The scheduled bell sounds the next day I get out of bed sore, but ready for class. Sorona, Sange and Jet are all waiting for me. I tell them about what Yamasaki said to me.
“How weird”? Sorona says.
The students file into the class Ikeya is standing in the middle of the room. He tells us students to sit on the floor.
“By now you should be able to stay in the Kimoshiran form for a couple of hours now”. He tells us. “One of my own moves that I teach to my students, and one of the most dangerous ones. Only use this move if you think you are completely ready. If you mess this up you will be sent to a place underground full of cannibals and monstrous creatures”.
Half of the students wander their eyes in amazement, whispering to each other. Wondering if such a place could exist. One of the students raise their hand, she ask master Ikeya if he’s just trying to scare us or if it exist.
“I personally know about this place. My friend Krautz messed it up; he escaped and lives here in Shiran”. He tells us.
Ikeya puts his hands in a certain formation. Putting his fingers towards the ground and making his hands form the shape of a circle. A red circular portal being black in the middle shows up under Ikeya’s feet. The students point, some warn Ikeya. Ikeya smiles and the portal starts sucking him in. In an instant Ikeya is gone and so is the portal. All the students are wondering where are master has disappeared to.
“Behind you”. Master Ikeya says.
When I look back Ikeya is standing behind all the students. More whispers from the students, dumbfounded by are master’s appearance. Ikeya walks through the middle of all the students.
“I call it the Kimoshiran Gateway”. He says. “I use it very little because it takes a lot of energy and it’s just too dangerous for my liking”.
Ikeya points at X and I.
“X, Shinruga. You two fight”. Ikeya says.
The crowd falls silent; their faces tell what they are thinking. A long awaited battle and rivalry, X couldn’t be happier. I can see that smirk on his face. To inflict pain on me, his satisfactory will be achieved.
“About time I’ve been waiting for this moment”. X says.
“If you want to fight that bad then I won’t take it easy on you”. I say.
“To bad it won’t be a fair fight”.
Ikeya comes in between us and tells us the extent of power we can use. He also tells us to fight fair, he raises his hand. We prepare getting into our fighting poses.
“Fight”. Ikeya yells.
X is right in front of me in a flash, I’m barely able to block his attack. X steps back just long enough for me to charge up some energy. I send the blast at him, but he cuts it in half with his sword. I’m about to back up but there is a wall of energy behind me. I look to Ikeya who’s one hand is feeding energy to the wall.
“You have to learn to fight in small places Shinruga”. Ikeya tells me.
Before I can say anything to Ikeya, X is ready to strike me. I duck and his fist hits the wall of energy. I trip him, filling my hand with energy and striking down at my opponent. He easily avoids by rolling forward. I run after him, he starts firing blast while on one knee. I unsheathe my sword slashing at the blast of energy. I slash once more to finish him off, but he jumps backwards still firing. X’s accuracy is incredible hitting me with all of his aerial blasts. My breath has been taken away, but I have to get up so that I will not be beaten.
“This is all that you can offer me Shinruga, I thought you would at least last for more than a few seconds”. X says.
With my right hand I fire a blast completely missing X. It distracts X just long enough to tackle him to the ground. Several of my punches meet his face but it’s not too long before he uses one of his hands to twist my arm and knock me off of him. He lands a roundhouse kick loaded with energy, that about knocks me out. Recovering as quick as possible I look for X, it’s as if he’s disappeared. That’s when the sound of X’s foot alarms me. He’s behind me, his blade coming down. I throw mine up to defend, the force drives me to one knee.
“Come on Shinruga, fight better. You’re taking it easy”. X says in anger.
He’s just like Roca so angry but still able to think clearly while in the middle of a fight. It’s time for me to power up. The energy starts to flow from my body, the dark purple energy starts to increase.
About time you’re using your full power”. X says.
I don’t give X a second to think, my right fist strikes his cheek with a force that knocks him into the energy wall. X takes no time to recover as he’s already up and exchanging blows with me. His strength increases with every attack even when he’s taking damage. X backs off for a few seconds just long enough to create a tonfa out of energy. Both his hands have become dangerous weapons with his strength increasing still. X charges wielding his weapons of death. X strikes with his blade first but is surprised when I block his tonfa.
“Your sheathe”.
“Lined with steel and energy so it’s harder to break”. I explain.
