Cultivating Heroism Read online

  Kaarina was waiting just outside the door so that her new little friend didn’t get knocked from his perch on her shoulder by the invisible wall that had kept her from entering the temple at first. “Okay, well, I think he’s house broken?”

  Vekku was making a course sound that might have been laughter.

  “On to more important matter. Where’s the crystal shard?” he said. “That’s it!” he exclaimed when Mack produced the bundle of clothing from his backpack and unwrapped it to reveal the gorgeous piece of crystal they had retrieved from the cavern.

  It was the most animated Mack had ever seen Jakke, who zipped backward and gestured for the three of them to follow. “Over here. You need to place the crystal shard into this box, and it will convert it into the energy needed to power the training apparatus. With a shard this size, you should have enough power to learn all the moves I showed you earlier. That is marvelous! Well done. But first, Kaarina, are you alright? What happened to her, Mack?

  Kaarina flushed scarlet. “It’s not as bad as it looks,” she said sheepishly.

  Mack squashed voicing his doubts once more.

  “Very well,” Jakke replied flatly. “Now, hurry up.” He gestured again to the small chamber that Jakke had told him to put the crystal in.

  Delicately, Mack lifted the crystal shard from the tunic it was wrapped in.

  Gasps sounded from Jakke, Kaarina, and Vekku

  “What is it?” he demanded, looking at each of them in turn.

  “I can’t believe it,” Jakke said. “That’s incredible.”

  “What?” Mack asked, looking between them.

  “Um, you might want to look down at your hand,” Kaarina urged.

  It was Mack’s turn to gasp this time as he did so. “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s very rare,” Jakke said. “Very rare indeed. I have not seen this for the longest time. How can this be? This is very rare indeed!”

  “That doesn’t tell me what it is!”

  “Only those who possess a very special lifeforce react in such a way to the power crystals. I knew you were powerful, for me to have found you all the way out on Earth, but I never even considered you might be one of the Eniten.”

  “Eniten? What is that?”

  “There is a unique type of person on Hauta. They have the potential to be more powerful than anyone else. Some have used that for good, and some for bad. You have that unique potential within you. Of course, not all potential guarantees greatness, but even the possibility is incredibly. If only you knew, you would be dancing with joy!”

  For a moment it was almost too much for Mack to take. He’d thought that being thrown into the role of ad hock apprentice protector, when he knew nothing about it, was daunting. To now know that he was one of the most unique people on this strange planet—that he had the potential to become truly great—that was almost too much.

  “I don’t … how can this be? I’m just, me.”

  “You still are you,” Kaarina added softly from beside him. Her voice had a calming effect that centered him.

  Jakke said. “This is nothing to be afraid of. You should be overjoyed.”

  “But what about all those terrible tyrants from your book? They were Eniten too, weren’t they? They used to be normal like me, I’ll bet. What if I turn out an evil villain like they did?”

  “It means you’re both more and less likely to succeed at bringing light to the darkness that has enshrouded our planet. If you stay on the right path, you can achieve just that. If you stray, then you might be the final nail in its coffin.”

  Mack swallowed.

  “Of course, you have my guidance,” Jakke said with a grin. “And I will make sure you stay on the path you need to be on.” He reached out like he was going to pat Mack on the shoulder, and Mack wished the hologram was a physical entity, if only for that few seconds. “I don’t mean to pile more pressure on your shoulders. Things are the same as they always were. And right now, that means putting the power crystal where I told you to and learning the moves you were always destined to learn. Simply focus on the steps immediately before you.”

  “Yeah, leave all that scary fate-of-the-planet stuff for later.” Kaarina nudged him playfully.

  “Let’s put that crystal shard to good use then, hmm?” Jakke added.

  Mack did as he was told and placed the crystal into the chamber.

  Immediately, things came to life. What had been a bare space moments ago was replaced by a pair of what Mack had to assume were training dummies of some sort, but which looked so lifelike that he would have walked past them in the street without blinking.

  “They’ll show you what you need to know,” Jakke said. “Follow their instruction.”

  “I spent years and years learning Muay Thai, and I’m hardly an expert. How long is this going to take?”

  Jakke tilted his head as if he was checking something, and then said, “Well, that shard will power the training facilities for six hours or so. That’s how long we'll have, and that will have to do.”

  “There’s no way I can learn all that stuff in six hours. Not to the kind of standard you’re talking about.”

  “Learning the way of the protector will come much quicker for you than learning any unrelated skill. Your teho answers the call of these moves. You were born to know these moves, that natural understanding just needs to be awakened. Of course, they won’t be incredibly powerful at first, but that will grow the more you use them in the field. Working at a training dummy will never make you a master. And don’t forget—you are Eniten”

  Mack nodded and flexed his fingers.

  There was only one thing to do.

  Get to work.

  Chapter Twelve

  Learning the techniques was just like Jakke said it would be. When Mack moved his body as the training dummies instructed it felt completely natural, and that was all there was to it. He did as he was shown then suddenly he was mastering the style required to pull off the moves.

