Chapter 16

Wednesday, 6/1/119

Having departed from the small town of Arbhar located in a territory of the same name, I, Ethan Blade, am joined by Chris Sheffer in my travels as I walk down the middle of the open road.

The road, despite having walked it over three years ago, still seems incredibly familiar to me. This isn’t due to some exceptional memory but because I had been forced to pay attention to every inch of this road as I had been cautious of road bandits. They wouldn’t strike this close to an Empire-allied Territory, but I didn’t know this in the past.

The past; what dreadful memories. Since I have chosen to walk south on this path, I will be forced to relive many of the terrible memories from before my training, since its the same route I took three years prior.

With my mind already stuck on this train of thought, many of the past traumas which I had experienced came flooding back. I thought I had gotten over them, but the scars on my body still ache whenever I relive them in my memory.

Stop. Don’t think about it. It’s not helpful to let these terrible memories disturb my daily life.

The reason my brain has been trapped in my past is because I had done something which directly opposes the promise I made to myself five years ago.

I found myself a trustable ally.

Finding an ally in of itself is not the problem, but allies should always be expendable. They should be someone who is useful but not worth risking your life for. It’s easier to not become attached, especially if I’m trying to achieve a personal goal. That way, I could never be betrayed because I never trusted them in the first place.

And initially, I had intended to do just that, and I found someone who matched my criteria. They’re powerful, and therefore useful, and also naive, meaning I won’t be betrayed easily.

However, they weren’t, per say, the best choice. He and I’s personalities were polar opposites, not to mention he’s a complete dunce who wears his heart on his sleeve. Also, his origins are so mysterious and baffling that they might prove more trouble than I bargained for.

But he was good enough for the time being, and therefore I gave it a shot. I knew he was young, and that meant I would have to convince the parents far more than the target himself. I went in with the intention of manipulating everyone to how I desired.

Unfortunately, or maybe forutantly, nothing went as planned. In fact, thinking about it, the circumstances upon meeting this person were strange all together.

When I entered that small town, I had no intention of making friends. I had trained for the last three years in order to take revenge on the world which made me cold, and I thought I had completely erased my feelings from my being.

I chased down small time thugs, with bounties barely worth hunting, in the hopes I could earn enough money to last me a while after I departed, but this is when things started to go awry. Not long after I entered this small, insignificant, peace-filled town, I started to feel a power far greater than I had ever felt before, with the exception of my teacher.

This power burned like an incendiary bomb amongst a sea of matches. At first, I thought I had been mistaken, but the longer I spent in town, the clearer this energy source became to me.

On the second day, I had spent a couple hours asking the locals and eventually found a serial carjacker who was on the run from a northern territory’s authorities. After I had incapacitated the criminal, it was then that I sensed the Geinta signature nearby and found that it was emanating from a 15-17 year old teen, who was staring at me with admiration.

To be honest, after I saw with my own eyes who that power belonged to, my instincts told me he would not be a threat to myself, unlike what I had originally feared. Still, I needed to make sure so I followed my senses and had planned on observing him for a short while before introducing myself.

Once again, my plans were ruined. Instead of quietly observing him, I ended up meeting him in front of his house, which had startled not only me but him as well. I remember how nervous he was upon seeing my face and how poorly I handled the initial interaction with him.

One thing led to another and I found myself explaining the basic concepts of the world to him as if he were a child, which further cemented to me that he would not be a threat at all.

Actually, it’s because of this that I thought I could take advantage of his ignorance and create a powerful ally for myself; one that would not question me as he knew next to nothing. I could have forced him to depend on me for guidance and instruction while he were to do my bidding without a second thought.

But I then did something out of character. I became curious and suggested that he spar with me since both he and I genuinely wanted to test the limits of his strength, and needless to say, he did not disappoint. Nearly my equal in battle, he was the first to force me to reveal my true strength since I had finished my training.

Afterwards, we spent quite a large portion of the day getting to know each other, and even managed to get attacked by a vengeful, automatic rifle wielding pair of twins. Although he and I had become acquainted, following the shooting, I was convinced that I had ruined any sort of chance to gain an ally. No sane parent would allow their child to hang around someone who plunges into danger without a second thought.

However, the kid had an even worse stroke of luck and somehow attracted the attention of a dangerous gang of thieves called ‘The Ghosts.’ An unimaginative name, but a fitting one. The power to pass through solid objects is a very useful and deadly ability.

Luckily though, they were idiots and had no idea how to use it. If I were them, I would have phased my hand into Chris’s chest and crushed his heart, but they didn’t do this. Their lack of understanding about their own abilities made beating them quite simple, even for an amatuer like him.

Since it was partly my fault that he was put in danger, I had written off the possibility of ever making him my ally, and was resolved to leaving without ever seeing him or his family again. Afterall, I didn’t have much attachment to them, and only somewhat enjoyed his company.

