Ghost (Buryoku Book 11), page 23
“How much do you want to bet they’ll get their hands on the Elderstaff?” Geon said.
“Nothing,” Roy replied.
The orcs were obviously going to get their hands on it. There was no other reason it should have been mentioned otherwise.
“Thank you for your bravery,” the soldier said. “We’ll see to it that you’re all rewarded handsomely, should we make it out alive.”
Roy nodded, then turned to his group.
“Ferry, go left. Violet, you go right. Snarl, go back. I’ll move forward. If anyone gets wind of the Elderstaff being in the hands of an orc, yell really loud. If you don’t need help, just kill them and take it. Any questions?”
No one had any, so the group split, each heading in the direction Roy had indicated to look for more of the orcs.
“Can I kill some?” Geon asked excitedly.
“Knock yourself out,” Roy said as they turned a sharp corner and found a group of orcs in the process of murdering a family of six.
The mother and two of the children were already dead, while the father was fighting tooth and nail to keep his remaining children alive. The orcs were only playing with him, and Roy could easily see that the man stood no chance.
Geon exploded from his chest, smashing into the first orc. His hands flashed forward, punching through the back of the orc’s head. With a mighty heave, the construct ripped the orc in two, then used both halves to bludgeon another one to a bloody pulp.
Roy flashed across the intervening distance, using his will to crush one of the orc’s heads. It was shockingly easy, and he found himself feeling a bit disgusted as the creature’s head popped.
He killed the next one by punching it in the gut, a blow that shattered its spine and left it bleeding out on the ground.
By the time he was done with the second, Geon had killed the rest of the group and was already looking around for more. Roy turned to the group they’d just saved. The father appeared to be in shock, while the remaining children – two small girls – huddled over their mother, bawling their eyes out.
“Take your children and go somewhere safe,” Roy said. “Do it now!”
His harsh words snapped the man out of his trance, and he nodded quickly, running over to the pair of girls, snatching them up and dashing away as quickly as his legs would carry him.
“More, I need more!” Geon cackled, his body covered in blood.
“You have a problem,” Roy deadpanned.
They moved on, Roy throwing a blast of golden Essence into the sky to let everyone know they’d run into a group and taken care of them. Every time they came across another group, Geon went crazy, murdering his way through them while Roy checked for any survivors.
Every few minutes, a blast of light went up somewhere in the city. Snarl’s was pure black. Violet’s was purple-black, while Ferry’s was gold-black. Roy knew that while the battles now were easy, they’d surely be running into the wielder of the Elderstaff soon enough. He just had to wonder which one of them would be the lucky winner.
35
“Heck yeah!” Geon yelled.
It was him. He was the lucky winner. Of course it was him.
They had been butchering their way through what felt like the hundredth group of orcs when something bright flashed in the corner of his vision. Roy turned just in time to be blasted through a building, the structure turning to rubble in an instant and burying him under several tons of stone and mortar.
Groaning, Roy pulled himself from the collapsed building to see Geon attacking an orc wielding a glowing staff, his body covered in lines of shining text that scrolled across his brown-green skin.
“Take that! And that. And that!” Geon yelled as he threw punch after punch into the orc’s face.
The orc was completely ignoring him, taking the blows as though they were nothing. The staff was clutched tightly in his hand, and he was staring directly at Roy, his eyes glowing red in the darkness.
The creature cut quite the intimidating figure, standing tall, his body powerfully muscled. Even as Geon attacked again, his hand shot out, catching the construct by the neck and squeezing. Roy sighed and plugged his ears as Geon exploded, rocking the orc and scorching his body. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting that, which gave Roy the chance to close with the creature before it could recover.
Essence coursed through his channels as he punched upward into the orc’s gut. The exploding fist activated as he struck, sending an explosion of golden Essence into the creature, who staggered back under the force of the blow. Clearly still disoriented from Geon’s surprise attack, the orc swung the staff, sending a line of crackling light searing through the sky.
It completely missed Roy by about a mile, as well as any buildings. In fact, all it likely did was draw attention.
“I almost had him!” Geon complained.
“Well, you’re more than welcome to come back out and try it again,” Roy said, driving a quick series of punches into the orc’s ribs, setting off the Exploding Fist each time.
“You know, I think I’d rather save my energy for a real challenge,” Geon said. “Besides, I think you could use some training of your own. Can’t go doing all the fighting for you, can I?”