  He could tell, having performed the punch a dozen times by now, that the moves he was learning the technique for weren’t powerful. They didn’t hold the same destructive force that his punch did now he’d used it a lot. He knew he’d need to work at them to get better, just like he had with the punch.

  As he got to the end of fighting against the dummies—their power was beginning to wane as the crystal’s energy was used up—Jakke confirmed his thoughts.

  “You need to engage in real combat for the moves to grow powerful like the punch.”

  “How should I do that?” He got the feeling Jakke didn’t plan to send him straight after the bandits quite yet.

  Jakke projected a map similar to the one he’d given Mack onto the floor of the temple. Three areas were flashing. “These three areas have hostile, but not too powerful, creatures in them. They’re mostly uninhabited aside from these creatures, so you shouldn’t run into much trouble, but you’ll be able to use the moves you’ve learned there until you have enough combat experience with them, that they’ll deal some real damage to opponents who know what they’re doing.”

  “Great. I’ll head off now then.”

  “You might be gone overnight. There is a small trek between each of these areas.”

  “That’s okay. As long you think I’ll be able to find shelter?”

  “A tent can be provided.”

  Mack turned to Kaarina and Vekku, who were both nodding off in the corner of the temple. The beautiful elf-like girl was sleeping on a cot that Jakke must have provided for her, and the gruk had curled itself up on top of her like a cat. It was kind of cute, Mack had to admit to himself.

  “They should stay here,” Jakke said. “Where it’s safe.”

  “I thought the whole point of them being with me was that they could help me.”

  “It is, but you also need to learn to do things on your own. You should understand your own power before you put other people’s lives in your care.”

  Mack frowned, look
ing at where Kaarina was sleeping soundly. “I should at least tell her where I’m going before I just leave.”

  “I can inform her.”

  Mack didn’t feel right just leaving. What if he never came back? He knew that Kaarina would fight tooth and nail to go with him if he woke her up and told her that he was leaving, even if it was only for a night. It just felt wrong to leave without saying goodbye. He walked over and crouched down beside her. “Kaarina,” he said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder and rocking her.

  She woke with a start, and he half-expected to get a punch in the face. “Oh. Morning. You’re finished training?”

  “Yes, but not exactly. I have to go out for multiple days to do some training by myself. I’ll be gone overnight.”

  She frowned. “What?”

  “Just to some places close by weaker beasts, just things for me to perfect my new martial techniques on. They won’t be useful in a real fight until I do that.”

  “You shouldn’t go by yourself.”

  “He needs to do this by himself,” interjected Jakke with a calm, authoritative voice.

  By now, Kaarina had shaken off the last bit off her nap and was clambering to her feet and looking around for where she’d dropped her sword and her supplies. “Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no reason why you should put yourself in more danger than necessary. The whole reason I came along was to help you.”

  “You also came along to experience the world though. You can’t do that if you end up dead. Besides, I want to know how powerful I am without you.”

  “What, in case you decide you don’t need me anymore?”

  Mack got to his feet as well and folded her arms. “No. Not at all.”

  “Does this have to do with the fact I can’t heal myself?”

  Mack flinched. That wasn’t the reason this time, but it was still bugging him. “No. It’s not.”

  “That’s not what your face just said.”

  “The fact you can’t heal yourself does bother me, but it has nothing to do with this. I have to go out there and do this bit by myself. I need to understand my own limits so that we can work together properly. You’ve spent years learning about your own powers and how they work, but I didn’t even find out that I had mine until yesterday. I just need to go and practice by myself and make sure I really understand what I’m capable of.”

  Kaarina gave Jakke a look, who nodded in agreement with everything that Mack had said. “This was my idea, but he is right,” said the hologram.

  She still huffed when she said, “Fine. I understand. I don’t like it, but I can live with it.”

  “Excellent,” Jakke cut into their moment with a brisk voice. “You should get going as quickly as possible so you can reach the first area before nightfall.”

  “You really have to go out for the whole night?” she asked.

  “All three regions can’t be covered in a single day,” Jakke said.

  Mack made his preparations, repacking his backpack so it had everything he’d need for his trek into the surrounding areas. He had shelter, food and some limited medical supplies just in case. Kaarina issued another round of protests as he stowed the medical supplies.

  When it was time for him to leave, Kaarina went to the edge of the temple with him. “Be careful, won’t you?”

  “Of course, I will.”

  “I know, but really careful. And follow your own advice and don’t get walking into stupid situations like I keep encouraging you to do.”

  He laughed. “I’ll do exactly as I was told and stick to kicking the asses of weak things that will let me cultivate my martial skills, I promise.”

  “Good.”

  There was an awkward moment where they just stared at each other, and then Mack cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

  It was tentative, and then suddenly steamier. Kaarina stood flush against him, as close as she could get, and bunched his tunic in her fists to keep him there.

  When they pulled back, they were breathing heavily. “And you’re sure you can’t stay here for the night?” she asked.

  He grinned. “I wish I could.”

  They shared another quick kiss. “Be careful,” she said again. “Come back to me.”

