A Warriors First Lesson

 

By OmerGideon

 

Every step he took was agony, but still he pushed himself on. His breath was ragged by now, his legs burning and every aching muscle screamed at him to stop for just one moment, a few seconds to regain his strength. Running on he ignored these sensations, it was not the first time he had felt like this. The last few weeks had been a tortuous experience, pushing his body beyond what even he had known that it was capable of. Eventually he saw the end of the path, and slowed down until he came to a complete stop. Slowly he stretched out his tired muscles, and moved in front of the grave, placed some metres from the path. Quietly he brushed aside leaves from the headstone, removing the dirt and grime from its carved face. He needed to clean it more often in this time of year, than he had at the end of the lush season, but he didn’t mind. Once he had finished he sat down cross-legged in front of the grave, reading the inscription and remembering why it was there. Sadness touched him then, as it so often did. As he read tears began to well in his eyes, and he thought back to the days that had led to this moment.

 

Two swords clashed, the sound ringing throughout the arena. The two combatants circled each other slowly, each seeking to predict what their opponent would do next. Suddenly the taller fighter’s blade flashed out, striking his opponent in the shoulder. The other fighter dropped his sword, clutching at his arm. A moment later he felt cold steel against his throat.

“I concede master, I concede” said the second fighter a second later, and the master withdrew. Removing his face guard Master Kyujin stepped out of the fighting ring and beckoned his student forwards.

“A good match Katsu, you have improved much in these last weeks,” stated Master Kyujin, “However you are still ignoring that an opponent may strike at anywhere, not just the body. You also dropped your blade too readily when struck, I know you could have fought on.”

Katsu too removed his mask, and placed his blunted training sword in its sheath. “Perhaps you are right master,” he admitted, “but this was only practise, I would not make such a mistake in a true contest.”

Kyujin looked at his student, and sighed. “Katsu, when will you learn that you must treat each practise as if it was a true battle, or else you will fight in your first ‘true contest’ as though it were still a sparring match with a considerate opponent.” Looking at Katsu’s crestfallen face the Masters gaze softened. “Very well, you are dismissed.” Stated Kyujin simply, “Return tomorrow and we will discuss this further.”

“As you wish Master” responded Katsu, and stripping off his sparring gear he left the hall, carrying his sword with him.

Master Kyujin watched as he left, gently shaking his head thinking about his student. He asked himself why he still tried to teach the child, when his heart was clearly not in his studies. The answer came quickly. “It’s because he reminds you of yourself old fool, even to the lack of commitment” he softly muttered to himself. He knew that at the moment Katsu was probably more trouble to train than he was worth, but he had to admit, the boy had potential should he take his training seriously again. Just like me, he thought, just like me. Glancing outside he realised he still had about an hour before his other student’s class, enough time for a quick run. He swiftly packed away his belongings, and stepped outside to begin his run, after all he thought, no Mina combat master should be able to be accused of lack of effort.

Stepping outside of the dojang’s combat hall Katsu walked towards his sleeping quarters, carrying his great sword over one shoulder. No worries, he thought to himself, only tomorrow and then he would be able to go into the nearby winter settlement and enjoy his day off. As he reached the quarters he saw Rahna approach, probably coming in from another run. Katsu was still unable to fathom why Rahna did all of this extra training, especially physical training. Even the simplest of Chi practices allowed them to move faster, and strike harder than mere physical exertion would allow, so why do more than Master Kyujin required them to for physical training. Chi skills more than made up for any lack in physical power, and his Chi skills were sufficient for survival. Pushing aside such thoughts Katsu turned, and raised his hand in greeting to his friend.

“Welcome back Rahn, did you enjoy your exercises?” said Katsu cheerily.

“No more than you enjoy sparring with Master Kyujin I’d wager,” replied Rahna breathlessly, “but I know that I’ve got to do this if I want to excel.”

