Ryuu stood in place, fighting the urge to jump straight into the river. As frightened as he was, he had to know.
When Nameless stopped, he stood about five paces away from Ryuu. The two men studied each other, taking each other’s measure before the battle began.
When Nameless spoke, Ryuu was surprised by how soft his voice was. “So, you are the other one that has caused us so much trouble. You do not look like much.”
Ryuu looked up at Nameless. The man stood at least two heads taller than him. “No, I suppose I don’t.”
“Where is the girl?”
“She went on.”
Nameless cocked his head to one side. “I don’t believe you. You people don’t value honesty.”
Ryuu met his challenge with a straight look. “I do. This is between you and me tonight.”
The two stood in silence for a few moments, and Nameless nodded. “Very well. No games?”
Ryuu took his stance. “No games.”
Within the blink of an eye, Ryuu fell into the way of all things, feeling the energy flow into him. He drew it into his body. There would be no cautious exchange of passes in this battle. The two of them would go at each other with everything they had, right away. Ryuu approved. It was the way warriors should fight.
Nameless exploded into action, but Ryuu was prepared. He had sensed the attack and its ferocity. He leapt forward as well, and their swords met on a moonlit night.
Ryuu wasn’t surprised by how fast Nameless moved, but it seemed impossible when seen firsthand. The man was so big, it seemed like there was no way his body could be so quick. There were three passes where no one struck, each dodging the cuts of the other, and then their swords struck.
Ryuu had been well balanced, and his cut had been true, but Nameless was much stronger than he was. The cut knocked Ryuu back several paces, and his feet quickly shifted so that he could stay on them. Nameless didn’t give him any chance to recover, and again the hiss of the blades could be heard in the night.
Ryuu cut low. He was closer to the ground and hoped he could get Nameless off-balance. But Nameless danced out of the reach of his blade, trying to cut down Ryuu from above. Ryuu had to disengage or risk a sword to the top of his head.
The two fighters separated for a moment, and Ryuu fought the urge to grin. He had never met a swordsman like Nameless. He was strong, fast, and smart, and he didn’t make the mistakes that so often meant death on the battlefield. Ryuu wasn’t sure how Nameless would fall, but he was excited to try and find out.
Nameless seemed to feel the same way, and the two came together again. This time, Ryuu tried getting inside of Nameless’ guard. He was smaller and hoped to punish Nameless with a close-in sword fight where he couldn’t use all the strength of his arms. Nameless cut down on Ryuu, and he deflected the blade up high, allowing it to slide down his own blade behind him in an umbrella block.
Ryuu was inside of Nameless’ guard, and he drove his knee into his opponent’s stomach. He wasn’t expecting to hit a wall, but his knee told him Nameless didn’t have a weak stomach. All the same, the blow had been true, even if the only effect was Nameless taking a half-step backwards.
Ryuu didn’t give Nameless any space. He rotated, striking at Nameless’ stomach, this time with his elbow. His elbow confirmed what his knee had told him: there wasn’t any soft space on Nameless to strike. Ryuu saw the opening as Nameless took another step back. He dropped his shoulder and cut flat across his chest. Nameless somehow managed to dance backwards fast enough to avoid a deadly cut. Ryuu’s blade gently sliced into the outer layers of Nameless’ skin, but it was far from lethal, and Nameless used the moment to get some space between them and bring his sword down into a defensive stance again.
It had been close, but Ryuu wasn’t going to get a good cut in. He recognized it would only be a moment before Nameless could bring his strength to bear, and he leapt backwards, keeping his defense up.
The two opponents circled each other warily. Ryuu tried to draw in more energy as Nameless attacked. Both attack and defense were true, but Nameless was still faster than Ryuu was. It might have been by the width of a hair, but that extra speed was a chasm Ryuu couldn’t cross. Ryuu recognized it as he kept falling back a pace at a time. Distance was his only defense.
