“Congratulations, Ryuna. That was an excellent performance.”
To the surprise of Master Kirin, as well as herself, Ryuna took a deep, low bow. “Thanks!”
Ryuna kept her head low for a tad bit longer than was common for a bowing gesture, but upon noticing the quick motion of Ryuna’s arm as it wiped at her face as stealthily as it could, Master Kirin smiled and let it be.
She set her hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “With your victory in the tournament sealed, I will make good on my word and take you under my wing as my student in the art of chi mastery, should you still desire it.”
Straightening back up, Ryuna flashed a much more characteristic smirk. “Of course I am! That’s what I flew all this way out for, and I wasn’t leaving ‘til I got it!” To emphasize her point, she pumped her fist, which brought it to center stage between the two.
Both of them looked down upon the arm. The sleeve of her jacket had been torn and burned away, leaving most of it exposed. There were streaks of soot along the skin, and faint trails of smoke rising from the surface, but the arm itself appeared perfectly fine otherwise.
Looking down at her hand, Ryuna thought back to the ending moments of her match, more specifically of the dragon head her chi had shaped itself into, both the giant, monstrous form it had taken at the ceiling, and the smaller version that had locked itself around her fist when she delivered the final blow.
Oh, right, the final blow! Her eyes perked up as she recalled the last attack she’d delivered to Billy in excitement. She’d unleashed her first ever Art, hadn’t she?! That fact had been almost as exciting as winning the whole damn tournament to her! Oh, she wanted nothing more in that moment than to punch as many people as possible with this newfound Yellow Dragon Fist technique, but alas, now was not quite the appropriate time for it.
“I will be continuing on my pilgrimage around the world,” Master Kirin continued, snapping Ryuna out of her little mental sidebar. “Naturally, you will be joining me.”
Nodding along, Ryuna asked, “Yeah, sure, sounds cool to me! Where we goin’?”
“There is a temple to the north that we will be visiting for a few days. There will not be any exciting tournaments, I’m afraid, but there should be a few capable fighters for you to train against.”
That sounded like the perfect opportunity to take the Yellow Dragon Fist for a good ol’ spin! “Awesome!”
“We will leave tomorrow morning,” Master Kirin said. “For now, enjoy some rest. The monks will be providing food for everyone as well.” She smiled as Ryuna’s hand naturally made its way to her own stomach in response. “If you will excuse me, I must attend to Billy’s injuries.”
As the master left, Ryuna found herself being applauded by the crowd, although none of them seemed all too keen on approaching her like they had before. Ryuna certainly didn’t mind that fact, although she did have to admit that a part of her was a tad bit disappointed at not getting to experience the cliche celebration of having the crowd lift her up into the air as they cheered her name.
There wasn’t much time for her to stand around pondering that fantasy, however, as her arrangement with Kizzy clicked itself into her mind. “Oh, right! I gotta go take Kizzy to see her precious, precious unicorns!”
* * * *
ULTRA DRAGON
* * * *
She was not the only one trying to exit the monastery at the time, as several competitors had packed their things and were on their way back home following the conclusion of the tournament.
The front doors of the monastery were open, allowing said departees free reign to step out into the chill winter air. As Ryuna herself stepped through the halls towards the outside, the calm atmosphere of the scene washed over her. That sort of pleasant and exciting nervousness you feel when you’re about to progress into the next stage of life, leaving behind something that’s been a part of yours for quite some time. Graduating from school, moving away from home, winning a superpowered martial arts tournament in the mountains after harnessing the spiritual power of a dragon, those sorts of common life experiences.
But the “pleasant and exciting” part of those feelings soon washed away as Ryuna passed through the open monastery doors and found not Kizzy waiting outside, but a crowd of villagers from Welca, led most notably by Bron.
The villagers were speaking to as many of the monastery departees as they could manage, but from the panicked looks on their faces and the frantic movements of their body languages, they didn’t appear to be making much progress in whatever it was they were looking for.
One of the villagers, a weller, spotted Ryuna, and promptly tapped his arm against Bron to direct his attention to her. When their eyes met, Ryuna felt a tightness in her chest, but she knew she couldn’t avoid the conversation at this point, and so she made her way down the stone stairs and approached the Welcans directly. “Lemme guess: you’re looking for me?”
Bron shook his head. “No. Kisana. Have you seen her?”
It took a moment for Ryuna to comprehend what he’d asked, given she’d completely forgotten Kizzy’s real name. “Huh? Oh, right! Uh….”
She hesitated, not wanting to potentially get her friend in trouble by snitching on her for sneaking out of the village. But when she noticed the pleading look on Bron’s face, it became apparent that that was not something that needed to be worried about at this point in time. “I met up with her here awhile ago, actually.”
“Is she inside?!”
She quickly leaned back as Bron took a hurried step forward. “Uh, no. She said she was going back to Welca so you guys wouldn’t freak out that she was gone.”
Bron spun back around, planting his hands on his hips. A few of the wellers moved in, seemingly to comfort him, although one guy did shoot Ryuna a venomous stare, which she matched back with a glare of her own.
“Kisana is missing,” the Welcan chief finally said. “We thought she might have run off with you, but-”
“She could be lying Bron!” a voice from the crowd of wellers said. “She’s good at that, remember?”
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Ryuna rolled her eyes, but it wasn’t like she could deny the accusation, or even the logic behind it. Hell, she didn’t even feel like trying, as she was far too concerned with the worrying revelation that Kizzy was nowhere to be found.
Had something happened to her while she was on her way back to the village? Or had she done something stupid and tried to head down the mountain towards the pastures on her own?
She then noticed out of the corner of her eye that Bron had been staring at her for some time, and she turned to meet his gaze. Neither of them said a word, but Ryuna could tell he was trying to read her through the eye contact. To cut through her words and unearth the truth.
It wasn’t a practice Ryuna believed in; that one could see through lies and deception by staring into another’s eyes. She’d been able to maintain her masks under scrutiny before, and she’d been unable to see people’s true selves as well. But ultimately, the futility of the act wasn’t what dominated her thoughts. It was the worry on the chief’s face, and that he did seem to be willing to give Ryuna an honest judgment, and didn’t jump to accusations like some of the other wellers.
After a few moments, Bron finally turned away. “I believe her. Come. Let’s look elsewhere.”
As the Welcan villagers took off, Ryuna cupped her hands around her mouth to propel her voice across the long distance. “Hey, Bron!”
The wellers all turned to face her.
“I, uh….I made a promise with Kizzy to take her to the pastures below the mountains! You could try checking there! Maybe she went off without me?”
There was a bit of confusion and whispering amongst the wellers, but Bron nodded his head, and half of the group split off to head towards the base of the mountain.
* * * *
ULTRA DRAGON
* * * *
While she’d been relieved that the meeting with the Welcans hadn’t gone too poorly, she couldn’t escape the sick feeling in her chest. Kizzy was missing….Where had she gone? Did something happen to her?
The jubilation at winning the tournament had completely evaporated from Ryuna’s heart, replaced by fear and worry. She rushed back into the monastery, holding onto the unrealistic hope that perhaps Kizzy had gone into the monastery, perhaps to….surprise Ryuna? Or maybe to stay out of the cold? Oh, perhaps Brise or one of the monks had spotted her and let her inside! Maybe….?
Ryuna’s inspection of the monastery was fruitless in that search, however, as she checked the final room before heading back to her own.
In the midst of her sulk, she accidentally bumped into Brise, who greeted her with a polite smile. “Oh, hello, Ryuna, dear. Congratulations on your victory.”
“Hey, have you seen Kizzy anywhere?” Ryuna asked, having not even properly heard the older woman’s words.
“Kizzy?”
“Yeah, Kizzy, my friend. Or Kisana, maybe?” When that didn’t appear to clear anything up on Brise’s face, she continued. “She’s about yea high, really skinny, dark red hair, and she always looks grumpy in a pretty adorable way….Nothing?”
Brise shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know anyone who matches that description.”
Ryuna sighed. “Yeah, I didn’t think you would. Don’t worry about it.”
She felt Brise’s hand gently touch her elbow. “I’m sorry I can’t be much help to you. I’ll keep an eye out for her and let the other monks know as well.”
“Thanks….”
“Have you eaten? Perhaps a nice meal might help lift your spirits some?”
Ryuna shook her head. “Uh, maybe later….I’m not really in the mood right now….”
