As an orphan babe who was left on a monastery, the rules and teaching of the monastery was the only thing I knew. The world beyond the walls don't interest me as my life is there safe behind the walls of our mountain monastery with my brothers.
My whole life I follow a strict schedule. I wake up before the break of dawn and join the morning chants after which we eat breakfast together in a dining hall. Then all of my brothers including me will finish their assigned chores and if I finish early, I use the time to meditate on the mystery which is the human life. Before lunch we go to the courtyard and practice martial arts. At lunch we go back to the dining hall. In the afternoon we go seek the elders and learn the teaching about the path. One of the elders usually teach us about mana, on how it is the essence of life of the planet.
The lecture often turns into a rant about how the people outside our monastery walls misuse the gift of the gods to their own nefarious purposes instead of using it for good. The elders believe that mana is a gift from god to nurture Astera and must not be used and wasted by us, also why waste mana when we can use a better source? The most valuable gift of the gods which is our life-force, also known as Ki.
For a long time I harbored feelings of loathing at the people beyond the wall. How dare they waste the gods' blessings when they already gives us so much? The food we eat, the air we breathe, our very lives gifts from above yet they dare ask for more? The Elder continued his lecture on how we should avoid temptation of power and squander the gifts of the gods and how true understanding of the Path will lead us to life eternal. I kept those teaching to heart and let it lead my life until the day of my Pilgrimage came.
There is the time where young monks will embark on a journey around the world to find their own path through experiencing life outside the monastery. It is called the Pilgrimage. During the Pilgrimage, our beliefs and principles will be tested as we come across new people and gain new experience outside the teachings of the monastery.
At first, I hated the thought of going out beyond the walls which have protected me for all of my life. The monastery is all I have ever known. The idea of heading towards the unknown actually terrifies me and tried to argue with the Abbot for him to allow me to stay and not go on the Pilgrimage, but even after hours of pleading he asked me to go for such is the way. Every one of us have our own Path and to find it, we must experience the world beyond the walls.
Looking back now, I am thankful I took his advice. For if I stayed behind the monastery walls I wouldn't have known about the things that awaits me just beyond the walls. Although I have met bad people who take advantage of other, diseases and wars that ravage the land and takes away the life of the people, there are still good things that makes the journey worthwhile. The breathtaking sights, the delicious food and the memories of the kindness of the good people I have met and especially my friends in the party far outweighs the bad that I have experienced. All of these, both the good and the bad, helps me find the Path that is for me.
For the last three years I have encountered a lot of interesting things but now, here in front of me, stands a man who piques my interest the most.
Alora drew her bow and was about to shoot the stranger, good thing Philip was able to stop her on time. "Don't shoot. He might have important information on what is happening we need him alive." He tries to convince her.
"You go capture him. The only spells I know are the spells that make people go boom. Sooo… Good luck!" Mark said.
"How about you Ortho? Got any gadget there that we can use for capture?" Philip inquired.
"The gadgets I have for capture requires for me to go near my target and I am not going near that." he pointed at the stranger. "Don't even bother to ask to use my inventions yourselves. My babies are for my hands only."
Philip just exhaled in exasperation. Then he looked at me.
"No need to worry. I will do it." I declared.
"You sure Kurt? That mysterious energy looks nasty." Philip answered as he continues to restrain Alora from filling the stranger with arrows.
"Yeah, I am sure. Just don't let Alora shoot. She might hit him or worse, me." I walked out of the cover of the trees toward the stranger.
When the stranger saw me he quickly go into defensive position. The stranger is wearing tattered red clothes, dyed by the blood of his enemies if my suspicion is correct. His hair and beard are long and unkempt. His metal gloves have pitch black gems that emits the same sinister energy that killed the grasses and trees on our way here. But dwarfing all that was the energy that his body emits. It is unlike anything I have seen before, and I saw a lot of evil curses in my Pilgrimage but none of them is as eerie as this. It is so powerful that I can feel it even from here.
But what really draws my attention were his eyes. The look on his face shows fear and anger. His eyes reveal that tired of all the fighting but still screams of the will to live. I have never seen this kind of determination even in the battlefield. Just what hell did he experienced all of these time?
I raised my hands to show that I am not threatening. "Hello stranger. I mean you no harm." At first he remained guarded but after a few moment he clearly relaxed a little.
As I drew near, I can see the multitude of wound and scars in his body. How he stay conscious after retaining all of those wounds surprises me. "You must be weary from your battles. Come eat with us and rest, while we heal your wounds." At first he was uncertain on what to do but in the end it looks like he decided to let us help him.
He started walking towards us but suddenly halted his steps. It was only a split second, but I saw his sharp eyes go wide with trepidation and dove to the side, that is when I felt an arrow whistling by me in an amazing speed. Before I could react, the arrow barely missed the stranger who dodge in the nick of time, which earned him a grazed arm instead of killing him outright.