X and I go head to head but are energies are starting to decrease. My sheathe stands no chance against X’s blade, cutting it in half. I strike his tonfa making it disappear, at the same time X’s blade is nearly to my throat. Thinking quickly I add energy to the energy boots my dad got me. I flip backwards with the shield on my feet. The shield blocks X’s attack, sending his blade flying out of his hands. I fire an energy blast to stun X, it doesn’t work. He merely swats it away and punches the ground. Sending energy and earth at me, I put up a shield of energy. Half of the explosion hits me knocking me to the ground. I hold the area where my kidney would be, a rock from the attack stabbed into my skin. The blood starts dripping out on the ground. X is about to prepare an attack, but I use the last of my energy to use my implosion box attack. Knowing the power my attack can deal I caution X not to move. His usual smirk comes across his face.
“You think a pathetic move like that could get the best of me”. He says.
It takes me a few seconds to realize what X’s hand sign is for, Ikeya’s Kimoshiran gateway attack. In an instant X is gone, I wait for him to appear somewhere but the portal in front of me doesn’t disappear. I stay on guard even so.
“Students stay away”. Ikeya says. “X didn’t do it right he is now trapped with the demons I warned you about. The portal will only disappear when he dies or finds his way out”.
Jet asks Ikeya if he will go down to get him, he merely shakes his head and walks out of the room. The students flock out of the training room. I find Sorona, Jet and Sange telling them to meet me in my room later.
When the three get there I tell them I want to go after X. They immediately object to what I’ve suggested.
“Why should we Shinruga, he’s only tried to hurt or kill you since we started here”. Jet says.
“I know but still we can’t just leave him down there to die. He can still be saved from darkness and evil”. I counter.
All three of them shake their heads, most likely still refusing to go along with my plan. Sorona speaks up and says that she would like to go get X. Sange and Jet finally agree to go and get X as well. We all compromise on going late at night and going to get X.
Around nine o’ clock we all meet in the training center. We look around to make sure that no one is around. I’m about to go into the portal when Sorona’s body falls to the ground beside me. Jet is behind her, Sange is about to rip his head off. His hand is up and he’s knocked her out.
“Jet, what the hell did you do that for”? He asks enraged.
Jet explains that he doesn’t want to take a chance of Sorona getting hurt or worse.
“All right let’s go”. Saying Hastily.
The three of us jump into the portal. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the light. Were in a cell and X is there, beaten and bruised.
“I tried to fend them off but there’s just too many. I don’t have any more strength their last attack was the last one I could fend o
ff. I tried to use the gateway move again but it wouldn’t work for some reason”. X says.
“Here you go some food and water”. I say.
Looking around there isn’t much just pieces of people rotting. The bars holding X captive look to be thousands of years old. The walls look to be stained with blood, and horror.
Jet ask X when the guards are scheduled to come again. Something he probably picked up being held prisoner in Pokera.
“Twenty minutes from now, three guards will come. I don’t know what they are after but they desperately want it”. He tells us. “They look in my cell over and over and beat me. Odd thing is they won’t tell me what they want”.
Sange gives him some of his energy but he’s still in no condition to fight. Probably still weakened from our fight and all the beatings.
“Why’d you come here for me Shinruga”?
“No reason just can’t see a perfectly strong Psychian going to waste. You have no idea who you are or where you come from, so you think you’re alone. That’s what friends are for just give me a chance”.
The four of us get ourselves into position for when the guards come.
When the guards come I can hear them wondering where X has gone to. When they open the door we all surprise attack them. Sange and Jet take one each while X and I fight the last one. All of us work in perfect unison as we’re fighting, watching each other’s backs. I knock out the guard I’m fighting, while X and Sange stab another from behind. I look closely at one, they look as though they use to be human at one time but no more. X lifts me and yells at us all to get moving. Running through the corridors I can hear the guards alerting their people. It all looks the same in this place, most of the cells are empty but some are filled with people. Moaning and screaming for our help but there is no way we could rescue them all. Something stops me at the last cell, a hand that has grabbed my ankle. He calls my name but at first I don’t recognize him. My second look I remember who he is, he used to live in Recnamorcen.
“Don’t trust Ikeya he had me use that attack of his knowing I would mess it up. I’ve heard that you have a shard in your blade, watch him those Psychian’s are the ones he’s after”. He says. “I am the last person down here please kill me. There is no way to save me”.
He’s begging me and I just don’t know if I could do it. X grabs my shoulder and tells me that we got to go. I tell X to go ahead and try to find a way out being that there is no other place to go. We have run out of room and need to find a way out quick or we’ll be dead.
“Please just kill me now”. He begs.
Taking a shuriken out of my bag I aim it at his head. I can see the look in his eyes, thankful for ending his life. This way he has to feel no more pain and torture. I throw my projectile it hits him right in the head. I can see the smile across his face as his eyes fade to darkness. Now he is free, free from their torture and evil.
