was much higher than Dorian’s. One could feel Vito within his range, so having a large range also helped with figuring out the Vito configuration in the space. Dorian could feel the interference from Master Boone in his range. Master Boone had never done this during their training before. Dorian was taken aback by this new move of his teacher but tried not to show it.
“Don’t just stand there. It’s good that you don’t show that my range bothers you because if you did show, I would think you lacked Self-generating, but in your case, all you have is within your range. You can’t afford to lose it. I would quickly figure out after a couple of attacks that you aren’t a Generator. You’ve got nothing if I absorb all the Vito in your current range, so what should you do?” Master Boone said.
“I should move,” Dorian replied as he jumped back out from Master Boone’s range.
“If I knew for sure that you can’t Self-generate, I would come after you so that you can’t escape my range but your opponent won’t know that —not immediately anyway—, so he wouldn’t want to keep you too close in his range either. For this match, assume that I don’t know your type, okay? Here we go.” Master Boone bolted toward Dorian.
Master Boone got rid of all his absorbing range, which he wouldn’t do for a really fast opponent or multiple opponents who might get behind him. There was no need for it here. In a duel, he preferred to collapse his range and focus on Self-generating. Master Boone strengthened his hands slightly with Vito and tried to strike Dorian on the arm, which Dorian dodged as he felt the disturbance in his range. Master Boone’s movement was smooth and quick, and he often used dirty tricks, as Dorian called them, such as kicking while punching, so it was better to rely on the Vito range than just his eyes.
Master Boone got down on the ground with his hands and swept his foot over to Dorian’s foot, in attempt to trip him. Master Boone did this quite often, and Dorian was used to it by now so he backed up to dodge it again.
“You can’t keep running away,” Master Boone muttered under his breath and jumped at Dorian from a low position. His thick muscular legs coiled like pressed springs, pumped with his Vito, and launched him forward. Dorian didn’t expect this, and Master Boone came flying at him with a frightening speed. Instead of dodging, Dorian instinctively strengthened his chest and stomach.
Master Boone struck Dorian on the chest with his palm, and even though it was his regular palm without Vito on Dorian’s strengthened chest, Dorian still got knocked back.
‘Think that when your back is touching the ground, you lose. Always get right back up on your feet,’ Dorian remembered from their old lessons. He caught himself with his left hand and kicked his feet over his head, somersaulting with his left hand as a pivot. Both princes were quite flexible due to the extensive training they’d had over the years. Master Boone didn’t pursue him anymore. He grabbed the wooden swords on the ground and tossed one to Dorian.
“I go. You defend.” Master Boone had taught Ian and Dorian to focus all their Vito on their bodies, and give none to the weapons.
People had preferences in terms of how to use Vito within their bodies; some liked to give their all to their weapons to create the most deadly blow they could afford, some liked to play safely and spread it evenly throughout their bodies and the weapons, thus increasing a bit of both offense and defense, and some like to give their all to their bodies to increase the speed and power their muscles could deliver. There was no definite superior method over the others. All methods had pros and cons. Feeding Vito to the body could make the user a better fighter though there was no additional input from the weapon itself. Feeding it to the weapon could create unexpected attacks that could be drawn from the weapon, although the user stayed the same. If one was to put his Vito into the weapon, the weapon could play a crucial role in the manifestation of Vito.
There was a field of study dedicated solely to special elements in Neripha. Of the three categories of elements— absorbing, emitting and neutral family—, absorbing and emitting families were grouped together as special elements. Though this special element family sounded like the majority of the elements present in Neripha, they were actually a very tiny fraction of the whole. The most commonly used emitting elements were Macenium and Rancenium, which things like photocalyx contained. An easy way to look at them was that emitting elements were deposits of Vito, which then emitted it throughout a varying amount of time and intensity.
These elements helped create weapons that had their own Vito that could be activated by the user’s Vito or by the enemy’s Vito. Weapons that contained emitting elements could have a larger range of attack, more destructive force, and quicker reaction to the user’s will.
On the other hand, there were absorbing elements, which absorbed Vito and stored it instead of emitting it. Cellineum and Vontarium belonged to absorbing family. Cellineum was one of the most mysterious elements about which very little had been discovered. It was also one of the rarest, which also contributed to its reputation of being the mystery element. Weapons containing these absorbing elements could take away the opposing weapon’s Vito in contact, draw Vito from the surroundings, or transfer the absorbed Vito into the emitting elements, even though such transfer was hard to achieve.