Alora! I quickly turned around and saw Alora pinned in the ground and being restrained by Mark and Ortho while Philip is crumpled in the ground groaning in pain. She was about to break free when Ortho whipped out a device from his backpack. He jumped back and threw the metal net at her which electrocuted both her and Mark who was still holding her. I can hear Mark curse while his body shook by the electric current running through his body but I didn't have time to help them for I sense intense anger eminating from the direction of the stranger.
I looked back at the stranger who suddenly charged towards me "Stop! We don't want to hurt you!" I exclaimed.
His reply was just wordless rage and threw a wide punch towards me. I dodged the attack while trying to convince him that it was an accident but he doesn't listen and continued his barrage of attacks. The stranger was putting all of his strength behind all of his attacks judging from the way he throw his punches and kicks, his style modeled to end fights with a single blow. Unfortunately for him this makes his attacks too wide which allowed me plenty of time to dodge as I wait for him to tire out. But even after a few minutes has passed he still doesn't stop. What's worse is that I can feel my energy slowly getting sucked out of my body. This is bad. I need to knock him out first to stop this malicious energy.
I focused some of my Ki to my fist and punched him in the gut in an attempt to subdue him. I thought that with the amount of energy he is emitting, he must have some defense but I was wrong. When my fist hit him I understood that there is no trace of defensive magic or Ki surrounding his body causing his body to be thrown a few meters and rolling in the ground writhing in pain.
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What a blunder! Without a defensive Ki or magic, any Ki attacks may prove lethal. I must heal him fast! "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to---" but my words were cut short when I see him already standing up. The wound in his stomach healing right before my eyes. I didn't hear him cast a healing magic, so is it silent casting? No, the effects are immediate and powerful enough to heal such grievous wound in just seconds, instant casting maybe?
My head spins as I try to figure out what is happening right in front of me. Why a mage of this caliber fighting a bear barehanded? Why not just use magic and be done with it? My thoughts were cut short when the stranger started attacking once more. It was like he was not wounded in the first place judging from his attacks which is clearly faster than before. Still, since he continue throwing wide attacks it continues to leave him wide open. I then continued to counter him without using Ki strikes so I will not accidentally kill him.
Our bout continued and after a few minutes I noticed something. His attacks becomes more polished and coordinated as the battle goes on. Now he is not relying too much on wild hooks and started throwing compact punches mixed with precise kicks that you can mistake him for a trained martial artist instead. A jab followed by a straight, weaving under my kick and countered by a short hook followed by an uppercut. His attacks are simple yet effective, ordinary martial artists will mostly be felled by his brutal efficiency. Fortunately, I am no ordinary martial artist. I parried and dodged all of his attacks while throwing attacks of my own to break his rhythm. His roundhouse kick was countered by a leg sweep that caused him to fall to the ground. Stubborn to a fault, he quickly get up and attacked once more.
"What are you stranger? How can a mage of your caliber fight like this?" I asked him after I thrown him over my shoulder in which he casually rolled to negate the damage. Instead of answering he once more run towards me but now he have his guard up. It is clear I won't have my answers till I restrain him.
Just like before, he threw another wide punch and I answered with a counter. But it was just a feint. He stopped his punch short and instead grabbed my arm and twisted it, locking my joint in place and started kneeing me in the stomach. I felt my Ki dissipate with a touch of his hand and I panicked. Before he can break my arm, I reinforced my body with Ki and overpowered the stranger, breaking free from the joint lock.
This is dangerous. With just a few seconds of his hand touching me drained me much of my Ki. Worse is that he is getting craftier as the fight drag on. I need to take this seriously or else I will end up in a dangerous situation.
For the first time since the fight began I started to fight offensively instead of just waiting for the stranger to attack and countering him. I put my the fruits of my training in the temple to use as the stranger couldn't do anything but to offer a futile attempt to defend as my attacks land by the dozen. Although I am not using any Ki with my attacks, I was still able to do a significant amount of damage as my foot landed on his guard which sent him tumbling.
After I knocked him down for what seems to be the 10th time, the stranger still stood up. I can feel myself getting exhausted not because of the fight, but because my energy is getting pulled out of my body by that strange aura he is emitting. I need to end this right now. But how? He just keep getting up even when I knock him down. Even now his body is fixing itself, healing his bruises right in front of my eyes.
I have no choice. I need to get rough and use it. "You're strong stranger. But not strong enough to beat me. I offer you one more chance to surrender peacefully. If not, I will have to take drastic measures." The reply I got was just another attack which I promptly parried and countered. "You asked for this. Don't blame me for all the pain you will feel later when you wake up." I then gathered my Ki on my hands once more and launched my attacks.
I dodged another one of his quick jabs and with my Ki infused hands, pressed the pressure points on his right arm which stopped the flow of the sinister energy on his arm. This technique requires me to hit his pressure points and close it with my own Ki. I can see him flinch in pain, and the pain will just increase the more pressure points are closed. He threw a kick next which I also stopped and pressed its pressure point. He stopped for a while, pain clear in his face but I didn't bother stopping. I continued to press on his pressure points completely sealing his aura.