“Is there a need?” responded Katsu, “for surely we already excel if we do merely what is required of us by our Master”

“I’ll admit that we are very good already” said Rahna, yet as he spoke Katsu recognised that he still had more to say, and soon Rahna continued, “But perhaps that isn’t enough. After all, there are lots of creatures out there that are stronger than even us, and it would be foolish for us not to prepare.” After speaking Rahna looked at his friend, and inwardly sighed. Why would Katsu not realise that only true commitment and effort would allow his skills to progress much further? The need to improve was always there as a stronger opponent was always waiting. Perhaps Katsu would learn soon thought Rahna, yet still he doubted it. His friend was too content to slowly improving his abilities, and lately he had seemed somewhat distracted.

Katsu shrugged and said, “Perhaps it is enough to focus less on the physical, and to instead spend time working on Chi skills which aid us in far greater ways”. Seeing that Rahna was ready to have another debate on this matter Katsu quickly said, “But for the moment let us accept that we disagree on the matter, as we do not have the time now for a proper debate.”

“Very well, I do have to prepare for my own sparring match. Shall we speak again at dinner?” Said Rahna, realising that he had barely enough time to prepare.

“At dinner then, farewell Rahn” replied Katsu, eager to get back to his room.

“At dinner”, agreed Rahna, “See you then Katsu, and perhaps I’ll win this debate.”

“Of course. Just as soon as Master Kyujin retires to become a gardener that is, for that will happen sooner” said Katsu and with that he turned and briskly walked to his room. As he left Rahna looked at him. Katsu was right; he was a fine debater, even if he often spoke like an arrogant merchant showing off his wit. But he thought to himself, if he would only try as hard in his training, he might be able to actually please Master Kyujin, and not disappoint him so much. After all, they owed him too much to risk that. Then turning he made his way to the training hall, to prepare for his next training session.

 

 

 

The settlement was extremely large, but that came as no surprise this year, the season had been unusually harsh. An exceedingly long drought had left a handful of valleys habitable and only the bravest or most foolhardy Mina had refused to join a settlement. Added to this a large band of Yana had been forced to join the settlement over the period, as the territories that they had been exploring were blocked off by rock falls, and their supplies had run out. The Yana had however made good use of their time with the Mina. They had heard rumours concerning an ancient monument of the Mina civilisation, located somewhere to the north in some distant valleys. Such a site would be of incalculable value to their studies; even if a detailed history of the site were not recorded there, there would still be a large number of valuable artefacts at the site. The only trouble that their leader, Tetsu, saw with a voyage to the site was the abundance of monsters living in the valleys surrounding the settlement, driven there by the drought. While a warrior culture like the Mina had no worries about living in such a place, his band of scholars would certainly need added protection if they decided to travel and investigate. It also didn’t help that their own hired guards were less than familiar with the local conditions, especially the local wildlife. No, Tetsu thought, some Mina guides would be essential if they wished to investigate this site. Walking around the town he looked at the Mina he found there. Earlier he had learnt that few of the younger Mina had travelled to the region he wished to explore, and those that had were less experienced than his own guards were. None of the older Mina wished to travel with him, but he was unsurprised by this, after all previous expeditions to the region had suffered mysterious occurrences, often with heavy casualties before they even reached the ruins. The Mina were not cowards, but they were also in no rush to throw their lives away on a treacherous journey in an inhospitable environment. Tetsu could only see two choices open to him. He could postpone the expedition until later in the season. While this would make it safer to travel, and increase the chances of finding a suitable guide, Tetsu already had other commitments that would mean only a cursory examination of the ruins would be possible. The alternative to this would be to enquire at the independent Dojang some half a days journey outside of the settlement, and request the services of the Mina training there as guards. There was however had no guarantee that they would be willing to offer their services, and from all reports no more than three Mina were actually present there. Still, he thought, if these people were willing to join him, there was a good chance that a few of the older Mina would reconsider their position. Weighing up the options, he resolved to visit this Dojang later that day, and see whether or not hiring these people would be worthwhile.

