When you leave home for the first time, it feels like you finally get to tell the world your name, and what you’re all about.
At least, that’s how it felt to Ryuna. While she had graduated high school a year earlier than most, due to her parents’ poor health and the family’s overall weak financial condition, leaving home and finally experiencing independence came later than she wanted. Really, if it were up to her, she would have been out exploring the world at fifteen, but life doesn’t always let you live it the way you want.
But now, it was finally time for her to spread her wings and fly. At nineteen years old, after grinding from part-time cashier to manager, all while winning a few martial arts competitions here and there, she was able to pay for better health care for her parents, freeing them from requiring her to stay with them round the clock.
Her parents shared the excitement at her upcoming freedom, having felt guilty for, in their minds, burdening her with their health. While they would always love having her home with them, they knew that she was destined for bigger and better things, and were happy that she was finally able to chase them.
“Where do you plan to go?” her mother, Fuu, asked as she watched her daughter excitedly pack her clothes into a duffel bag.
“I’m gonna start my chi training first,” came Ryuna’s answer. “There’s a monastery over in the Vorga Mountains, and I’m gonna train there for a while.”
“You’re going to the mountains? It’ll be cold up there; you should bring a coat.” Fuu then made her way out the door, calling for her husband. “Bao! Honey! Where’s that old blue winter coat you used to wear? Ryuna needs it!”
Sighing, Ryuna called out, “Mom, it’s fine, I already have coats!” However, as any child knows, that check always bounces at the Mother Banking Institute, as Fuu gently folded the coat and placed it inside Ryuna’s bag for her.
The next morning, while the sun was still hours away from racing across the skies over Thunder City, Ryuna jumped up from her bed and grabbed her duffel bag, making her way to the front door in order to head to the airport. Her plan had been to leave before her parents awoke to avoid the emotional farewell, but little did she know, her parents weren’t able to sleep that night, and were already waiting for her in the living room.
Exchanging hugs and kisses with their daughter, each parent took the time to affirm that they loved her and were so proud of her, and to know that she was always welcome back home, and that if she needed their help, all she had to do was call, also make sure to eat well and not always order so much fast food, wear coats during cold weather, yes they don’t make you look cool or help you show off your gym bod but protecting against the elements is more important than looking good all the time, also be careful of any strangers because there are people who will try to take advantage of you, save up money and don’t spend beyond your means, but also find time to relax and don’t burn yourself out working so hard, also-
“I got it, I got it, c’mon I’m gonna miss my airship,” Ryuna said with a giggle. “Love you guys!”
And with that, she set forth to the airport and onto an airship for the very first time, her heart fluttering with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. As the ship soared past the boundaries of the continent, over the orange oceans, and through the floating islands, she booted up a martial arts movie, popped open her bag of gummies, and kicked back to enjoy the ride.
* * * *
ULTRA DRAGON
* * * *
After a few hours, the airship docked at the port in the city of Ermina. While a part of her wanted to explore the city, whose wide-open roads and lack of buildings with more than two floors interested her as it contrasted greatly with her hometown, time didn’t afford her the opportunity.
Her actual destination was a mountain monastery in the Vorga Mountains to the north. She would have to pay for a ride there, which would take another couple of hours, and the training period at the monastery wouldn’t be very long after her arrival. Maybe she’d take a look around Eermina before she flew out again, she told herself.
She was able to hitch a ride on board one of the two daily buses that traveled to the mountains to drop off tourists. As the bus began to drive off, Ryuna flipped up the hood of her jacket, stuffed her hands into her pockets, and dozed off for a nap.
Ryuna was an Energizer — someone whose body constantly produced a specific type of energy. In her case, it was chi, a spiritual essence often utilized by martial artists and monks. While her chi production hadn’t been particularly powerful in her childhood years, as she came into adulthood, her body’s output of chi began to hasten. Sometimes it worked to her benefit, such as when it helped immediately alleviate illnesses and injuries, but oftentimes it had been an unexpected burden and danger, such as when she would randomly blast holes in walls or her senses would become overloaded and disorient her.
There were very few chi practitioners in the world, and none of them had ever been a part of her life, so the opportunity to learn to master it had practically been nonexistent for her. Now that she was free to explore the world, it was a no-brainer for her to begin by locating a chi master to train her.
Master Kirin was a world-renowned monk who spent her days traveling the planet, teaching classes, healing the wounded, and battling demons. She was one of the few well-documented chi masters, and was known to be willing to take students under her wing. She was also one of the ten members of the God Hand — the greatest martial artists on the planet — and was one of the developers of the Shenlong style of combat, a form that Ryuna was rather hellbent on adding to her repertoire.
She was, in essence, the perfect teacher for her, and nothing would stop Ryuna from becoming her student.
* * * *
ULTRA DRAGON
* * * *
When the bus arrived, Ryuna, now fully rejuvenated, rushed right past the crowds taking photos, and right to one of the mountain trails.
Her destination was the Vorga Monastery, where Master Kirin was currently residing during her year-round globetrotting pilgrimage. Ryuna hurried as quickly as she could, feeling her excitement bubble with every step.
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It seemed that snowfall was to hit the mountains in just a short while, but Ryuna was not particularly worried about it, since she would be able to take refuge at the Monastery.
Within a few minutes, she arrived. The Monastery had been built directly into the mountains, as though it had been carved from them. While it was beautiful in the way ancient, religious buildings often were, it had a very modest appearance to it — there was no flash or sense of showmanship. No banners, no colored walls, not even a statue. It was practical, and quite homely.
Ryuna jogged up the stone steps towards the front doors, but was quite surprised to see a large crowd standing outside them. Thinking back to the tourists at the base of the mountain, she surmised that they were likely just more of the same, although, once she observed that the average individual here appeared to be tall, muscular, covered in battle scars, and wearing an expression of an angry lion as opposed to the somewhat overweight, dressed in cargo shorts, carrying a camera, and wearing an expression of an exhausted parent found at the mountain base, she soon realized that these were likely not just “tourists.”
The crowd appeared to be a bastardization of an orderly line heading into the Monastery, but it took a good ten minutes or so for that to become apparent. Once their numbers dwindled enough, they were able to form a proper queue in the physical space outside the building.
However, before Ryuna was able to make it inside, the line suddenly stopped. As members at the front began to disperse and head back down the steps, Ryuna jogged up to the doors just before they could be shut. “Yo, wait, hang on a sec!”
There was a stern-faced woman standing on the other side. She appeared to be a member of the Monastery. “Hm?”
“Hey, I’m here to train under Master Kirin. Can I come in?”
“I’m sorry, but all of our rooms are currently full,” the woman stated.
Both eyebrows on Ryuna’s face jumped up. “You’re full? Really?”
“Yes,” said the woman. “There appear to be many prospective students vying for Master Kirin’s guidance at this time. She will speak to you all tomorrow regarding the situation, so please return in the early morning if you are still interested.”
Once again halting the closing of the front door, Ryuna interjected. “Wait, hold on! I was told I could stay here at the Monastery! I flew in from Thunder City; I don’t have anywhere else to go!”
The woman’s stone-faced visage didn’t seem the type to be swayed by anyone’s pleas, but after watching Ryuna’s bright green eyes flicker with genuine anxiety, she seemed to relent, if only for a moment.
She leaned in close and lowered the volume of her voice, making sure there were none nearby who could overhear them. “There is a village on the other side of the mountain. You may be able to find lodging there.”
“Oh, thank you! I-!”
But she did not appear to be finished speaking. “Do not mention the Monastery. Do not mention Master Kirin, or that you are seeking training here.”
It just isn’t possible to give a warning like that without inciting curiosity, now is it? Understandably, Ryuna found herself questioning what the living hell that was all about, but didn’t have the opportunity to ask it aloud. Not that she would have expected an answer, anyway.
“There is no trail leading to the village,” the woman continued. “And descending from this side, it will be difficult to find it amongst the rock and snow. There will be monsters stalking that side of the mountain as well. It will be a very dangerous journey there, but if you are truly desperate for lodging, that village may suit your needs.”
At the mention of monsters, Ryuna found her conversational footing after having had the rug yanked out from underneath her moments ago. “Oh, psh, I’m not worried about monsters. Thanks for the heads up.”
The woman shut the door without another word, but at that point, Ryuna didn’t need to hear any more. While a part of her was definitely still concerned with this weird training situation at the Monastery, she knew that, for now, she had to focus on finding that village first.
* * * *
ULTRA DRAGON
* * * *
The people of Welca were a tough breed given the terrain of their homeland, but their culture was not one for fighting, which made the occasional encounter with the wild monsters in the area a dire concern.
With the incoming snowfall looming overhead, some of the monsters were scrambling to find shelter, and maybe a nice meal on the way back if they were lucky, like when you’re driving home and see your favorite fast food restaurant’s drive-thru clear of cars, so you pull in, grab yourself a burger, some fries, maybe spoil yourself with a milkshake, too, and then make it home just before the snow starts to pick up.
Sorry.
The most recent generation of children in the village were a bit more adventurous than their predecessors, and they enjoyed wandering outside of the village grounds, climbing and jumping around on the jagged mountainside in search of rocks to throw as far as they could. Kid stuff, ya know?
For the most part, the kids’ play sessions were never particularly problematic, other than when one of them would slip and scrape their knee and had to cry the pain away, but on this day, their lollygagging had taken them a bit further away than they should have gone considering the weather forecast. The three kids had unfortunately entered the territory of a man-eating golem.
The thing with man-eating golems is that they’re quite difficult to see when you’re living in the mountains, as their biology naturally camouflages them amongst the rocky crags. And when they do rise up from the ground to run you down, they’re difficult to deal with due to how hard and durable their bodies are — you can’t really hit a golem on its nose to scare it away like you might with a more traditional beast. Actually, I’m not even sure that golems have noses.
Regardless, when the golem burst from the mountainous wall to the side of the children, it managed to cut their group into two, isolating the youngest and smallest boy away from his friends, the latter of whom were thrown down the slope from the force of the monster’s emergence.
The boy fell onto his back, his mind not quick enough to register what had happened in such a short period of time. Then, as the looming shadow of the gargantuan golem surrounded him, the peril of the situation kicked in, completely freezing his body.
The monster lunged at the boy, its gaping maw stretched wide. However, that jaw was quickly shut right back up as a powerful flying kick planted itself firmly into the side of the golem’s head.
The earthly beast stumbled backward, dazed from the attack. It whipped its head back around to get a better look at its assailant, but found nothing to see — even the child was gone.
And then came a palm thrust directly to the chest. The golem lurched forward, albeit more from surprise than genuine pain. Its hand instinctively swiped at the space in front of itself, but again, there came no contact.
With an angry roar, the golem spun in circles, its eyes darting in every direction. Finally, they found their target — Ryuna, who was standing a few feet behind it, massaging her hand.
“You’re pretty tough, aren’t ya?” She flicked her wrist out a few times to help soothe the aching. “Gonna have to break you apart to take you out….”
She dropped her hands to her stomach, pressing the knuckles on both together. Right as the two hands made contact, a mighty roar emanated from within her.
EARTH!
An orange-brown light washed over both of her hands, and a layer of rock sprouted around the fingers and knuckles. She brought them up closer to her face, taking a solid boxing stance. “Alright, big guy, come and get it!”
The monster’s thunderous roar shook the air, and even the ground below to a degree. It charged forward much more quickly than it should have given its size and weight, but Ryuna remained undeterred. She kept her eyes locked on the target, and then, at the perfect moment, she pushed forward with her back foot, swiveling her hips and planting her fist into the golem’s jaw.
Immediately upon impact, the rocky body of the man-eating golem exploded. Rock, dust, and debris burst outward in all directions like shrapnel, eroding the monster in the span of a mere second.
When the dust cleared, Ryuna stood alone with a smirk stretched across her lips. “Boom. Easy.”