"SORCERY!" the shaman said as he pointed his staff at me.
"How are you able to use sorcery here?" the chieftain said, still shocked at the fact that she lost before the match began.
"I'm different."
"I told you he was strong, sister," said the small girl from the side.
Clearly displeased, the woman sighed, "I admit my defeat," she said.
"We cannot accept it chief! He used sorcery!" the shaman said. And that was supported by the many, many other tribesmen. As they booed and shouted.
"Cheater!" they said, "Fraud!" they said and many other words.
My brows rose up, as I smiled and backed away.
"You all seem displeased," I said.
Then I looked at the chieftain, "You wouldn't refuse a match of strength," I said.
"I already admitted defeat, there is no point in fighting," she said.
"But they seem displeased," I said.
"He used sorcery! It is not fair!" more of the tribesmen said.
"SILENCE!" the chieftain roared and everyone quieted down. "I have asked him to fight with all he got, and he did, thus the victory is his, do not disgrace his victory with your whining and whinging."
The tribesmen were clearly dissatisfied, and not happy with the situation.
"I don't mind fighting using strength," I said.
The chieftain saw the reignited spark of hope in the eyes of her tribesmen and asked me, "Are you sure about that?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Then so be it, don't blame me if you lose, I might not be powerful against sorcery but we pride ourselves in our strength!" she said.
I went back to my starting place and nodded for her to start.
"I have my eyes on you! If you use sorcery you will lose the match!" said the shaman.
I ignored the ignorant and focused on the chieftain.
She swung her mallet a couple times and readied up. Waiting for me to make the first move which I wasn't about to make.
A few more breaths of constant vigilance and staring before she charged forward.
For a person only using physical prowess she was fast. Fast enough that she reached me in less than moment. And her swing was wide and powerful enough to rip a boulder in two before shattering it to bits with that mallet of hers.
However, in my eyes, she was still slow enough to dodge, and I did so with a single step back.
Her swing pa.s.sed harmlessly in front of me and she was in an overextended state. Normally a person would immediately punish this overextension by countering instantly, however, this was an obvious trap.
I however, wanted to see how she would react.
I took a step forward and saw a grin appear on her face, "Got you!" she said as her rib muscles flexed up, and the swung mallet was swung back toward me.
I dodged by bending myself back and rose back up with an extended grasp at her neck. But she backed away.
"How did you know?" she asked a smile creeping up her face as she probably was extended in fighting someone who has some fighting ability.
"As a chieftain of a village, and someone with enough strength and power to subdue it all, there is no way you'd swing like an amateur against an unknown person who clearly outcla.s.ses you," I said.
"You may be strong! But it's too early to say that you outcla.s.s me! RIFT MAKER!" she shouted and slammed the mallet on the ground, causing a seismic burst to flow forward.
"Fist of Roaring Ki," I muttered with an extended palm in front of me "Almighty Pus.h.!.+"
And I pressed my hand an inch forward.
An explosion of force surged forward and the two of them clashed, the winner clearly my force against hers as it razed her seismic blow and the ground underneath it in a concaving palm explosion.
"HE IS USING HIS SORCERY!" shouted the shaman.
"SHUT UP!" replied the chieftain! "If you are blind don't speak as if you can see! It is nothing but pure force! The next time anyone intervenes, they shall be beheaded!" she added.
Everyone calmed down then and had to watch.
"I guess I'll be using nothing but muscle strength from now on," I said "Here I come."
I instantly dashed forward, my palm obvious and extended forward for her to block. Which was my intention.
She tried to parry it with her mallet but the blow from my palm was strong enough that her entire body was forced back sliding across the ground.
I wasn't keen on giving her an opportunity to take a breath as I followed after throwing a kick and a direct punch that she desperately tried to parry, blocking it was not possible since she will get pushed out of the ring.
Desperately, she pulled her mallet and tried to redirect my kick which she managed to an extent but on the cost of blood spraying from her mallet holding palms.
The punch however, went right into her abdomen, causing the white of her eyes to appear for a second and her kneeling on the ground.
She then took a desperate gasp and jumped back away, taking struggled breath after another.
I slowly walked forward. Everyone already realized it by now, they were no match for me. And she too seemed to know it, however, desperation or hopelessness never appeared on her face. In a matter of fact, it was more like antic.i.p.ation and excitement.
She slammed the head of her mallet on the ground letting go of her weapon, and slapped her chest twice and roared once more.
The tattoos on her body s.h.i.+mmered in a red glistening glow, and the horns on her forehead grew bigger and larger. She shot me a sly grin as she flashed forward almost disappearing from sight, the mallet no longer on the ground but in her hand.
It was less than the time it would take a person to blink, that's how much it took for her to move from the edge of the arena and appear right in front of me with the mallet about to crush me to bits.
However.
The mallet stopped in the air thanks to my finger stopping it.
A single finger to block that ma.s.sive hammer is all it took and that left her looking completely stunned and petrified. Unable to understand the disparity in strength.
My other hand pointed at her neck, in a chop like motion. "You died again," I said.
She smiled and sighed, "I should have taken the cue the first time, you're strong," she said.
Her body returned to normal as her horns returned to their normal size and her tattoos no longer glowed.
The shaman spat on the ground and left the area along with many other tribesmen. Some remained to watch the aftermath and the rest were clearly dissatisfied with what went on.
"You have proven yourself victorious, you and your companion may safely cross the village into the dark garden," she said.
"But I advise you to be cautious and wary, the land out from here isn't safe, not even for us who have lived here for ages. It is full of beasts of all kinds and terrors that would make nightmares feel like lucid dreams," she said as she pointed out.
"That is the exit, but you are welcome to stay here," she said.
"We didn't come here to try and barge in on your livelihood, we are trapped here in the Dark Garden and wish to leave, however we have no sense of direction or a map," I said.
She thought for a moment and said, "Mei, bring them a map from the chief's lodge," she said.
"Chief's lodge? Shouldn't that be your lodge?" I asked.
"No more, I have lost in a formal challenge, no one is chief here but you, and once you leave, there will be another compet.i.tion to elect a new chief," she said.
"I guess we caused some troubles, I apologize," I said.
"It is the way of our people, we are elected by strength and power, and if one fails to prove power to lead, then they should at least have power to follow, I have failed my people and will have to climb back up," she said. "But don't worry about me, I'm strong enough to get back to the top," she smiled.
"I trust that," I said as I nodded to my companions.
"Before you go," she asked, "How did you do that?"
"Do what?" I questioned.
"How did you appear behind me, they all said it was sorcery, but it was not, I saw you simply dissipate and fully harmonize yourself with nature and then appear behind me, it was stealth, the same one I tried on you before but you saw through me," she said.
"That's called the Traceless Step," I said, "It is pretty Qi reliant, but I've learned it from a tiger." I said.
"A tiger…"
"Yes a Dark Winged Tiger,"
"You survived an encounter with one of them?" she frowned.
"I saw one of its kind here, it had a scar on its eye," I said.
"That was my late father's doing, to save our village he traded his life for that scar," she said.
"I see… do you wish to learn the Traceless Step?" I asked.
"I would be in your debt," she said.
I approached her and said, "Relax and let me share it with you," I said as I held her head between my hands and began sending her imagery of the Traceless Steps and how I learned it.
I soon removed my hands from her and she opened her eyes, "That's beautiful," she said.
"It's such a simple yet ingenious way of moving…" she then looked at her village and said, "Do you mind if I were to share this with them?"
"It is yours now, do with it as you please, you were on the cusp of achieving it anyway, I only helped a litter," I said.
"Thank you, benefactor,! This will help us greatly in hunting and escaping danger…"
Soon the small child appeared with a rolled-up skin of a beast and handed it to me.
"This is the map you're looking for, and no matter what you do… don't go into the highlighted areas of the map," she said.
Just as I opened the map, I frowned, almost ninety percent of the map I was given was highlighted.
She threw me a sly grin when I looked back at her.
Well…this should be interesting.