The Living Sword (7 page)

***

Gritting his teeth, he weathered Chizuro's assault while reviewing what he knew of the Way the san was using. 'Path of the Sun, the Way devoted to fire. It's a powerful Way, not just giving the wielder more strength, but also more speed and energy.'

Eurik sensed Chizuro's next move, feeling the Wind
chiri
gather around the san. His opponent's strikes changed subtly, the flames around his hands grew. Instead of trying to power through, Chizuro now went for glancing blows. And they came on a lot faster.

He poured more
chiri
into the sand around his arms, but the sand armor began to crack and crumble anyway. 'Not good.' Eurik jumped back and stamped on the ground. A rock flew up to hover in front of him; kicking it with his other foot he sent it flying towards Chizuro.

His opponent spun around the large projectile, breathed in so deep his chest visibly expanded, and exhaled a stream of fire at Eurik.

***

The hum of voices around Leraine started to get more excited as the two began to seriously reshape the arena floor. Two rock plates slid out of the ground to cover the outcast as fire streamed towards him.

When the san noticed the makeshift rampart, after the flames had rolled over it, he spun around and made a sweeping kick with his leg; a streamer of fire slammed into the rock.

That one must have done something, though Leraine couldn't see what, because it prompted a response from the other fighter. One plate slid through the ground toward the san, like a shark's fin, followed by the other whirling through the air.

The san didn't miss a beat. Using one plate as a stepping stone he jumped over the other. His opponent, however, must have seen that coming because the airborne san was met by two rocks the size of Leraine's head flying straight at him.

With a roar that echoed around the arena, the plant-man started to spin around while still in the air. And somehow, the move deflected both stones.

“He got him,” Irelith grunted. Glancing over at her, she saw her teacher was leaning forward like Leraine was.

Looking back, she saw the san land less than gracefully proving Irelith right.

***

Eurik rolled over another stream of fire sent out by Chizuho as he got back up. He was starting to feel the strain now, but his opponent seemed to only get more energized as the fight went on. And he could feel the reason for that burning on the back of his neck. The afternoon sun gave Chizuho plenty of heat to work with.

A moment of inattention and the san was right up in Eurik's face with one leg swinging for his middle. He blocked it, but that just left him open for a gut-punch that sent him staggering and wheezing.

'A good thing these clothes don't burn so easily,' a distant part of his mind noted as Chizuho kept up the pressure. 'But I can't win like this, I'm too slow.' There was a way to fix that, by doing what Chizuho was doing. But the thing was, the san had experience with combining two of the Ways. Eurik could barely use Wind
chiri
.

'No choice,' he resolved when a kick snapped his head up. It felt like it was about to fly off.

Luckily, Chizuho's actions provided Eurik with all the Wind
chiri
he needed. Loosening his stance, he drew some of the
chiri
inside of him. Every muscle in his body tensed as the competing energies scrubbed against his nerves. It felt like his body was on fire.

'Can't hold this for long.' Blinking, Eurik looked for his opponent and found him preparing to breathe another firestorm in his direction. This time, he did something other than defend.

He leaped out of the way and let the flames pass him by. Eurik started to close in on Chizuho even before the fire died down. 'One shot.'

A san, compared to a human, didn't have many weak spots. No bones to break, no soft organs either. They didn't even get concussions since their brains were made from the same amber-like material as their eyes. Still, they did have a sensitive area and Eurik aimed his fist for it.

His haymaker collided with the side of Chizuho's head, hitting his hearing membrane.

***

“That cost him,” Leraine mused after the outcast collapsed to his knees. Not that the san was in a position to exploit the opening. He was clutching the right side of his head, swaying on his feet.

“He moved very fast at the end, but I think he hurt himself more than he did his opponent,” her teacher agreed.

Down in the arena, the san was once more facing his opponent. He seemed to say something before taking a wider stance and bringing his hands together. Dust stirred, began to circle around him. From that whirling air sprang ribbons of fire and twisting air that spiraled towards the san, coming together between his hands.