Roy rolled his eyes, driving a final punch into the orc’s ribs before backing away. The creature had recovered, and clearly Essence wasn’t going to be enough, as his ribs only showed moderate signs of damage.
The orc pointed the staff at him, then yelled something in a guttural language Roy couldn’t understand. A lance of light blasted from the tip, which Roy caught on his Qi Armorer technique. The lines of gold held up well under the assault, and when the beam petered out, Roy used the Void Sphere-Pulse, infusing it with his will to destroy.
After all, it wasn’t only Reiki techniques that could carry the will of a Sovereign.
A blast of power exploded from his fist, slamming into the orc’s chest and tearing straight through him. The monster was tossed off its feet, a pool of blood spreading from where it lay. Roy approached, kicking the staff aside as the orc tried to raise it, then proceeded to stomp down on its head, crushing the monster’s skull underfoot and splattering his brains all over the cobblestones.
“I’m saving that one for the highlights reel,” Geon said.
“What?” asked Roy.
“What?” Geon replied.
Roy sent a blast of power up into the sky, deciding that pushing it wasn’t worth it as a doorway shimmered into view before him. It didn’t take long for the rest of the team to appear, all quite clean, despite the number of orcs they’d killed.
“Weren’t we supposed to get some sort of reward?” Violet asked, looking around.
“I think that this is the reward,” Roy said, lifting the staff.
None of them would be able to use it, but he figured that Aika might find some use for it once they were reunited. He stored the item in his ring, and the four of them left, exiting back into the tower.
“Does anyone need a break?” Roy asked.
No one did, so they continued upward, walking up the spiraling staircase until they reached the next door, heading in and facing their next challenge. This time, their group found themselves on the side of an active volcano.
“It stinks!” Violet complained, pinching her nose.
The air, as far as Roy could tell, was filled with noxious gas. The sky above was blanketed in a thick cloud of ash that continued to rain down on them all, and lines of bright red and orange flowed through the ground at their feet.
Looking up to the top of the enraged mountain, Roy could see the ash rising, smoke, sulfur, and who knew what else mixing in the air to form the toxic environment. Luckily for them, their bodies were made of tougher stuff. While breathing toxic air wasn’t fun, it definitely didn’t hurt them.
“I guess we’re going up,” Roy said.
The group began hiking up the mountain, the heat growing more intense as they did. Fire and Earth Qi mixed in the air, clearly a cut above what had been taking place in the previous challenges. The air only grew hotter the higher they climbed, and by the time they had made it about three-quarters of the way up, the Qi in the air had turned to Chakra.
“This is definitely feeling more difficult than the last one,” Violet said. “And not by an insubstantial amount either.”
Roy couldn’t help but agree. He only hoped that whatever they found at the top of the mountain wouldn’t be equally as difficult to manage. About an hour later, the group made it to the top, all gathering at the rim of the volcano and staring in. The mountain was massive, the crater stretching hundreds of yards across.
Just fifty feet below lay a mass of glowing, molten stone. Steam continued to rise off its surface, boiling up into the sky. Small rumbling shifts sent spots of the molten stone into the air before they fell, settling back into the glowing pool.
Clearly, this volcano was primed to blow, the only question now was what they were doing here.
Their answer came as Violet was opening her mouth, likely to ask that very question.
A ridged spine rose from within the molten stone, fiery liquid cascading down its scaled sides. A pair of gleaming yellow eyes fixed on them, from deep, ridged brows.
“It’s been a while since we’ve fought one of those,” Roy said, examining the dragon with a scrutinizing gaze.
The creature looked terrifying – not that he was surprised, it was a dragon, after all – its body covered in rounded scales that overlapped, giving the dragon the perfect set of natural armor. As it pulled itself further from the bubbling pool of liquid stone, Roy could see more of the creature and just how large it was.
“That’s definitely not a juvenile,” Geon said.
Massive wings made of burning red flames spread from its spine, the reptilian eyes never leaving the group once, clearly appraising the level of threat they posed. The dragon gave off the strength of a powerful Red-Belt, not that any of them really needed to worry about killing a Red-level creature. Level aside, a dragon was an intimidating enemy to have to face.
“Not a juvenile,” Roy said. “But definitely not an adult either.”
“Something in between,” Geon said. “Good. That means you can kill it.”
Dragons had the unique ability to fight above their own cultivation, but even they had their limits. A powerful Red-level Dragon could perhaps take a Gold-Belt down if they were lucky, but their strength lay in their ability to handle groups of fighters well. For example, a group of Red-Belts generally wouldn’t stand a chance against a dragon of this level.
“I’m going to kill it,” Snarl said, taking a step forward, only to be stopped by Violet.
“No,” she said, giving him a hard look. “Ferry is going to kill it.”
“Do you dare stand between me and my opponent?” Snarl asked.
“What challenge is there in this fight for you?” Violet asked. “You’ll crush it with little effort and gain nothing at all as a result. Ferry, on the other hand, will gain far more. Or are you going to begrudge someone else the chance to grow?”
Snarl backed off at that, crossing his arms over his chest, though he looked annoyed at not being able to fight. Dragons were rare opponents and losing the chance to battle one must have rankled him.
Ferry confidently stepped forward, ignoring Roy’s questioning look.
“She can take care of herself,” Geon said. “Just watch.”
The woman continued walking, already in her full-human form – likely to avoid the heat – and dropped straight into the volcano.
Her robes fluttered about her as she fell, the dragon following her movement with its eyes as it began beating its flaming wings, pulling itself free from the boiling lava. Ferry landed neatly, a patch of pure Darkness forming just inches off the surface of the molten stone lake.
Roy watched her, dwarfed in comparison to the dragon’s massive bulk, as the creature came fully free of the bubbling lava. She didn’t seem afraid in the slightest, her long, golden hair billowing in the wind around her, her arms relaxed at her sides.
“This should be good,” Violet said, her voice betraying the excitement she felt.
Roy honestly didn’t know what to think of it, but Ferry was a 10th Dan Brown-Belt, while the dragon was only in the mid-Red stages. Even without her techniques, she should have been able to pummel the dragon into submission with her bare hands.
The dragon’s mouth cracked open then, and a stream of molten stone blasted out in a wide cone, engulfing Ferry and causing her to vanish from view. Roy wasn’t too worried, as he could still sense her from within the deluge, her Core growing brighter as she exerted her strength.
The dragon’s breath continued pouring over her as she moved forward, stepping onto another patch of Darkness. The stream cut off abruptly, giving everyone a good view of the scene once more.
Roy had to wonder how she was forming the patches of darkness beneath her feet. Was it part of a technique or something more?
Whatever it was, Roy decided he would just observe. He was sure Ferry was itching to show everyone what she could really do, and Roy had to admit that he was quite curious himself. Had she actually improved that much since he’d last seen her?
As Ferry approached the massive dragon, gold-tinged black light wafting off her skin, Roy almost felt pity for the fiery monster of death hovering before her. That poor dragon had no idea what it was in for.
36
Ferry stood before the fiery dragon, her pulse pounding in her ears as the stream of molten stone splashed off her Armorer technique, the gold-tipped black fur outline swaying in the rush of wind and force that slammed into her. Logically, she knew she would be fine. The dragon was only a Red-Belt after all, but still, the idea of facing one of these near-mythical beasts on her own was a frightening prospect.
It also didn’t help that everyone was watching her, especially Roy. She took another deep breath as the dragon’s attack began to peter off, then steeled herself. This was what she’d been waiting for, the chance to show Roy was she was truly made of. That she was useful and powerful. That she wasn’t dead weight and could stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of their team and make her mark.
Her eyes flashed as the stream of molten fire died down, and she launched forward into an attack, plates of Darkness forming beneath her feet as she used her Movement technique. The fur that cloaked her form hovered around her, speeding her movements and keeping her light enough on her feet that she didn’t break through the delicate barriers of Chakra that formed beneath her.
It was difficult even summoning the Darkness on such a physical level, but over the last few days, she’d found her connection with her Path growing stronger, her true Path and Ideal opening the world in a way that the Hungry Beast never could.
The Dark Guardian was a Path that was so different from the former that she found it hard to believe how far off she’d been. Now though, she knew where she stood and what her true purpose was. She had no more doubts.
The dragon lunged, seeing that its breath attack hadn’t worked, its mouth gaping wide, clearly intending to swallow her whole. Ferry leaped forward, her sprint carrying her easily into the air, where she faced the gaping blackness of the beast’s maw, blocking out all in her path.
Taking one final deep breath, Ferry’s eyes hardened, her resolve firming as she drove a fist forward, channeling it into her Physical technique: the Guardian’s Gauntlet.
