Aryan
Revealed his teeth in a menacing grin, the giant, Bokun, had unleashed a heavy vertical slash that cleaved through the images of Guhin and the woman, decimating the ground they stood on. Large pieces of rock and debris shot up into the air, while a thick cloud of dust engulfed the area. Bokun tried to peer through the lingering dust to see if his attack had landed, but aside from the huge gap in the earth, he saw nothing. Not even a drop of blood on his greatsword.
Frustrated that he had missed or that his attack hadn't worked, he suddenly heard the faint voice of a woman. She spoke from a distance through the clearing clouds of dust.
WOMAN: Thank you.
BOKUN: What?
Bokun could hardly believe his eyes. Both Guhin and the woman were unharmed! But it was the distance that bothered him the most. How had they leapt that far back in no more than a second?
BOKUN: How did he... You little... I'll show you.
Angry, to say the least, he gripped the handle of his greatsword with all his might and tensed his muscles to such an extent that it seemed his veins could burst at any given moment. Even the color of his skin appeared to be changing... Only slightly, but it was definitely turning into a light, reddish glow...
BOKUN:
Gijutsu-tekina himitsu, Secret technique. Bāsākā, Berserker!
While Guhin was untying the last rope around the woman's feet, her eyes widened with disbelief once more. Looking around herself, she couldn't believe they had traveled so far. One moment they were about to meet their demise, and the next, they were here. At least three hundred feet from where they first stood...
WOMAN: What are you?
GUHIN just grunted.
The woman slowly got up and looked at him from head to toe... Nothing seemed to be unordinary about Guhin, except for the scar on the bridge of his nose, he seemed like an average young man. It was only when she saw his golden amulet, that her expression and demeanor changed completely...
Her eyes sprang up as its golden design was reflected in her eyes. For a moment, the scent of rot, death, and disease, filled the air... But only for a moment, hardly noticeable even for Guhin's nose. A scent that went by that fast could easily be some passing gas from Bokun, traveling in the wind...
WOMAN: Where did you get that?
GUHIN stayed silent. "Tell me!"
GUHIN: "Why? Have you seen it before?"
As soon as Guhin answered, the look in her eyes turned back to normal. Embarrassed by her sudden outburst of interest, she apologized profusely.
WOMAN: No, nevermind. I'm sorry, that was rude of me... Thanks again for everything, I should get going now, goodbye.
A questionable frown appeared on Guhin's face as the woman in front of him bowed her head out of gratitude. Her gaze fell on Guhin's soaking wet boots, and when she lifted her gaze toward his eyes.
Fear took over her entire body, horrified to a point that time itself felt like it slowed down. She watched how the greatsword of Bokun was inches away from cutting Guhin to pieces.
Instead of his blade sinking into Guhin's flesh, the blade went right through his fading image. Leaving a short wave of wind that dispersed in the air, due to the velocity of his swing.
Unlike his previous attack, which was wild and reckless, this time, he stopped his greatsword before it came in contact with the ground and followed up with a flurry of fast and heavy swings. Every move was calculated and accurate, every muscle in his body was trying to react, and keep up with the speed of Guhin's fading image. In this new "state" of his, Bokun's power had increased significantly. Each swing of his blade created waves of wind, powerful enough to push the woman onto her back.
Although Bokun's technique "berserker" had brought him to greater heights in terms of power, Guhin evaded his attacks with ease. The enormous blade grazed his body from every angle until Guhin had had enough. He dodged the last strike by turning his body to the side, planting his feet firmly on the ground, and buried his fist deep within Bokun's chest.
The incredible blow brought the smiling giant to his knees. Unable to maintain his "berserker" form, his tensed-up muscles started to relax and the bulging veins across his entire body disappeared, as he once again faced the blue sky...
Baffled by the outcome of their fight, the question of how Guhin moved the way he did came to Bokun's mind...
BOKUN: How do you do that?
Guhin ignored his deep voice; he wasn't interested in talking to him. Besides, the woman he had just saved was nowhere to be seen, vanished into thin air like a puff of smoke.
BOKUN: Little man, men of all sorts and sizes cower before me. What is your name?
GUHIN: Where did she go?
BOKUN: Your name?
GUHIN: She couldn't have gotten far.
BOKUN: Are you ignoring me, you little shit? I haven't gone all out like that in a long time. Just tell me your name before you finish me. It would be a shame to die without knowing the name of the one who bested me.
GUHIN: I'm not going to kill you.
BOKUN: What? Am I not worthy enough to be killed, you little shit?
GUHIN: Yeah right, you big idiot. As long as I'm in control, I'm not killing anyone. Whatever you say.
Despite Bokun's request, Guhin put on his hood to continue his journey toward the western region of Valherya... Seeing him walk away without knowing his name, infuriated Bokun. He struggled to move his aching body but managed to get up...
BOKUN: Oh Hell No! You're Not Leaving Without Telling Me Your...
Bokun got cut off mid-sentence.
His entire body trembled as he took his first shaking steps toward Guhin. Still, he was able to grab him by both of his shoulders and turn him around.
