The Emerging Part I: Dream
CHAPTER LXIV

“Excellent! Mighty impressive, Pentad!” Vaiqon praises. “You have passed the fourth event. The fifth event will measure your ability to combine both attack and defense in both zoltind and swordsmanship. You may choose your opponent from anyone and prove your skills to Raptor and me. Traditional dueling rules apply. Pork, choose your opponent, you will prove your skill first in this fifth and final event.”

Pork nods. He glances among Firose, Oukton and Jtoon. He points to Jtoon without any further hesitation, surprising everyone. Vaiqon merely smiles and nods. Firose, Oukton, and the rest of the Pentad step away from the center of the ring to stand at the fence.

Pork stands opposite Jtoon. Jtoon and Pork each draw their swords and ready themselves for the duel to begin. They hear Vaiqon’s voice but do not comprehend the Daijok’s words. Nonetheless, Pork charges at Jtoon.

Pork brings sword down hard against Jtoon’s left shoulder, but Jtoon moves faster than Pork can blink and blocks and parries Pork’s blade. Jtoon summons ice to his hand and strikes Pork in the temple with his left fist. Pork is sent tumbling to the ground, blackness setting in on the edge of his vision. Pork quickly rises, but the loses his feet as Jtoon floods water under Pork, then pulls it forcefully. Pork swears to himself. He conjures a spear of earth and hurls it at Jtoon. Pork charges just after the spear. Jtoon throws ice at the spear, covering the earth, and redirecitng the attack, and blocks Pork’s advance with an ice shield. Jtoon jams the shield onto Pork’s right temple. Pork is sent tumbling on the ground again, red spots creeping through his vision. The pain in his ribs stabbing at him. He grimaces. He sees Jtoon summoning ice and then erupting it towards him. Pork digs his feet into the ground, using his okit to drive himself a foot deep into the ground, his legs stuck fast. He brings his sword across himself, conjuring earth to his right hand to protect his hand from the sharp blade. He blinks once more and feels an incredible collision vibrating through his sword, his body, and his feet. He sees Jtoon upon him, his fuhok eruption still surging. Jtoon’s icy shield trying it hardest to break through Pork’s sword. Pork remains firmly in place. Jtoon nods for a brief moment before angling his shield downward and then thrusting it upward, effectively breaking Pork’s guard. Jtoon then spins and brings his sword down hard onto Pork’s exposed stomach. Pork is instantly torn from the ground, thrown ten yards back, and lands with a bounce.

“Stop! Pork, you have lost the duel,” Vaiqon says.

Jtoon relinquishes his icy shield, the shield returning seamlessly into the barrels at the fence. Pork coughs and sputters, trying to regain his breath. He slowly sits up. He looks around him with blurry vision. The pain in his ribs becoming excruciating. He slowly rises to his knees. Driving his sword into the ground, he uses it as a crutch and stands slowly. He walks to the fence to join the Pentad with a downtrodden look in his expression.

The Pentad comforts Pork with pats on the back and smiles.

Vaiqon smiles but then hides it, “Fox, you are next to attempt the fifth event. Please choose your opponent.”

Fox blinks looking at Pork in disbelief. He gazes around him. He raises his arm to point at Oukton, but then lowers it to his side. He glances at Firose. He raises his arm to point to her.

Vaiqon gapes slightly, “Very well, Firose, Fox has chosen you as your opponent.”

Fox is already walking towards the center of the ring. Firose follows, bewilderment in her expression. She stares at Fox. She sees twin swords on either side of his hips and a long sword to his back. She thumbs the handle of her sword on her left hip. She faces opposite Fox. Vaiqon’s voice echoes and instantly, Firose and Fox draw their weapons.

Firose conjures a fire wall and surrounds herself with it. Fox stares at the dancing flames with a grimace. He feels for the water in barrels at the edge of the ring. He connects to his fuhok and summons three streams of water he then shoots at the flames. The water dissipates before even making contact with the heated fire. Fox gapes but hides it quickly. Then, he sees a stream of fire escaping from the wall. The stream collides with Fox just as he crosses his blades in front of him. The stream forces him back a few feet, but he remains standing. Fox throws his blades to his sides, extinguishing the flames away from him. He draws water from the barrels, summons it to his blades, and charges at the fire wall. He sees another stream zooming toward him. He evades to the left. Another stream. Another evasion to the left. Firose quickly sends another stream, but when she sees Fox has evaded it again, she warps her wall to bend and snap in a semicircle to attack Fox. Fox sees a towering flame eager to meet him, but turns the water to ice and stabs at the center of the flame. He then turns the ice back into water, uses the water as lubricate, uses the steam as lubricate, and swims through the fire unscathed. He clears the ocean of flames and replaces Firose defenseless in a semicircle of flame behind her. He moves to charge her, but Firose sends the other semicircle in a spear towards Fox’s head. Fox ducks just in time, but the fire sears the hairs on his head. He swears to himself. He brushes himself off to charge but sees Firose has already begun to charge, her blade swimming in a brilliant flame. Fox dodges each attack as he tries to summon water to his blades, but cannot evade long enough to do so. He grits his teeth and blocks Firose’s next attack. A look of shock appears on Firose’s face, but quickly disappears. She conjures fire to her hand and unleashes it at Fox’s stomach. Fox’s armor is charred with the fire a glistening black. The force of the fire punch sends him flying upward five feet and landing with a thud ten feet away.

“Stop! Fox, you have lost the duel,” Vaiqon says.

Fox feels burning on the surface of his skin. He looks down at his stomach and sees some of the armor has burned away entirely, reddened skin greets him. He rises to his feet from his sitting position, grasping his stomach, gritting his teeth in pain. A tear falls from his eye. He trudges through the ring to join his Pentad at the fence.

The Pentad pats Fox’s back in consolation.

Vaiqon glances at Raptor who merely nods quickly. Vaiqon nods back, “Santhemum, you are next to attempt the fifth event. Please, choose your opponent.”

Without hesitation, without glancing about the ring, already walking toward the center of the ring, already having her short swords drawn, Santhemum points at Firose without even looking at her. Firose smiles, almost eager for the challenge.

“Very well, the duel will commence on my mark,” Vaiqon says.

The two sigos stand opposite one another. Firose draws her blades from her hips. Santhemum smiles widely, eager for the duel to begin. She holds her blades reverse grip, sigo energy running through her body.

Vaiqon’s voice rings out, but Firose and Santhemum barely hear it. Firose summons fire all around her body and shoots across the ring at Santhemum, closing the distance between them quickly. Santhemum does not even blink as she sidesteps Firose’s advance and shoots flames from the pommels of her swords. Punching the air, aiming her fire shots at Firose’s feet. All of her shots collide, exploding upward, sending Firose tumbling on the ground, her fiery surroundings extinguished. Firose instantly is back on her feet and summons fire around her in a massive circle. She uses her dual blades to condense the flame to a tiny spark, arcing with false lightning every which way. Firose ignites the condensed flame in spectacular fashion, seven streams of fire escape from her hand, all rocketing towards Santhemum’s person. Santhemum easily redirects the flames away from her, shooting them into the ground. She swings her blades around and slams them into the ground. A river of fire erupts from the point her swords in the ground. She pulls her swords out and directs them at Firose. The river surges towards Firose, accelerating quickly. Firose crosses her blades in front of her, and then slashes away from her with a sigo barrier just in front of her. The river of fire parts just before colliding with Firose. Firose sees Santhemum charging with flames trailing from behind her. Firose smiles. As the river is allayed, Santhemum replaces it with a fury of strikes and slashes. Four blades dancing in flame attack each other. Strikes, blocks, parries, counters, slashes, all to try to gain an advantage over the other. Santhemum then utilizes her signature style of backslash, blatantly missing Firose and then hacking backwards at Firose. Firose, ready for the style, quickly blocks the attack at her head with her right blade, leaving Santhemum exposed on her right side. Firose brings her left blade hard on Santhemum’s rib cage. Santhemum hears cracks and feels tearing from the blow. Santhemum winces away the pain, but Firose continues her attack by bringing both of her blades consumed in fire at Santhemum’s exposed stomach. The force of the collision sends Santhemum flipping backwards in the air ten feet and then landing hard twenty feet away. Her leather armory seared completely through. Her skin blistering. Her back solidly slammed to the ground.