A fist like the void cloaked her own, outlined in shimmering gold. Just like with the Armorer technique, this one too was furred at the edges, showing her nature through the techniques she used. The Chakra that layered over her own skin clung tightly to her, fitting almost like a glove.
She was swallowed by darkness as momentum carried her into the dragon’s mouth, the jaws slamming shut around her with an audible snap. Ferry barely paid attention to it, her technique glowing softly in the darkness as it brought her into contact with the back of the dragon’s throat.
With a single, smooth motion, her fist blurred forward, leaving a trail of gold and black in its wake. It crashed into the back of the dragon’s throat, and with an explosion of blood, gore and glittering scales, Ferry tore her way free.
Light greeted her as she emerged, sound returning with the dragon’s pained roars. Still, it wasn’t dead, which meant her job wasn’t done. She twisted in midair, kicking off a plate of Darkness that formed beneath her feet, eyes shining bright as she triggered the technique that had seen her finally become a Supreme.
“Dark Guardian!” Ferry yelled, imbuing her technique as the Chakra flowed up from her Core and activated.
Gold-tinged blackness exploded out of her in a wave, her body suspended in mid-air by the mass of the technique. She purposefully didn’t look at Roy, as she knew he would see some similarities, but instead, focused on the dragon, who had spun in the air to face the threat it had believed to be gone.
The dragon didn’t have the time to so much as utter a cry of alarm before the massive paw came down, claws ripping through its neck and scales, and crushing its already-dead body into the flaming pit. An explosion of molten stone blasted into the sky, obscuring her view of the group for a moment. She dismissed her technique, as it took a lot of energy, and she didn’t want to be wasteful. The molten stone settled as the technique vanished, and she found Roy’s eyes almost immediately.
She’d been nervous about how he would react upon seeing her Conqueror technique, but all that fear vanished the instant she saw his grinning face.
The last of the worry and doubt she’d been carrying faded to nothingness, and right then and there, Ferry felt herself come up against the barrier keeping her from Gray-Belt. At her back, a shimmering gate of shining Gray appeared from thin air just feet off the surface of the lava bubbling below.
She could hardly believe it.
Looking between Roy and the gate, Ferry hesitated, but a word, carried to her sensitive ears even over the rumbling of the volcano, made her mind up for her.
“Go.”
“Nothing,” Roy replied.
The orcs were obviously going to get their hands on it. There was no other reason it should have been mentioned otherwise.
“Thank you for your bravery,” the soldier said. “We’ll see to it that you’re all rewarded handsomely, should we make it out alive.”
Roy nodded, then turned to his group.
“Ferry, go left. Violet, you go right. Snarl, go back. I’ll move forward. If anyone gets wind of the Elderstaff being in the hands of an orc, yell really loud. If you don’t need help, just kill them and take it. Any questions?”
No one had any, so the group split, each heading in the direction Roy had indicated to look for more of the orcs.
“Can I kill some?” Geon asked excitedly.
“Knock yourself out,” Roy said as they turned a sharp corner and found a group of orcs in the process of murdering a family of six.
The mother and two of the children were already dead, while the father was fighting tooth and nail to keep his remaining children alive. The orcs were only playing with him, and Roy could easily see that the man stood no chance.
Geon exploded from his chest, smashing into the first orc. His hands flashed forward, punching through the back of the orc’s head. With a mighty heave, the construct ripped the orc in two, then used both halves to bludgeon another one to a bloody pulp.
Roy flashed across the intervening distance, using his will to crush one of the orc’s heads. It was shockingly easy, and he found himself feeling a bit disgusted as the creature’s head popped.
He killed the next one by punching it in the gut, a blow that shattered its spine and left it bleeding out on the ground.
By the time he was done with the second, Geon had killed the rest of the group and was already looking around for more. Roy turned to the group they’d just saved. The father appeared to be in shock, while the remaining children – two small girls – huddled over their mother, bawling their eyes out.
“Take your children and go somewhere safe,” Roy said. “Do it now!”
His harsh words snapped the man out of his trance, and he nodded quickly, running over to the pair of girls, snatching them up and dashing away as quickly as his legs would carry him.
“More, I need more!” Geon cackled, his body covered in blood.
“You have a problem,” Roy deadpanned.
They moved on, Roy throwing a blast of golden Essence into the sky to let everyone know they’d run into a group and taken care of them. Every time they came across another group, Geon went crazy, murdering his way through them while Roy checked for any survivors.