 

 

 

Rahna stood in the circle, stripped to the waist waiting. Katsu faced him, and looking at him, Rahna could see that there was no chance of him going easy on him now. After all, Katsu had a large bruise on his face from the earlier bout. Rahna gestured at him to begin, and Katsu stepped forwards, throwing a straight punch at Rahna’s head. Rahna’s arm flashed out, catching the blow inches from his head. Katsu followed this up with a swift cross, catching Rahna in the side. As the blow impacted Rahna leapt slightly, and allowed his body to move, lessening the force. Katsu followed in, throwing out a swift succession of punches, varying the direction and target of each strike. Rahna blocked most of these strikes, occasionally dodging back from a few wild swings. As he began to block a strong hook he saw Katsu change his target, and realised the blow was aimed at his arm’s muscles. The blow struck hard, temporally numbing his arm. This was followed by a hard kick into his side, a blow that winded Rahna. Rahna dropped his left foot back, readjusting his stance and stood almost side on to Katsu, presenting only his uninjured side to him. He smiled, and thought to himself that this sparring match was going far better than usual.

Tetsu stood a short distance away with Master Kyujin and quietly watched the bout. The set-up was intriguing, with only one of the students able to attack, while the other was only able to defend himself. He had seen many sparring matches between warriors in the famous tournaments in Nazca but the style of combat here was totally different. Those students had dodged, and leapt always seeking to get their opponent off balance to throw them, but these two seemed to stop force with force, and to absorb stronger blows. It was very different to what he was used to, but there was definitely great skill involved, and these two students seemed to be very good at what they did.

“I must compliment your students Mater Kyujin, they appear to be very skilled fighters.” Said Tetsu.

“That they are. But I can see that you expected more from them.” Replied Master Kyujin.

Tetsu thought about how to answer, after all he did not want to seem rude. “Perhaps, but only because of what I have heard about them. Rumour would have it that they are capable of far more than they have shown here.”

“Perhaps you wish to see if they are young sir?” asked Master Kyujin. Tetsu nodded and Kyujin called out for his students. They were both sweating, and Rahna had a small cut above his eye. “A fine bout,” said Kyujin, “But our guest here has been led to believe that you are capable of greater feats. Rahna, perhaps you could demonstrate a Chi technique for him.”

Rahna nodded and fetched a thick slab of concrete, some 6 inches. Calming himself he summoned his energy. Katsu held the piece, and Rahna readied himself. Tetsu watched with interest, as a piece of concrete this thick should be all but unbreakable. Rahna formed a fist, and punched out at the slab, his hand stopping an inch from it. Instantly the slab was smashed apart as though struck by a hammer. Tetsu could barely believe it, and turned to Kyujin expectantly.

“How did he break that rock, he did not even touch it?” he asked incredulously.

“The ability he showed is quite simple,” answered Kyujin, “He summoned the energy, and the fired it from his fist into the rock. The blast you saw is not even the most potent which he can summon. My students also learn how to use this energy to increase their speed, strength, endurance and sensory abilities,” he explained.

Tetsu was impressed. He had rarely seen abilities like this. Although it was different from the magical skills of certain sorcerers, or the effects of his own technological devices, it was doubtless quite effective and these students were supposedly capable of even more, not to mention their Master’s skills! Carefully he masked his expression, as he knew that it would be harder to haggle on a fee for hiring the students and their master if his astonishment was obvious.

Kyujin looked at Tetsu, and tried to imagine what he was thinking. The Yana had spoken earlier about his desire to hire the students as guides for a voyage he was undertaking, and while he had no real wish to send them out or to travel himself, both had expressed a desire to travel, even if for different motives. Rahna saw this as an opportunity to test his abilities in a real environment, while Katsu would appreciate the break from training and the experience of life away from the Dojang. Perhaps the experience would be good for them, he thought. Kyujin gestured for the two students to continue, while he went inside to discuss a price with Tetsu.

