Depthless Hunger

Chapter 26: Walking The Path of Steel

Pain swirling in darkness. Hooked needles piercing his skin endlessly. Even when he felt empty, the pain continued spearing through him, as if lines of agony had been etched in his flesh. A terrible, unnatural throbbing working its way through his veins. His very soul felt overloaded.

Voices and movement, then another rush of pain. For a time he slipped into the darkness, then he suddenly emerged. His body ached as he sat up, gasping for breath.

Only when he stared down at his body did Kai return to himself. His body appeared to be whole, but he did not feel well.

He could barely remember the agonizing minutes in the body of the Aquagorgon. A bloody rage had come over him, the same as he'd experienced in combat except much worse. The overdrive pill hadn't given him more strength so much as made him throw himself wildly beyond any limits of sanity. All he could hope now was that Inafay was correct about its recovery properties.

The landscape around him looked ordinary enough for the wasteland, a rocky clearing within a grove of spiked trees. More importantly, he didn't seem to be anywhere near the pond. Someone had clearly taken him away and bandaged his wounds, but who was left? He could hear a few others sitting in a camp, but turning his head enough to look hurt.

Before he could muster the will to get up, Tusquo appeared in his vision and smiled thinly. "Kai Granfian. We are all glad to see you still live."

"The... the Aquagorgon?" Acid seemed to spill up his throat with each word.

"Dead, thanks to you."

"But we... this..."

"We haven't gone far, we just needed to leave the pond to avoid scavengers. Come this way, I'll fill you in." Tusquo gestured out of their camp, so Kai had no choice but to force himself up.

The others came to greet Kai while he was still disoriented and working his way through the pain. Eventually he managed to walk, so he joined Tusquo and the Irunian filled him in. It was tragic that Curaina had died and Kai wondered if he could possibly have saved her if he'd acted more quickly. Their group was certainly much weakened, which would be a problem for surviving the trip back.

Once they got further out, Tusquo stopped and stared into the distance. When he spoke again, his voice was much quieter. "Kai Granfian, can I trust you to keep a secret? Normally I would not ask this of you, but after you gave your life for ours..."

"What is it?"

"This mission is actually a matter of national importance to Irun. We came to Goralia to see if we could master your Classes, yes, but we also sought resources for ourselves. For a long time, it was believed that pools of liquid metal existed only in Irun. There were suggestions of others in your borders, so we were sent to find them."

"And... did you?" Kai tried to watch the horizon as well, even though he wasn't sure what he was looking for. If they had done all this for nothing...

"Not only did we find one, it is a strong well that has not been drained by generations." Tusquo turned and put a hand on his shoulder. "Your sacrifices were not in vain, and the alliance between Goralia and Irun will only grow stronger."

"Then why weren't you honest about what you wanted? You could have had an entire army of hunters."

"If we had gone through official channels, your leaders would have... made demands. Or at least that is what our elders believed. But if we have discovered a source of our national resource first and then begun negotiations, the matter will be much cleaner. Tell me, Kai Granfian, do you follow Frontier politics?"

All Kai could do was shrug. The truth was that he didn't pay very much attention to those things, beyond learning about monster hunters from other nations. As far as he was concerned, everyone who fought against the hordes of monsters should be allies. Every race that might exist along with the dryad woman he'd met in the Trials, so certainly other humans with slightly different hair and skin colors. But as he got older, he realized that wasn't the way everyone saw things.

"This is a secret that many know," Tusquo said, "but we still prefer not to speak it aloud. The truth is... Irun is weak. Our strongest elites have never been as powerful as those of the other nations, though they won worthy victories. But in recent years, our numbers have begun to dwindle as well. The longer this continues, the weaker our position."

"How can that be?" Kai asked. "You're the only ones who can make so many things... don't you make most of the armor for Goralian elites?"

"Economic power without military might begins to look like a prize to be won. Some say that the Krysal City States would already have invaded us, if they weren't on the opposite side of the central wasteland. We are fortunate that Goralia and our neighbors to the far east are firm allies."

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"Allies you don't trust with your resources, apparently."

"These are difficult times."

Though he wasn't an expert in politics, Kai thought through his maps and saw an obvious absence. "What about the Elemental Nations? They're to the northwest of you, right? Is Irun worried about them?"

"Our treaties there are not as firm, but the Elemental Nations are generally content to fight with one another." Tusquo turned to him with a somber expression. "I swear to you that I speak the truth. All we want is to be able to stand on our own feet. We hope Irun and Goralia can stand together, but for that we need new strength."

"Is that why you were sent to the Hunter Trials?"

