“But I’m the head of the school, and you have no choice but to listen to me. Perhaps this trip will teach you some respect, girl,” Irusaru cut in.
“Now, boy, before we go, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you. In private.”
He gave Aika a sharp look, and the girl rolled her eyes.
“Fine, old man. I’ll wait here. But if you’re not out in five minutes, I’m leaving. Head of the school or not, you won’t kick me out.”
Irusaru slammed the door in her face. He then turned to face Roy, who was still standing there, not exactly sure what he should be doing.
“What are you waiting for? Pack up,” Irusaru snapped. “And be quick about it.”
Roy jumped, then began scrambling around the small house to gather up the few implements he’d managed to unpack since he’d gotten here.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your earlier conversation,” he heard as he was bent over his pack.
Roy froze when he heard that, feeling his heart rate increasing. Had the old man figured him out?
When he spoke next, his tone was softer, sounding less harsh and grating than he’d ever heard before.
“I was unaware that your life was being threatened. Will you tell me who is doing so, and why?”
Roy felt like letting out a huge sigh of relief but held it back. Nothing would give him away faster if he did that. Apparently, Irusaru had overheard his conversation with Geon and had assumed someone was threatening to kill him. That worked just fine for him, as he would be able to tell him the truth, or at least, a version of it.
“Yes. My life is in danger. If I don’t advance quickly enough, I will die.”
He hadn’t stated any falsehood with that claim. Everything he said was true, just out of context.
“And who is it that’s threatening you, that you believe we can’t protect you?” Irusaru asked again.
“No one can protect me,” Roy answered, careful once again not to lie.
Some Martial Artists could detect a lie just based on someone’s body language, breathing, or even their heart rate. With how powerful Irusaru was, he didn’t doubt that he would catch him in a lie if he was paying close enough attention. He turned to face the old man, stuffing the last of his belongings into his pack.
Irusaru’s face was impassive as he stared him down, and Roy could begin to feel a cold sweat breaking out on his back. Would the old man be satisfied with his answer, or not?
Finally, Irusaru inclined his head a fraction of an inch.
“Very well. Let us get going. The center of The Crater is quite a ways from here, but if your Beast can carry you, we can make it in just under a week.”
Roy felt his heart seize up at that.
“But I have less than eighteen days left…” His voice trailed off as Irusaru retrieved the glowing Beast core from the inside of his robe.
“This should be more than enough to get you to 2nd Dan, once you’ve reached that stage. However, it will be all up to you to reach Yellow. There will be little I can do to help.”
Roy bowed deeply at the waist to the old man, hardly believing that he was offering him such a valuable core, just like that. No Martial Artist had ever done anything like this before, and Roy felt something towards the man which he’d never felt for anyone else before. Respect.
“Thank you for such a generous gift. I don’t know what to say…” He hesitated for a moment before continuing. He didn’t want the man to rescind his gift, but he had to know. “Didn’t you want me to wait before advancing?”
“Don’t say anything,” the old man grumbled, “Just take the core and advance. I don’t know how much time you’ll have to move to Yellow-Belt once you do, but you’ll need all the time you can get. Like I said, advancing to the next tier is more than just a matter of power. As for your training, I can still make it work if I push you hard enough. It just won’t be a pleasant experience for you.”
Roy swallowed audibly at that but nodded all the same. His life was on the line, so this was no time for half-measures. Roy asked as he took the glowing core from the old man, but he still had some questions regarding his advancement to Yellow.
“I thought that advancing to the next Belt would just involve gathering more Essence. No one in my old clan ever mentioned anything different.”
Then again, no one in the Shah clan had ever mentioned anything to him about cultivating, so he guessed he shouldn’t be surprised that moving up a Belt wasn’t a simple matter.
He noticed the sharp look Irusaru gave him and winced at the slip-up. He hadn’t meant to give that bit about his past up, but the old man had caught him off guard with his generous gesture. Irusaru didn’t press him on the matter and instead explained the process.
“When a Martial Artist reaches the highest stage within a Belt and has filled their core to the bursting point, they must then prove that they are prepared to test for their next Belt. No one is sure who administers these tests, but it is impossible to advance without taking it.
“Everyone’s test is different, but as you move through the Belts, your tests will become progressively more difficult. If a Belt test is failed, you will have the option to take it again, this time without having to wait. A gate will appear as soon as you say you are ready. Take heed, however. If you fail a Belt test three times, that will be it. You will never advance again.”
“I thought advancing to the next Belt would be easy,” Geon said as Irusaru finished speaking. “Guess advancement works differently for people than Dungeons. I feel like I knew that once…”
“Yes. You did,” Roy replied, fixing a thoughtful expression on his face.
He didn’t want Irusaru to grow suspicious.
“You told me that you would be forgetting things. Have you forgotten that, too?”
“Did I really? That would explain a whole lot. I’ve been having the strangest feeling that I was missing something, but I just couldn’t place it. It seems like I’ll have to begin learning all over again.”
Geon let out a sigh, which Roy found impressive seeing as the Dungeon core had no lungs.
“Don’t worry about it too much. I’m sure you’ll start remembering again once I advance.”
“Do you really think so?”
Roy wasn’t actually sure if it was true or not, but Geon sounded so hopeful that he couldn’t help but agree.
“I’m sure of it.”
Geon thrummed in his chest, then went silent.
Looking up to Irusaru, Roy gave him a nod. The conversation with Geon had taken maybe half a minute. Communicating at the speed of thought was much quicker than actually having to form the words with his mouth, though he still preferred talking out loud.
“How do I prepare myself for this test? And how will I know when I’m ready?”
“You prepare by training, learning about your Essence type, and showing that you are worthy of wielding its power. And you will know when you are ready. The feeling is unmistakable. Once you are, simply state that you would like to begin the test. A gate will appear, much like for the Trial of Beginnings, and take you to your test. If you pass, you will emerge as a Yellow-Belt.”
The answer was a bit vague, but Roy decided that it was good enough for now. He knew what he needed to do, and the first step was advancing to 2nd Dan. He was about to be pulling Essence from the core when he remembered just how explosive his first advancement had been.
“Should I be going outside to advance?”
Irusaru shook his head, turning and walking to the door.
“Only the first advancement is that intense. Well, the first and every Belt you gain, but those are on a whole other level. Suffice it to say that you will be fine advancing to the next Dan without having to worry about bringing the house down on your head. I will be waiting for you outside, along with Aika. I have sent for your Beast, so please do be quick. We have a long journey ahead of us, and I’d rather not waste any more time.”