These Vito weapons were very pricey and could be dangerous when used by an unskilled user. Master Boone had recommended that the princes not use them because he was sure the princes wouldn’t be able to have full control of them. He also personally preferred not to rely on weapons.
Master Boone lowered his stance and darted toward Dorian. Dorian’s defense had gotten much better since these duel training sessions had started. Master Boone’s wooden sword struck Dorian’s. Both of them fortified their bodies, so their movement was much faster, lighter and more fluid. That was the advantage of not choosing the weapon over the body because the weapons took in immense amounts of Vito and that left the body not up to par with the opponent’s faster, lighter, and stronger body.
Dorian pushed Master Boone’s sword up and stepped forward with his sword slanted, about to do a slashing motion. Master Boone at that instant took a step back and squatted down. Dorian swung his sword in a big arc over Master Boone’s head in the nick of time. The sound of it piercing the air was deep and low. As Master Boone avoided Dorian’s sword, he lunged toward Dorian’s knee and smacked it right on its side with the dull side of his wooden sword. He didn’t hit it too hard. He was aware that he could do a lot more damage using Vito.
Dorian collapsed instantly on his knees. The fight was over. There were cuts and hits which one could bear and still continue fighting, but spots like the knees were a sure fight-ender.
“Not too bad,” Master Boone said, as he helped Dorian get up. “Your legs have gotten more used to Vito. You can jump a little farther.” Master Boone usually wasn’t generous with compli
ments with the princes. If he did compliment them on their progress, it meant it really was apparent. Dorian lost the match, but he still felt good that Master Boone noticed the hard training he had done.
Dorian’s turn ended and Ian was up next. Ian had an even smaller range than Dorian, which meant even less Vito, but the difference wasn’t noticeable because Ian could make it up with his skills.
‘I wish I was the first son,’ Dorian thought fleetingly. Then he would be the taller, stronger, and more loved one between them. He thought of the kids outside the palace who didn’t have to think about the nobles lining up behind them, waiting for the moment they faltered. The kids outside could worry about regular things like working or learning, impressing a girl, or making friends, not about how to survive in the palace where the undeserving nobles tried to guess which prince was going to make it till the end. They always compared him to Ian or even to his younger brother, Alex.
Ian was holding up against Master Boone’s attacks quite well. Dorian gave Ian one more hard look and started walking away from the field.
“I will show the world who is the better brother of us, Ian,” Dorian muttered.
CHAPTER NINE
It was dark and damp. The stairs leading to the bunker were winding down in a dizzy whirlwind before Chase’s eyes. People coming down to the bunker must have been well prepared for an emergency like this; much to Chase’s surprise, there was no disorderliness. They knew where they were going and only some babies’ cries and quiet murmurs echoed the bunker but even that was hardly what Chase had imagined at all.
‘Moongrave City… Truly impressive,’ Chase thought to himself. He observed people already in the bunker and those entering it. He got himself a spot where he could have a good look at the entrance. It was finally time for justice.
Chase hadn’t quite prepared what he was going to do once he found the pickpocket. Of course, he was going to get his belongings back but he hadn’t thought about her possible reactions. ‘What if she said she hadn’t done it?’ Chase wasn’t sure. He couldn’t afford to make commotions in this closed space with all these people. Things were happening quickly; he got in trouble much too early in his trip, and he needed to be back on his track with a minimal change to his plan. His heart was beating fast, now that he was close to catching her.
People kept milling around in the bunker. A tall one, a skinny one, a little kid, an old lady… it was a deluge of faces Chase couldn’t recognize. Chase intently eyed at them all and spotted many who resembled the girl but not quite. Soon the bunker gates were closed and the bunker was teeming with people and their smells and sounds. The bunker had been relatively cool, but it was now getting filled with people’s breath and their warmth. It started to feel stuffy. Chase was frustrated that he’d failed to pick her out of the incoming crowd.
“What is it, this time?” a man next to Chase said exasperatedly.
“I don’t know. It’s probably a Zespid again,” another man with a hooked nose replied, “last time we had a lockdown, they rang the bells a little late, and the Baker’s youngest boy got attacked by the bird. He got behind the crowd, and… poor Tom Baker. I bet this is bringing him back the memories of that night.”