 

 

 

Rahna finished sharpening his great sword, and placed it in a sheath. The rest of the luggage they would be taking on this journey had already been loaded the day before, but he had insisted that only he would carry his sword. Rahna had been looking forwards to the voyage for the past five days, since Master Kyujin had agreed that the Yana scholars could hire them. Since then they had met the rest of the party, a dozen researchers and a score of trained mercenaries. Rahna had not taken a liking to many of them, but nothing could dampen his spirits now. This would be the first opportunity he’d have to test out his abilities, something almost certain to occur in the wild valleys they would be travelling to. Wild creatures still out there would be almost certain to attack, driven to hunger by the drought. A short distance away Katsu was pacing the room, anxious to get going. He would be able to experience a whole new way of life on this voyage, and he was not going to waste a single moment here more than necessary. True they would need to travel across a small desert to reach the valleys they were headed for, but the journey would still be worth it. The Night before Master Kyujin had spoken with them, discussing the voyage. Katsu had appreciated that he had not urged them to spend too much of their time training, and he appreciated that Rahna had let him set how much they would train together. He knew that Rahna would have wanted to do more, but the rest from constant work would be a welcome change. Later that day the two students said their farewells to Master Kyujin, and joined the column of travellers, ready for the voyage ahead.

 

 

 

Rahna walked on, eyes peeled for anything which might be following the party. Nothing had happened so far on the journey, but it never hurt to be vigilant, especially in the sort of hostile terrain they were currently in, as creatures could easily be hidden behind a boulder, or in a cave. Looking forwards he saw Katsu walking towards him, and realised that it was time for them to change positions, and him to take his turn as scout. Two days ahead of the column scouting the scrublands with a half dozen of the Yana guards, not something which he was looking forward to. Still Rahna had been hoping for a chance to speak with Katsu. Since they had left on this voyage Katsu had been somewhat lax in his training. They still spent an hour or so practising their Chi and sparring every evening they were together at the camp, but Katsu had discontinued with his physical exercises. This hadn’t surprised Rahna on the first night, after all he had also curtailed his training somewhat on this journey, but it had never occurred to him that they should stop training altogether. He accepted that they couldn’t work as hard as at the Dojang, especially while on the march or scouting ahead, but he still worked as hard as he could to improve. Indeed, he thought, they needed to be at their best now more than ever, where they might need to rely on their skills to survive. The way of the warrior demanded no less from them.

“Good evening Rahna how’s life at the rear of the column.” Said Katsu, clapping Rahna on the back.

Smiling Rahna answered, “Easier than having to survive on your cooking for two days I’d wager.”

“There is that, but rather that than heavy training at the Dojang.” Said Katsu, laughing gently. As he spoke he realised that he had said the wrong thing. Rahna’s smile vanished, and he looked at Katsu, irritation showing in his face. How could Katsu show such disregard for their training?

“So you prefer life out here to the Dojang?” asked Rahna accusingly.

“I prefer that I do not have to push myself through exercises every day.” Responded Katsu. Looking at Rahna he saw that he was still irritated, so continued, “not that I didn’t enjoy training, but it is enjoyable not having to exercise every single day”

“I don’t understand it Katsu, don’t you want to continue with your exercises?” asked Rahna.

Katsu sat down on a nearby rock, and carefully considered how to answer this question. It would be easy to seem insulting, so he would need to be careful to answer without offending him. “It feels pleasant not to wake up with aching muscles every morning, and out here I think that it is pointless to do so. You might be able to handle it but I cannot. If you wish to become the greatest warrior of the age you still can train, but I merely wish to be, well, good enough. I feel like I have done this.” Katsu saw that Rahna still did not fully understand his reasoning. Despite feeling uncomfortable telling his friend this he had to. “You know that I have always been stronger than you in Chi. Now Master Kyujin has taught me to use this power properly, and with it I am now able to become stronger, and faster than most warriors out there. I am strong enough to do everything that I wish to do, I can survive this world.”

“And how is this enough?” asked Rahna.

“Because I do not wish to be a warrior for all my life, constantly looking out for new challenges to push my abilities. All I want is a relatively peaceful life in one of the cities of the other races.” Replied Katsu, his voice soft and calm.

“That is not the way of the warrior Katsu, it is not how we live.” Responded Rahna.

“And why must my life be dictated by my heritage?” Said Katsu, his voice raising. “Why must I live a life not of my choosing, simply to conform to some that which I am told should?