“Come on Shinruga”. Jet yells. “We found a door over there”.
I run over to where the door is on the ceiling. X and Sange try turning the handle but it won’t budge. Jet tries to use his energy to get it open but it still won’t open. The cannibals are coming closer to us now. Every second we waste just brings us one step closer to doom.
“All four of us at the same time blast the door open”. I say.
The four of us charge up a lot of energy and direct it to the door. The door blasts open I send X up first being he has so little energy left. Next Sange goes up, I’m about to send Jet up but he tells me to go first he will fend the beasts off. Going up the ladder I look down to see Jet turn into Phercon form. The beasts are about a hundred yards away from us. Jet opens his mouth and fires a blast of energy, hitting half of the cannibalistic beast. Jet turns back to normal and hurries up the ladder. When he gets out of the hole we try to close the door but the beast are pushing their way out. We keep kicking them down and finally they fall back into the hole. We close the door and it disappears.
What, where’d it go”? Jet asks.
“Not sure but we better get back to the school before we get caught”. I say.
As we’re running back to the school a kunai is thrown in front of us.
“Is it Ikeya”? ask X.
A man in a hood lands on the ground before us.
“This one escaped he will answer all your questions that you have”. He says while throwing one of the beasts in front of us.
X picks him up pointing his blade at his face.
“If you don’t tell me everything you know I’ll kill you”. He threatens.
The creature tells us a story about a young Psychian who invented a move to where he could travel from one to place to other using portals. When he goes into the wrong area and is captured he makes a deal to survive. When the guards bring him to their master he tells him that he will lure Psychian’s down there to feed him and his people. This Psychian also pairs up with the AU to ensure his survival.
“Ikeya, everything you’re telling us is about him”. I say.
The beast nods his head and closes his eyes as X drives his sword into his head.
“Who are you”? Sange ask.
“My name is Karepth. I am from the Ghost Klan a society that watches over those with Shards in their swords. My master is intrigued by you Shinruga, we have found all but two of the people with shards”.
Without realizing it, X and my blades are glowing again. Karepth notices this as well, his eyes light up.
“There’s one more right there”. He says. “X, that’s your name isn’t it”.
X throws up his hand and fills it with energy and blast at Karepth. He easily dodges the blast and in a flash knees X in the gut. Karepth was so fast I couldn’t even see him.
“Tell your friend Shinruga never to step in my way again or any of my people”. He says.
I go over to tend X. Karepth puts his hand up and throws down something that explodes and blinds us all. When are sight returns we start riding our blades back to the school. We get there just before sunrise but are met at the wall by Ikeya. I stay on guard with the information I just learned.
“Leave this school you are no longer learning anything here”. He says.
“No way, you just left him down there to die, we did your job. Rescuing X was supposed to be your job”. I say.
“There is only one way for you to get back into my school...Fight me tomorrow eleven o’ clock, all four of you”.
I nod my head; Jet and Sange go back to their rooms. Still having X on my shoulders, I take him to the infirmary so he can be healed. The nurses lay him out on a table and tell me he will be healed tomorrow by the time of the fight. Satisfied with what I’ve heard I go back to my room to sleep, the intercom goes on and its Ikeya telling us that class is cancelled today. I lay my head down to go to sleep.
Waking up in the afternoon I notice that Jet is already up and gone. Asking around I find out that Ikeya has allowed us to go out of the school for one day. I’m also told that Jet, Sange and Sorona are on a hill overlooking the school.
When I arrive I am greeted by Sorona who gives me a hug. The others tell me a few strategies to beating Ikeya. In the end we all decide it will be up to luck and skill. Sange tells me that they have not told Sorona the information the beast told us. After a few minutes I explain it to her. She is appalled by what I tell her.
“Well it would seem that Ikeya is a traitor, there have been rumors but no one was for sure. Around Shiran he’s been caught with some pretty shady people”. She says.
Sange ask me about how X is doing. I assure him that X is fine. We all sit on the top of the hill watching the students come back into the school. We wait a few more minutes and go back into the school. Sange catches X walking in the crowd. He looks as though he’s perfectly fine.
“Are you ok X”? Sorona asks.
“Yeah, I feel a lot better the nurses fixed me up great”.
He tells us that he is completely healed for the fight tomorrow, and Ikeya b
etter be ready. We all go back to our rooms and prepare for our fight tomorrow.
“Do you think we can win Shinruga”? Jet ask.
“I’m not sure but I hope so”. I say.
Jet and I lay are heads down and rest our eyes.
Chapter 8
A Master’s Anger