Invading Heaven (Solo Quest)

Dread wrote:John had been meditating beneath the waterfall at his master’s estate for hardly an hour. The water that crashed down upon his elevated form failed, thus far, to pierce his toughened body with its bitter cold. He would have continued to levitate many dozens of feet above the river with his legs crossed over one another and his hands perched atop his knees long into the day. Something awful, however, interrupted his session, laying the plans he had for the day to waste. It was not as though he had not expected or anticipated the disturbance in his little reprieve from his tutelage under his master, but it discomfited him nonetheless. He grimaced at the approach of a certain detestable and fast-approaching power source. He opened his eyes and saw his master float directly before him, arms folded.

“Come with me,” “Coach” commanded; John unfolded his body and took to flying beside his master.

They left the estate far behind, but neither student nor teacher spoke throughout the journey. John had learned requesting any explanation from his teacher only annoyed the man and instigated immediate insults from him. He followed in silence, but not without a certain degree of anxiety. His master had already forced him to endure the torments of six lessons. What horrors awaited him? Had “Coach” come to collect him for his seventh lesson? John shuddered at the very real possibility. I need to escape this man. No, he’s no man; he’s a monster! John thought. If I do not leave him soon, I am certain to die from his “teachings”. “Coach” suddenly pointed down, wordlessly ordering John to lang. This is it, I am going to die today.

The thought of fleeing from “Coach” left John’s mind as quickly as it had entered it. He had witnessed only a small percentage of the power his teacher had at his disposal, but it was more than enough. John knew he had absolutely no possibility of escaping his master. Whatever “Coach” wanted of him or others, he always received and people suffered whether they submitted to his wishes or defied them.

John noticed a massive stone pillar ahead of them, thicker around than a huddled sports team. Its breadth, however, was hardly fascinating. John gazed upward and noticed that it extended far into the clouds above. How could such a thin structure remain upright while piercing the heavens? Does this thing go all the way into space? John asked himself rather than his teacher who would, at best, have only ignored him. “There are treasures at the top of this tower,” “Coach” finally spoke.

“These treasures may help you to become more powerful than you have become under my training. The treasures, I speak of, however, are guarded by those who wish to test the mettle and might of Earth’s finest combatants. They have prearranged trials for those who seek to claim the treasures for themselves. You must obtain them in whatever way you deem fit. You may attempt to claim them by force, but I doubt you will succeed in that endeavor. You may also comply and undertake the trials that await you. I leave the decision to you; I will later return to collect you and I better not find you have failed to carry out my orders or ignored them altogether.” He told John.

“Coach” immediately vanished from view, but the tremendous gust of wind that followed his launch informed John that his master had flown off to destinations unknown. John then examined the tower, shrugged his shoulders, and took off into the air to ascend to its top.

John reached his destination in little time; there, a perfectly round structure, the size of a large house, rested atop the tower’s peak. Perhaps this is someone’s home. John thought has he flew over a guardrail and between two pillars. He landed on a smooth surface of stone tiles and looked around for any occupants. He observed that the place resembled the interior of an enormous lighthouse without the addition of a light to guide wayward sailors or, in the case of a building set above the clouds, wayward airmen.

John moved toward the center and sensed about the place for any life and any significant power levels. He detected something nearby and walked toward a plain wood door just as it creaked open. A diminutive figure stepped through and John had to clap both hands over his face to burst from laughing at the sight that greeted him. An obese bipedal cat that came up to John’s height regarded him through squinted eyes. John’s humor vanished an instant later when he felt a strangely familiar tingle in the back of his head.

He searched his memory for the sensation and slowly recalled the feeling from the time he and “Coach” descended in their ship through the atmosphere of Kanassa. John remembered that the people of that planet possessed psychic abilities. The tingling sensation in his skull, however, had subsided immediately after “Coach” dealt with the two-man welcoming party that came to greet them. He had never again felt the tingle throughout the remainder of his stay on the alien world and never once had he felt it on Earth until encountering the strange cat.

John searched his feelings and realized, with a start, that the tingle he presently felt was being caused by the feline. Is this thing reading my mind? An immediate surge of fury exploded within John the moment the realization entered his head; the creature must have sensed his rage because it backed away as soon as John reached out to grab it. It moved too slowly, however. John soon had both his hands wrapped tightly around the cat’s throat. “Let go of me!” The cat indignantly cried with audible effort.

“You talk,” John said without an ounce of surprise in his tone. “I have one question for you and if you attempt to lie to me, I will see to your next travel arrangements.” What may just as easily have been “Coach’s” words freely spilled from John’s mouth as he gestured, with his head, to the guardrail.

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with!” The cat cried out.

“Were you reading my mind just now?” John asked, ignoring the interviewee’s last comment.

“What if I was?” The cat spat at him.

“That was not an answer,” John growled.

“Yeah, I was reading your mind. What of it?” The cat chokingly replied.

John loosened his grip a little, allowing the cat to catch its breath. “Then you must know that you have made the sore mistake of violating my privacy,” John hissed, allowing his heated breath to roll directly onto the cat’s nose.

“I know why you came here,” The cat replied.

“Then I suggest a trade,” John replied. “Give me the treasures and I will consider letting you live.”

“You should know I cannot just simply give you what you came for; did your teacher not tell you that you have to take certain trials?” The cat pointed out.

“I have orders to collect the treasures by any means necessary.” John made his point by shoving the cat forcefully against the wall.

“The tests should not be too difficult for you.” The cat revealed. “I know you would rather pass them and receive what it is you came looking for than to force your way like bullies did during your childhood, like how your master bullies you now. Do you really want to shed blood, John? You may have a horrible teacher, but that does not mean you have to become a horrible man.”

John’s attitude softened somewhat from the cat’s words and he allowed it to drop to the ground. “You have my name,” John pointed out. “Give me yours,” He coldly demanded.

“I am Korin.” The cat replied.

“What is the first test?” John asked.

“You have to climb this tower,” He answered.

“I am already here,” John remarked.

“You have to do it without flying,” Korin told him.

“I have experienced sixty times Earth’s gravity for several hours at a time. I thought you would know that since you read my thoughts,” John said.

“I don’t know what that has to do with climbing the tower,” Korin said.

“Climbing the tower in normal gravity is nothing for me; it would be nothing short of a waste of time for either of us.” John explained.

“I told you that the tests would be easy for you; this is the first one. Just do it and get it over with and you can move on to the next task.” Korin told him.

John shrugged his shoulders and left Korin to massage his neck. He placed his back to the guardrail then swung his body over the ledge and fell. He descended quickly through the clouds; a sudden chill passed over him as condensing water vapor layered his skin and clothes. He soon found himself facing the approaching ground below, but he had thousands of feet before he reached the planet’s surface. He relaxed in that time, not bothering to summon his ki to slow or stop his descent until absolutely necessary. The air whistled by and his clothes flapped energetically as this his hair. He hardly ever blinked during his earthward journey and kept his mouth shut, expressionless.

His body stopped with an immediately halt no more than six feet above the ground. Dust parted beneath him; he then turned his body right-side-up and dropped down onto his feet. He examined the tower for a moment for anything to serve as handholds and footholds. The tower featured many stone rings that appeared spaced apart specifically for climbing rather than serving as a carved decoration. John put them to use and made his way back up without hesitating. I'll see you again soon, Korin. He thought as he swiftly approached the clouds in his effortless climb.