BOKUN, still asking with a grin: Your name?
Seeing how persistent the smiling giant was, Guhin rolled his eyes and gave him what he wanted...
GUHIN replied: Guhin.
BOKUN: "Thank you...'Gubin."
GUHIN: "...Guhin."
BOKUN: "That's what I said, Youlin'."
GUHIN: "...Guhin..."
BOKUN: "Oh! ...'GUHIN'...!"
GUHIN nodded.
BOKUN grinned at Guhin.
After he pronounced his name "correctly", Bokun released him and stumbled back... Watching the man who bested him leave without knowing if he would ever see him again, made him feel uneasy. Finally, a worthy opponent and he was about to let him slip between his fingers...
BOKUN: "Guhin, wait! I'm coming with you! I've waited all my life to find someone 'almost' as strong as me... I'm not letting you get away now! ...If you can just wait till Etro gets here. I can't walk anymore." Bokun called out to Etro.
The high-pitched whistle was so loud, that it instantly woke up Etro who was still laying on his back, with his hooves in the air... Hearing his master's call invigorated him, as he dusted himself off with a quick shake and galloped towards Bokun in an accelerating sprint.
BOKUN: "There he is."
When Bokun turned around to resume his one-sided conversation with Guhin, the last thing he saw was a balled fist that flashed before his eyes.
After a while, Bokun woke up with a black eye and his horse Etro sitting next to him. He looked around to see if Guhin was still around, but it seemed his dream of meeting a worthy opponent was short-lived...
BOKUN: "Damn... Well... I can't blame him, can I, Etro..."
He scratched his hair and looked at the surrounding damage he had done... Disappointed in himself, he shrugged his head and slowly got on his horse... Tapping his heels into Etro's sides, the mighty steed was hesitant to move. His gaze faced north, where all the other horses had run off to.
BOKUN: Oh c'mon, Etro! I know they were your friends, but you and I both know those men got what they deserved. Now my friend, take a whiff and tell me where she went.
Neighing toward the sun, the mighty steed Etro took a whiff of a piece of clothing, worn by the woman Bokun had held hostage. They started walking west, in the same direction Guhin went. Bokun also recalled his recent battle to be totally different than what had happened. Making it seem as if he was the one that had the upper hand, and that he almost brought Guhin to his knees... Etro rolled his eyes in response as their image faded in the refraction of the sun's heat...
A decent time had passed since Guhin had his fight with Bokun. The image of the smiling giant who killed his own men without mercy, still dwelled in the back of his mind. But it faded into nothingness, at the sight of the beautiful scenery before him... The sun gave a soft glow to the wet texture of stone, forming into an incredible wide ravine... Within it, lay a village... Guhin had arrived at the western region of Valherya.
From the outside, the village resembled a wooden stronghold, with large sturdy gates accompanied
by numerous guards, clad in light armor. The guards protected the entrance, while most of them patrolled the roads outside the walls, in groups of two or more. Although the village was tightly secured, it was mostly known for its thriving market, which, as per usual, occurred on a daily basis...
The village's interior was divided into four parts, connected through large corridors on each side. White and an assortment of blue and green awnings separated the houses from the market stands, white for the traders, and the other for the people who lived in the village... The main plaza, which was the showpiece due to its marvelous design of selected pillars, was neighbored by a bell tower, that struck the sun's every hour.
Not only was it known for its booming economy, the blue river that ran behind the village was packed with fishermen, who provided most people in Valherya with their freshly caught delicacy. Fish of all sorts and sizes were hanging on the side of the docks, built on one side of the river's bed. The name of this village, was...
GUHIN: "Aryan"... It's been a while, hasn't it, Fukujin..."
As he stretched his arm to the side,
Fukujin dove down from the sky and put his claws around Guhin's shoulder...
GUHIN: "Let's go... He's probably waiting for us..."
Fukujin stepped from Guhin's shoulder to the back of his neck, setting the sharp claws of his talons into the fabric of Guhin's hood. He already knew what was about to happen. They could use the platform next to them, a great lift meant to reach the bottom of the cliff, but Guhin wanted to take a shorter route. He simply jumped off the edge and fell into the depths of the ravine. Cracking the earth's crust in his landing, he was halted by a guard. A guard who patrolled the dirt road that led to the entrance, a guard who tried to control his composure, even though he was scared out of his wits because of Guhin's sudden landing...
GUARD: Oh dear gods. I mean, halt! Who goes... Oh, it's you. You scared me for a second, don't you know it's troll season..."
GUARD: You're still the same, talking doesn't hurt you know... Well, move it along then... That kid has been nagging on our ears for almost a year now, you better have a good excuse for making him wait that long.
GUHIN nodded.
The guards at the entrance greeted Guhin as well, and one of them knocked on the large wooden gates. Shortly after, the chains on the inside rustled, and the gates creaked open. The sound of music, paired with the smell of herbs and spices, put a smile on Guhin's face, as he marched through and entered the village called "Aryan"...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone