Roy just shook his head, not dignifying Geon with a response. He’d been pushing him to go after the Beast King ever since he found out that he’d been sighted, asking the same questions over and over again.
At first, when he’d tried to ignore him, Geon has just continued repeating the question over and over. Now, he was smarter, and just answered the insufferable Dungeon core right away. Then again, could he really blame him? He’d been waiting for centuries to get his revenge, and now that it was so close at hand, he must have been eager to enact it.
“I promised I would kill him,” Roy said, cutting off Geon’s chatter. “I plan on keeping my word. But I’ll only go after him if I’m sure we can win.”
Geon was silent as the glowing stone under Aika’s palm vanished, leaving a doorway in its place.
“It’s right through here,” she said, turning to flash him her wide grin. “And don’t worry about Ferry, there will be plenty of room.”
Roy eyed the spire dubiously. Sure, it was tall, but it couldn’t have been more than ten feet across in both directions. How would Ferry fit in there?
Shrugging to himself, Roy followed Aika inside, his eyes falling down to his waist once again. He’d been doing that a lot over the last few hours, as though double-checking to make sure he hadn’t been dreaming. He was a 3rd Dan Yellow-Belt, higher than everyone his age in the Shah clan. Not even Shah Lynn had made it to 3rd Dan Yellow at twenty.
His body felt lighter and stronger than ever, his core glowing brightly at his center, and the flower pattern around it lit up as he continuously cycled Essence, continuously purifying and refining. He’d found that he could now purify his Essence far more than he had previously and was packing his core with as much Essence as he could manage.
The amount of Essence he had to work with was much more than he had previously, and he had a feeling that that had to do with how much he’d packed in before his advancement to Yellow. In fact, that was the reason he’d advanced all the way to 3rd Dan almost immediately after breaking through.
Koya hadn’t had nearly the amount of Essence he had to work with. By the end, his core was practically empty, while he still had loads to work with. He had a feeling that once he started using more costly techniques, he would be glad for the extra Essence, especially if he was forced into a prolonged battle.
He had yet to develop a Movement or Armorer technique, both of which he knew would have been invaluable in his fight against Koya, and for any future fights in which he might find himself, not to mention Terrain or Containment techniques. For now, he would focus on the Body aspect and work on the Spirit next. One step at a time, to take him to his first Conqueror technique.
“Oh, it’s a lot roomier on the inside,” Roy said with some surprise as he entered the spire, followed closely by Ferry.
The room they walked into was large and bare of any furniture. He could see a couple of doorways leading off and had to wonder how it was so large.
“One of the clan smiths is handy with spatial enlargement. It’s an aspect of Earth Essence, or more accurately, Qi. I don’t entirely understand it, but it has something to do with the space between atoms.”
Roy had no idea what she was talking about, but he nodded all the same.
Aika continued walking, heading out of the large room and into a smaller one. Ferry couldn’t fit through that door, so she was forced to remain in the first room. She didn’t seem to mind, though, as it was fairly dark. He’d been surprised to find that she’d advanced to 3rd Dan Yellow as well and had to wonder when that had happened. Geon wasn’t able to supply him with an answer, as he’d been indisposed at the time.
The room Aika led him into was a small kitchen, with a dusty table and chairs taking up the center. Leading off of that were a few small bedrooms, as well as a privy and bathroom.
Aika had wanted to give him a tour, but when she saw the longing look he gave the beds, she laughed and said the tour could wait for the next day.
Thanking her once again, Roy headed into one of the rooms and flopped down onto his back. Staring up at the ceiling, he could already feel his eyes closing. He and Aika weren’t sure what to do next. An escalation to the war was coming, and she didn’t want to abandon her family. At the same time, she was worried about him. Her grandfather wasn’t one to make idle threats, and unless she could convince him to call it off, he would be hunted by Tonde clan members.
She’d discussed heading to the Lighted Fields to the far east on the other side of The Crater, but that would be a journey that would take weeks, even on Ferry’s back. Not to mention that they would have to pass through Beast clan territory to do so.
Roy had never heard of the Lighted Fields before, and Aika had told him that it was a territory controlled by the Itachi clan, one of the largest and most powerful on the continent. They were known for harboring refugees of other clans, so long as they showed some modicum of talent, and she was sure that if he reached Orange, they would be more than glad to take him in. But that was a discussion for another time.
He sighed, reaching into his robe and removing the gleaming coin he’d received so long ago from the strange man during the Trial of Beginnings. He still wasn’t strong enough to use it, but he’d found himself removing it from time to time and trying anyway. It failed to activate when he’d been a White-Belt, but could it possibly work now?
Cycling Essence up to his fingers, Roy attempted to activate the weapon. The man said that the coin would produce the weapon that would most suit him, in the form of solid Power Essence. For just a second, a golden light flickered around his fist, outlining what looked to be a gauntlet of some sort, before a searing pain in his hand forced him to release the Essence.
The light faded and he let out another sigh, tucking the coin away once more. It appeared that he would indeed be unable to use the weapon until he reached Green-Belt. He wondered what it would be and if the weapon would turn out to be as amazing as it had been during his trial.
Rolling onto his side, Roy was just about to drift off to sleep, when Geon finally spoke up.
“Very well. But I’ll hold you to that promise.”
Roy smiled as he drifted off. He was content for the first time in a very long time.
***
Shah Koya lay beneath the stone spire, the lifeblood pouring from his crushed body. He had long since lost the feeling in his lower half, as well as in his left hand. It was a miracle that he was still alive and breathing, though for how much longer he would remain so, was anyone’s guess.
Lightning flashed continuously overhead, though the storm had long since passed, lighting up The Crater in brief flashes. His core was empty, his vision hazy, and his mind numb with shock.
How had that freak done this to him? Him! A Martial Artist and member of the Shah clan. How had he done it? It shouldn’t have been possible!
He took in another rattling breath, his chest expanding painfully as he did so, causing him to wince. Another flash of lightning crackled across the sky, but when it vanished, the light did not go along with it. The light didn’t seem quite right. Instead of the pale white, or gold, it was a deep crimson.
Blinking against the sudden light, Koya tried to turn his head away. The light hurt his eyes, and he was so tired. He’d been chasing that freak for so long, and now all he wanted to do was rest.
A shadow fell across his face and a voice that he vaguely recognized sounded above him.
“My, my. It would appear that you’ve gotten yourself in quite the bind, Shah Koya. I wonder, would you like me to save you a third time?”
Koya blinked his eyes open, forcing them to focus on the hulking figure above him. The face was cast in deep shadow by the light coming from above, but even through the haze of pain, Koya recognized those glowing red eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, just a feeble whimper.