Guardian of the Dream
Part 4 - The Night of the Flower
Chapter 1 - Jin's Promise
It was a little before noon. Torogai lay motionless next to the sunken hearth. Balsa sat nearby sharpening her spear.
Torogai sat up abruptly and stared at the door. Balsa looked at the door, too, but saw no threat.
"Someone crossed the barrier,” Torogai whispered.
Balsa stood up, spear in hand, and pulled open the door.
A man stood in the dew-drenched meadow, his brown hakama pants tucked into shin guards. A plain double-edged sword hung from his belt. He looked like a normal soldier, but he didn’t carry himself like one. Balsa was used to incapacitating normal soldiers. This man stood defensively while seeming relaxed. He was deceptively normal-looking. Balsa wasn’t fooled.
"Long time no see, Balsa the spear-wielder."
Balsa smiled. "I'm glad you made it, Mr. Jin."
"Drop the Mr. Just Jin is fine," he said lightly. He looked around the hut, raising an eyebrow as he took it all in. "If only I’d known that this was your hideout back then… though considering how bad you tore me up, I don’t think it would have mattered. I wouldn't have been able to follow you here after you put me on death's doorstep."
Both of them smiled a little, awkward.
A clump of trees to the north caught Jin’s attention. The muscles of his face tightened, making him look tense. “I see something over there. A beast, but not like any I’ve seen before.”
Balsa nodded, then beckoned him to come inside the hut. Torogai and Jin had met before, but Yugno was a stranger to him. Yugno appeared less than impressed by Jin. Perhaps he’d expected someone taller or broader, based on Balsa’s estimation of Jin’s skill. But not every warrior was built like the over-exaggerated ones in songs and stories.
Balsa had limited tolerance for Yugno’s misconceptions, so she ignored him and focused on Jin. “You know I hate delegating anything when there’s a battle to be fought, but you’re the only one I trust to help with this.”
Jin nodded. “I heard what was going on from Shuga. It’s hard to believe that Tanda would turn into something like that. He always seemed so calm and helpful. It’ll be tough to hold him off without hurting him too badly, but I’ll do my best.”
“Keep in mind that he doesn’t feel pain,” Balsa said. “Not that I could tell, at any rate. I dislocated his right shoulder, but he just started hitting me in the face with his left fist instead."
The corners of Jin's lips quirked upward in slight smile. "Shuga said he was tough, but I guess that was a bit of an understatement. But I owe him my life. So I’ll see what I can do."
Balsa bowed her head deeply. "Thank you."
"No need. I was thinking that we might try to capture him like a beast, if a beast is what he’s become. A few ropes and some snares might slow him down a little, at least.”
Balsa’s face clouded over. “I thought of that. But the Flower’s Defender doesn't see Tanda's body as anything but a tool. If we tie him up, he would rip his skin and flesh off to escape. How would we stop that? We can't talk to him, and he won't pass out. We can capture him with a net, but the creature won't stop struggling until Tanda's body is in pieces. By nightfall, Tanda would be…"
Jin frowned in understanding. "I see."
Balsa shook her head a little to clear the darkness of her thoughts. “You don’t need to stall him for long. Give us enough time to get to the lake ahead of him, then just let him chase us. Otherwise he might get hurt.”
"Got it." Jin nodded, then added, "I almost forgot. The Crown Prince is coming to the lake tonight."
"What?" Both Balsa and Torogai stared at Jin wide-eyed. Balsa tsked. "I know why, but isn't this too dangerous? Why didn't you stop him?"
"I have the Hunters Zen and Yun assigned to protect him. He won’t get hurt.”
Torogai and Balsa exchanged glances. They were more worried about spiritual harm than physical, but they weren't about to tell Jin that. Feeling that her worries had doubled, Balsa sighed.
"Either way, I'll delay the Flower’s Defender, or whatever he's called for as long as I can. There's no use in worrying about anything else right now." He sounded decisive, and not worried at all. The oppressive heaviness of the atmosphere was uncomfortable, and he sought to lighten it with confidence.
Everyone prepared for the evening, then set out to leave. Jin, of course, was remaining behind. Balsa paused with one hand on the hut’s door frame and looked back at him. She took a deep breath, then let it out. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but she had no words.
Jin had an incisive understanding of what she felt. It was clear to him that she wished she could be in two places at once. She was worried that Jin would hurt Tanda, but of course, she couldn’t just come out and say it. Jin was about to risk his life--and Tanda’s--in a desperate battle.
Jin was moved by her expression. He reached for her arm. "If I can't hold him back, I'll aim for his left leg. For the bone. You understand, right?"
Jin took his sword belt off and used it to tie the sheath and handle of his weapon together. His intention was to not draw his sword in the battle, no matter the circumstances.
Balsa looked at Jin with profound gratitude shining in her eyes. "It seems that this time, I owe you a life. I’ll pay you back someday."
Jin laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'm here to repay a favor in the first place, remember? If we include your debts and favors, too, it will just complicate things. Anyway, now that you're ready, is it time to go?"
Jin left first, then Balsa, and then Torogai. When Yugno finally stepped out into the meadow, everyone saw the thing in the woods to the north lope into movement.
"I'm bringing down the barrier," Torogai said quietly. Balsa and Jin moved to stand on either side of Yugno, who stared at the Flower’s Defender without blinking, his face drained of blood.
Torogai closed her eyes and placed her palms together over her heart. She broke her hands apart with something like real violence. An instant later, a black shadow shot out of the branches of the trees to the north like an arrow aiming straight for Yugno.