“Stop! Santhemum, you have lost the duel,” Vaiqon says.

Santhemum stares at the blue sky above. Watching a cloud graze across her vision from left to right. She grimaces at the pain that encompasses her entire body. She rolls herself over onto the stomach where she pushes herself up slowly. She rises to her feet and walks with her head held low, her arms wrapped around her, to join her Pentad at the fence.

Santhemum looks only at Hawk as the rest of the Pentad comforts her. Hawk smiles at her. Santhemum smiles back, but her smiles does not meet her eyes. Hawk’s smile disappears.

Raptor moves to discuss with Vaiqon for a moment. Vaiqon shakes his head, dismissing Raptor. Vaiqon fixes his gaze back at the Pentad. “Desert, you are next to attempt the fifth event. Please, choose your opponent.”

Desert does not hesitate to point at both Oukton and Jtoon, drawing his hammer in his right hand, his sword in his left. Vaiqon stares at the boy for a long while. Oukton and Jtoon do not move.

Desert walks to the center of the ring glaring at Oukton and Jtoon, challenging with his eyes. Oukton and Jtoon stare at Vaiqon for guidance. Vaiqon finally nods his approval.

“Oukton, Jtoon,” Vaiqon says solemnly, “Desert has chosen both of you as his opponents.”

Oukton and Jtoon stare at one another for a moment before drawing their swords and making their way to the center of the ring. Desert already poised in a defensive position. Oukton and Jtoon appear wary, concerned at the damage they could cause Desert. Desert stares them down, determined, furious, confident.

“Begin!” Vaiqon bellows.

Oukton charges at Desert, seismic energy pulsing through the ground with every step. Jtoon remains fixed as he conjures ice spear after ice spear, hovering them all just in front of him. Desert sends a quake through the ground at Jtoon, he prepares himself for Oukton’s assault. Deserts quake knocks Jtoon unbalanced, forcing some of the ice spears to fall to the ground. Desert blocks and parries Oukton’s strikes while summoning a few boulders. Desert pushes Oukton away and throws one of the boulders at him. Oukton is struck in the side, sent toppling. Desert uses okit to jump high in the air and brings his hammer down hard upon an unsuspecting Jtoon. Jtoon is struck in the head, all the seismic force Desert could muster concentrated on his hammerhead. Desert moves to finish the fight for Jtoon, but is knocked off his feet by Oukton’s powerful earthen slab strike. Oukton charges at Desert, still regaining his balance, and nearly lands a strike on Desert, but in the nick of time, Desert composes himself to block Oukton’s sword with his own. Desert parries the blade and conjures an earthen jab to punch Oukton in the temple. Jtoon attacks suddenly, forcing Desert to spin about with ice tearing through the ground. Desert stumbles but does not fall as he then captures Jtoon’s ice-quake with his own seismic energy and sends it back towards Jtoon. The entire ring feels as if it is shaking with the massive amounts of energy flowing through the ground. Desert brings his hammer down upon the ground, conjuring a wall of earth. He condenses the wall to no taller than his own height and forces it to explode. Just before the wall strikes Jtoon, Desert splits the wall. Half of the wall collides with Jtoon’s sword, breaking the metal instrument. Half of the wall careens towards Oukton. Oukton tries to slice through the wall, but Desert forces the condensed earth to expand and explode at that instant, sending Oukton flying a few yards back. Desert sees Jtoon’s blade has broken, sprints, and lands a successful blow of his hammerhead into Jtoon’s stomach, knocking Jtoon to the ground instantly. Desert turns to see Oukton rising, holding his head with his free hand. Desert seizes the opportunity and sprints towards Oukton. Oukton looks up to see Desert running at him. Oukton throws a stream of earth from the surface at Desert. Desert jumps sideways, dodging the stream, rolls, comes to his feet, then slams his hammer on the ground, controls the vibrations from the ground reverberating from his hammer and sends the energy out through his sword at Oukton, forcing his own earth stream to awaken. The stream strikes Oukton in the stomach, doubling him over and then overturning him twice before planting him on the ground.

