With a big yawn, I sat up and stretched as I woke up the following morning. The beds at the inn Haze had gotten us felt harder than rocks. So it felt like home, and I actually slept very well, to my surprise. I looked over to the curled-up form of Yuki as she continued to slumber in her little fluff-ball shape, and I had to fight the urge to cuddle her and accidentally wake her. Then I looked to my other side and saw Haze sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating.
Shrugging, I got out of bed, and as soon as my foot touched the floor, a dark tendril pulled me down, and I fell through nothing, only to fall from the ceiling and be thrown against the ground with a loud thud. Clutching the back of my head, I rolled on the ground, “Ow, ow, ow! What the Helheim was that!?”
“Morning wake-up call,” Haze said in a sing-song voice.
I groaned and quickly got to my feet, ready for a fight, but nothing else happened. I cocked my head as my ears twitched, listening for any sound that may signify something moving. But nothing happened. I lowered my guard slightly and stepped toward Haze, who still wasn’t moving. Once I got within striking distance of her, I stepped forward and kicked with my right foot at her head. A thin wisp of darkness enveloped her and took the full force of my normal kick.
Cycling my Crucible chakra, I planted my right foot, spun, and kicked with my left foot, which now glowed with blue, white, and red energy. The wispy darkness enveloped my foot ten centimeters from Haze’s face and made a band of darkness around Haze’s head as my momentum never stopped, and my foot passed through the space where Haze’s head was occupying. No, my foot didn’t pass through her. She passed through my foot. My foot disappeared in the band of darkness, and as I spun, my foot came out the other side of the band, appearing just as wispy as the darkness enveloping Haze before coming out the other side.
I stumbled, quickly caught myself, and was about to go into a full assault when Haze raised a hand. “That’s enough,” She said and opened her eyes, “You’re not the best in the morning, are you?”
“No,” I sighed and cracked my neck, “To be honest, I was hoping not to have to fight every morning again.”
Haze chuckled, “Well, tough shit, kid.” Then she stood and brushed the dust off her butt as she said, “Cause we have a monster to fight this morning. We have two weeks to kill it, which I’m pretty sure will be plenty of time to teach you some useful tricks.”
My eyes lit up at this, “Really?!”
“Yes, really,” Haze chuckled again, then commanded, “Now, let’s go.”
“Yes, Master Haze!” I exclaimed and bowed, retrieving Yuki from the bed and, unfortunately, waking her. Outside the inn, it felt unnaturally warm and cold simultaneously. The occasional pillar of steam would waft over me warming my body and making me feel alive, then once it leaves, the biting cold chilled me to the bone, making me feel as though death herself was breathing down my neck. I grew all nine of my tails and wrapped them and my wings around me to keep myself warm. Sadly there was nothing I could do about my feet which sucked. I could already feel my toes turning purple.
After a few more meters of walking, I remembered something. I have Goliath DNA to use that will keep me warm. I then willed my skin to turn grey like a Goliath’s and instantly felt warmth flow through my body. I sighed contentedly and scratched behind one of Yuki’s ears as we walked, the little fox kit feeling warm as she slept peacefully in my arms.
Looking up and actually paying attention to where I’m going, I noticed that Haze was leading us to the city’s center and not out of the city toward the monster. I jogged up beside her and asked, “Why are we going to the city center rather than toward the monster?”
“Because we don’t know what we’re fighting, how many we’re fighting, where we’re fighting, when the monster attacks, or when is the best time to attack the monster,” Haze explained calmly.
“Oh,” I conceded and continued walking without complaint. We reached the city center within a few minutes and went to the Flaming Council building. Once we were just outside the small building, I heard a soft, repeating banging coming from within, and I raised an eyebrow at that but quickly shrugged and brushed it from my mind.
I reached the door first, and as I twisted the door knob and walked in, I said, “Hey! Noir! You here?! We have ques—” The words died in my throat as I saw the source of the repeated banging. A very naked, very wrinkled, very old Guru Shi’en was having sex with Noir! He was on all fours with a collar around his neck attached to a chain, and Noir was behind him with a paddle! I screamed, “WHAT THE FUCK!! OH, WHAT! THE! FUCK!! I’M BLIND! I’M BLIND!!” then I turned, covered my face with my hands, accidentally dropping Yuki to her annoyance, and ran out the door hiding around the corner of the building.
“Really?” Haze asked Guru Shi’en, sounding annoyed and disappointed, “Did you really have to do this here?”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“OR AT ALL!!?” I yelled, “I need therapy now. I’ll never be able to unsee that.”
“I regret nothing!” came Guru Shi’en’s response from within the building, “It’s not every day you get to have fun with a Ragnar Valkyrie as beautiful as Noir.”
“Oh, stop. You’re making me blush, handsome,” Noir said flirtatiously.
Haze sighed and said, “Yeah, well, that aside we need to get a few questions answered. Mind getting dressed so we can talk?”
“Certainly,” Noir said, and Haze walked into the sex dungeon council chamber, closing the door behind her and cutting off enough sound that I couldn’t hear what was happening. Thank the gods.
I lifted my head from my hands and turned toward Yuki, who sat with her back turned to me. “Come here, Yuki,” I said, spreading my wings to let her in.
Yuki’s ears twitched, and she responded with a high-pitched snorting sound.
I cocked my head, “Are you mad at me?”
Yuki yapped once, still not looking at me.
“Look, I’m sorry for dropping you. I was just surprised, is all.”
Yuki yapped once again. Still refusing to turn my way.
“Hey, it could’ve happened with anyone. I’m sorry for dropping you. I swear I didn’t do it on purpose,” I said, clasping my hands together in apology.
Yuki turned, yapped again, and growled.
I scowled at her, “Hey! I’m apologizing! There’s no need to use that kind of language.”
Yuki yapped again, turning her back to me.
I sighed, “What must I do to make it up to you?”
Yuki’s ears perked up at this, and she looked over her shoulder at me. Then she whined a little.
“Yes, I promise to make it up to you.” Yuki considered me for a moment, then limped to me, climbing into my lap, evidently accepting my promise. I smiled and began to stroke her fur as I pondered what she wanted in return for her forgiveness.
***
An hour passed with Yuki napping in my lap before Haze and Guru Shi’en, who I will never look at the same way ever again, walked out of the council chambers. “Okay, kid, let’s go,” Haze said, waving a hand for me to follow.
“Okay!” I said, putting Yuki on my shoulders and standing. “What’s the plan?” I asked once I caught up with Haze and Guru Shi’en.
“Give Master Shi’en Yuki to take care of. Then we are going to run,” Haze answered, leaving me confused.
I put my hand on Guru Shi’en’s shoulder, and Yuki walked up my arm and climbed onto him. “Why are we running, and where are we running to?” I asked.
Haze stopped in the middle of the street and thought, “You know how to cultivate chakra from the environment, right?” I nodded. “What chakras can you cultivate from the environment?” she asked.
I scowled. I didn’t know there would be a pop quiz. Let me think about this for a minute. After a few minutes, I finally answered hesitantly, “Either all of them or just the main six. The six being water, earth, fire, air, dark, and light.”
“You’re mostly right with the first guess, way off on the second,” Haze corrected, “Let me ask you it this way then. Which six chakras are unnatural?”
“Which six?” I repeated her question and thought for a long moment before saying, “I don’t know, master. They all sound natural to me.”
Raising a finger, Haze began to list off the chakras, “Edge, Neutral, Destruction, Creation, Force, and lastly, Speed.”
I cocked my head at that, “How are those unnatural? Although neutral, being unnatural does make sense.”
“Edge is unnatural because it only accumulates on very sharp objects, such as blades. Animal claws aren’t sharp enough to generate the chakra themselves. So when people make swords or knives, the chakra accumulates there. Destruction and Creation are two sides of the same coin. If the chakra is created naturally with, say, a volcano, it will only last for a second before they cancel each other out. Force and Speed also go hand in hand but in a different way than Destruction and Creation. Force and Speed will meld with a different natural chakra, such as Lighting, to create the storm chakra or Air to make the sound chakra. Both chakras require Force and Speed to be made, but another more favorable chakra will always cancel one out. I filled the chakra jars with the force chakra you wanted for your Shield core by punching a granite wall repeatedly.”
I nodded along with Haze’s explanation, “Okay, I follow you, but what’s the point of telling me this?”
“One, because it’s part of your training, and you need to know this!” Haze scolded me before continuing, “And two, because this is how you will fill your next core.”
My attitude instantly changed as I lit up with glee. The second chakra I wanted for my core was the Speed chakra for a pure Speed core. “And you’re going to teach me how to do that?!” I asked, barely containing my excitement.
Haze nodded, “Yep,” she confirmed, then extended a hand to Guru Shi’en, who produced a glass mason jar the size of my palm out of nowhere, giving it to Haze. “This is a chakra jar. As you produce speed chakra, channel it into the jar, and once the jar is glowing, a specific color for the chakra you’re filling it with, you’ll be done,” she explained.
I looked at the jar with a slight scowl and at Guru Shi’en, who had no pockets, shoulder bags, or a backpack. Just the clothes on his back and a big walking stick, “Where were you carrying this?”
“In a safe place,” Guru Shi’en answered.
“Right, and that place is?”
“Safe.”
“Yes, but where?”
“Out of danger.”
“Yeah, and where is that place?!”
“In a safe area.”
“Where were you hiding the jar!!?” I yelled.
“I’m not telling!” Guru Shi’en yelled back.
“ENOUGH!” Haze interrupted, silencing the both of us. “It doesn’t matter where he was hiding it because you’re carrying it whether you want to or not. Can I continue with my lesson, please!”
“Sorry, master Haze,” Guru Shi’en and I apologized simultaneously with a bow.
Haze sighed, “All right. As you move, you produce both Speed and Force chakras around you. As you move, use as little strength as you can while going as fast as possible, like running downhill rather than uphill. As you do this, separate the chakras from each other and concentrate the speed chakra into the jar. Got it?”
I nodded, “Yes. If done correctly, I’ll be able to finish it before reaching the monster, right?”
Scratching the back of her head nervously, Haze glanced away from me and winced, “Yeah, about that…”