"Just stay down. Once we do something about that sinister energy of yours I will undo your blocked pressure points. We have questions for you to answer." I declared. Instead of surrendering he continued to stand giving me no choice but close more of his Ki points. Even under intense pain he continued to struggle until he passed out from pain as I close his last pressure point.
"What a stubborn man." I shook my head in disbelief. I then remove the gloves that the stranger is wearing and threw it on the side and started the sealing ritual.
"A tough bastard isn't he? I was surprised he lasted for that long against you Kurt. Did you go easy on him?" Philip asked dragging a tied up Alora.
"You of all people know that I don't go easy on anyone and how did Alora escaped you earlier? It wouldn't have to end in violence if she didn't try to kill him." I scolded him.
"Sorry Kurt. I had my guard down and she kicked me." Philip shamefully admitted.
"Kicked him in the balls she did. Boy, that woman's kick like a horse. Just look at poor Philip's codpiece. It is dented. Poor lad, kiss your future kids goodbye." Ortho teased Philip who was red faced with shame. He and Mark seem to be in a race to get one of the gloves each, much to Alora and my displeasure.
"I don't care about Philip's balls. What about you zapping me with your god damned gadget? Would it kill you to restrain Alora without frying us with lightning? That does it, I won't forgive you unless you let me study that contraption." Mark Anthony even when he is angry, never let his temper get in the way of his thirst for knowledge as he wrap one of the gauntlet in a cloth which seals in energy.
"No way. She is about to overpower us if I didn't stunned both of you until Philip gets up from his crushed nuts." Ortho argued as he took off the black gem from the gauntlet that he took and placed them both inside a container of some sort.
"You guys don't know what you're messing with. That man must be eliminated." Alora exclaimed as she tries to free herself from her bindings.
"Then pray tell us what are we messing with Alora? I have a feeling that you knew what we are facing but I didn't hold it against you to keep your secrets. What I won't tolerate is you going in the way of our quest. Also kicking me in the nuts." Philip admonished her with an annoyed expression. He must still be angry after being kicked in the groin by the elf.
When it is clear that Alora will not answer, we went back to what we were doing. Once I completed the seal for curses, I was surprised when the stranger's energy suddenly flared once more. No, it is far stronger than he was conscious. What is happening?
"It looks like whatever this energy is, it is eating up the Ki you used in his pressure points and seal. How fascinating! I haven't seen this before!" Mark exclaimed in astonishment and started writing something in his journal.
"Because it is not a curse idiots. You won't seal it by using normal means. Free me, and I will properly seal it." Alora declared. Her hands tied behind her back.
"Do you promise to not kill him? If you can't we will find another way to carry him back to the guild. After that, this mess will be out of our hands." Phillip asked her.
After a few second of hesitation, Alora answered reluctantly. "Okay. I won't kill him. But know this. You're dealing with something way above our heads."
"That is for the guild to decide. I'm going to free you now. Don't do anything stupid. Just to be safe we are going to keep your weapons." Philip declared.
Ortho and Mark are next to useless as they started to argue with each other so they won't be any help for some time. That means Philip will keep Alora's weapons while I keep an eye on her as she works with the seal.
She bit her finger and channeled her mana on her blood. After that she draw figures in his body with her mana infused blood. Alora's face began to pale as her energy is getting sapped by the energy that is raging stronger than before so I get her a Mananite gem from Mark's bag to supplement her draining mana.
An hour passed before she completed her drawings. After that she chanted something and the stranger's body began to glow. All of the blood figures that Alora drew began to shift and move towards the stranger's left arm. What astounds me is that the energy seems to follow the drawings and getting sucked up by his arm like a ship getting swallowed by a whirlpool. Even Mark Anthony and Ortho stopped in their pointless bickering to watch what was happening. The violent vortex of sinister energy persisted for a few minutes until of it was sealed on the strangers' left hand.
"There. The energy was sealed as promised. Can I have my equipment back?" Alora looks dead tired after the sealing ritual.
"Nah, we will keep it until we arrive back to the guild." Ortho declared. "Not that I don't trust you after the stunt that you pulled. But yeah. I don't want to get shanked in my sleep."
"I helped you didn't I? If I didn't sealed this guy's energy, you lot would be dead long before you get back to the guild." Alora argued.
"Well as long as I can study the man, I don't care what happens." Mark Anthony interjected.
The party continued to bicker among each other until they agreed upon what to do. We started to make a wooded cage to house the stranger. Philip carried some of the fallen trees since Alora won't let us chop one down. Ortho brought out his tools and I assist him as he expertly turn the trees into planks and even made a wheel. All the while Mark watch over Alora until she calmed down and finally offered to help him draw runes in the newly made cage.
Fighting with each other for a second and going back to good friends a second later. To see people with totally different views to come together like ours. The world truly is an interesting place.