“Stop! Desert, you have won the duel,” Vaiqon says.

Desert turns on his heels, sheathes his sword, lashes his hammer to his back, and joins the Pentad at the fence. Oukton and Jtoon rise slowly from their defeated backs. They look at each other, nod, and slowly walk back to join Firose.

The Pentad looks at Desert with wonder, no one congratulating Desert or speaking at all.

Raptor goes to Vaiqon. They speak to each other in hushed tones. Raptor jerks his head down in a quick nod. Vaiqon shows no emotion, but turns to face the Pentad. “Hawk, you are next and last to attempt the fifth event. Please choose your opponent.”

Hawk looks behind Vaiqon at Raptor. He nods to himself. Hawk points with his finger at Raptor. Vaiqon blinks.

“I am afraid I cannot be your opponent,” Vaiqon says, clearly flattered.

Hawk winces as if in pain. “No, not you. Raptor,” Hawk says through clenched teeth.

Vaiqon seizes as if he has been slapped. He turns around to face Raptor. He then faces Hawk again, “Er, Raptor cannot be your opponent either.”

“Why not?” Hawk asks. “You said anyone in the ring. Raptor is in the ring. I want Raptor be my opponent.”

Raptor smiles, “Vaiqon, it is alright. I will gladly assess Hawk’s skills in a duel with him.”

Vaiqon turns to glare at Raptor, but Raptor merely waves the Daijok off. Raptor and Hawk walk to the center of the ring. Raptor draws his blades from both of his hips. Hawk draws his axe in his right hand and his sword in his left. He wears a determined face as he glares at Raptor with ferocity. Raptor smiles for a moment before composing himself, focused.

“Begin!” Vaiqon shouts.

Raptor wastes no time as he quickly and fluidly creates an air current that surrounds his body. A sphere of air protects Raptor. Hawk merely smiles before slashing his axe three times, sending air razors slicing through the air and dismantling Raptor’s sphere. Raptor registers shock for a moment before igniting an air current at Hawk’s head. Hawk catches the air current with his sword, manipulates it around his body, and slashes with his axe, sending the air current back at Raptor. Raptor catches the air current to fold it back on itself and sends it back at Hawk. Hawk uses his sword to catch the doubled air current, splits it into two currents and sends them both at Raptor, one at his head, one at his legs. Raptor smiles. He uses his left blade to catch the current at his head and his right blade to direct the current at his legs into the current now connected to his left blade above his head. Raptor places the points of his swords together and strikes twice with each blade, sending four air currents rocketing toward Hawk. Hawk sees two currents aimed at his head and two aimed at his legs. He smiles. He plants his back food and creates a wheel of air razors around him that he fires four times. The razor wheels dispatch the air currents quickly. Hawk then combines the four wheels into one that he shoots at Raptor. Raptor uses ire to jump high enough to clear the wheel and charges at Hawk, air spheres on the points of his swords. Hawk sees Raptor moving faster than he should and crosses his weapons just in time to block Raptor’s attack. Hawk tries to throw Raptor away but fails. Raptor puts pressure on Hawk’s defense, using ire to continue the momentum of his charge. Hawk notices two air spheres growing before his eyes on the tips of Raptor’s blades. Hawk knows Raptor is about to ignite the air spheres, and can only think of one way to escape the blast. Just before Raptor forces the spheres to explode, Hawk jumps into Light Speed and retreats a dozen yards away. Raptor stares at the explosion that is now surging toward the further away Hawk. Hawk catches the explosion with his swords, condenses the explosion into one tiny air sphere and cracks the sphere by hurtling it at Raptor. Raptor is struck in the stomach, surprise still on his face. Raptor is thrown backwards and is instantly thrown to the ground. Raptor’s blades clang next to him. Raptor rolls his head side to side, still in shock. He sits up to replace a hand before him. He looks up to see Hawk standing before him. Raptor takes Hawk’s hand and stands.

“Stop! Hawk, you have won the duel,” Vaiqon says. “Er, Raptor, you and I must consult with one another.”

Raptor smiles at Hawk before nodding to Vaiqon, “Very well.”

Vaiqon and Raptor remain in the center of the circle while a beaming Hawk rejoins his Pentad at the fence. Hawk glances at Firose, Oukton, and Jtoon, all wearing the same baffled expression. He feels pats on his back from Santhemum and Fox, but glares from Desert and Pork. Hawk looks away to observe Vaiqon and Raptor.

“They have been over there for a while,” Fox says impatiently.

“That is because you lost,” Desert says. “They are probably deciding what to do with you.”

“I lost too, Desert,” Pork says quietly.

Desert glances at Pork with a look saying to stop talking. Pork looks away, his head down. Desert looks back at Fox. “Do not get me wrong, Fox, you did great but, it was not enough to win the duel.”

“What does winning the duel have to do with anything?” Hawk says, defending Fox.

“You are one to talk, you won your duel as well. Against Raptor no less,” Pork says, anger on his tongue.

“So? I do not believe the purpose of this event was to win,” Hawk says. “I think it was merely to show your skills. To show that have been improving.”

“If we were truly improving, we all should have beaten them. Even Santhemum lost her duel,” Desert scoffs.

Hawk shakes his head, “Do not forget that Firose, Oukton, and Jtoon are Jayyojjek, not Keer. They have much more experience and skill that we do not.”

“So, you are saying it was luck that you and I defeated our opponents?” Desert demands. “I took on two opponents and still won!”

“I am not saying we do not have skills of our own, but...” Hawk slumps off.

Desert glares at Hawk, “But what?”

“Do not worry yourself, Desert. Your stubbornness and bull-headedness will prevent you from seeing what I see,” Hawk says looking away from Desert.

Desert’s anger rages inside of him. He grabs his hammer on his back, but feels a hand on his wrist. He looks behind him to see Pork shaking his head.

Pork leans in close to Desert’s ear. “Let it be, Desert. You are stronger than him. You will be able to show him soon enough.”

Desert nods at Pork. He puts his hand back at his side. He glares at Hawk and then sees Vaiqon and Raptor approaching them. Vaiqon motions for Firose, Oukton, and Jtoon to join the Pentad.

Vaiqon speaks, “Pentad, you have all passed the fifth event, and thus, have succeeded in proving yourselves worthy of becoming Keer!”

The Pentad each smiles, but then confusion filters onto each of their faces.

“I do not understand,” Desert says.

Vaiqon looks at Desert with weary eyes.

“What do you not understand, young man?” Raptor asks for Vaiqon.

Desert glances between the two older men. “I do not understand how we all passed the fifth event even though three of us did not win our duels.”

Raptor shakes his head, laughing slightly. “Young man, the purpose of the fifth event was not prove that you can win a duel, it was to show your skills and prove you have been improving in your zoltind abilities.”

Desert gapes, glancing at Hawk for a quick moment.

“Yes, Pentad, Raptor is correct,” Vaiqon says. “You all performed admirably, especially you, Hawk, Desert. But, Santhemum, Fox, and Boar, you all proved that you have the skills required and more. Pairing you with Rniti and higher in your everyday training certainly has expedited your abilities. We normally do not have this Serial Event for at least another six months. You have all progressed faster than even I thought possible.”

The Pentad finally relaxes and allows themselves to celebrate with pats on each other’s backs and sighs of relief.

“Now, you have the rest of the day, nay, the rest of the week to enjoy yourselves. No training whatsoever as a reward for your excellence proved today,” Vaiqon says with a twinkle in his eye.

The Pentad smiles widely as they jump over the fence and run straight to the Gallery as they hear lunch bells ringing across the Injhihato. Vaiqon and Raptor share a chuckle at the sprinting children.

Vaiqon and Raptor’s laughter subsides. Firose, Oukton, and Jtoon leave the ring as well, heading for the Gallery. Raptor turns to Vaiqon, “Hawk is extraordinary.”

Vaiqon nods, “Yes, I know.”

“Do not manipulate him, Vaiqon.”

Vaiqon appears appalled. “I would never!”

Raptor reads Vaiqon’s eyes. “You are lying. But alas, you are a Daijok, I cannot possibly understand what goes through your mind,” Raptor says before flashing away on the spot.