Leraine watched as a small sun began to grow between the plant-man's hands; the outcast, too, stared at the green humanoid. She frowned. “Why doesn't he attack? Those streams shouldn't be able to stop a rock.”

“I wouldn't be so sure,” Irelith countered. “Besides, I think that if he makes a move, the san simply launches whatever attack that is immediately, rather than waiting for it to finish. And it looks nasty enough already.”

The outcast must have followed the same reasoning. He didn't even get up, he just waved his arms and summoned a torrent of sand to him. It covered him, turning him into a moving statue of sand. His next move was to raise a dome of rock over himself, hiding him from view completely.

None of it seemed to disturb the san who continued charging his attack. Leraine could tell when he was ready because the ribbons feeding the ball of light dried up. The san held for a moment, then a streak of light sped across the field hitting the dome; the back half blew out, fire and debris washed up against the barrier.

“And it's over,” Irelith declared over the roars of the audience. “He gave a better accounting of himself than the other two, but it wasn't enough.” The san appeared to have come to the same conclusion as he took on the same self-satisfied pose he'd shown after his last victory.

Leraine forgot what she was going to say when the san sank into the ground up to his neck.

***

Pushing himself back to the surface, Eurik greedily took a deep breath of fresh air. He'd had to seal the tunnel behind him or the flames would have spilled from the dome down into the tunnel, cooking him alive.

Regaining his breath, he turned to Chizuho. “Don't bother struggling, I made sure to pack the earth around you tight. They'll have to dig you out.”

“No!” the san roared. “I refuse to be beaten by an animal. The san are superior, and I will prove it!”

His eyes blazed with power now. Eurik could feel the heat from where he was. The ground around Chizuho started to crack and steam as what little water was there boiled away. The san's mouth opened, perhaps in triumph, or perhaps he had noticed the same thing Eurik now saw.

Light spilled from his mouth, his eyes, followed by wisps of smoke. A pillar of flame shot up into the sky, dying out as swiftly as it had appeared leaving behind the charred remains of Chizuho.

'Path of the Sun brings great power, but also great danger. You can't turn to stone by taking in Earth
chiri
, you can't drown from Water
chiri
. Only Fire has that danger. That's why most san learn that Way last.'

Those thoughts meandered through Eurik's mind as he stared at the remains of his opponent. He'd declared he would kill Eurik, had tried to kill him, but Eurik himself hadn't been ready to respond in kind. Yet there Chizuho laid, dead.

Turning away, ignoring the growing approval of the crowd, Eurik walked back to Misthell.

***

Leraine got up, rearranging her weapons. “Let's go.”

“Oh, saw something you liked?” her teacher teased.

“I'm more worried about what he knows. Judging from the sword he carries, he might be Puma. If he returns to them and teaches what he knows ... You know as well as I do that the Truce has been fraying as of late. People no longer view the Linesans as a threat; grievances have been festering. We need to know who he is, and if he is a threat to our tribe.”

“Always so serious, Fangling,” Irelith sighed as she got up as well. She slid her long blade, which had lain across her knees while they'd been watching the fights, back into place at her side. “But you have a point.”

Irelith the Viper lead the way through the crowd of Linesans who had no intention of leaving yet. 'This is going to take forever.'

Chapter 5

The hunt begins

It turned out not to take forever, but the sun still hung too low in the sky for Leraine's taste by the time they finally stood outside the arena. It was getting darker already among the tall buildings of this city.

Trailing the outcast proved a frustrating undertaking. He stood out enough that people remembered seeing him, but finding Linesans willing to talk to them was hard. This obstacle meant that while they didn't lose his scent, they weren't really gaining on him either. They'd crossed one arm of the Endria already and twilight was setting in, when Leraine spotted him.

The crowds thinned as they came up to him. She noticed he carried the blade on his back and had to shake her head at that amateur move. 'He can't be clan-trained, or he put it there to reassure these people that he wouldn't be drawing his blade in the city.'