"Indeed, that was a previous agreement. And it has proved helpful, though it is difficult for us to split our time between our own paths and the Classes of your nation. But now that we have found another pool, this mission is a great success. I only wish it had not come at such a great cost."

"Is it really a success already?" Kai asked. "There's no guarantee we can get back safely."

"Use of this pool will greatly strengthen myself and my allies." Tusquo finally smiled. "But we wished to thank you more personally, since your Guild may not reward you. For a start, we will make it clear to them that you performed extraordinarily in your task. We could not have asked for a better ally. But we also wished to offer you something more."

"Oh?" Kai tried to swallow his rising hope.

"Just as it is possible for some Irunians to awaken a Class, some of your people can walk the Path of Steel. In most instances, we have found that only your best are capable of the type of discipline required. In your case, however, I believe that you deserve the chance."

The chance fate had denied him before. Despite himself, Kai's imagination leapt to build a new future for himself. He would be completely willing to start over and learn a brand new art, if it meant he wasn't limited by his Class. It was easy to imagine himself taking up a liquid steel sword like the Irunian elites, fighting at the Frontier as a bridge between both sides...

"However, I must caution you that we do not know what the results will be. Just as with your Trials, our process involves some degree of risk... and also of destiny." Tusquo shrugged languidly. "The reasons for such things are beyond my understanding, but I know that everyone pulls metals of different strength from the pool. There are no guarantees."

"It's still an opportunity I never would have gotten elsewhere. Thank you, Tusquo Agyama." Other than that, Kai had no idea how to thank him. His mind was still abuzz with the possibilities and he again searched the horizon for the hidden pool. "What do I need to do? How much preparatory training is there for the Path of Steel?"

"Since you already have discipline and combat training, little else will be required. The Path is, first and foremost, a matter of will. We can make the attempt as soon as you are ready. My superiors will arrive in time, and it might be simpler if the matter was already concluded before they arrived."

"Then let's go."

Kai followed Tusquo over the wasteland until they stumbled on a crack in the earth. It was so narrow that it nearly disappeared from some angles and the low shrubs disguised it. Yet when he knelt down, he saw that it traveled much deeper than he expected. A crevice plunged deep, almost as if it had been cut by an enormous blade.

The depths would only be bright at high noon, but they still ventured into the crack. As they descended down the jagged rocks, the light faded... only to return from below. Gradually Kai was able to make out a pool beneath that glowed with its own light. Almost like a mana pool from the Trials, and yet completely different: instead of mana, it flowed with liquid steel.

When they reached the bottom, Tusquo bowed to the pool and then spoke in a reverent whisper. "Such pools are the source of our strength. When someone who does not know our path touches them, they will be rejected. If you push through that rejection, you can grasp a form within, a form that becomes the seed of your future strength."

"And if not? What happens if you fail?"

"The metal will resist you unless you master it. If you cannot before it adjusts to your presence, then you cannot walk the Path of Steel. That said, it is rare for someone to fail entirely. What matters more is the strength of the metal seed you can draw forth. Most reach Iron, but the more talented will draw forth a Steel sphere, or even a stage we call Truesteel."

After a quick glance at Tusquo's spirit, Kai tried to put things together. "Does that mean that you drew Iron?"

"No, I was able to grasp two spheres of Steel. Everyone begins at the earliest stages, but your metal seed determines how high you will be able to advance without taking extreme measures."

"Two spheres?"

"That is the second test of will." Tusquo bent down beside the pool and waved his hand over it. The liquid metal rose, nearly touching his fingers before falling away. "After you've brought one sphere to the surface, the pool will begin to reject you. But, if you still have the strength, you can push to grasp for a second. I would recommend you try, because there's little harm in failure."

"But, uh..." Kai stared down at the lapping waves of metal. "You don't mean now, right?"

"Not today, but soon. Take some time to gather yourself."

In the end, Kai took a single day. Though he ached all over from the magically-healed injuries, the overdrive pill appeared to have done what was promised. It took him longer to absorb the facts of the deaths and that their trip was over. He sat at the bottom of the crevice, staring at the metal and only occasionally eating. At one point he shaved and cleaned himself up, just to be in the right frame of mind.

By the following day, he told Tusquo that he was ready to make his attempt. Tusquo responded by bringing all of the other Irunians. They gave him one of their dark gray tunics, then stepped back and stared at him. Kai blinked back, unsure if there were further rituals.

"You may begin when you are ready," Tusquo said. Behind him, Anoqa gave an encouraging smile. "Do not fear finding the metal seed: it will form in your hand if you push deep enough. From now on, this is a matter of will."

Then there was no reason to delay any longer. Kai took a deep breath and then jumped into the liquid metal pool. It resisted him at first, then his weight pushed him into the depths and the steel closed over his face.

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