I should just go back to my room….
With her head low, Ryuna excused herself and made her way to the room she was staying in, shutting the door behind her.
She made her way over to the bed, but she wasn’t tired enough to sleep, and even if she had been, there was a part of her that would have decried such an act, demanding she prioritize finding Kizzy, and not sleeping until she’d done so.
And so, she pushed herself back up to her feet, deciding she would leave the monastery to go and explore the mountains in search of Kizzy, a bit annoyed at herself for having wasted time on this trip back to the room.
But before she managed to open the door, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.
It was a single piece of paper nailed to the wall in the corner of the room.
“That wasn’t there before….” Ryuna muttered to herself as she moved over to investigate it. The sheet had been nailed to the wall with some sort of thin needle, and the paper itself appeared to be ripped from a scroll of some kind. There was a message written on it, and her eyes began to scan over it, widening as they did.
I have taken your friend.
Come to the Dragon Clans in three days, or I will kill her.
– Hai Tien
* * * *
ULTRA DRAGON
* * * *
Later that night, after the celebratory feast of the tournament had finished, after Ryuna had brought Hai Tien’s message to Brise and Master Kirin, causing the latter to change their plans to travel to the Dragon Clans, after everyone in the monastery had gone to sleep for the day, Billy awoke in his room.
His body ached all over, though the chi healing Master Kirin had granted him in his unconscious state had patched up all of the heavy injuries he’d suffered in his battle against Ryuna.
Ah, yes….his fight with Ryuna. Images from the scene flashed in his mind. Her strength, her speed, and of course, the terrifying might of her chi as it took the shape of a mighty dragon.
He’d been defeated, but carried no bitter feelings on the matter. If anything, he was quite pleased with the result of the tournament. He’d gotten to meet the legendary Master Kirin herself, and though he had not been given the privilege of training under her, he’d learned many things from simply observing her.
He’d also been given valuable combat experience, particularly in his bout against Ryuna. Experience that he would apply to his fighting style and philosophy in order to better hone his abilities. Seeing the chi dragon Ryuna had manifested had seemingly sparked a surge of inspiration in his heart, and he was ready to continue walking the path of the fighter.
He heard a light knock on his door, and granted the visitor entrance. It was Brise of the monastery, carrying a plate of food and a warm smile. “You are indeed awake, just when Master Kirin said you would be.”
Billy bowed his head, graciously accepting the food. “Thank you.”
“How are you feeling?” Brise asked as Billy began to eat.
“My body aches, but ultimately I am well. I thank you and Master Kirin both for taking great care of me.”
Brise smiled politely, allowing him to eat a bit more in peace before speaking up once more. “You fought admirably in the tournament.”
“Thank you, though Ryuna certainly earned her victory.”
“I suppose,” Brise said, which he found a bit of a curious response. “Ryuna is a very gifted girl, indeed, but….I believe you have far more potential than she does.”
“Is that so?” He bowed his head again. “Thank you for your kind words.”
He suddenly felt Brise’s palm press against the back of his head. Before he had time to ponder what she was doing, however, he felt his breath escape his lungs in one harsh motion.
His body was paralyzed, though not in pain. As a natural response, he tried to direct his chi to protect himself, but even that proved fruitless as the pale blue light suddenly began to warp around his body, up over his back towards Brise’s hand as though it were being vacuumed away.
He wanted nothing more than answers to the overwhelming sense of confusion swelling up inside of him, but those answers would never come. All he could do was experience the feeling of all of his energy and life force being drained away in a steady surge of air.
And then his body began to dissipate.
Though his bowed head kept most of his body out of his line of vision, he was able to watch as his feet eroded away, and then his legs, turning to naught more than dust that followed the same flowing path around his body that his chi had. If there was any semblance of good fortune in the event, it was that he felt no physical pain as it happened.
Moments later, his entire body vanished completely, reduced to dust particles that were soaked up by the glowing green palm of Brise’s hand. And once the final speck was gone, the green glow faded away.
Brise blinked in surprise, looking around the room. “What did I come here for again….?”
She looked down at her hands, which were currently carrying a plate full of food.
“Ah, yes, I was bringing this to someone,” she stated, turning back towards the exit. “Ryuna, perhaps? I must have come into the wrong room….”
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