 Rahna could see that Katsu was getting angry, and at last he understood his friend. “So that is it then. You wish to live a life that is different to how you have been told to live, simply so you can say it is your own?” Katsu nodded, and they sat quietly together for a moment. Then Rahna continued. “You have studied with me and Master Kyujin so that you are strong enough to survive without relying on another person.”

“Not at all Rahn, I wished to become a strong fighter, and now I have. I am truly grateful to Master Kyujin for training me, but I only wished to master Chi with him. As I have I now wish to explore other avenues so that I may best choose the life I want for myself.”

Rahna looked at Katsu, and saw that he was sincere. He saw what he was doing. He had learnt how to be a warrior, and soon he would leave to learn how to become something else. While my own passion lies in becoming the greatest fighter that I can thought Rahna.

“Will you at least train with me on this journey? For my benefit if not your own.”

The suggestion came as no surprise to Katsu, and for a while he had believed that he would agree to it. But doing so now felt as though it would be hypocrisy.

“No Rahn, I will not. We do not need to train at the moment. We are easily strong enough to survive an attack from dangerous animals on this journey.”

“Katsu have you no sense?” exclaimed Rahna. “I may be able to accept what you have said tonight, but for now you are a warrior and you must act like one. Surely even you can see that we do not know what we may face on this journey. How will you react if we encounter something stronger than you on this trip?”

“Then I will use the techniques we have learnt to defeat it,” replied Katsu, annoyed at Rahna’s lack of understanding. “Surely we are strong enough to escape any likely threat”

“Katsu you’re a fool! You are strong, maybe even one of the strongest people out there, and your skills are impressive, but I could defeat you in a fight easily. And how long will it be before you meet someone stronger than you who isn’t your friend? You can’t even say you know how strong you are, when you don’t know how strong you would be without your Chi skills? There is no point in beginning the path of the warrior, and abandoning it while you still are one. You no longer care about being a warrior, but it would be better for you to abandon any pretence of being one than to act the part, and fool people who may need your help into expecting a true warrior, when instead they get an empty mercenary.” With this Rahna stalked away, leaving Katsu alone by the fire, with his thoughts.

He doesn’t understand, thought Katsu, how could he? He had not witnessed his entire family die one by one as they pursued the life of the warrior. He had not stood over the graves of parents he had never known, parents who died seeking to become the best as Rahna now did. I shall not die that way thought Katsu I shall not die remembered only as some fool who could not be content. A fool, who always needed to push himself until he eventually broke.

 

 

 

Katsu had not spoken with Rahna since their argument almost three weeks ago. They no longer trained together in the evenings, or joked together as they discussed the things they had seen during their journey. It was surprising to him that he was so strongly affected by this, after all he reasoned it was Rahna who had been in the wrong. What right had he to call Katsu an empty mercenary, and to insult his life? Yet Tetsu had noticed the rift between them, and had ordered him to speak with Rahna. There was some wisdom in what Tetsu said. Earlier that week a group of wild animals had attacked Rahna while he had been out scouting. Katsu had been nearby, but had refused to follow Rahna’s lead in the skirmish. As a result of this one of the Yana guards, a young soldier called Jigane, had been injured. A similar event had occurred some days earlier, though this time it was Rahna who had been ignorant of Katsu and no one had been injured. Tetsu had decided that enough was enough, and that the conflict between the two had to be settled. Despite the wisdom in this Katsu felt mildly irritated, and believed that it should be Rahna, not he, who initiated any reconciliation. That evening Katsu sought out Rahna, and explained to him what Tetsu had said.

“We reach the ruins in two days Rahna, and there could be any number of dangers there. Tetsu thought it might be wise if we found a way to work together.” Explained Katsu. “After all,” he continued “It helps no one if the two strongest warriors in the group won’t work together.”

Rahna looked at Katsu and slightly nodded. He could appreciate Tetsu’s line of reasoning, hell he even agreed with it, but Katsu had shown such total disregard towards his beliefs and arguments that he felt unhappy about making the first step. Swallow your pride, he thought, and act for the good of the company. “And how could we do this then?”

Katsu shrugged. “Perhaps if we each apologise for our words we might be able to move on” he suggested, “And I, for one, apologise for my tone that night. I do not disrespect Master Kyujin or you.”