Vaiqon relaxes, his beating heart still in his throat. ‘That was too close. Raptor always has had a sixth sense instilled in him, but fortunately, only for truth telling. Lucky for me he has no rebellious spirit about him,’ he thinks to himself.

Vaiqon flashes away in a deep blue.

Meijen glares at her two opponents opposite her. They move in blurs around the room. Clangs of metal are all that can be heard. The three stop suddenly, a clash of metal resonating throughout the dimmed room. Meijen holds both her opponents in locks with her dual blades. Her opponents try hard to break through her guard, but replace themselves only wasting their energy. Meijen conjures flames to her blades, wrapping the flames around her opponents’ blades as well. She slides her blades down towards the floor and then back to her, swiping the blades out of her opponents’ hands. Her opponents look at her with disbelieving eyes. Meijen wields two blades in each hand, summoning fire to all four blades. Fire warps into the shape of a fan in her left and right hand. She glares at her opponents. She swings upward and then downward, unleashes a torrent of fire at her opponents entire bodies. Her opponents are smothered in flames. Smoldering armor can be seen, burning hair can be smelt, only charred remains lie where her opponents used to stand.

Meijen throws the two blades she stole from her now deceased opponents at the charred remains’ feet. She hears vigorous clapping behind her. She looks over her shoulder seeing her master clapping excitedly.

Meijen sheathes her blades as she turns to face her master. “Did I perform to your standards, master?” she asks knowingly.

The dark master ceases his clapping, “Yes, though, I do dislike the fact I must train two new apprentices considering you killed my top new recruits.”

Meijen grimaces, “You do not need other apprentices. Not when you have the likes of me.”

The dark master smiles to himself inside his hood, “Yes, now that you are trained and using the powerful blood of yours, you are correct. I have no use for any other apprentice. Although...”

Meijen’s grimace disappears, fear replaces it, covering her face entirely. She looks at the dark master where she believes his eyes would be. She clenches her hands tighter on the handles of her swords.

“You have had much trouble with our enemies, letting them slip away not once, but twice. Unacceptable.”

“It will not happen again, master.”

“I know it will not. Your power is astounding, almost as powerful as me, perhaps a few more years of training and you might be able to surpass me, but that is long away. You are merely a pawn in my arsenal.”

“Pawns are often underestimated.”

The dark master’s hood moves as if nodding, “You think like me as well. That is good, your training has come along better than I had hoped. Perhaps you can maintain control of our latest operation while I conduct other business to ensure success in our future endeavors.”

“I would be honored. No one will defeat me. I will be merciless.”

“Now, now, Meijen, why do you speak as if someone will discover are devilish schemes. You surely did not misplace the key that is so crucial to our operation under a table.”

Meijen smiles, “No, I did not misplace the key.”

“Exactly. If you perform with the same intensity as you just showed, you will be nearly invincible. Always remember your blood is powerful and your sigo is strong. Go now, there is no more I can teach you today. You have proven your worth.”

Meijen bows her head before turning on her heels and dissipating in a fog of black smoke.

She appears in a dimmed office. She uses her sigo to light the single candle in the room. A giant candle six feet tall and six feet in diameter. She walks to the window overlooking the operation her master had begun years ago.

She smiles as she looks down at the flawlessness of the operation unfolding before her. She connects to every single aura below her, relishing in the fear, anger, and contempt of those below her.

She turns around to observe the office. She sees a table before the candle littered with numerous maps of Munda Luna. Each parchment of Munda Luna represents a tenth of the size of Munda Luna, showing exact detail of the land.

Lines drawn in black across all the maps, connected at a central point, her location, on the edge of the Eastern Range, radiating outward in five spokes out across Munda Luna.

She smiles as she runs her eyes across the cohesive map of Munda Luna. She sees Karacrross, mixed feelings surging inside of her. She sees Rizq, nostalgia stirred inside of her. She then sees the Injhihato.

She draws a knife and stabs the Injhihato on the map. She turns back around. She approaches the window and looks down yet again. She watches with anger burning in her heart, soul, and mind. She grips her sword handles until her knuckles turn white.

‘I will not let him down,’ Meijen thinks to herself.