Every few minutes, a blast of light went up somewhere in the city. Snarl’s was pure black. Violet’s was purple-black, while Ferry’s was gold-black. Roy knew that while the battles now were easy, they’d surely be running into the wielder of the Elderstaff soon enough. He just had to wonder which one of them would be the lucky winner.
35
“Heck yeah!” Geon yelled.
It was him. He was the lucky winner. Of course it was him.
They had been butchering their way through what felt like the hundredth group of orcs when something bright flashed in the corner of his vision. Roy turned just in time to be blasted through a building, the structure turning to rubble in an instant and burying him under several tons of stone and mortar.
Groaning, Roy pulled himself from the collapsed building to see Geon attacking an orc wielding a glowing staff, his body covered in lines of shining text that scrolled across his brown-green skin.
“Take that! And that. And that!” Geon yelled as he threw punch after punch into the orc’s face.
The orc was completely ignoring him, taking the blows as though they were nothing. The staff was clutched tightly in his hand, and he was staring directly at Roy, his eyes glowing red in the darkness.
The creature cut quite the intimidating figure, standing tall, his body powerfully muscled. Even as Geon attacked again, his hand shot out, catching the construct by the neck and squeezing. Roy sighed and plugged his ears as Geon exploded, rocking the orc and scorching his body. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting that, which gave Roy the chance to close with the creature before it could recover.
Essence coursed through his channels as he punched upward into the orc’s gut. The exploding fist activated as he struck, sending an explosion of golden Essence into the creature, who staggered back under the force of the blow. Clearly still disoriented from Geon’s surprise attack, the orc swung the staff, sending a line of crackling light searing through the sky.
It completely missed Roy by about a mile, as well as any buildings. In fact, all it likely did was draw attention.
“I almost had him!” Geon complained.
“Well, you’re more than welcome to come back out and try it again,” Roy said, driving a quick series of punches into the orc’s ribs, setting off the Exploding Fist each time.
“You know, I think I’d rather save my energy for a real challenge,” Geon said. “Besides, I think you could use some training of your own. Can’t go doing all the fighting for you, can I?”
Roy rolled his eyes, driving a final punch into the orc’s ribs before backing away. The creature had recovered, and clearly Essence wasn’t going to be enough, as his ribs only showed moderate signs of damage.
The orc pointed the staff at him, then yelled something in a guttural language Roy couldn’t understand. A lance of light blasted from the tip, which Roy caught on his Qi Armorer technique. The lines of gold held up well under the assault, and when the beam petered out, Roy used the Void Sphere-Pulse, infusing it with his will to destroy.
After all, it wasn’t only Reiki techniques that could carry the will of a Sovereign.
A blast of power exploded from his fist, slamming into the orc’s chest and tearing straight through him. The monster was tossed off its feet, a pool of blood spreading from where it lay. Roy approached, kicking the staff aside as the orc tried to raise it, then proceeded to stomp down on its head, crushing the monster’s skull underfoot and splattering his brains all over the cobblestones.
“I’m saving that one for the highlights reel,” Geon said.
“What?” asked Roy.
“What?” Geon replied.
Roy sent a blast of power up into the sky, deciding that pushing it wasn’t worth it as a doorway shimmered into view before him. It didn’t take long for the rest of the team to appear, all quite clean, despite the number of orcs they’d killed.
“Weren’t we supposed to get some sort of reward?” Violet asked, looking around.
“I think that this is the reward,” Roy said, lifting the staff.
None of them would be able to use it, but he figured that Aika might find some use for it once they were reunited. He stored the item in his ring, and the four of them left, exiting back into the tower.
“Does anyone need a break?” Roy asked.
No one did, so they continued upward, walking up the spiraling staircase until they reached the next door, heading in and facing their next challenge. This time, their group found themselves on the side of an active volcano.
“It stinks!” Violet complained, pinching her nose.
The air, as far as Roy could tell, was filled with noxious gas. The sky above was blanketed in a thick cloud of ash that continued to rain down on them all, and lines of bright red and orange flowed through the ground at their feet.
Looking up to the top of the enraged mountain, Roy could see the ash rising, smoke, sulfur, and who knew what else mixing in the air to form the toxic environment. Luckily for them, their bodies were made of tougher stuff. While breathing toxic air wasn’t fun, it definitely didn’t hurt them.
“I guess we’re going up,” Roy said.