A closer look at the markings on the blade nearly stopped her in her tracks. 'Those are Snake runes, and Puma's. How did he get a blade that has both?'

Leraine got an even bigger shock when the sword opened its eye and looked right back at her. “Looks like you got fans,” the blade remarked.

***

Turning around to see what Misthell was talking about, two women dressed quite differently from anybody else he'd seen today confronted him. Trousers, soft leather boots, and some sort of vest underneath a steel cuirass. And both had a skin tone more like his own than anybody else Eurik had ever met.

The older one, carrying a single slender blade at her left hip, had graying hair and a scar that ran up her cheek and ended at the corner of her right eye. Most of her hair was short, except on the left side where it had been twisted into a long braid that contained several colorful beads and a little ivory snake.

The younger woman, who had one sword on her right and a long dagger on her left, also wore bracers. Her nose was a little crooked and her bright, green eyes stared at him intently.

“Can I help you?” Eurik tried. He really hoped they weren't muggers or anything; he was still recovering from the earlier fight. Next to him, Dak was inching back.

It earned his guide a dismissive glance from the younger one of the pair. “Yes. This is Viper. I am Broken Fang.” Her Linesan was a little stilted, like she had to think about the words. “Where did you get that sword?” One silver tooth flashed every time she opened her mouth.

“Good evening, I'm Eurik,” he said and gave them a small bow. For some reason Broken Fang was taken aback by the courtesy. “As for the sword...” Eurik was reluctant to share personal information with random strangers, but he had no desire to antagonize them either. “I inherited from my parents.”

“And who were they?” Viper asked. Her gaze was intense; it felt like he was under the attention of his
sesin
again.

It finally occurred to Eurik that they were Mochedan, the same people as his parents. 'Could Viper have known them?'

Before he could ask, someone else entered the conversation. “Yeah, who were they?”

The voice had come from over his shoulder, so Eurik half-turned to see who had asked. The speaker turned out to be a pale man, with slicked-back hair, wearing a buff coat.

“It's not that I actually care, you know,” the man explained. “It's just that my employer might.”

From his left now came the sound of steel sliding out of its scabbard. “Blooddrinker,” the younger woman hissed.

At hearing that word, Eurik tensed as well. Quickly, he connected with the Earth
chiri
underneath his feet. He now noticed that even as people cleared the street, others started to gather around them. “You're a Blood Lord?” he asked.

The man seemed unfazed by the accusation. “Good eye. Heh, this meeting is getting unpleasant quick, so before you try to run me through, why don't you let me conclude my business?” He didn't wait for their answer. “My employer wants the sword. How much?”

Eurik blinked. “What?”

Rolling his yellow eyes the Blood Lord explained, “You have a living sword. My boss wants one. Do I need to talk slower?”

“No need, and the sword is not for sale.”

“Yeah, you tell him,” Misthell chimed in. “But just for curiosity sake, how much are we talking here?”

“Misthell,” Eurik sighed.

“What?” the blade exclaimed. “I simply want to know how valuable I am. There's nothing wrong with a healthy dose of vanity.”

“One,” the Blood Lord answered.

“One solar?” Misthell asked wearily.

“One life,” he corrected the blade. “His life. Time to earn your keep, boys!”

Everybody moved at once. The men surrounding them had pulled out knifes and clubs, which they were brandishing as they closed in. One of them was very close to Broken Fang, a fatal mistake. Her blade and dagger already in hand, she whirled about slicing off the man's hand before burying her dagger in his chest.

Dak had pulled out a small knife as well as he ran for an alleyway guarded by only two men. He slipped by one, swiped at the other, and was gone. 'Can't blame him, he didn't sign up for this.'

But Eurik had paid too much attention to what was going on around him. One moment the Blood Lord had stood at least eight paces away, the next he'd drawn two curved short swords and was almost upon him—only to dance away when a silver streak arced up in front of Eurik.

“Don't stand there. Fight!” Viper told him as she advanced up the Blood Lord.