Part 10: The Crane Hermit Part II

The Crane Hermit Part II

Medium Quest

Requirement: Must have completed The Crane Hermit.

Reward: 2,000 zeni and 10 Villain Points.

Master Shen was impressed with your performance, but he has seen many things you need work on. He shows you some of his best moves and then has you test them out. Nothing like beating up weaklings, right? There is a small time martial arts tournament in East City. Head there and wipe the floor with the competition. The more enemies you kill, the better.

The winds blew around them as they stood on top of a small plateau. It was maybe a one square city block on the surface. They had stood there for about an hour, doing nothing. It was a good enough work out to just stand against the winds. Ian had to use his own energy to fight against the winds.

"Stop using your energy. You need to learn balance!"

Ian did as he was told and stumbled a few feet before getting his footing. It was difficult. He had to lower his stance. It made him look like a football player. It was rough. His legs were starting to burn.

"A good martial arts uses everything he has at his disposal. A great martial artist doesn't need everything at his disposal." Shen stood there, completely erect and casual. Then to prove his point, he lifted his foot. The wind struck him, but he did not falter. "The core of the martial arts is finding one's balance. Once you do that, the rest will come easily."

"Why... Why worry about balance if you can just level everything in one powerful swoop?" Ian struggled with his words, and even his form he noticed wasn't doing to well. He saw his skin turn red in some spots. He focused his mind to keep himself from turning back into the demon.

"Leveling an area is all well and good. But energy usage can come back to bite you in your ass. Also what happens if someone gets on the inside. It's hard to fire a blast when they are mere inches from you. Hard to block a punch with energy. With martial arts, you'll learn you will have many more weapons at your disposal. You'll learn that your fists, elbows, head, knees, and feet become weapons. The human body is built to withstand more than people will have you believe. An elbow though can easy cut skin if placed just right."

Shen put his foot down and casually walked up to Ian. In a swift motion, his leg kicked out, knocking Ian's footing loose and with a back hand to his face, Ian was sent flying backwards at the mercy of the wind. Ian had no choice but to use his energy to stop himself.

"That took little effort to do. Much less than one of your energy blasts. And in the time you fought to regain balance, I could've sent my own blast after you and you probably would've been hit."

Ian was starting to understand more. Muscles was tough, but he was just that. He was strong, but a brawler. He had no technique except boxing and some martial arts techniques he had picked up. Shen was a master though. He had no doubt he could easily kill him. Probably without breaking a sweat or unleashing energy. It in a way scared him.

They spent hours on the landing, with Shen throwing the occasional swing to knock Ian off balance. One thing Ian realized was that aside from gaining a good balance, he was learning to move. Soon Ian was able to react, though usually Shen mixed it up and threw an unseen attack against him. He knew Shen was being easy on him. But without much actual teaching, Ian was learning from him. he was mimicking what he saw and applied it.

The day came to a close and they went inside to a nice hot cup of tea and rice. A poor man's meal. But after today, he could eat grubs and be happy. They ate in silence then sat in the living room next to a fire. Ian couldn't feel the heat, much like he couldn't feel the cold.

"Tomorrow, there is a small tournament we're going to. I don't want you to use energy. It's a beginner's tournament, so you're actually better off than most. I want you to kill them. Kill everyone you come across. Another thing about martial arts that few will tell you is that it's a method of killing people. If you aren't willing to do so, then you have no business practicing it. And after Penguin Village, I don't suspect you have problems with that."

Ian shook is head.

"Good. You're gonna be sore, but these are warriors with less experience than you. If you do what you learned today, then you're in good shape. Get some rest, and be ready."

Ian nodded and headed for bed. He was so tired by this point, he could barely walk. It was heaven to be able to lay down. It was instant relief. He was out shortly after.

Morning came, Ian was hardly able to move. Shen gave him some tea that he said would help loosen up his muscles. He wondered how long that would actually take. After a decent breakfast of eggs and more rice, they were off. Ian yawning the entire way. Six hours of sleep wasn't enough after the training he put in the day before.

Thankfully the tournament was close. It was a small mountain man tournament. There were only 12 participants including himself. It was the prelims to the World Martial Arts tournament. A world renown tournament that gave the winner a lot of money if they won. They were seeing who would represent them.

Ian landed with Shen with few looks. It was a small town with a small ring. The men and women here were massive. Bulky, and arms the size of Ian's torso. The town itself was a small winter wonderland of sorts, though they were a bit rough. Ale was passed around freely. Even the children drank.