The group began hiking up the mountain, the heat growing more intense as they did. Fire and Earth Qi mixed in the air, clearly a cut above what had been taking place in the previous challenges. The air only grew hotter the higher they climbed, and by the time they had made it about three-quarters of the way up, the Qi in the air had turned to Chakra.
“This is definitely feeling more difficult than the last one,” Violet said. “And not by an insubstantial amount either.”
Roy couldn’t help but agree. He only hoped that whatever they found at the top of the mountain wouldn’t be equally as difficult to manage. About an hour later, the group made it to the top, all gathering at the rim of the volcano and staring in. The mountain was massive, the crater stretching hundreds of yards across.
Just fifty feet below lay a mass of glowing, molten stone. Steam continued to rise off its surface, boiling up into the sky. Small rumbling shifts sent spots of the molten stone into the air before they fell, settling back into the glowing pool.
Clearly, this volcano was primed to blow, the only question now was what they were doing here.
Their answer came as Violet was opening her mouth, likely to ask that very question.
A ridged spine rose from within the molten stone, fiery liquid cascading down its scaled sides. A pair of gleaming yellow eyes fixed on them, from deep, ridged brows.
“It’s been a while since we’ve fought one of those,” Roy said, examining the dragon with a scrutinizing gaze.
The creature looked terrifying – not that he was surprised, it was a dragon, after all – its body covered in rounded scales that overlapped, giving the dragon the perfect set of natural armor. As it pulled itself further from the bubbling pool of liquid stone, Roy could see more of the creature and just how large it was.
“That’s definitely not a juvenile,” Geon said.
Massive wings made of burning red flames spread from its spine, the reptilian eyes never leaving the group once, clearly appraising the level of threat they posed. The dragon gave off the strength of a powerful Red-Belt, not that any of them really needed to worry about killing a Red-level creature. Level aside, a dragon was an intimidating enemy to have to face.
“Not a juvenile,” Roy said. “But definitely not an adult either.”
“Something in between,” Geon said. “Good. That means you can kill it.”
Dragons had the unique ability to fight above their own cultivation, but even they had their limits. A powerful Red-level Dragon could perhaps take a Gold-Belt down if they were lucky, but their strength lay in their ability to handle groups of fighters well. For example, a group of Red-Belts generally wouldn’t stand a chance against a dragon of this level.
“I’m going to kill it,” Snarl said, taking a step forward, only to be stopped by Violet.
“No,” she said, giving him a hard look. “Ferry is going to kill it.”
“Do you dare stand between me and my opponent?” Snarl asked.
“What challenge is there in this fight for you?” Violet asked. “You’ll crush it with little effort and gain nothing at all as a result. Ferry, on the other hand, will gain far more. Or are you going to begrudge someone else the chance to grow?”
Snarl backed off at that, crossing his arms over his chest, though he looked annoyed at not being able to fight. Dragons were rare opponents and losing the chance to battle one must have rankled him.
Ferry confidently stepped forward, ignoring Roy’s questioning look.
“She can take care of herself,” Geon said. “Just watch.”
The woman continued walking, already in her full-human form – likely to avoid the heat – and dropped straight into the volcano.
Her robes fluttered about her as she fell, the dragon following her movement with its eyes as it began beating its flaming wings, pulling itself free from the boiling lava. Ferry landed neatly, a patch of pure Darkness forming just inches off the surface of the molten stone lake.
Roy watched her, dwarfed in comparison to the dragon’s massive bulk, as the creature came fully free of the bubbling lava. She didn’t seem afraid in the slightest, her long, golden hair billowing in the wind around her, her arms relaxed at her sides.
“This should be good,” Violet said, her voice betraying the excitement she felt.
Roy honestly didn’t know what to think of it, but Ferry was a 10th Dan Brown-Belt, while the dragon was only in the mid-Red stages. Even without her techniques, she should have been able to pummel the dragon into submission with her bare hands.
The dragon’s mouth cracked open then, and a stream of molten stone blasted out in a wide cone, engulfing Ferry and causing her to vanish from view. Roy wasn’t too worried, as he could still sense her from within the deluge, her Core growing brighter as she exerted her strength.
The dragon’s breath continued pouring over her as she moved forward, stepping onto another patch of Darkness. The stream cut off abruptly, giving everyone a good view of the scene once more.
Roy had to wonder how she was forming the patches of darkness beneath her feet. Was it part of a technique or something more?