But contrary to my expectations, he, without any doubt, declared not only a willingness but eagerness to join me in my travels. Even more surprisingly, his parents allowed him to do so. I still can’t tell if I somehow made a better impression than I thought or they're just idiots.

However, once we had begun to head out, and after I had laid out why it would be detrimental for him to travel with me in the first place, he threw my own reasoning back in my face with an innocent look and a naive, bright eyed reasoning of his own.

This when I realised something which explained lapses in judgment which I normally wouldn’t make. I had started to feel … comfortable with his presence, or rather, his attitude was refreshing in a lot of ways.

In the past, I had always been surrounded by those who wanted to hurt me, take advantage of me, or those who were suffering just as much as I. The last time anyone actually gave a damn about me was years ago, and while my teacher Genku wasn’t cruel, he also wasn’t very human much like me. So maybe spending time with someone who is the polar opposite of everything I am will somehow be helpful for me.

He, Chris Sheffer, my new ally, and myself have been walking quietly for a while and I can feel his gaze on my face. He’s been looking around at his surroundings or staring at me as if he hasn’t a clue of what to do with his eyes.

“You’ve been staring at me,” I say to him, turning my head.

“Yeah, well, it's not everyday you see someone stare off into the distance for over two hours,” he tells me with a bit of snark in his voice.

Wait, two hours? Have I been lost in thought that long? I had been training my senses when I guess my brain decided to take a trip down memory lane. I relay this information to him as an explanation for my actions.

“Hmm? Training your senses? Why are you doing that? Aren’t they already like … god-level?”

“Maybe before when I was surrounded by those who were weak, but now that I’m traveling with you I feel like I’m walking through a fog. So I’m training my senses to work even if I’m standing next to you.”

“Ohhhh … so how’s that going for ya?”

“Well … I got lost in thought for a while and I didn’t make much progress.”

He then proceeds to make fun of me for spacing out for two hours, saying I might be more akin to comatose patients than conscious people. His joke is ridiculous but he seems to get quite the laugh out of it.

Moving on, instead of making myself the subject of mockery even more, I decide to close my eyes, instead of blankly staring off into the distance, and resume my sensory training.

Although Chris is next to me, my sensory skills are still proficient enough to avoid the divots and cracks in the worn out road without sight. My problem comes when my surroundings are beyond one hundred yards. Any farther than that and I am blind.

I suppose I could sense a truly massive Geinta signature, but of course, I can’t expect to have one to practice with. The only one I know of is Chris, but the training holds no purpose if he isn’t beside me to dull my sensing.

Inhaling, I slowly let my Geinta skills take over for my other five senses. I can ‘see’ the road, the pebbles in the ditch, the trees off to the side, and Chris's energy absolutely blinding me.

Focus. Expand your domain. Quiet all unnecessary information and focus on the things you need to see.

In, out. In, out my breathing goes as my body tries to feel outside the previously established limit. Go back to basics. Remember what Genku taught you. My Geinta should be like a spunge, soaking in other energies in order to feel them.

Bink.

I just felt something. What was it? It was a tiny energy, but I still felt it.

Bink.

There, I got it. One hundred and seven yards to my 10 o'clock. It feels like a small animal, possibly a squirrel or something of that nature. It’s moving rapidly within a small area so it might be within a tree. Its Geinta feels erratic, so it's either very happy or very scared.

Although that might seem like a lot of information to gather from just a simple Geinta reading, under normal circumstances I could do a lot better.

Don’t misunderstand. Even if Chris wasn’t blocking my senses, I would still have to concentrate to perform this task, but it wouldn’t require the same amount of effort as just now.

Let’s try again. Something different this time. Inhale and exhale. Focus the psyche and soak in the energy around you.

Bink. What the? That’s quite a bit of energy to be able to rock my concentration like that. I even sensed that on my skin. I can’t believe I didn’t feel that until … wait …

I open my eyes to see Chris drawing on my face with a sharpie.

“Did you think I was asleep?” I ask as I swat his hand away from my face.

“You certainly looked like you were, and there is a golden rule ol’ chum. ‘Never pass out when there’s markers about.’”

“Are you gonna draw on my face if I close my eyes again?”

I ask this while exuding a bit of killing intent, but since he is an overpowered idiot, he doesn’t pick up on this hostility at all.

“Maybe.”

“Don’t.”

“Yeah, fine.” he groans in fake disappointment as he puts the cap back on the marker. He then slips the marker back into the overstuffed bag through one slight opening.

I can tell he’s bored already, but I don’t quite know what he expected. I mean, I guess we could run to the next Territory and arrive in a few hours, but I’m honestly not in a rush to get there. Not for any deep reason, but I just don’t see the point in exhausting myself just to arrive at a location a day earlier. Besides, I now have the best opportunity to train my senses before the next Territory should trouble somehow find us while we're there.

I close my eyes once more. Inhale and exhale. Extending my conscious to let the energy flow in.

Bink. Oh, there’s one.