  “I always will.” He pressed a final kiss to her forehead and then slipped through the crack in the temple and outside into the pleasant afternoon air.

  The first area that Jakke had marked on his map was only an hour away judging by how long it had taken them to get to the mine, so he thought he could get there, practice some moves, and then find somewhere to camp before night fell. He wasn’t sure how quickly the sun would set, and it would get dark.

  His paranoia about running into more of the bandits became more pronounced now he didn’t have Kaarina’s enhanced hearing helping him out, so he moved more slowly than he would have otherwise done, making sure that he was definitely taking the right path before heading in that direction.

  It was worth it, though, because he got through the abandoned ruins around the temple without incident. Then it was a straight path back into the same forest that the mine had been situated. Instead of heading deep into the forest, Mack stayed close to the edge this time, always keeping the farmer’s fields in his vision as he walked through the trees. He used the outer tree lines as a cover to avoid being seen by anyone.

  Then he spotted the first sign of what he was looking for. A gap in the trees revealed an open plain with various creatures too far away for him to properly see them. This was what the map showed, and as he got closer, they matched the description Jakke had given.

  “Slimes…” They were balls of slime in various colors moving around the plains slowly like slugs. He couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose at the thought of getting any nearer to them, but Jakke had explained that they were the perfect targets to practice his kicking on due to their nature and height.

  Their ability to output damage was limited, but they could contort quickly to avoid a sudden attack, and, on rare occasions would choose to explode in order to deal damage if they felt so threatened that they decided they were going to die anyway. That phenomenon was apparently rare in the wild, but when slimes were harnessed by something more powerful and more intelligent could be convinced to explode on command in order to do damage.

  But the chances of that happening to him there were unlikely, so he was going to focus on hitting pressure points on the slimes when they were so quick at contorting away from an attack. It would allow him to hone his speed and the practice would make him more powerful.

  He left his backpack by the side of the plains, resting against a tree so that he didn’t have to fight with it on his back, and then rolled up his sleeves.

  The slime nearest to him was smaller than a lot of the others, and a light blue color. It didn’t seem to have even noticed he was there—it definitely didn’t have a face with eyes to be looking in his direction—and continued to move agonizingly slowly along the ground. It was impossible to judge what the thing was planning to do.

  He took a deep breath, preparing his foot to meet the gross looking thing. His leather work shoes had already taken a beating from the walking they weren’t meant for—he really needed some new ones to go with his new lifestyle—and he didn’t know what to state they’d be in when he’d finished smashing them into slime over and over again.

  But he’d suck it up, because it was the only option. He walked all the way up to the slime and it still gave no indication that he was there.

  Out of curiosity, he reached out a finger rather than his foot to try and touch the surface of the creature. It contorted out of the way without moving from its position on the ground. Intrigued, Mack kept going to see how much it could bend its invertebrate body before it reached its limit. Instead of it having to give in, it parted its body so it had a hole in the middle, and Mack’s finger went right through to the other side.

  “What the fuck?” he muttered. It moved so seamlessly to avoid him without flinching, tha
t it was fascinating to watch. It seemed to be more of a reflex than a conscious decision. The slime reminded him of a science experiment.

  Then the hole that his arm was poking through disappeared suddenly. The slime reclaimed all the space it had vacated so quickly Mack couldn’t even move. And the texture wasn’t slimy at all, it was rubbery, its grip so powerful that he was sure there must be something equated to sturdy muscles beneath the opaque light blue surface.

  “Bastard,” he cursed, trying to pull his arm free. The thing was crushing it, starving his arm of oxygen. Before long it would have broken bones. With his other arm he began punching the thing, searching for the pressure points Jakke had said it would have. He found them easily enough on the side of the creature, but hitting them was another matter entirely.

  They were small, darker blue dots that moved just as fluidly as the rest of its body. It ebbed and flowed away from his attacks almost gracefully, all the while his arm had gone completely numb.

  He remembered a second later that the whole point of him coming to the slimes in the first place was to practice kicking, and joined in with his right foot, attacking with both foot and fist at the same time.

  It still took him a few attempts to connect, but when he did the result was immediate.

  The slime recoiled, moving more quickly than he’d seen it yet and sliding across the ground.

  Mack, breathing heavily, examined his arm. It was covered in a rash like he’d been suckered by an octopus. “I can’t believe Jakke didn’t warn me about this,” he muttered.

  Then again, Jakke probably hadn’t expected him to try and touch the thing instead of just going straight to kicking it.

  Running a hand through his hair and making sure the slime wasn’t about to barrel toward him and attack him, Mack looked around the rest of the field. He didn’t seem to have triggered some kind of mass attack on himself, either.

  The blue slime was back to how it had looked when he’d appeared, moving slowly across the ground in a non-descript blob shape.

  “Weird,” he muttered, but got to work perfecting the two kicks—front kick and roundhouse kick—that he’d learned at the temple. It took him a long time to get the speed down required to hit the slimes pressure points on his first attempt, but it did his reflexes good that he pulled his foot back immediately because he was worried about being captured by one again.