“And I’m sorry for any insult I may have given. But I still stand by what I said.” Stated Rahna. As he spoke Katsu tensed slightly, as though he had been freshly insulted, but he then visibly relaxed and spoke.

“I can accept that Rahna, though I feel that you are wrong in your beliefs” he said. Looking at Rahna he saw that he had also relaxed.

“I feel the same Katsu” said Rahna. For a few moments the two stood there, staring at each other. It was Rahna who broke the silence. “Perhaps you would care for a sparring match tonight” he suggested, despite himself since he already knew what the answer would be.

“No Rahna, not tonight” said Katsu. “Perhaps when we leave the ruins to return home. Until tomorrow.” And with that he turned and walked off. For a while Rahna just stood there. The rift between himself and Katsu had not been fully sealed, but they had taken the first steps tonight. Shaking off such concerns Rahna began to stretch out as he prepared to begin his daily exercises, while in the distance he could hear Katsu as he ate with their companions. He may have given up on his duty, but I will not shirk my responsibilities he thought. I will not give up my training. Rahna looked over at the fire and thought to himself, no one shall ever be able to say that I didn’t try hard enough. I will not fail in my duties as a warrior. Not again.

 

 

Tetsu was almost breathless as he walked amongst the ruins. They were vast indeed. There were literally dozens of large halls, and scores of smaller chambers. He had first seen the scale when they had arrived there last night, and had scarce been able to believe it. He also found it hard to believe that their journey had been described as potentially dangerous. Thus far they had encountered sporadic attacks from wild animals during the voyage and seen a few scattered creatures in the ruins, but nothing dangerous. They had on the other hand discovered a number of artefacts in the ruins already, including what had appeared to be a written record of the site. The ruins themselves were also of great interest. They appeared to be constructed out of mere sandstone, but it was too well preserved. By his estimates the site was easily centuries old, and in a semi-desert such as this more extensive weathering should be visible. This site had to be brought to the attention of his fellows in the M2 faction headquarters in Amakyo. He had dispatched half of his fellow scholars, along with a number of the guards to return to the caravans with these finds. This left him, the rest of his fellows and perhaps 15 of the guards, along with both the Mina. He had also brought along his Mk 4 Sphera cannon, just in case. He continued to gaze at the ruins until one of the guards came running up to him.

“Sir, I believe that we’ve found the central chamber of this place,” he said.

Tetsu could scarce contain his glee. The centre of these ruins, perhaps some sort of temple he mused, often contained the most important treasures. Turning to the guard he said, “Gather everyone together. We’re searching that chamber now.”

 

The party filed into the chamber, the guards standing near the entrance they had walked through, and a second exit nearby. It was a large room, and in the centre stood a dais. Tetsu walked over to it and saw a small device on a pedestal like structure there. It looked similar to a standard power generator except somewhat more sophisticated. Reaching out Tetsu touched the object. A shrill note sounded, a sound, which chilled the blood of everyone present. The note hung in the air for what felt like an age, and then slowly dissipated. As Tetsu reached for the artefact a second time a second note sounded, far deeper and more dangerous than the first. Silence followed as each person held their breath, waiting for what would follow. A moment later a third sound was heard, but this was no musical note. This was a battle cry. The artefact had been booby trapped.

“Defensive circle, now.” cried out Katsu, as he and Rahna took up positions facing each of the two entrances to the chamber and unsheathed their great swords. The Yana guards moved less rapidly at first, then as the noise sounded again, infinitely closer than before, they ran speedily forming into a double layered defensive ring, the scholars positioned relatively safely in the centre with the sphera cannon. Sweat began pouring down Katsu’s brow, and his sword almost slipped from his grasp. Katsu grasped it tighter, cursing himself for his fear. Louder and louder the noise sounded, until at last Rahna saw dark shapes closing in on them.

