Irusaru had already spoken to him about his new deadline and had said that even if he was ready to test, he should not do so until a week before. He’d said that if he didn’t complete the training course that he had planned for him, his advancement wouldn’t go further than Blue-Belt.
“Because of your potential,” Irusaru said as they came to a stop outside the line of small houses. “Now drop your things inside and meet me by the base of the waterfall in five minutes. We begin your training now.”
Roy gave Aika a questioning look, wondering what she would be doing while he was here. She just gave him a smile and headed for one of the small houses, already unslinging her pack.
Shrugging to himself, Roy got off Ferry, pulling his bag off her back.
“Oh, she really likes this place,” Geon said as he slung his bag over one shoulder.
“I figured she would, with the Essence as rich as it is here.”
He watched as the ferret dropped to the ground and began rolling back and forth, letting out small excited squeaking sounds. Smiling to himself, Roy headed for one of the houses. Opening the door, he found that it looked much like the house he’d had back at the school, with the addition of a small bookshelf in one corner.
Dropping his pack to the floor, Roy stretched out his back, groaning in relief, as a loud series of cracks and pops sounded in the small house. He might be tougher than he once was but riding for such a long amount of time was making his back ache and his muscles sore. Once he was at Yellow-Belt, these problems would go away, for the most part. At Orange, they would disappear entirely. Or at least, that’s what he’d been led to believe. He’d never actually gotten a clear explanation about the benefits of each progressive Belt.
Right now, however, he had to meet Irusaru, and the waterfall was at least a five-minute run from here. He had a feeling that Irusaru was not a man to be kept waiting.
As he exited the small house, he caught a glimpse of Aika as she streaked across the open ground in a blur of motion, before disappearing into the Dungeon.
“Guess she’s off to train on her own,” he said as he started running for the waterfall.
“It seems that way, though I’m less concerned with her and more with you. How much longer until you reach the next Belt? I really want my memories back.”
“You’re the core. Shouldn’t you have that information?” Roy asked as he built up speed until he was running at a full sprint.
“I feel like I should,” Geon replied, “but I just can’t seem to… What were we talking about again?”
Roy stumbled when he heard that, beginning to become alarmed. What was happening to Geon? At first, he’d thought that his memory loss would be limited to the knowledge he’d gained as a Dungeon core from other Martial Artists, but he seemed to be getting worse. It was almost as though…
“Geon. Why did you agree to join with me?” Roy asked quickly.
“Hmm, that’s a tough one. I feel like I should know this, too. Give me a minute, I’m sure I can figure it out.”
Fear turned into certainty when he heard that, and Roy felt the icy clutch of fear settle around his heart. Geon was losing his memories. All of them. He didn’t know what would happen when he eventually forgot everything. Would he cease to exist?
Right now, there was only one thing Roy cared about- getting his revenge on the Shah. But Geon had been the one to make that possible. He’d saved his life and given him more than anyone ever had before. And although he could be annoying at times, he was his first and only friend.
His mind flashed to Aika for a moment, but he dismissed her almost immediately. He hadn’t known her for long enough, and though she’d been nice, he still didn’t feel completely comfortable around her. Geon, on the other hand, was different. Aside from being his friend, Roy owed him a debt that he didn’t think he could ever repay.
“I’ll find a way to fix you, I promise,” he whispered under his breath.
Geon didn’t respond.
By the time he reached the base of the waterfall, Roy was panting and out of breath. He’d never really done much running before, and even though his body was tougher, such a run was still extremely taxing.
Irusaru stood at the center of the large pool of water as though it were made of solid ground, and not liquid. His eyes were closed, and Roy could feel an almost indistinguishable ripple as the old man pulled in the Essence the waterfall created.
“You’re late,” he said, not bothering to open his eyes.
“Apologies, Irusaru Sensei,” he said, still catching his breath. He didn’t make any excuses. He was late, after all.
“Unacceptable,” his teacher said, walking across the pond and hopping onto solid ground. “Our time is limited, so lateness will not be tolerated.”
Roy bowed his head once again, even though he felt a tinge of annoyance at the old man’s admonishment. He hadn’t been that late. Half a minute at the most, and he didn’t think he could have gotten here any faster if he tried.
“If you had learned a Movement technique, as is proper for a Martial Artist, you would have arrived with time to spare. Movement and Armorer techniques are the first techniques any Martial Artist should learn. Only after that, should any others be attempted. Whoever taught you should be ashamed of themselves!”
“But I didn’t have a teacher,” Roy said, confused.
He thought he caught a hint of a smile on the old man’s face but dismissed it as his mind playing tricks on him.
“That would explain why you are so lacking in strength. Tell me, what is the most important thing a Martial Artist can possess?”
Roy thought about that for a few moments while the old man stood still.
“Strength?” he asked. When the old man raised an eyebrow, Roy tried again. “Courage?”
“While those are both admirable answers, they are not the correct ones. Think on that while you run around the perimeter of the basin.”
“You want me to run the entire perimeter?!” Roy exclaimed.
“Yes, and I want you to do it without using any of your Essence. No cycling, no enhancement, no techniques. I expect you to complete the run in under forty-five minutes.”
Roy’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
“The perimeter has to be at least ten miles! How am I supposed to do that?”
“Aika can do it in under thirty. Best get to it. Oh, and if you don’t make it back in time, you’ll be running it again.”
With that said, the old man walked back to the center of the pond and began cultivating again.
Roy stared at him for a few long moments, until Irusaru said, “your time is ticking away. Unless you believe you can make it in less than forty-five minutes, I’d suggest you start now.”
That was enough for him, and he took off at a sprint. It wasn’t fair at all. Aika was practically a Green-Belt, while he was still stuck at White. Of course, she could do it in under thirty minutes!
Thankfully, the area was relatively flat, so at least there was no additional strain on his legs, but the run wasn’t at all easy. His lungs began burning less than five minutes into his run, and at the ten-minute mark, he was forced to slow and catch his breath. When he reached the halfway point, his time was already up.
Knowing he would be forced to run it again, he slowed to a walk. Irusaru had set him an impossible task, and if he would be forced to continuously run this circuit, he would at least be somewhat rested before he started again.
When he returned to the waterfall more than an hour past his deadline, Irusaru did not look happy.
“You have failed, and more miserably than I could ever have imagined!” he snapped, his voice cracking out like a whip.
Roy’s face was streaked with sweat, his robes soaked and his muscles on fire.