Jin swung his sheathed sword in a wide arc. It connected with the shadow's spine. The Flower's Defender fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Balsa grabbed Yugno's hand. He was rooted to the spot. Balsa called out, "Go!" to Jin and started running. She didn't turn back.
Jin's attacks were so fast that an ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to dodge or absorb them without falling. Tanda in his normal state would have been no match. But the Flower’s Defender could ignore pain. Every blow that landed winded the creature, but only for a moment. The shoulder that Balsa had dislocated in the previous battle was now back in place.
This thing isn't human, Jin thought. He’d been warned, but he hadn’t fought something like this since the Crown Prince was carrying the egg of the Water Spirit.
Jin’s blood froze in his veins. The face of the Flower’s Guardian was definitely Tanda’s, but no trace of his usual demeanor was anywhere to be found.
How can a human face change so much?
Jin noticed the Flower's Defender bending its knees. It was going to try to jump and get past him to get to Yugno.
Then the Flower's Defender was in the air. Jin just barely managed to get a grip on the creature’s left ankle before it was out of range. Jin went flying into the air from the force of the creature’s jump. He yanked the ankle down and came back to earth, rolling defensively.
Jin didn't let go of the ankle during the fall. The Flower's Defender tried kicking Jin's arm with its right leg to dislodge it. Jin let go of the ankle, rolled away and jumped back to his feet.
Jin was fast, but the Flower’s Defender was faster. It shot past Jin in the direction that Yugno had run off to.
Jin took up his sword--still in its sheath--and threw it. The weapon got caught between the running legs of the Flower's Defender. The creature fell face-first.
Jin launched himself onto the Flower's Defender before it could get up. He pulled the creature to himself, his arms under its armpits, and pulled. Fast and flexible, Jin pulled up and laced his fingers together at the back of the creature’s head. Like this, Jin could hold the Flower’s Defender still--or even break its neck.
Jin leaned back on his heels, making himself heavier. He needed to maintain the joint lock as long as he could. He tried to kick his opponent's legs out from under it, roll to the ground, and pin it down.
Like Balsa, Jin had been trained in combat since early childhood. Skilled martial artists know that weight matters less than leverage. By positioning himself carefully and shifting his center of gravity, Jin made himself more difficult to shake off than a much taller, broader man. He had confidence that he’d trapped the Flower’s Defender for the next little while.
But then, the Flower’s Defender moved, twisting violently in his hold. Cold dread settled in the pit of Jin’s stomach. The Flower’s Defender sent its own arms shooting backwards with a sickening crack. Tanda’s arms were broken, and the creature was winning free.
He’s breaking himself apart!
Jin remembered what Balsa had said: The Flower’s Defender doesn't see Tanda's body as anything but a tool.
The Flower’s Defender would break its own arms, or even cut them off, if it meant getting to Yugno.
For the first time, Jin felt a twinge of fear.
He couldn’t let the creature destroy Tanda’s body. He let go, then kicked the Flower’s Defender behind the knees. The Flower’s Defender sprawled forward. Jin pinned the creature’s back, his legs spread on either side of the Flower’s Defender’s knees. Moving quickly, he stuck the sharp points of his own knees directly behind the creature’s, holding the creature’s legs still with his own shins. At the same time, he gripped the creature’s neck from behind with his right hand, forcing it down.
The Flower’s Defender flailed both arms in an attempt to remove the pressure holding its head down, but Jin swatted them away with palm strikes. The Flower’s Defender writhed, trying push Jin off of it by brute strength.
Jin was drenched in sweat. He’d lost track of time. How much longer did he have to stall this thing? He managed to keep the creature from bothering him with its arms, but he was losing strength in his grip as the creature resisted. Finally, during a split second of distraction, the Flower’s Defender broke free.
The Flower’s Defender raked sharp nails over Jin’s right arm. It was lightly armored, but that didn’t matter; Jin brought his left arm over his right protectively as the injury bloomed with pain. The Flower’s Defender heaved up with its entire body, spilling Jin to the ground faster than he could blink.
Then the Flower’s Defender was standing up. It turned to Jin and attacked. Still distracted, Jin thought. Apparently the creature perceived him as a threat. He could buy a little more time.
The Flower’s Defender fought like a beast, with teeth and nails. Not content to incapacitate Jin, it tried to rend him limb from limb. It focused blows around Jin’s head, hitting hard with incredible speed. Jin twisted away in time to avoid serious injury; the creature managed to cut him shallowly above his left eye.
The cut made it harder for Jin to see. He realized that the Flower’s Defender was going for the throat next and abandoned his stalling methods. If he didn’t act swiftly in his own defense, the creature would kill him.
As the Flower’s Defender tried to latch onto his throat with his teeth, Jin screamed and struck his opponent's chin with his right fist as hard as he could. The Defender's head was flung backwards, allowing Jin to punch him in the throat.
After dodging the barrage of attacks, Jin used the opening by charging into the creature with his shoulders, striking slightly above the left ankle with a chop. He felt the bone snap cleanly under his hand.
Jin thought it was over for the moment, but the Flower’s Defender surprised him by reaching out and striking him across the face. The impact was as intense as if he had been hit with a club. Only instinct and training had helped Jin take the strike in a non-vital area. Jin was sent flying and lost consciousness before he even hit the ground.
The Flower's Defender tried standing up, and only then noticed that it couldn't use its left leg much. It sat down for a while, touching the leg. It got up onto all fours and restarted his pursuit, running on two hands and one leg. Surprisingly, even in that state, it didn't run much slower than a normal human.
The Flower's Defender, in Tanda's body, was gone in the blink of an eye, resuming its pursuit of Yugno.
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