Whatever it was, Roy decided he would just observe. He was sure Ferry was itching to show everyone what she could really do, and Roy had to admit that he was quite curious himself. Had she actually improved that much since he’d last seen her?
As Ferry approached the massive dragon, gold-tinged black light wafting off her skin, Roy almost felt pity for the fiery monster of death hovering before her. That poor dragon had no idea what it was in for.
36
Ferry stood before the fiery dragon, her pulse pounding in her ears as the stream of molten stone splashed off her Armorer technique, the gold-tipped black fur outline swaying in the rush of wind and force that slammed into her. Logically, she knew she would be fine. The dragon was only a Red-Belt after all, but still, the idea of facing one of these near-mythical beasts on her own was a frightening prospect.
It also didn’t help that everyone was watching her, especially Roy. She took another deep breath as the dragon’s attack began to peter off, then steeled herself. This was what she’d been waiting for, the chance to show Roy was she was truly made of. That she was useful and powerful. That she wasn’t dead weight and could stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of their team and make her mark.
Her eyes flashed as the stream of molten fire died down, and she launched forward into an attack, plates of Darkness forming beneath her feet as she used her Movement technique. The fur that cloaked her form hovered around her, speeding her movements and keeping her light enough on her feet that she didn’t break through the delicate barriers of Chakra that formed beneath her.
It was difficult even summoning the Darkness on such a physical level, but over the last few days, she’d found her connection with her Path growing stronger, her true Path and Ideal opening the world in a way that the Hungry Beast never could.
The Dark Guardian was a Path that was so different from the former that she found it hard to believe how far off she’d been. Now though, she knew where she stood and what her true purpose was. She had no more doubts.
The dragon lunged, seeing that its breath attack hadn’t worked, its mouth gaping wide, clearly intending to swallow her whole. Ferry leaped forward, her sprint carrying her easily into the air, where she faced the gaping blackness of the beast’s maw, blocking out all in her path.
Taking one final deep breath, Ferry’s eyes hardened, her resolve firming as she drove a fist forward, channeling it into her Physical technique: the Guardian’s Gauntlet.
A fist like the void cloaked her own, outlined in shimmering gold. Just like with the Armorer technique, this one too was furred at the edges, showing her nature through the techniques she used. The Chakra that layered over her own skin clung tightly to her, fitting almost like a glove.
She was swallowed by darkness as momentum carried her into the dragon’s mouth, the jaws slamming shut around her with an audible snap. Ferry barely paid attention to it, her technique glowing softly in the darkness as it brought her into contact with the back of the dragon’s throat.
With a single, smooth motion, her fist blurred forward, leaving a trail of gold and black in its wake. It crashed into the back of the dragon’s throat, and with an explosion of blood, gore and glittering scales, Ferry tore her way free.
Light greeted her as she emerged, sound returning with the dragon’s pained roars. Still, it wasn’t dead, which meant her job wasn’t done. She twisted in midair, kicking off a plate of Darkness that formed beneath her feet, eyes shining bright as she triggered the technique that had seen her finally become a Supreme.
“Dark Guardian!” Ferry yelled, imbuing her technique as the Chakra flowed up from her Core and activated.
Gold-tinged blackness exploded out of her in a wave, her body suspended in mid-air by the mass of the technique. She purposefully didn’t look at Roy, as she knew he would see some similarities, but instead, focused on the dragon, who had spun in the air to face the threat it had believed to be gone.
The dragon didn’t have the time to so much as utter a cry of alarm before the massive paw came down, claws ripping through its neck and scales, and crushing its already-dead body into the flaming pit. An explosion of molten stone blasted into the sky, obscuring her view of the group for a moment. She dismissed her technique, as it took a lot of energy, and she didn’t want to be wasteful. The molten stone settled as the technique vanished, and she found Roy’s eyes almost immediately.
She’d been nervous about how he would react upon seeing her Conqueror technique, but all that fear vanished the instant she saw his grinning face.
The last of the worry and doubt she’d been carrying faded to nothingness, and right then and there, Ferry felt herself come up against the barrier keeping her from Gray-Belt. At her back, a shimmering gate of shining Gray appeared from thin air just feet off the surface of the lava bubbling below.
She could hardly believe it.
Looking between Roy and the gate, Ferry hesitated, but a word, carried to her sensitive ears even over the rumbling of the volcano, made her mind up for her.
“Go.”