“That’s why you should always keep your eyes on your children.” The two men whispered back and forth sympathetically
Chase had heard of Zespids. They were large reptilian birds that lived in caves. They were gray with black specks that made lines from underneath their eyes down to their chests, with long pointed beaks as sharp as a spear. At the end of their beaks were two sets of fang-like structures, which were extensions of the beak. These reptilian birds rarely fed on humans, but as there was no rule that they couldn’t attack humans, there were occasions in which they appeared in towns and cities and preyed on humans at night. They liked to attack those out in the street alone, and avoided preying on big crowds. Chase’s hometown, Salozara, hadn’t had Zespid’s attacks yet, and it saddened and amazed him at the same time that it was an everyday concern for the citizens of Moongrave City.
“You’re not from here, are you?” the man with a hooked nose asked, his attention suddenly on Chase.
“Right,” Chase replied.
“So this must be new to you, then. Emergency lockdown,” he said dramatically.
“Yes.”
“Be glad that you’re in here safe with us. Zespids can swoop down and fork you with with their beaks before you even know what’s happening. A poor kid got eaten last time. Tsk tsk tsk.” Though the man was telling a gruesome story, he looked glad to be able to talk about it again as if to tell the most scandalous secret.
“I hope this lockdown isn’t for the same reason,” Chase mumbled, feeling guilty.
“Eh, I doubt they would let another accident happen. There are harpoon guns they use to kill ‘em birds,” the man said proudly.
“Well, are you moving to this city or are you travelling?” the other guy asked.
“I’m here looking for someone.”
“Who are you looking for? I know most families in the city,” the guy with a hooked nose said, making a big gesture, clearly intrigued. The two men seemed interested to hear what Chase would say next. Chase wondered if he should explain the situation or make something up.
“I’m looking for a girl I met a while ago.” Chase decided somewhere in the middle. “She’s got blonde hair, blue eyes, and… er… she likes to wear a long dress, I think.”
“What’s her name?” one of them asked.
“That’s the first thing I’m trying to figure out.” Chase shrugged. “I ran into her a while ago, and I never caught her name. I… couldn’t forget her so I’m back here to find her,” he said with his face all serious, taking a pause as if he couldn’t formulate the right words.
“Ah, young love! We know how it is, young fellow,” the man with a hooked nose exclaimed. Chase’s serious air must have convinced him that Chase was looking for his love-at-first-sight, and it worked out wonderfully, for the two men were now determined to help him with his quest to find his love.
“Is she tall?”
“I’d say average height.”
“Don’t her ears come down a little bit?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, then it can’t be Mary.”
The two men kept asking Chase about the girl, narrowing down their search. After a bit of exchange of questions and answers, the men finally arrived at the final conclusion.
“It must be Chloe.”
“Yes, I agree.” The two men exchanged excited looks. “There are many blondes in town, but a pale blonde you describe is Chloe. From what I hear, she’s really quiet.”
“Yes, her father is a talkative fellow, but she’s not like her father.”
“Do you think you can point to me where she is in this bunker?” Chase said with feigned nervousness in his voice. The two men surveyed the bunker with keen eyes, motivated to be part of what they thought was a wonderful love story.
“There, I think that’s Chloe, right there.” the friend of the hooked-nosed man pointed. There was a girl with a dark cloak over her head covering her hair and her eyes.
Chase smiled brightly of relief that his tactic wasn’t for nothing. He thanked the two men.
“Wish me good luck,” Chase said with determination of a man who was about to ask a lady’s hand in marriage, or so it appeared to the two men, happy to think that they contributed to a young couple’s love.
Chase’s heart was beating in his ears. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins and his vision was focused on her; it was like the moment he had spotted his catch and was in ambush, taking shallow breath and calming his pounding heart, while the rest of his body gingerly prepared for the kill. The end of all this was in sight. He moved through the crowd like a shadow, closing in his distance with her. ‘A little bit more, a little bit more…’
“Gotcha,” Chase whispered as he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around on her feet. Her startled
eyes blinked couple times; a look of recognition flashed across her eyes; then astonishment and embarrassment reddened her face.
“Give me back my book and my money,” Chase commanded with a low voice.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chloe replied, her expression stony.
“Yes, you do know, and I know that you stole them from me. Just give them back to me and you won’t be in trouble,” Chase said patiently. Chloe slapped Chase’s hand away indignantly. She was flushed to her neck, her jaws clenched tightly.
“You got the wrong person. I’m innocent. You leave me alone or I will scream,” she uttered threateningly, her eyes wide with exasperation.
Chase didn’t know why she was digging her own grave like this. He had told her that he wouldn’t trouble her as long as she gave them back to him. That certainly shouldn’t have sounded that bad to her, being caught and all. Chase didn’t have time. Most of all, he didn’t have patience for people like this.
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