Nameless stepped in close to him, and Ryuu sensed the kick coming, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He tried to shift with the kick to lessen its impact, but there was little he could do otherwise. It sent him flying backwards, and for a moment he thought he could keep his feet under him, but he saw that would be a mistake. It would take him a moment to regain his balance, and in that moment Nameless would strike. Nameless pursued him relentlessly.
Instead, Ryuu allowed himself to fall. Nameless tried to cut at his head, but Ryuu rolled backwards quickly enough for the cut to pass harmlessly overhead. As he came back up, Ryuu brought his sword straight up, strong and steady. Nameless must have sensed it in time, because his body was already reacting. He was able to just deflect it with his own, shorter blade, but now he was off-balance.
Ryuu summoned all the energy he could and launched himself at Nameless. For just a moment he had the advantage, and he used it for all it was worth. His blade cut the air cleanly, seeking Nameless’ flesh. But for all Ryuu’s speed, it still wasn’t enough. Nameless was just a little faster, and in the space of a few heartbeats he had regained his balance and the edge again.
After another pass the two fighters split apart. Ryuu was exhausting himself quickly. He was bringing in a lot of energy but expending it at the same time. He looked at Nameless and saw the big warrior was also sweating profusely. That was good. At least he was making the hunter work for it.
Nameless was also looking for a chance to catch his breath, and Ryuu was more than willing to let him have it.
“Your strength is remarkable. I’ve never fought one as strong as you. It was a mistake for me not to come and kill you earlier. I will not underestimate you again.”
Ryuu looked at Nameless, a strange feeling of pride and companionship rushing through him. “Thanks. I’m still not quite as fast as you, though.” There was no disappointment in his voice. He was just stating a fact. Both of them were experts, and both could acknowledge the truth.
Nameless nodded. “No, you are not quite as fast, but when this battle is decided, it will be by the narrowest of margins.”
Ryuu thought quickly. He didn’t think that he’d be able to win this fight, and as much as he wanted to finish the battle here, he didn’t think he could. He still needed to get stronger. And right now Nameless was between him and the river.
Ryuu bowed slightly to Nameless. “It has been an honorable duel.”
He didn’t give Nameless the time to figure out what was happening. He launched himself at Nameless, summoning all the energy he could. Nameless was prepared, but Ryuu had expected him to be. They passed each other three times, and finally Ryuu saw the opportunity he was looking for. He had worked himself into a place where he was closer to the river, and he cut at Nameless with strength. Nameless stepped back, and it gave Ryuu the moment of space he needed.
Ryuu turned and sheathed his sword, sprinting straight towards the river. He leapt, falling straight into the freezing cold water. As he drifted downstream, he managed to turn around against the current, and saw Nameless silhouetted against the moon, deprived temporarily of his prey.
Chapter 21
Nameless watched as Ryuu drifted down the river. For a few moments, he debated chasing after the nightblade, but ultimately decided against it. The current was fast, and although Nameless was certain he could pace the river for several leagues, it seemed to be more work than it was worth. He had enjoyed his fight with the young swordsman more than he cared to admit, and did not want to see it come to an end so soon. At his core, he was a hunter, and he was tracking the most dangerous prey he had ever had the privilege of tracking. He wanted to savor it while he could.
More pragmatically, Nameless was worried that if he left the old man he would never find him again. The old man helped because he was required to, but Nameless was certain that given the opportunity, the old man would be much happier finding his own way. If he was going to track the nightblades, he needed the old man's assistance.
Sheathing his sword, Nameless wandered back towards the old man. He had left him a safe distance away. He wasn't sure how far the two nightblades could sense, but he needed the old man out of danger.
Concern started to build as he approached the place where he had separated from the old man. Although his tracker did not leave much of a presence, Nameless thought he should be able to sense him by now. His first thought was that the old man had taken the opportunity to run off. It surprised Nameless. He knew the old man had no desire to be in his service, but at the same time, he had also known that Nameless would not be gone for long. To leave with such a short window of opportunity was a bold move.
But as he got closer, a suspicion snaked its way into his mind; and with every step, the suspicion wiggled deeper and deeper into his heart. He had been foolish and had underestimated the nightblades once again. How could he have been so blind?
In a few more steps Nameless was running at full speed, more and more certain of what he would find. When he got to the old man's body, all his fears were confirmed. The old man had a smile on his face, and he had greeted death like the old friend it was. The cut that had separated the head from the body was sharp and well-executed. Nameless' first thought was that at least it had been a clean death. He had no doubt his companion had died quickly and painlessly.
He was surprised by how much emotion he felt at the old man's passing. He had cared little for him when he had been alive, but somehow his death, happening right under his own nose, was more than Nameless could take. Grief, anger and confusion ran through his mind, battling for supremacy.
It was rage that won. A white-hot burning anger settled into his gut, and tears streamed down his cheeks, burning his face with their intensity. It wasn't enough that the nightblades had killed so many of his brothers and sisters and had hounded his steps at every turn. They also had to kill his partner right under his nose. Nameless had no doubt it had been their plan all along. The boy was the one who would distract him. He had never fought to win, only to give the girl enough time to sneak up on the old man and cut off his head. Although a small, silent part of Nameless understood it had been a brilliant decision, the greater part of him raged at their insolence. Didn't they realize he was stronger than they were? Didn't they know their place was to die?
Nameless fell to his knees next to the old man's body. All thoughts ran from his mind, replaced only by a rushing torrent of anger. For a few moments he lost all reason, and screamed into the sky, so all the world would know his rage.
When Nameless woke up, the sun had already risen above the horizon. He glanced about in a daze as the events of the previous evening came back to him. Anger, grief and embarrassment fought side-by-side in his mind, but their intensity had lessened from the evening before. Instead, what Nameless felt more than anything was emptiness, a lack of purpose or direction. Until last night his purpose had seemed clear, his path straightforward. His only goal had been to hunt the nightblades, but now that they were gone he was not sure what to do next.
He could continue the hunt. If his guess was correct, the two nightblades had planned this out and would most likely meet in a village downstream. Nameless would be able to pursue them by picking up the trail at the nearest village. But he would not make the same mistake of underestimating his quarry once again. They would continue to elude him, and although Nameless was stronger than either of them, he was not sure he was stronger than both of them. He also suspected at least one of them could use their gift at a distance, just like the old man had been able to. Nameless could not think of another way they could have discovered the old man. Nameless was a hunter who had pursued dangerous game before, and he knew there sometimes came a moment where the hunter became the hunted. He was afraid that if he pursued the two nightblades much further that would be his fate.
Nameless looked at the body of the old man, and decided his first step should be to send the old tracker properly on his way. There was a small grove of trees nearby, and Nameless made short work of a few of the smaller ones. He formed a mighty pyre, much larger than the one he had built for the two of his brothers that had fallen several days before. He had not always liked the old man, but his gifts had been unique, and he had served the clans well. Without his help, the battle of the Three Sisters would have been a much bloodier affair. With the strong defense the Three Kingdoms had mounted, without the old man they might not have won. It was his knowledge of the positions of the armies of the Three Kingdoms that allowed them their victory. Nameless believed he deserved an end fitting of his deeds.
The work took the entire morning, but when it was over there was a stack of dry wood half as tall as Nameless was. He positioned the old man gently on the wood, and sat in silent meditation for a few moments, honoring the man's memories and deeds.
When he was done, Nameless took out his gear and lit a fire on the first try. The fire was slow to catch, but grew quickly. Nameless took a few paces back, watching the wood and the body burn, life returning to wherever it had come from. He watched with a strange sense of detachment, like his mind was half there and half somewhere else, wandering paths his consciousness couldn't follow.
The fire burned down when the sun was low in the sky. Nameless felt relief, as though all burdens had been lifted from his shoulders. He realized that his work for now was done. He could not pursue the nightblades with any hope of success, but even if they escaped, he was not sure they were the problem he once thought they were. Nameless knew there were other nightblades, rumors of an island far to the north. But from everything he had learned, they had long ago distanced themselves from the Three Kingdoms. In the cold light of day, Nameless realized there was no reason for them to return.