“Whatever happens, do not break the circle!” called out Rahna, knuckles turning white as he gripped his sword. A moment later one of the dark shapes rushed swiftly into view, and leapt at him. His sword flashed out, cleaving the creature in two while it was still in mid-air. Almost as though this were a signal, a horde of these creatures rushed into the chamber, leaping at the circle. Moments later the circle was enveloped, and battle was joined. A taloned arm slashed at Katsu’s throat. Katsu barely blocked the attack with his arm, before plunging his sword one handed through the creatures’ chest. Pulling his weapon clear, he hurled the creature back into the horde, and brought his blade up, ready to slash again. On the other side of the circle, Rahna ducked as a sphera cannon blast screamed overhead, nearly vaporising one of the creatures. While down another creature scrambled on top of him, and he lost grip of his sword as he wrestled with it. Before he could react he was pulled into the mass of monsters. Seeing this Katsu dropped back, gathering his energy and unleashed a blast of Chi energy into the horde, clearing a path as beasts were hurled aside, many of them torn apart by the force of the blow. Rahna found himself suddenly free of opposition, and grabbing his sword he leapt back, slashing through a beasts arm as he assumed his position in the circle. Moments later, during a brief lull he gestured his thanks to Katsu, who nodded back before impaling another monster, and smashed a devastating blow to its head.

Looking down Tetsu saw his companions fighting furiously. Taking aim he sent a sphera cannon blast into the heaving mass, hoping that the sphera cartridges would last for at least a while longer. In the circle he saw the captain of his guards, Jigane, duck underneath a slash, and in one fluid move sever the throat of one beast as he thrust his sword through the back of another. Sadly such skill was not possessed by everyone. He saw one of the other guards get dragged under the horde, their claws rending great tears in his armour. It looked for a moment that the beasts might break through the circle, but a pair of Yana leapt into the breach and in a whirlwind of frenzied combat cleared a space in the circle.

“Is there no end to you beasts?” shouted out Katsu, his breathing heavy, thinking to himself that his energy was becoming depleted. On and on they battled, until at last the final beast was dispatched by a straight thrust from a Yana sword, severing its jugular. Near to collapse, many of the Yana fell to the ground. Swiftly Tetsu counted the survivors. Perhaps five Yana were dead, with as many again seriously injured. Checking his weapon he saw that all its sphera reserves were nearly depleted. Only the two Mina appeared uninjured, but they too appeared near exhaustion. Checking his timer, he saw the fight had lasted almost thirty minutes. It had felt like less time. Turning back to the dais he saw the artefact had been knocked off by the battle. Reaching out again he grabbed it, placing it in his bag. This time no alarms sounded. It appeared that the trap had been disabled.

Nearby Katsu stood quietly, marshalling his strength. The battle had been exhausting, pushing him to the limits of his endurance. Only his skill with Chi had enabled him to survive. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something move, something large. Despite his fatigue he stood, and walked towards the chamber entrance, sword held in one hand. He saw movement again, outside the chamber. His tired eyes had not deceived him. Tentatively he stepped outside the chamber. Suddenly a massive creature reared up in front of him, and with an ear-splitting roar smashed a thunderous blow into his chest.

 

Inside the chamber Rahna saw Katsu moving towards one of the entrances. Walking towards him, Rahna gestured to a pair of the Yana to follow him. Moments later he heard a thunderous roar, and saw Katsu fly across the chamber. Following him in was a colossal monster, more than twice the size of the other creatures they had fought.

“With Me” he screamed as he ran into combat with this beast.

Across from this Katsu slowly recovered, and painfully stood, bracing himself against the wall. Glancing across the chamber he saw Rahna locked in combat with a truly monstrous creature, looking like a giant, overly muscled bear, maybe ten feet tall. Rahna moved well, but the beast was deceptively fast, coming within a hairsbreadth of striking him more than once with it’s elongated talons. As he watched he saw Jigane smash his sword into the side of the creature, only for it to shatter against it’s hide. The beast responded by plunging it’s talons into his Jigane’s chest, and throwing him against the wall. He slammed into the wall with a sickening crack, and slumped to the ground. He had died instantly.