They walked up to the ring and waited. It was mostly just one person who they chose and they fought until he beat everyone, or someone beat him. Each round had an hour delay to rest up and heal any injuries which they used a poultice.

"Anyone want to challenge Orgor?"

Shen spoke up quickly. "My student Ian wishes to challenge him."

It was the first fight. He hadn't seen how these people fought. Everyone looked at him and laughed at how small he was. Ian, annoyed more than anything climbed up onto the platform. Shen had given him some loose fitted clothing with his mark on it. A martial art gi of sorts.

"Well then," said the ref. "Orgor versus Ian."

There was a dong that announced the beginning of the fight. Ian was still feeling a bit tight, but it he could feel his muscles loosening up. Orgor sent his fist down to the canvas. The monster's fist struck, sending a shock wave that rippled along the canvas. Reacting only out of instinct, Ian jumped up, a bit higher than he had planned which gave Orgor plenty of time to react. The giant's fist came at him, slamming into his chest. He could feel a rib snap as he was flung back. He was lucky to strike the mat, though unlucky as it was next to his master.

Shen flicked him on his head which hurt worst than the punch. "Remember what I taught you. Remember the wind and your balance."

Ian stood, wincing, holding back his rage from the laughter in the crowd. He looked at the big man and cleared his mind. One thing his master didn't know about was his psychic abilities. He said no energy, but what he didn't know won't hurt him.

Orgor came at him again. This time, Ian projected an image. He was toying around with illusions and sent one of him being a little girl that is about to be pummeled by the brute. That threw the man off balance all right. He tried to pull back which piqued Shen's interest.

Ian went in, his fingers coming in, gripping the man's kidney. His claws briefly came out, piercing the skin, as Ian tore at it. Skin, muscle and fur were ripped out of his side. Blood sprayed all over, and Orgor collapsed, holding his side which had a huge chunk missing. Ian dropped the kidney and looked around at everyone's horrified faces.

Shen saw the claws. Something about this boy was different. He wasn't who he said he was, which could be a good thing, or a bad thing. His own life could be in danger. What did Ian have the threw the giant off balance. And how did he grow the nasty looking claws that tore through him so easily? The good new was though, the town feared him, which meant everyone would be coming after Ian. It would be time to see what he could really do.

Ian watched as the others came onto the stage. It was obvious to Ian that the tournament was now over. Looking to see what Shen thought of, Shen simply shrugged and waved for him to finish it. What the hell. He was gonna die.

They came, two at a time. Ian's feet moved quickly, moving him out of the way of the attacks that came at him, while his hands deflected the strikes. They seemed to be moving much slower than he had anticipated. What was going on? His body seemed to move on its own, leaving Ian to think about his next step freely.

Was Shen doing this? Or did only one day of training do this for him? It was almost like he knew what they were gonna do before they did. Wait... it was his psychic ability. He was seeing what they were gonna do before they did it, meaning he was always a step ahead. On top of that, he was much faster than they were. Did Shen give him something else aside from what he had?

He came into one of the fighters and shoved his hand through the man's gut and gripped onto his spine. The man looked at him, wide eyed with terror as his own life flashed through his mind. Blood filled his mouth and flowed out. With a sickening crack and a yank, Ian held a piece of the man's spine in his hand.

What the hell was he becoming. First a kidney, and now a spine? He had no problem killing people, but he was getting more ruthless. He was actually starting to enjoy it. He spun the spine in his hands and turned around, sweeping his right leg around, taking out the legs from under another warrior. And as the warrior fell, he thrusted the spine through the man's throat. Life left him quickly as his eyes glazed over.

Four down total. As Ian looked around, it seemed like the entire village was coming after him and Shen was no where to be seen. This had to end here and now. A fist struck him across the face, followed by another and another. Warriors on all sides struck at him. he was trapped. There was nothing he could do. Another rib broken. Another snap and his nose was broken.

His left eye started to close from the constant pounding they did. He let out a scream as his energy erupted outwards, sending everyone flying through the air. Some smashed through windows. Those were the lucky ones. Others were crushed against their log homes.

Ian fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Looking at his hands, he saw they were starting to transform. He was becoming the demon again. He concentrated hard on keeping his form. He didn't want people to know his demonic side. He wanted it to be his trump and use it as a tool.

A door burst open from a nearby cabin, and a couple of the warriors stepped out. They weren't very happy. Off down the main street there was weeping from a mother as she cradled her dead child. More was being done in the other direction as people were finding their loved ones severely injured, or dead.

Shen stood on top of a building nearby watching. The boy had something special in him. He had promise, and if he was careful, he could use it to defeat his enemies. The boy was obvious the type to feel like he was in control, even when he acted like he was being subservient. Ian was a man that never gave up power and manipulated to hide that desire. He was dangerous, and if he wasn't careful, he could fall in his trap.

Ian watched as the warriors approached. One had a broken arm, the bone protruding out the side. He was brave, though Ian was hardly in the shape to take much advantage of that. They approached with caution.

"Why? Why are you doing this to us? Why do you wish to kill us," one asked in frightful despair.

Ian grinned. "It is what I am supposed to do. Just like you're supposed to try and stop me. It's the nature of things." He was never one to be so blatant. Was his power getting to his head? Or was he simply following "orders" from his Master who didn't appear to be anywhere he could see.

An axe.

The thought came from one of them, and a closer look, the one without a broken arm was looking out of the corner of his eye at an axe that was embedded into a stump. Ian reached out with his mind and pulled the axe free from it's holder and launched it at the man who wanted it.

The man fell lifelessly to the ground, an Axe embedded into his skull. "He said he wanted it." The humor was ever darker than Ian generally like. What the hell was wrong with him? Did he enjoy killing? A few days ago, no. But now... he'd have to say yes. The blood, the thirst. He shook his head clean of the thoughts and stood up.

Other warriors came out of the holes they had created from when Ian sent them flying. Some seemed unharmed, where as others were barely standing. "Stay back, or you will all die!"

The warriors froze, heeding Ian's warning. They didn't dare test it out. So many had died already. The village couldn't sustain any more deaths. One of the warriors walked up, anger and hatred in his eyes. "Get out of here demon! Begone from our village!"

Ian nodded and took flight, shooting high above the mountain tops while Shen watched with some disappointment. He wanted him to kill everyone in the village. But he did well. He would need to control it though. His feet lifted off the ground and he took off after his pupil.

Izon watched through the orb. He watched as his agent led Ian through the various training regimes. He watched as his agent unleashed him on a town. Whether Ian liked it or not, he was being forged to be Izon's weapon. Ian Lancaster, the man who refused to be under anyone being the puppet of the one he took his name from.

The ultimate plan he had for the human turned demon had yet to be revealed. But as the human go stronger, so did he. He looked over at a map of the universe as it floated in the air. As he walked over to it, it focused on what he wanted to look at. It focused on the galaxy that Ian resided in. It tracked all of Izon's agents as they moved through to prepare Ian for what is to come.

Cira, Muscles. Everyone that Ian is partners with were his agents. Izon made sure he relied on him. He made sure he was a pawn regardless of what he wanted. His power would be his and his own riches would bring the darkness in the universe. The like never to have seen before.

Ian sat on the ledge on the plateau when Shen finally arrived. He had awhile to think. Contemplate the choices he was making. He didn't like the blood on his hands. It was why he always tried to hire others to do the dirty work. He didn't mind people dying nor the suffering he caused. But blood was sticky and smelly. He felt gross. Flexing his fingers, he saw the blood cracking as it dried.

"Regretting your decision?"

Ian looked up and saw Shen standing there. He shook his head. "No. I haven't killed many by my own hands. It was... uncomfortable."

Shen laughed. "Boy, if you want power, you gotta get your hands dirty. It's the nature of the business."

He was right. He had so many people do his dirty work that he forgot the feel of what it was like to take someone's life. He took his old boss's life when he was a street rat, pick pocketing. He even killed a few others before he became an adult. Then he got smarter. He poisoned and hired others to do the work while he simply plotting.

Plotting didn't stain hands red. Though thinking back, the punishment in hell didn't make it any less. Even those he didn't kill, but were responsible for came back to cut, or dismember him while he had waited in the darkness. Maybe it was time he gave them a reason to haunt him. Maybe it was time to give people a reason to fear him and not underestimate him. He liked working behind the scenes, but he had two personalities. He could easily do both, and his demon side certainly would instill fear in people.

"I don't fear killing others. It's just been so long since I actually took someones life." Not including the two demons he killed.

"How long has it been exactly?"

Without really thinking, he spoke. "Over five hundred years."

Shen smiled. This was the boy. Or should he say, "old man". He would have to do some research on Ian Lancaster when he could. Someone had come to him and told him of Lancaster and that their master needed him to train him. It was his duty as Ian was part of a plan that had yet to come.


WC:3010