Bink. Bink. Bink. Bink. Bink.

There’s multiple. In fact, there’s quite a large number of them about a hundred and twenty or so yards ahead at my 1 o’clock.

I open my eyes to see that the road curves slightly to the left and that at my 1 o’clock is a piece of forest which the road curves around.

The Geinta I felt was quite large, far larger than any regular animal could be, and of course, since there are no mythical beasts indigenous to this region, I can confidently say that the energy signatures belong to people. Not only are they people, they are also Awakened.

The closer Chris and I walk towards the curve in the road, the easier it is for me to sense them. Closer and closer, my perception of them becomes clearer to the point where I don’t even have to concentrate to feel their presence. I tap Chris on the shoulder and let him know.

“Hey, I feel about fifteen or so people hiding in those trees. They’re probably amateur road bandits looking to make a quick buck. Anyway, expect company.”

Chris suddenly looks excited. “Actually?! Some stereotypical punk assholes have decided to ambush us?!”

“Most likely but just hold off until we know. If I thought they were a threat, I’d annihilate them from a distance and be done with it, but since they're so weak, I’ll wait and see if they're what I think they are.”

“Huh?” escapes his mouth while raising his eyebrow at me. “Attack from a distance? You can do that? Did you do that against the Ghosts?”

I stare back at him and sigh. “No. Honestly, it would have made my job easier, but a part of me wouldn’t let myself use my long range attacks against such pitiful opponents. Besides, it's kinda wasteful with energy and only good at destroying.”

“If they turn out to be road bandits, can you show me? I want to see it ‘cause you didn’t use that attack in our fight either.”

He wants me to use it? Ok, I guess I can oblige. I mean, I have no problem with it, and it's unlike before when I was trying to minimize the damage.

Once within 15 yards of the curve, the thirty or so signatures shuffled out into the street to block our way, each one holding a weapon. However, not one is carrying a gun. A clear display of the hubris which sometimes accompanies Awakening.

“Wohoho, stop right there.” one of them says. Based on the vibe of these guys, it looks like my road bandits prediction was correct. Chris seems to have picked up on this fact and has started to smile slightly in anticipation.

“You assholes are in for a bad fucking day!” another bandit yells. “Don’t you know? This route is called Sucker’s Road, and it's fucking treasure chest for people like us. Now, hand over everything you got. I know you too gotta have some valuable shit in those bags of yours!”

“If you cooperate, we might let ya live!”

They would probably be shocked to find that I’m currently carrying close to 10,000 credits in this bag. Not that they’ll ever see it.

“You gonna kill these guys?” Chris asks.

“You gotta problem with that?” I ask back.

“No. I said I’d help good people. Do these guys look good to you? I don't think so.”

Well, at least he’s smart enough to recognize that, and to think he would have no problem with killing, despite not wanting to do so himself. Even though he’s naive and ignorant, he’s not some fool who holds ideals above everything else. I chose a good partner.

I start to raise my hand and once more pose a question to Chris.

“You said you wanted to see a long distance attack. Do you want to see something precise or something flashy?

“Flashy of course!”

“I thought you’d say that.”

As I spread my finger out and point my palm at the bandits in front of us, a faint ball of energy starts to form in the middle of my hand, and eventually, after a few seconds, this ball has turned into a bright glow mass of sparking Geinta.

As Chris stares wide eyed at this technique, so do the bandits who ambushed us. From the back, I hear someone yell, “Run you idiots! He’s a Geinta Master!” This person must be the leader of the group or something because everyone starts to listen to him. They all turn their bodies and begin to run away.

However, it's too little too late. Right as they take their first steps away from me, the ball of Geinta turns into a blast and shoots in their direction, engulfing and disintegrating every single bandit in front of me.

[Distruction Geinta Blast]

The blast continues past the bandits and hits a group of trees off into the distance, causing them to explode. In the place where the banditz had stood remains nothing but scorched pavement and a still air.

Chris’s mouth hangs open as if he just witnessed the coolest thing in his life, which is probably true. I lower my hand and fully turn my body to face him.

“Well? You said you wanted to see it. Did it live up to expectation?”

However, all I hear is him murmuring something under his breath.

“... er bea …”

“What?”

He then turns, with his eyes twinkling, and yells, “Dude, that’s a fucking laser beam! That’s the coolest shit I’ve ever seen! You were right to not use that on the Ghosts! They didn’t deserve to be beaten by such a holy skill! Ok, from now on, don’t just use it on whoever. We can’t have you wasting a fucking laser on weak opponets.”

I just stare at him in slight disbelief as I am reminded of his child-like nature. “Well … sure. I don’t like using it on weak opponents either. What’s left of my pride doesn’t allow me to.”

His enthusiasm then shrinks. “Oh, I just made you use it on nobodies. My apologies.”

“It’s fine.”

After Chris silently nods over the scorched road to salute the dead, it seems he wants to avoid going to hell, we then continue on our walk to the next territory.