Seeing this Katsu tried to run to his aid, but collapsed after only a few steps. He realised that his friend was trapped in a battle with this monster, and he was powerless to help him. As he watched he saw Yana run in to help Rahna, and he saw many of them die, crushed beneath the great talons of the beast. They fought well, and could avoid many strikes, but they seemed unable to pierce it’s skin. Only Rahna seemed able to hurt the beast, aside from the sphera cannon which had been depleted in the first battle. Astonished Katsu watched as Rahna blocked a backhanded slash, and grabbed the creature’s arm, bringing it down over his knee, shattering the bone. Katsu could not believe what he was seeing. Rahna was using his Chi to allow himself to injure the monster enhancing his strength to an incredible degree, and relying on his trained physical skills to respond to its attacks. Katsu also realised that Rahna must have fought the first battle on pure stamina, whereas he had been forced to use his own Chi to survive. Rahna had been right; in order to use their abilities properly they needed to be able to fight without them.

Watching the battle between the Mina and the beast Tetsu could hardly believe what had happened earlier. His sphera cannon had been set to maximum power, and it still had barely scratched the monster. Now it was all but depleted of it’s energy, and all that stood between him and death was a pair of wounded Mina, only one of whom he was sure could damage the beats, and fewer than a dozen Yana who had had no success in this battle.

On and on Rahna and the beast fought, while Katsu slowly made his way towards them. The two combatants appeared nearly equally matched, each had been sorely wounded by the other. Rahna was bleeding badly from his arms, and was limping slightly as he moved. The beast had a shattered arm, and a gaping wound in its chest. No one dared enter the fight now for fear that it might fatally distract Rahna. As they fought Rahna saw the beast stumble, and with a cry he swung down with all his might. But the beast saw this, and as his blow neared it swung round and plunged its claws into Rahna’s back, even as his blow smashed into its collarbone. Shame swamped Katsu as he realised that had he merely trained with Rahna on their journey he might have been able to aid him during the fight. Despite his exhausted body he ran towards the beast, and swinging his great sword high he brought it down into the beasts head. At this moment a sphera cannon blast smashed into the beast, ripping the wound in it’s chest open and killing it instantly. Standing nearby Tetsu lowered his sphera cannon, and dropped to his knees. His relief at surviving almost overwhelming him. His cannon was now totally drained, and he realised that had he not killed the beast he would surely have died. He looked over at Katsu, who had walked over to Rahna. They would speak later, he thought, for he owed Rahna his life.

 

Katsu looked down at Rahna, and knelt by his side. Rahna was dying, that was painfully obvious. His injuries were too severe for anything to be done. Katsu realised that his friend would die, and that it was his fault.

“I’m sorry Rahna, I couldn’t help you.” he said, tears welling in his eyes.

Rahna’s reply was almost to quiet to here, indeed only Katsu himself could. “At least you tried to my friend. At least you tried.”

“Not hard enough Rahna,” said Katsu, his voice choked with emotion. “If I had just listened to you, and practised I would have….” Began Katsu, but he stopped. Rahna was dead. There was nothing else he could say to him, but there was something he could say for him. Speaking quietly, so as none could hear him he spoke. “I swear Rahna, I will never let myself be too weak to save someone. I will never let myself say that I could have done more to help. I promise you Rahna, I will do my best, and never let a friend down again.”

 

 

 

At the graveside Katsu rose to his feet, and silently traced his hand across the vow he had engraved into the stone. Rahna’s funeral had been attended by every survivor of the voyage, and everyone from Tetsu to himself had personally thanked Rahna for his sacrifice. It had been almost four months since he had died, but he still felt regret. The artefact which Tetsu had found was now supposedly in an Alliance mechanica research facility in one of the larger cities, and had been cited as the greatest find in the last five years by some. Tetsu was now studying these finds in the city of Amakyo. Katsu’s own strength had risen sharply since the event, and today Master Kyujin had remarked that if he continued to improve at this rate he would soon surpass even him. Katsu though did not care that he was strong, only that he was as strong as he could be. He did not care that the artefact had proven immensely valuable. If he could have, he would wish that he and Rahna had never gone on the voyage, and that he had not cost his friend his life. Regretfully he turned his back on the grave, and began to jog back towards the Dojang. His training was far from over, and there was still time left in the day.

 

The end.